as the young lord heading toward her paused in his step as well, turning around to face the man who had addressed him. It was none other than Lord Pemberton, and he was in this very moment climbing the stairs, his gaze only briefly darting to Leonora before he focused his attention on the young lord awaiting him halfway up the staircase.
Leonora stood stock still, her eyes now wide open as she stared at the two men. Whispered words passed between them before Lord Sedgwick reacted in what seemed like an alarmed way, then darted off down the hall and disappeared down the corridor.
For a long moment, Leonora stared at the archway through which Lord Sedgwick had vanished, wondering what had just transpired. What had Lord Pemberton said to him? Everything had happened so quickly, she felt overwhelmed and deeply frustrated to be unable to make sense of it all.
“Are you all right?”
Leonora blinked, and then her gaze returned to the man still standing on the bottom half of the staircase. He had not ventured closer, but the expression upon his face held concern.
“Are you all right?” he asked yet again, still remaining where he was.
Leonora managed to nod, overwhelmed by the deep sense of gratitude she felt in that moment. Indeed, he had saved her in a moment when she had been unable to save herself. Leonora hated this inability to move, to act. It came over her unexpectedly, and there was nothing she could do about it. Never before had she felt like this. It was something new. Something that had somehow taken root in her being after the night at the masquerade.
Lord Pemberton nodded in acknowledgment, then moved back down the stairs, giving her space. The space she needed to move onward down to the ground floor. He did not linger, but strode away, allowing her to breathe. Why was it that he always knew what she needed? Leonora wondered for the dozenth time. After all, he had never once stepped too close.
After that incident, Leonora was careful never to go anywhere by herself. As Louisa was the only one who knew what had happened, Leonora felt safest in her company. Still, newly engaged to Phineas, Louisa, of course, had other things on her mind than staying close to her sister’s side. Of course, she insisted it was not so, but Leonora could see the truth easily. After all, she and Phineas acted like two lovestruck youths. It was truly adorable to watch, and yet, it made Leonora wonder if she would ever have that.
Now, that everything was different.
The night of the New Year’s ball was one like no other. Lights shone everywhere, and people were in such joyous spirits that even Leonora felt a bit swept away alongside them. Only Grandma Edie sat in an armchair on the edge of the ballroom, snoozing away with Leonora’s eldest sister Juliet watching over her, while all her other siblings as well as her parents were crowded on the dance floor with countless other guests. It was a beautiful sight, so many laughing faces, eyes aglow as they danced the night away.
In truth, Leonora had never been one to mingle. She had always stayed on the fringes, observing. That had been her place, and she had never minded it. After all, if she were to join, she could not observe. It was a simple truth, and Leonora had always enjoyed watching others, deciphering their expressions, understanding their minds and hearts. Indeed, she had always had her trusted notebook—as well as a quill and a small bottle of ink—with her, at every location, even despite certain objections uttered by her family and friends. Always had she noted down everything she had observed, determined to revisit her observations later on to try and make sense of them. Yet, her last notebook had been lost. She had had it with her the night of the masquerade. However, when the masked man had grabbed her, she had dropped it, and when she had fled the scene, it had been left behind.
Oddly enough, without her notebook, Leonora felt as though a part of her had been left behind. As though a part of her was still trapped in that moment almost a year ago, unable to get out, unable to save herself. If only there were a way for her to recover her notebook.
Leonora glanced down at the notebook in her hands. It was a new one. It looked the same as the old