Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss - Bree Wolf Page 0,15

look at him with a hint of suspicion in those green eyes of hers. Drake could not help but wonder what had prompted Lady Louisa to see him in such an unfavorable light. Had Lady Leonora said something to her about their encounter, their conversation that had given her a wrong impression? Whatever it was, Drake found Lady Louisa’s eyes narrow whenever they fell upon him. Perhaps he had been a bit quick to blurt out what he had. However, Lady Leonora had seemed so vulnerable that he had not been able to help himself. Had she believed him? That he would hunt down her attacker and end him where he stood? Drake did not know, and in truth, it did not matter. Without a name, his hands were tied.

Nevertheless, Drake was determined to keep his word, and so over the coming days, he stayed close by, watching over Lady Leonora as he had promised. In truth, Drake had little else to do. He probably would have left the house party early had it not been for her. Although Lady Louisa had forgiven Phineas for sharing her secret with his old friend, she clearly felt no desire to speak to Drake about their mutual literacy troubles, and Drake had to admit that he did not, either.

Instead, he kept to the shadows, watchful eyes trained on Lady Leonora.

She moved about carefully, something skittish in every step she took, always accompanied by at least one sister no matter where she went. Fortunately, with four sisters to choose from, Lady Leonora never found herself alone. Still, her eyes always seemed to sweep her surroundings, and Drake could not shake the feeling that no matter where she was or whom she was with, she was always looking for him. Was she trying to see if he would keep his word? Or did his presence truly make her feel safer?

The thought stirred something rather unexpected in Drake’s usually so quiet and rather inattentive heart. Never before had he felt any kind of connection to the women he had offered his assistance to before.

This was new.

This was unexpected.

But not...unwelcome.

One evening, Drake paused when a gentleman unknown to him suddenly approached Lady Louisa and Lady Leonora, his attention clearly focused on the latter.

To Drake’s relief, the man possessed impeccable manners and maintained an appropriate distance at all times. After the initial tense moment, Lady Leonora, too, began to relax, the tension in her hands lessening. Still, her gaze kept straying to him every so often, and Drake found himself offering her a reassuring smile. When had he last smiled? Drake could not remember.

Momentarily distracted, Drake tensed when he found an elderly lady suddenly step up to him. She simply stood by his side, not looking at him, but instead at the very scene he himself had been observing. “Only last year,” she then mumbled, a whisper of disapproval in her voice, “Lord Gillingham seemed thoroughly determined to make the new Mrs. Hawke his bride.” Indeed, Drake had heard that Phineas’ younger brother had been recently married. “Now, that she is married, it seems he has shifted his attention to one of my granddaughters.” Moving, she then turned to look up at him, something shrewd gleaming in her pale eyes. “What pray tell do you make of him?”

Drake shrugged, not certain what to make of her. Never before had someone spoken to him in such a forthright way. “I’m afraid I do not know the man.”

The Dowager Lady Whickerton—whom Drake presumed her to be—sighed deeply then moved back to stand beside him, her gaze returning to her granddaughters. “I do wonder if he’s the right man for her,” she mumbled, a hint of amusement in her voice. And indeed, when she turned to look at him before walking away, Drake spotted a teasing smile upon her face.

Watching the dowager join her granddaughters as well as Lord Gillingham, Drake could not help but wonder why the old woman had addressed him. In his experience, people rarely did anything without a motive, without an agenda. What on earth could be hers? Was she worried for Lady Leonora? Did she herself deem Lord Gillingham unsuitable? Or had she simply been trying to seek Drake’s opinion on the man in order to make up her own mind? Did she suspect a certain partiality on Lord Gillingham’s side? Was he currently courting Lady Leonora or did he intend to?

Indeed, later at supper, Drake found Lord Gillingham seated beside Lady Leonora. The man continued