Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss - Bree Wolf Page 0,16

to show impeccable manners, amusing Lady Leonora with stories of his travels to the continent. He maintained an appropriate distance, spoke with emotion and was otherwise attentive in every way. Drake could not find anything in the man’s demeanor that would raise his suspicions, that he would consider inappropriate, that he might disapprove of. Still, neither could Drake deny that something about Lord Gillingham bothered him. If only he knew what that was!

While far from at ease, Lady Leonora at least appeared mildly entertained, her hands only occasionally clenching and unclenching around her glass. She offered a laugh here and there and smiled in certain intervals, but she continued to lean away from Lord Gillingham in a way that Drake doubted anyone else would notice. Her arm almost touched her sister’s, seated on her other side, and her gaze every so often would drift down the table to him—Drake.

Again, Drake found himself offering her an encouraging smile here and there, knowing that she had a long way ahead of her if she ever was to recover from whatever had been done to her. Oddly enough, Drake felt a sense of regret and sorrow at the thought that he would not be there to see it happen, to see her rise from the ashes once more and reclaim her life.

Chapter Five

Back Among People

After a week at Windmere Park, Leonora slowly began to feel a bit more at ease. Perhaps at ease was still not an appropriate term; however, to be among people, began to feel almost normal again. Never had Leonora been one to retreat from the world for she longed to observe it, to see people’s faces as they spoke and to try and recognize those subtle signs that spoke to the truthfulness of their words. Once, she had been good at it. Now, however, with fears clouding her judgment, Leonora no longer believed herself capable of recognizing duplicity when it stood before her. On some level, she hoped to somehow simply know if her path should cross that of her attacker, but deep down, Leonora knew that it would not be so.

Despite the nightmares that still haunted her, she remembered shockingly few details of his person, none of which would aid her in identifying him. His mask had been in place throughout the whole ordeal.

Her own, however, had come off.

It was that thought that unsettled Leonora most. Did he know who she was? Had he recognized her despite the dark that had lingered in the corridor that night? Even if he was not present at Lord Archibald’s house party unaware that she was in attendance, would he seek her out when the new Season began? Or had he already forgotten her?

Of course, Leonora could not know, but what she was beginning to understand with each day that passed was that she could not lock herself away for good. Somehow, despite the threat that lingered, she needed to find a way to return to her old life.

A small measure of pride swelled in her chest each morning when she inhaled a deep breath and then brought her hands down on the door handle of her chamber. There, she would stand, count to ten and then open the door and step outside into the corridor.

To others, it might seem a small accomplishment. Others might not even deem it an accomplishment at all. They left their chambers without another thought. It was nothing difficult, nothing frightening. It was simply a part of everyday life as it once had been for Leonora as well.

Now, though, it took courage to face the world and the people in it. Yet, Leonora knew that she had to. She had retreated and hidden from the world for far too long, and, in truth, it had made her even more fearful. She could not help but look from face to face, wondering if he was nearby. Her rational mind argued that the chances were slim; still, whenever a man—any man—moved in her direction, she felt a desperate need to flee. It took all of her willpower not to run, and she kept wondering if people could read her panic and her reluctance to be among them upon her face.

The only one who clearly could was Lord Pemberton.

In no more than a matter of days, he had come to mean a great deal to her. They had barely spoken more than a few words, and yet, the mere sight of him calmed her nerves and warmed her chilled limbs.