Indeed, Drake saw no sign of the sisters. He spotted their parents walking arm in arm not too far off while the eldest sister, Lady Juliet, tended to their grandmother in the shade of an oak tree.
“Walk with me,” Phineas invited him, and they turned down a less frequented path. “How is the training going?”
Drake shrugged. “Well.” Nevertheless, he could not forget the day he had overheard Leonora’s struggle to keep Lord Sedgwick at bay. It made him wonder if all they had been doing had been for nothing. The thought pained him for he did not wish for her to live with this unease for the rest of her days. Unfortunately, he knew not what to do about it. It was a most frustrating thought.
“Would you care to elaborate?” Phineas asked teasingly.
Drake arced one brow. “Why do you ask?”
Pausing in his step, Phineas regarded him curiously. “Why so defensive? I know you have never been a man of many words; still, would it kill you to admit that you care for her?”
Drake had been scanning his surroundings, but upon his friend’s inquisitive question, his head jerked around to face him. “Pardon me?” Indeed, Phineas had said as much before, and yet, Drake once more felt caught off guard. He did not care for his friend’s question nor for its implications.
Phineas chuckled and clasped a companionable hand upon Drake’s shoulder. “Don’t let her slip through your fingers,” he remarked, then gestured down the path to where Lord Sedgwick stood watching as the sisters just now reemerged from a small grove with rapt attention.
Drake tensed, and immediately Phineas laughed, no doubt noting his reaction. “Precisely.” Then he strode away, hands held out to his wife, who stepped into his embrace with a deep smile upon her face.
Drake remained behind, watching as Leonora offered Lord Sedgwick no more than a courteous nod. The young lord seemed displeased, but the look upon his face suggested that he finally understood that there would be no future for the two of them. He bowed out and walked away.
Remaining where he was, Drake continued to watch as Phineas and his wife walked away, leaving Leonora in the care of her two younger sisters. They laughed and chatted, and Drake was relieved to see her so at ease. Most of the time, a certain strain remained upon her face and shadows lingered where only joy should be. Here, today, he caught a glimpse of the carefree, young woman she had once been and hoped to be again.
For a long while, nothing much happened. Drake remained in the background while the sisters strolled along the Serpentine. At some point, he noticed the youngest—Lady Harriet, if he remembered correctly—gesture up ahead on the path. Drake followed her gaze and found Lord Gillingham standing there. He nodded his head to the sisters, who continued to whisper among themselves.
For a reason he did not dare examine more closely, Drake felt an immediate dislike toward his peer. Indeed, he did not much care for the way he gazed at the sisters, the look in his eyes clearly stating interest. Who was he looking at?
Deep down, though, Drake knew.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Common Ground
“Lord Gillingham seems to have taken an interest in you,” Harry remarked with a grin as they stood near the Serpentine, the sound of its rushing waters drifting to their ears. “I’ve seen him look at you more than once. I believe it is safe to say that he fancies you.” She turned curious eyes to Leonora. “How do you feel about his suit?”
Leonora averted her gaze, uncomfortable with the way Lord Gillingham was looking at her. Only she also felt uncomfortable looking at her younger sister, knowing Harriet knew nothing of Leonora’s troubles.
“He seems kind,” Christina remarked with a sideways glance at Leonora. “However, even the kindest man can be the wrong man.”
Leonora smiled at her sister in gratitude, relieved that at least she understood all the many contradicting emotions Leonora was currently battling. She felt a little lost and had avoided seeing Drake this past week. Yet, she missed him. She missed him a lot.
Harry laughed. “Any man is the wrong man,” she stated daringly. “After all, as women, we are unprotected by the law. Especially after marriage, is that not so?” She looked at her sisters pointedly, her brows rising in challenge. “We are forever dependent upon our husbands being kind and courteous, granting us favors and freedoms.” Scoffing, she shook her head. “Of course, if they chose to, they could just as easily take them away.”
“You have a very bleak way of looking at marriage, Harry,” Christina remarked, a concerned frown coming to her face. “If you continue to rebuff every gentleman with this frank manner of yours, you shall never find yourself married.”
Harry’s face lit up. “You say that as though it were a bad thing, Chris. You, all of you, forever urge Juliet to mingle and seek a husband. Has it never occurred to you that she is the wisest one of us all? Forever remaining unmarried grants us freedoms that marriage never could. After all, our parents encourage us to be who we are and to do as we please and not bow to societal pressures.”
Leonora looked over to where her eldest sister was just now helping their grandmother to her feet. “Do you truly believe that Jules intends to remain unmarried?” she asked her youngest sister, looking at her curiously. “She is such a caring and devoted person. She would be a wonderful mother and wife. Honestly, I cannot help but think that, despite of what she says, Jules longs for marriage.”
Harriet frowned. “If that is so, then why doesn’t she simply marry?” She turned to look at their eldest sister. “She’s beautiful. She’s kind and loyal. She comes from a good—if slightly unusual—family.” Harriet grinned at them in that mischievous way of hers. “Her manners are impeccable.” She sighed in a most annoyed way. “If she wants to be married, then why isn’t she?”
Christina heaved a deep sigh, and Leonora noticed her gaze moving from Juliet to their grandmother. “I do not believe it is her choice.”
“How can it not be her choice?” Harriet remarked with a frown. “If it’s not hers, then whose? Father and Mother would never keep her from something she truly wanted.”
Leonora nodded, knowing that her sister’s words were true. Christina did have a point. “Have you never noticed how Grandma Edie always keeps her by her side, never allowing her to stray far. She’s always there to intervene when a gentleman shows interest in speaking to her or even asking her for a dance.”
Christina nodded. “You’re right. I’ve wondered about it myself. It seems that Grandma Edie is the one who does not wish for Jules to marry.” She looked at her two sisters. “I suppose she would hate losing her as her companion. After all, Jules takes care of her in a way no one else does.”
Harriet crossed her arms, a bit of a scowl coming to her face. “Perhaps you’re right. Although I must admit I never quite thought of Grandma Edie as…selfish.” She turned to look at her sisters. “Would she truly keep Jules from something she wanted simply to keep her close?”
Christina shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope not. Nevertheless, sometimes I cannot help but wonder.”
Leonora was about to agree with her sister when she noticed Lord Gillingham walking toward them. These days, it was not fear, overwhelming and paralyzing, she felt at the sight of a man drawing closer, but merely unease and a certain tension gripping her body.