Instantly, the night of the masquerade had resurfaced, once again bringing forth the memory of demanding hands upon her and the feel of a stranger’s mouth pressed to hers.
Leonora had been unable to move, weak words tumbling from her lips that had failed to make her reluctance clear. Yet, he ought to have known, ought he not? Lord Sedgwick ought to have seen that she was unwilling. To her utter shock, he had only cared for his own desires, for what he wanted. Was that the nature of men? Or was she simply unlucky to always stumble upon those that behaved in such a fashion?
“What is it, Chris?” Leonora asked, gratitude warming her heart as she turned toward her sister.
Christina smiled at Lord Sedgwick. However, there was something disapproving in her blue eyes. Had she seen what had been about to happen? “I apologize, my lord.” To her credit, Christina’s voice held no sign of reproach. “My grandmother requires to speak to Leonora immediately.” A placating smile came to her lips. “Some days, she does not feel well and needs her family nearby.”
Lord Sedgwick bowed his head. “Of course. I shall take my leave.” He turned to look at Leonora, and she could see a hint of annoyance about this new interruption play all too clearly about his features. “Good day, my lady.”
“Good day, Lord Sedgwick.” Leonora smiled at him as best as she could and then breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him walk away.
“Are you all right?” Christina asked beside her when the young lord had disappeared back into the house. “Was he about to kiss you?”
Leonora swallowed, then turned to look at her sister. “I’m afraid so.”
A confused frown came to Christina’s face. “Why did you not simply refuse him?”
A dark scoff rose in Leonora’s throat at her sister’s choice of words. Simply, indeed. To Christina, it would have been simple to put the young lord in his place. “I couldn’t…seem to find the words.” She made to return to the house, but her sister’s hand on her arm stopped her.
“Something is wrong,” Christina remarked as her blue eyes searched Leonora’s face. “Do you not like him?” She glanced up at the house and the door through which Lord Sedgwick had left. “I’ve seen you a lot with him lately, and yet…” Questioning eyes lingered upon Leonora’s. “Grandma sent me to save you.”
Leonora blinked, and her head snapped up, her eyes meeting her sisters more fully. “Pardon me?”
Christina nodded. “Yes, she told me to go and save you. I laughed because I thought she was being overly dramatic, but now…”
Leonora heaved a deep sigh, silently thanking her grandmother for her watchful eyes. Indeed, when Lord Sedgwick had arrived, Grandma Edie had promised to keep an eye on them from the drawing room. Of course, they had needed a chaperone. It would not have been appropriate for them to speak to each other without anyone of her family nearby. In fact, when Leonora had stepped outdoors with the young lord, she had felt reasonably safe and at ease. Never would she have seen this moment coming. A moment that would terrify her anew. A moment that would see her freeze in shock. After all her training, she still could not seem to bring herself to stand tall and meet this new threat unflinchingly. It was a realization that brought deep sorrow and a most unwelcome sense of defeat to Leonora’s heart.
Christina’s hands grasped Leonora’s more tightly, giving them a slight jerk. “Leonora!” her sister called to get her attention. “Tell me what’s going on. You’ve been acting quite strangely these past few weeks. I thought you were merely distracted by yet another project of yours, but now I cannot help but think that something is wrong. What happened? Was it him?” She glanced over her shoulder at the door to the drawing room. “Did he…did he take liberties? If he did, you must tell me. We must speak to Father. He will ensure that you will never have to see him again.”
Leonora loved her sister for her loyal devotion, and yet, her words brought terror to her heart. “You must not say a word,” Leonora begged her, looking deep into her sister’s concerned eyes. “Chris, promise me you won’t say a word.”
Her sister’s lips thinned, and a look of deepest disapproval came to her face. “Tell me what happened.”
Leonora nodded, knowing that she did not have a choice. And so, the two sisters pulled their cloaks tighter around themselves and walked arm in arm down into the gardens and away from the house. Leonora told her sister everything that had happened, beginning with the masquerade and the stranger’s attack. She told her how she had lived in fear ever since, unable to mingle as she had before, constantly worried, wondering who it had been.
Strong emotions played over Christina’s face, ranging from fury to outrage to sorrow. Sometimes, they mingled, and sometimes, one stood out above all the others. “How could you keep this to yourself for so long?” Staring at Leonora, Christina shook her head. “Why did you not tell us? Of course, we would never have left you alone in any situation. We would’ve been there, keeping a close eye on you. Don’t you know that?”
Touched, Leonora nodded, blinking back tears. “I do know that. Please don’t for a second believe that the reason why I did not tell you had anything to do with you or how I feel about you, all of you. However,” she exhaled a shuddering breath, struggling to express all she felt, “it is not easy reliving what happened. I simply wanted to forget, and I thought if I never spoke of it, if you didn’t know and I never had to see that knowledge reflected in your eyes, then I could.” She shook her head and her gaze moved to the gap in the henge not too far off. “Now, I know that that was a foolish thought. I have since learned that the only way to rid yourself of your demons is to confront them.”
A suspicious look came to Christina’s face as her gaze followed Leonora’s to the gap in the hedge. “Is that why he keeps watching you?” Christina mumbled as though to herself. “He knows, does he not? And he always lingers nearby because he’s watching over you, is he not?”
Fighting back tears, Leonora nodded, warmed by the knowledge that she was not alone, that there were people in her life willing to go to any length to protect her. “He knows, yes, and he is watching over me.”
For the second time that day, Christina grasped her hands and said, “Tell me everything.”
And so, for the second time that day, Leonora did. She spoke of meeting Lord Pemberton at the Christmas house party, of how he had all but seen the truth upon her face. She told her sister about how he had come to her aid time and time again, about his concern for her and eventually about how they had met at his home countless afternoons.
Christina’s eyes grew round. “Unbelievable!” she exclaimed, a sense of disbelief upon her face. “I never would’ve thought you of all people would ever sneak away to meet with a gentleman alone.” A smile came to her face, most teasing in nature. “Still waters run deep, do they not?”
Leonora turned away, unable to bear her sister’s inquisitive eyes any longer. “I only did what I did because…” She shrugged. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore.” She turned to meet her sister’s eyes. “I want to be myself again.”