Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss - Bree Wolf Page 0,34
which ran a hedge with a wide enough gap to slip through.
“No, I shouldn’t!” Leonora chided herself, her teeth gritted against the urge to rush from her chamber. “I couldn’t possibly.” Nonetheless, her gaze strayed to the window time and time again. Impatience simmered in her veins, and while Leonora had been tired before, she now felt wide awake.
Sleep would be impossible to come by now.
Biting her lip, Leonora stepped closer to the window, her gaze seeking the hidden gap in the hedge. “Everyone else is asleep,” she mumbled to herself as her eyes traced the small path down into the gardens.
Heaving a deep sigh, Leonora rested her forehead against the cool windowpane. Of course, objectively speaking, she would be putting herself in a most precarious situation. She ought not to even contemplate leaving her family’s townhouse in the middle of the night.
Yet, she did. She was contemplating it, her feet itching to be off. Why was she not frightened? Or at least worried? Once again, her emotions made no sense.
Don’t be afraid to trust that feeling deep inside you. I promise, it is rarely wrong. Was that not what her grandmother had told her?
Truth be told, Leonora knew that she ought to stay where she was and follow Lord Pemberton’s instructions. Better than anyone, Leonora understood the dynamics of society, its rules and restrictions. She knew what would happen if she were found outside her home at night. She had been lucky her escapades at the masquerade had not been discovered or she would have already been ruined.
Her sisters as well, by mere association.
The thought of her family momentarily gave Leonora pause. Still, even Louisa always followed her heart, ignoring what others deemed right and wrong in order to seize her heart’s desire. And she had been right to do so time and time again. Had it not led her to a most happy union?
Thinking of Grandmother Edie, Leonora felt certain that her grandmother would understand. Somehow, she always did. Had her grandmother not told her that she tended to overthink everything? Indeed, she was doing it right now, was she not?
Leonora reached for her dark cloak, swung it over her shoulders and then slipped from her chamber. Quick footsteps carried her down the stairs before she could think twice about what she was doing.
In truth, she had done so already.
Chapter Eleven
Another Step
Silence had fallen over the house hours ago. While even his most dedicated servants had gone to bed, Drake remained awake, seated in the chair behind his desk, thoughts hopelessly entangled. A roaring fire burned in the grate, sending its warmth out into the room, its orange flames the only light in a dark world.
Fatigue fell over Drake, and he rubbed his hands over his face to keep himself alert. For a reason he could not name, he could not bring himself to head upstairs and to bed. Something was keeping him awake.
Someone.
Hours ago, he had sent a note to Lady Leonora. Of course, he had not expected her to reply within the day. After all, he had seen their carriage leave later that evening. Had she gone along? Or had she stayed behind? But if she had, would she then not have responded to his message by now?
Pushing to his feet, Drake once again began to pace in front of the fire, his thoughts drifting to whatever social function the family had attended that night. He tried to picture her in a room full of people, gentlemen approaching, asking her to dance. How had she managed? Was she all right?
Drake knew that if he had known where they had gone, which event they had attended, he himself would have left hours ago. Somehow, he could not bring himself to think of other matters. His mind kept returning to the delicate lady next door. They had only known each other a matter of weeks, and yet, Drake could no longer imagine not knowing her.
That was odd, was it not?
A distant sound drifted to his ears, and his feet immediately stilled. A frown came to his face as he turned his head to listen.
There it was again. The distant sound of footsteps approaching. Was one of his servants plagued by insomnia as well?
Opening the door, Drake peeked out into the darkened corridor. He squinted his eyes but could make out no more than darkened outlines and shadows hanging upon the wall. Nothing moved, and the sound of footsteps could no longer be heard.