Leonora turned to face Heart’s thunderous countenance. “As long as I am not seduced by him, can he truly harm me?”
“His mere reputation—”
“Yes, yes, can slice mine into pieces.” She arched a brow. “Why is everyone so theatrical when it comes to rakes? He is still just a man.” A devastatingly handsome one. “As a man, he has feelings, too, you know. Behind the reputation there is a person.”
“I don’t know if you are being serious or mocking.”
“A bit of both.”
“Then do you have a fantasy to reform him? I’m telling you now, that will never happen.”
“A fantasy?” This time she sent him a mocking glance to accompany her tone. “I’ve no intention of doing anything of the sort.”
“Then what the hell are you doing, Leonora? And thinking, for that matter. Did the two of you arrange this morning’s little ride? Did he?”
“I met him by pure coincidence.”
“You expect me to believe that after finding the two of you flirting behind a pillar last night?”
She shrugged. “Believe what you will. Dare is a friend. We have fun conversing with each other. We met each other by accident this morning. That is all.”
“Riding with afriend?” Disbelief flashed across his face and straight onto his tongue. “You cannot be friends with a rake, Leonora.”
She tilted her head to the side, smiling. “Why not?”
“You are a woman. He is a rake. Do you need more of a reason?”
She rolled her eyes. Yes, she did. “It is only a chaste friendship.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. What does that evenmean?”
Well, she did have a knack for speaking nonsense, didn’t she? However, this was not it. “It’s not nonsense. A man and a woman can be friends if they have no interest in forming anything beyond friendship. It’s the mark of wise adults.”
“For you, that might be possible,” Heart growled. “But not for him.”
“Casting stones a bit too hastily, aren’t you?”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “It’s strange and you know it. I can only assume that your true aim is to make me miserable, in which case you could have used anyone else. It didn’t have to behim.”
But you would not be half as miserable as you are now.But that had never been her aim. “What is this antipathy, Heart? Why are you so sensitive on the subject of Dare and rakes? Are you perhaps recalling the memories of your youth?”
He flinched.
“I see that I’m right. By the by, instead of harping on the subject of my friendships, why don’t you find a wife,” she locked onto his gaze, “and produce an heir?”
“That has nothing to do...” He trailed off as she arched a brow.
“I’m your brother, Leonora. Does my concern mean nothing to you?”
She almost snorted, stepping up to take a seat at the table spread with an assortment of bread, cheese, and tea. Her brother followed, placing himself square across from her.
“Didn’t you once dream of a fairy tale prince?” he continued. “Dare is not a prince. Why not focus on your prince?”
Her prince? Ah yes, she did recall such memories, but that had been before her fourteenth birthday when she’d discovered the truth of her birth. She could never marry a prince. Having grown a bit wiser, she didn’t want to either. Instead, she rather enjoyed having fun with a prince of a rather different kind all the while seizing moment after moment. This morning’s race with a rake, in particular, had been a delightful one.
She buttered a scone. “Princeis just a metaphor, Heart.”
“Nevertheless, it’s an admirable ambition.”
