Lord Pemberton inhaled a deep breath, and Leonora could see a shadow fall over his face. “Unfortunately, I’ve seen the signs too often to ignore them.”
Leonora felt herself tense, once again wondering if indeed she was an open book to the rest of the world. Or was it only him? Without thought, her thoughts flew from her lips. “Do you think…others might have taken note? As you have?” Uneasily, she glanced around as the world once more came rushing back. People, friends and acquaintances, walking here and there, wrapped up in their own lives, their own enjoyments; every once in a while, they cast a look in her direction, offering her a kind smile or a nod of the head. Did they know?
Lord Pemberton replied, and something dark came to his eyes. “I doubt it,” he answered in a curt tone, giving a bit of a scornful scoff. “Most people walk through life blind, only seeing what they want to see, ignoring what is right in front of them.” He sighed deeply, and that shadow once more returned like a dark cloud lingering above his head. “I did, too, once, but no more.”
Watching him carefully, Leonora could not help but think that at some point in his life someone dear to him had been hurt, and no one had been there to see it, to notice, to help. It seemed to haunt him still, and for the first time since that night months ago, Leonora felt her heart go out to another.
A stranger, no less.
“Tell me his name.”
Blinking, Leonora returned her attention to the man now appearing all but eager to rush off and…
She shook her head, not daring to finish that sentence. Indeed, something dark and threatening lingered in his gaze, and she could not help but fear what he might do if she indeed told him her attacker’s name. What had he said before? Tell me who hurt you, and I will put a bullet between his eyes. Had he truly meant it? Why would he have said so if he had not?
Still…
Something imploring rested in his eyes, and for a moment it seemed as though he wanted to take a step closer, to urge her to confide in him. Yet, he thought better of it and remained where he was. “Tell me, and I promise I shall free you of him.”
Overwhelmed, Leonora shook her head. “I–I cannot. I do not know his name.”
Lord Pemberton’s brows drew down, and a dark frown settled upon his face.
Leonora swallowed against the lump in her throat. “It was a masquerade,” she whispered, allowing her gaze to drop to the glistening ground. “I never saw his face.” Unwittingly, her eyes moved to sweep around her surroundings, to touch upon all those many faces she had seen countless times throughout her life. “It could be anyone.” An ice-cold shiver snaked down her back, and she closed her eyes against the tremors that shook her.
Silence lingered for a long moment before she heard Lord Pemberton exhale a deep breath, something impatient and frustrated in that sound. Her eyes opened once more, and she saw him still looking at her, the anger in his expression tempered by something kind and compassionate. “For as long as I am here,” he said almost solemnly, “I shall look out for you. I swear, no one will lay a hand on you.” He held her gaze for a moment longer, his head dipping down in a slow nod.
Stunned, Leonora stared at him. After all, he was a stranger, someone she had not even laid eyes upon before this very day. Yet, he knew exactly what to say. He knew exactly how she felt. And he was offering his help.
To Leonora’s utter surprise, a warm feeling spread through her chilled body, something she had not felt in a good, long while. Once, it had been a natural part of life, to feel good and safe and at peace. Over the past few months, it had been absent, an empty void reminding her of what had once been.
Now, it was back. Not in full force. Not exactly as it once had been. But still strong, noticeable. It was relief, the absence of fear. It whispered of safety. After the tension that had held her nerves in its clutches over the past few months, it felt utterly freeing to breathe again in such a profound way. Only at home with her family had Leonora felt comfortable enough to venture about, to leave her chambers and look upon others. Her family had her trust. They loved her, and she knew that they would stand by her side no matter what. She was safe with them.
Outside the boundaries of Whickerton Grove, everything was different. It was no longer simply her family she would have to face, but others. Potentially others who might seek to harm her. Rationally speaking, Leonora knew that most people were quite decent, and she had nothing to fear from them. Still, one or two here and there possessed a darker spirit. Leonora knew that to be true, but she knew not how to find them…and how to avoid them.
Her gaze swept over Lord Pemberton’s face, and in that moment, she had to remind herself that only minutes ago she had been frightened of him. That only minutes ago he had been a stranger. Now, a most peculiar feeling settled in Leonora’s heart, and she felt the ghost of a smile tug on the corners of her mouth. “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, her shoulders drawing back as a deep breath returned to her body. “Thank you. Thank you for your kindness.”
Lord Pemberton shifted on his feet, his gaze momentarily dropping from hers as though her words had made him uncomfortable. “Even if you do not see me,” he assured her, his gaze once more as penetrating as it had been earlier, “I will be nearby. You have nothing to fear.”
Another deep breath filled her chest, and Leonora felt chains falling away. Chains that had kept her trapped. Chains that had kept her from breathing in deeply. She no longer felt the need to flee Lord Pemberton’s side. Instead, his presence somehow made her feel stronger. It gave her a sense of normalcy after the upheaval of the past few months. “I do hope my sister will forgive Phineas for his thoughtlessness,” Leonora heard herself say as though she was once more her old self, able to communicate with others, to speak freely and comment upon life’s ups and downs. “I know he meant well.”
Lord Pemberton nodded, the look upon his face as stoic as ever. “He did,” he confirmed despite a hint of disapproval in those gray eyes of his.
“I believe he wishes to marry her,” Leonora exclaimed all of a sudden, thoughts all but bursting from her lips after treading so carefully for so long. “He has been in love with her for a long time, has he not?”
“I do believe that to be true,” Lord Pemberton replied before his gaze moved past her shoulder and up to the house where Phineas and Louisa had vanished. “Do you believe your sister will accept him?”
Leonora chuckled, enjoying every second it took for that sound to bubble up in her throat. “She would be a fool not to.” And in that moment, Leonora realized that she would be a fool to allow Lord Pemberton to disappear from her life after this house party ended.
And a fool she was not.
Chapter Four
Watchful Eyes
Drake had to admit that he was thoroughly surprised at the sense of relief he felt upon learning that Lady Louisa had not only forgiven Phineas for his foolishness, but also accepted his proposal. “My congratulations on your impending nuptials,” he told Phineas as they stood in the drawing room near the back windows. “You’ve always possessed more daring than sense; however, I suppose all’s well that ends well.”