That was what she ought to do.
Leonora paused in her step and her gaze moved to the window, behind which lay their darkened garden, along 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.
Drake was about to turn around and head back into his study when he saw a curtain stir out of the corner of his eye. Of course, it could have simply been a draft that had moved the fabric. Still, Drake found himself stepping back out into the corridor, the heavy rug underneath his feet silencing his steps.
With his gaze narrowed, Drake moved silently, his eyes fixed upon the curtain. It still seemed to billow ever so slightly as though a window had been left open or…someone was hiding behind it.
Preparing himself for whatever or whoever he might find, Drake stepped closer, one hand reaching to pull aside the curtain. He was careful not to make any sound; however, once he was in position, he moved with speed instead of stealth.
With a quick tug, Drake pulled the curtain away, his other hand reaching into the dark corner. He felt his hand close over someone’s arm, and then he jerked that person forward and out of the hiding place without another thought.
Together, they spun in a half-circle until Drake managed to push the intruder back against the opposite wall, his hands pinning the other’s shoulders in place.
Drake huffed out a breath, his eyes blinking to focus in the dim light, when he suddenly realized that no one was struggling against him. There was no pressure against his grip, no struggle of any kind to loosen his hold.
His eyes focused and swept over a figure draped in a black cloak. Whoever it was did not stand tall but was of rather short stature. The shoulders underneath his hands felt almost delicate, and Drake gritted his teeth as a sneaking suspicion slowly dug its way into his mind. “Look at me,” he demanded, still staring at the hooded figure, unable to see a face in the shadows lingering around them. “Look at me!” He gave the intruder a little shake.
And then she lifted her head, her dark eyes wide and fearful, her face pale even in the dim light.
As though struck, Drake jerked back his hands, his body propelled backwards as he sought to put distance between them. He felt his back collide with a hard windowpane, his eyes still staring across the corridor at the hooded figure. “Lady Leonora?” He shook his head in disbelief. “What on earth are you doing here?”
For a long moment, she simply stared at him, her cheeks so pale that he feared she might faint at any moment. The pulse in her neck beat wildly, her chest rising and falling with each rapid breath.
Exhaling slowly, Drake tried to focus his thoughts. He ran a hand over his face, briefly closing his eyes, wondering if he had only imagined her appearance in his home. Still, when he opened them again, she was still there.
Still as pale as before.
Almost as white as a sheet.
“I’m sorry,” Drake said slowly, trying to look into her eyes from the other side of the corridor. “Had I known who you were, I would never have touched you.” He held her unseeing gaze for a moment longer until he saw something move in her eyes, until he saw something clear.
She blinked, and the world around her seemed to come into focus. Slowly, she nodded her head up and down.