“There you are wrong,” Dare said slowly. “I don’t know a lot of women. Not in a way that would make us friends. When I say you are the boldest woman I know, I do mean every word.”
A small shiver went through her at his words. “Well, thank you.” But would he still use the termfriendsif he learned her secret?Dare, the duchess might be my mother. Do you understand what that means?
And her mother might not even be aware of her.
Leonora blinked.
But shouldn’t she be aware, though? The woman had given birth to her, after all. It wasn’t as though she couldn’t be aware of her existence at all.
But then . . .
It had been twenty years. Leonora didn’t know what had happened in the past, so it was best not to jump to conclusions she could not prove. She could only assume the woman thought she was truly Heart’s sister. Otherwise...
Let’s not think about that.
It wasn’t like Leonora had grown up without a mother. She’d grown up being loved. Even Heart, that beast, had always been her pillar supporting her. Well, usually.
A shadow fell over her. Looming. “Leonora.”
She sighed. Why was it that whenever she thought of the devil, he appeared? Leonora looked up to catch sight of Heart staring at her with a gloomy expression. Beside him was the Duke of Calstone with a foolish grin on his face.
What washesmiling about? Whatever the man was thinking was probably grossly exaggerated.
“Heart,” Leonora greeted. “I thought you said you weren’t attending.”
“I thought I told you to stay away fromhim,” he shot back.
“Well, it’s too late now.” Her gaze flicked to the lake, the only escape left to her if she wanted to stay a bit longer. She also felt a bit of a rebellion stirring. “Dare and I planned to go on a boat.”
Heart’s gaze dragged between the two.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“NO.”
Dare chuckled beside her, and Leonora rose to her feet. She sent him an imploring look. “Shall we?”
“Where are your friends?” Heart demanded. “I thought you were attending with Leeds and his wife.”
She shrugged. “They have gone to take a stroll.”
“That’s too bad,” Calstone, Leeds’s closest friend, said. “I had hoped for some much-needed distraction. How can they tell me to meet them here and then run off?”
“Well, I assure you, my brother is a prime conversationalist. I’m sure in his company, you shall never be bored.”
“Let’s go,” Heart said, not giving up.
Dare rose to his feet. “But the lady promised me a ride on the lake.”
Leonora sent the man a heartfelt grin and clapped her hands. “Fabulous!”
She wouldn’t be hauled off today without a fight.
