“No, I don’t. Boring is beguiling, my friend.”
Leonora laughed. “If you say so. I, on the other hand, prefer the thrill. The thrill of making the most of every moment.”For you never know when the privilege of those moments might be taken from you.And perhaps that was the crux of her crisis. Even the thrills were becoming less and less thrilling.
“I daresay you should have been born a man.”
“Now wouldn’t that have been wonderful! Though I can still accomplish all I want being a woman.”
Things certainly would have been different if she had been a man, though. And it wasn’t that Leonora didn’t have dreams. After all, when one thought about it, dreams were just moments that had been properly seized, weren’t they? And she had many, many moments she wanted to pursue. At the end of her life, she wanted no regrets, no matter how regretful certain circumstances may be.
Otherwise . . .
The face of her older brother flashed into her mind, a reminder of the scandalous secret regarding her family circumstances she’d discovered on her fourteenth birthday. Which was why she had vowed from that young age to savor the pleasures of the moment and, where there were no delights, create them herself.
Nothing in this world of hers was guaranteed. Only the present moment and how she chose to claim it.
“Speaking of chasing rakes, what happened to your Lord Dare?”
Leonora scoffed. “He is notmylord anything.”
They’d been flirting for the whole season, true, skirting on the edges of crossing the proverbial line. However, it was just a spot of fun. She delighted in teasing him. He enjoyed teasing her.
But he was a rake. Moments—lots of moments—of fun, but not her dreamlike man. Her lips curved upward as her eyes darted past Calstone, sweeping the crowd, hunting for that fun.
Ah, Leonora!Did the root of her crisis lie there?
She hadn’t lied. She had no plans to civilize a scoundrel—not even that one—though she loved flirting with him. In any event, if it were that easy to tame a rogue, wouldn’t there be reformed rakes prancing all about London? No, Leonora wanted those moments of fun. She wanted to collect tons of marvelous memories, but that was all. She didn’t want to bleed from her wrists in an effort to refashion a man who was resistant to change. What sort of amusement was that?
Harriet’s soft laughter rang in Leonora’s ear. “Ah, Calstone,” she called for the men’s attention. “You have been formally introduced to my friend, Lady Leonora, correct? Doesn’t she look lovely tonight?”
Harriet!What was her friend up to now?
“Yes of course,” Calstone answered, directing a grin her way. “You are a true vision.”
Leonora resisted the urge to shoot a glare Harriet’s way and returned the man’s smile. Might as well seize this moment, even if she hadn’t exactly chosen it. “You look quite handsome yourself, Your Grace. A star amongst this tedious crowd.”
He opened and closed his mouth, blinking a few times. Her smile brightened. Admittedly, the man could be considered no less handsome than Leeds. But he lacked the calm charm the marquess possessed. But then he surprised her, just a bit, by leaning in conspiringly and saying in a lowered voice, “What a terrifying prospect for our host. Don’t ever let word of their lackluster guest list get out to them, I beg you.”
Leonora laughed. She was all for men who did not raise their brows at a spot of playfulness. Add a dash of flirtation, and she had her man—at least for a little while. Calstone might be closer to matching this recipe than she’d thought, though still not a perfect match, to be sure.
“Ah, well, perhaps the night holds a bit more promise now.”
“I have no words,” Harriet muttered from the side. “Now that I think about it, do not let Leonora set her claws in you, Calstone,” she said in a louder tone. “Dukes are not her usual type of gentleman.”
Leeds arched a brow.
“Do not fret, my lovely Lady Leeds—”
“She’s not your lovely lady anything,” Leeds interjected flatly.
Leonora bit back a smile and she could see Calstone do the same.
“I have skin as thick as an elephant. Claws cannot penetrate me.” He turned to Leonora. “Try your best, my lady.”
“Well, I cannot claim I have claws to try with, so do not get too excited, Duke. Besides is that term even the appropriate one?”
“Then what would you call it?” Harriet asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Sights.” Leonora grinned. “Isn’t that what everyone is doing these days—setting their sights?”
