Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss - Bree Wolf Page 0,20

however, once again chose to teach her an unexpected lesson. Only this one did not send terror through her heart, but instead eased the pain in her soul. For she did not only find Lord Pemberton in attendance at her sister’s wedding celebration, but also learned that he had been the gentleman to buy the townhouse next door after their long-standing neighbors had been forced to sell it due to Lord Hartmore’s staggering gambling debts. What on earth had been the odds of the world throwing them together like this? Objectively speaking, Leonora knew they had been almost nonexistent. And yet, here she was, in her family’s London townhouse as her sister, the new Lady Barrington, stood arm in arm with her new husband, accepting well wishes from friends and family alike…

…while Lord Pemberton lingered just across the room, the stoic expression upon his face the same as always. The look upon his face suggested that he did not care for these kinds of gatherings. Nevertheless, he was in attendance, which in turn suggested that despite the years that had passed since their last meeting he seemed to value Phineas’ friendship.

“Are you all right, my dear?” her mother asked, jarring Leonora out of her observations.

Blinking, she willed a smile on her face. “I’m perfectly all right.”

The look on her mother’s face suggested that she did not quite believe her daughter. Leonora thought to glimpse concern there as well as the desire to inquire further. Fortunately, not a word in that direction left her mother’s lips. Instead, she heaved a bit of a sigh, a soft smile coming to her face, before she lifted a hand and gently tugged a stray curl behind Leonora’s ear. “I shall miss her as well,” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder at Louisa and Phineas. “I am very happy for them, but I shall miss her.”

Leonora nodded, realizing only in that moment that she, too, would miss her sister dearly. As different as they always had been, somehow, they had still always found a way to stand side-by-side, to walk through life hand-in-hand. Especially now, Leonora needed Louisa to be there. Still, she knew she could not stand in the way of her sister’s happiness. “Oh, she shall not be far. Knowing Louisa, she will spend more time here than we might like.”

Her mother chuckled, brushing a gentle hand down Leonora’s arm before giving her hand an encouraging squeeze. “I shall very much hope so.”

The moment her mother strode away to see to their guests, Leonora found her gaze straying back to the spot where Lord Pemberton was standing…or rather had been standing.

Now, it seemed a void had opened up in his place.

Leonora’s eyes flew open, and her heart picked up its rhythm as she craned her neck to try and catch a glimpse of him. Why it upset her so to lose sight of him was a question she had asked herself countless times. Her reaction was irrational. It did not make any sense, and that frustrated Leonora to no ends.

When she finally spotted him, he was just then taking his leave from the newlyweds, inclining his head kindly, but uttering no more than a few polite words. Then he strode from the room. Still, before he vanished, those watchful gray eyes met hers for a split-second as though he too could not bring himself to leave without once more acknowledging her presence.

Nevertheless, the result was the same. He was gone while she was still here. In a room full of people. People she had known for years. Some were family. Some were friends. Some were acquaintances. Some she would trust with her life while others…

Of course, Leonora had always known that not every smile spoke of happiness and kindness. Still, the depths of evil that could be hiding behind such an amiable gesture had shocked her, had made her doubt everything she thought she knew. More than that, it made her look at each and every smile and wonder what may lie beneath. Who could she trust? And whom should she doubt?

Perhaps it was the simple fact that Lord Pemberton had not smiled at her that had made her trust him. Because she did trust him, did she not? That, too, was irrational, and yet, it was true. Had the world turned upside down? Why was it that only very few things still made sense?

Finding herself alone once more, Leonora willed herself to inhale one deep breath after another. Her eyes flitted over