Dear God.
Had she put a spell on him?
Chapter Five
Leonora surveyed thecrowd with sharp eyes.Sheshould be attending tonight, shouldn’t she? Although the Duchess of Crane still wore black, that hadn’t stopped her from attending events, which made her the talk of theton. A mysterious widow shrouded in questions. Questions like was she so in love with the late duke that she would never again wear color? Was she mourning something else? Did she just enjoy the way she looked in black?
Leonora also wondered about this.
Why did the duchess still wear black? Some rumors suggested she’d worn black for some years before the duke’s passing, as well. Leonora couldn’t fathom wearing the same color over and over, year after year. But then, she didn’t know the duchess’s past or present. If she was who Leonora expected she was, this woman had also abandoned her as a child.
She absentmindedly plucked the leaf of the potted plant next to her. Leonora honestly didn’t know how to feel if this turned out to be the case. She’d long ago come to terms with what her family had done. And they had not abandoned her. No matter in what capacity, they had remained in her life.
The duchess could have a valid reason . . .
But some things were inexcusable. Even so, pure curiosity drove her to discover the layers beneath the carefully guarded and yet so carelessly exposed secret. Though, to be fair, no one had meant to expose anything that day. They had onlybeen unguarded when discussing the matter among themselves, never thinking Leonora could hear them. However, it didn’t change the nature of what she faced.
Secrets within a secret.
She wanted to crack open every last one.
Heart would be perfectly happy to help her marry her prince and live a life worthy of a fairy tale. But how could she, in good conscience, drag a prince into their web of secrets? Secrets that might ruin everyone they touched if they were ever exposed. And there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t be. Not that she ever planned to expose anything beyond her family, but if Calstone could comment on an uncanny resemblance, others may as well. And one unguarded conversation had already been overheard.
There were no absolutes here.
She could never do that to someone outside the secret. At least not without their knowledge.
“Spying, I see.”
Leonora turned to a grinning Dare. Tonight, he wore a blue jacket, made striking because it matched the color of his eyes. It made him look impossibly dashing and utterly sinful. Be it all as it may, flirting and living in the moment were good, too. “I am observing. Spying would imply I’m looking for something particular, and at the moment, I am not.”
“Ah, the nuances of small details.” He came to stand beside her. “Even I could feel the burn of your gaze, and you’re not looking at me.”
Was she that obvious? “It’s notthatbad.”
He just continued to smile. “She will be arriving soon. The duchess.”
Leonora shot him a skeptical glance. “How do you know?”
“I saw her carriage arrive as I entered.”
Ah. “Keen eye.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Spying—observing—won’t help you find the information you seek.”
Thank you, Dare.“I’m very aware of that. I’m merely observing for the time being.”
“Has your mother returned home yet?”
She shook her head. “No. Apparently, according to a missive she sent Heart, she and my father are still in Wales.”
“And the plot thickens again.”
“Quite so.” She sniffed the air surrounding him, trying to place the scent that had wafted in with him.
“What?” He looked down to sniff his clothes. “Do I smell bad?”
“Not bad, no.” Rather rugged and masculine, though, which was different from his usual refined scent. She quite liked this one. It felt more true to the man. “But I sense a bit of smoke, and this is the first time you’ve ever smelled like that.”
