Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss: #2 The Whickertons in Love, page 12
Lady Leonora gave an almost imperceptible nod, and he could feel her shoulders rise and fall with each slow breath she forced down into her body. Her fingers were still digging into her arms, and that tremor returned every now and then, shaking her like a leaf.
“What then?” Drake demanded, guiding her memory as carefully as he could. “What did he do?”
Unable to see her face, Drake only had her breathing and her tremors to go by. Every step she took in her thoughts caused a similar reaction, one triggered by fear and revulsion. Yet, she continued moving forward. “He spun me around,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, “and pushed me against the wall.”
Drake felt her tense, no doubt expecting him to do just that. Of course, he would not. Not like that. It would no doubt push her over the edge. He needed her to remain in control, to remain calm and able to act. “Keep your eyes closed,” he told her, slowly removing his hands from her shoulders. “Then turn around.”
Looking down at her, Drake watched as she slowly moved her feet. Her eyes were still closed, and her chest rose and fell with each rapid breath. She kept her head angled downward, a look of intimidation upon her face.
Without warning her, Drake once more placed his hands upon her shoulders. Again, she flinched, every muscle in her body tensing. Her eyes pinched shut, and her teeth dug into her lower lip. “Breathe,” he reminded her. “In and out.”
When she had sufficiently calmed, Drake slowly increased the pressure upon her shoulders, urging her backwards. She complied, her hands falling from her arms and working to maintain her balance. Step-by-step, she allowed him to force her back until the wall stopped her retreat.
Her breathing had increased with each step while her eyes remained closed.
His hands pushed her against the wall, preventing her from escaping. He leaned closer until he knew she could feel his breath upon her skin. He could not see the look in her eyes, but he did not need to. Panic was etched into her face, and every breath attested to the memory she was reliving this very moment.
Drake knew that she was close to breaking, could feel it in the slight rumbles underneath his hands. Nevertheless, he leaned closer still, trailed his breath over her cheek and along her jaw until he paused right next to her ear and whispered, “Now...fight me!”
Instantly, Drake felt her eyes fly open in stunned shock. Her whole body tensed, but in a different way than before. It was as though she suddenly came to life, shaking off the paralysis she had felt before.
Drake had no time to retreat for she moved fast. A sharp breath escaped her lips, and he felt it against his skin only a second before her hands shoved hard against his chest.
He stumbled a step backwards, pleased by her reaction, then barely caught sight of her fist as it came soaring toward him. It landed exactly where it should, and Drake felt the air knocked from his throat.
The force of her punch sent him spinning, and his hand flew up to clutch at his throat as he began to cough. For a moment, his lungs strained to draw in air, but there was none. He sank down, one knee braced against the floor, as a dull pain spread through his throat and chest. The coughing continued, and Drake closed his eyes to remain calm and wait out the moment.
It would pass. He knew it would pass.
And then suddenly he was no longer alone. Soft hands brushed over his face and trailed past his neck to settle upon his shoulders a moment before a blurred face appeared in his line of view. Blue eyes looked into his, wide and alarmed. “Are you all right? I’m so sorry. I did not mean to hurt you.”
Focusing his gaze, Drake looked at her as she knelt before him on the floor. The coughing had eased, and air slowly found its way back into his body. “I’m fine,” he croaked, trying to clear his throat, slightly cringing at the pain as he did so.
Shock clung to Lady Leonora’s face as her hands continued to touch him with a gentleness and care Drake had never before been the recipient of. “Why did you do that? Why did you tell me to—?” Gritting her teeth, she shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
Drake could not help but smile at her in that moment, well aware that she was touching him of her own accord, equally well aware that she had yet to notice. “There is no need to worry,” Drake told her as his chest began to rise and fall with regular breaths once more. “I’m perfectly fine.” Watching her most carefully, Drake lifted a hand to place it upon one of hers still lying on his face.
Lady Leonora did not flinch, did not even notice as her gaze continued to sweep his face as though looking for injury. “But I punched you!” she exclaimed as the tips of her fingers traced along the line of his jaw and she ducked her head to look more closely at his throat. “I punched you! In the throat! I’m so very sorry.”
Rather belatedly, Drake realized that he was all but holding his breath, his full attention on the soft touches of her hands upon his skin. He felt her hand move beneath his, and a deeply overwhelming need to keep her close suddenly washed over him. It startled him in such a profound way that he suddenly surged to his feet.
Gasping in surprise at his sudden movement, Lady Leonora almost fell backwards, but caught herself in the last moment. She looked up at him, a puzzled look upon her face, then rose to her feet as well. “Did I hurt you?” Again, she ducked her head to peer more closely at where her punch had landed. “You will have a nasty bruise.”
“It is nothing,” Drake insisted, trying to regain his composure. Indeed, he should be focusing on her, not himself. After all, she was the one who had come to him for help. “And how are you?” he inquired, gazing at her curiously.
To his surprise, she looked quite collected. Fear no longer darkened her eyes, and the tremors had ceased. Her cheeks even shone in a rosy color, and she stood before him with her chin raised, her eyes unflinchingly meeting his. “I was not the one attacked,” she told him with a bit of a teasing smile upon her face as though nothing much had happened.
Sighing, Drake looked at her closely, then said, “You were not?” His gaze remained upon hers, and he saw the very moment her mind recalled everything that had led them to where they were now. She drew in a shuddering breath as her cheeks suddenly paled, and her hands once more rose as though looking for something to hold onto.
“Breathe,” Drake told her yet again. On a hunch, he held out his right hand to her, an offer of comfort and support.
Lady Leonora glanced down at it, but hesitated.
“I shall not take affront if you refuse my offer,” Drake told her earnestly, reminding her that she was the one to dictate the terms.
Looking up at him, Lady Leonora nodded in acknowledgment, then ever so slowly, her right hand moved toward his. No more than a hair’s breadth away, she once more hesitated, her blue eyes rising from where they had lingered upon his hand to look into his eyes. Drake did not know what she saw there, but whatever it was, it reassured her somehow because in the next moment, he felt her skin against his as her hand settled into his own. “Breathe,” he told her as much as himself.
For another moment, Lady Leonora continued to stare down at their linked hands, a fascinated look in her eyes as though she could not believe that what she was seeing was true. He felt her move her fingers, grip his hand tighter, then lessen her hold.
“You did well,” Drake told her, seeing how overwhelmed she was, but needing to remind her of what she had just accomplished. “It is no small thing to relive a nightmare.”
Her blue eyes were wide and began to mist with tears as she looked up at him. “I knew it was only in my head, and yet, it felt so…” She shook her head, at a loss for words.
Drake nodded. “I know,” he whispered, his hand tightening upon hers not because he wanted to offer comfort, but instead because he needed some for himself. “Sometimes the nightmare can be a thousand times worse than the moment we first walked through it.”
Unbidden, a memory from his own past resurfaced in that moment. It was as though he had merely blinked, and all of a sudden, his eyes were seeing something completely different. Once again, he saw blood pooling on white sheets, its color enhanced by the golden rays of the sun reflected upon it. He felt the same cold spread through his body that he had experienced the first time and—
“Are you all right?”
Again, Drake blinked, and again, the picture before him changed. His eyes once more fell upon Lady Leonora’s face, her blue eyes full of concern now that she moved closer, looking at him. He could tell that she had noticed, had noticed his sadness and regret, that black void that still lingered within him, and she was offering him comfort. Despite everything she had been through, been through even today, she now stood before him, battling down her own fears and holding out her hand to him.
Drake was touched. He could not recall the last time someone had put him first. Not since his mother had died. And without thought, his hand closed more tightly around hers. He felt her drawing in a deep breath, struggling to hold on to sanity as her own past once more came knocking on her door. “You did very well,” Drake told her once more, forcing himself to loosen his grip until her hand slipped from his. “If you are up for it, I suggest we continue practicing in a similar manner.”
This time, Lady Leonora blinked, and he could see her eyes focusing on him more clearly. “In a similar manner?” she echoed his words. “I cannot punch you again. I will not—”
“You can, and you will,” Drake told her in a strict tone. Still, her concern for him was something he cherished. “Nevertheless, what I meant to say is that if you’re up for it, our training should include a more physical component.” He held her gaze, trying to make her understand. “You need to practice this so you will not lose your head should it happen for real.”
He only hoped it never would!
Lady Leonora swallowed hard but nodded. “That makes sense. Thank you for all your help,” she once more glanced to where a bruise was no doubt forming upon his throat, “especially today.”
Drake respectfully inclined his head to her, offering her the hint of a smile. “Thank you for your trust, my lady. I promise I shall never betray it.”
Her eyes held his, something akin to amazement and disbelief in them. “I don’t know why,” she whispered then, “but I never once thought you would.”
Drake could not remember ever having received a greater compliment.
Chapter Sixteen
Four Sisters
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
Hearing her sister’s voice, Leonora blanched, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest as she spun around, her dark cloak almost slipping off her shoulders. “Louisa!” she exclaimed in shock and surprise, in pleasure and concern. “What are you doing here?”
Standing in the door frame to the drawing room, Louisa brushed a blond curl out of her face. “I came to see you,” she replied in a bit of a chiding tone. “We haven’t seen much of each other lately. You always seem to be…somewhere else whenever I stop by.” Curiosity sparked in her sister’s green eyes. “Come, have some tea with us.” She waved Leonora over.
“Us?” Leonora inquired as she cast a wistful look over her shoulder at the gardens and the hedge beyond. “Who is us?” Stepping across the threshold and into the drawing room, Leonora was surprised to find all of her sisters assembled there. “What is going on here?” she asked, looking at Louisa.
Juliet reached out and poured some tea into another cup, which she handed to Leonora upon her seating herself next to her on the settee. “It’s been a while since we’ve all been together like this,” Juliet remarked, looking around at all four of her younger sisters. “Before long, you shall all be married and we shall only see each other upon occasion.”
Red-haired Harriet, youngest of the five Whickerton sisters, laughed. “Oh, I have no intention of ever marrying!”
Christina rolled her eyes at her. “Harry, you know you must marry. What alternative is there?” Christina possessed the same blue eyes as Leonora while her hair shone in almost the same golden hue as Louisa’s.
Harriet snorted. “Just you wait!” she promised, a somewhat conspiratorial look in her green eyes. At barely nineteen years of age, she still had her head up in the clouds, determined to make her own way.
“How is married life treating you?” Juliet asked, redirecting the conversation back to Louisa. “I hope you’re not back at each other’s throats.”
The sisters laughed, knowing that being at each other’s throats was a way of showing affection for Phineas and Louisa.
“You know well that we are,” Louisa stated with a chuckle, the glow in her green eyes whispering of how deeply she cared for her new husband. “However, I am not here today to talk about me.” Her gaze swiveled around to Leonora, a pointed look coming to her eyes.
Leonora swallowed the sip of tea she had just taken, surprised when all her sisters turned to look at her. “What is going on? Why are you all looking at me?”
With a grin on her face, Christina rolled her eyes at her. “Do you truly intend to pretend to be ignorant of the fact that our dear new neighbor continues to stare at you at each and every ball we attend?”
Leonora almost dropped her cup. “What?” Her gaze moved to Louisa, wondering if her sister had said anything.
Almost imperceptibly, Louisa shook her head no, understanding Leonora’s silent question perfectly.
Harriet laughed. “It is so very obvious,” she stated outright. “Whenever you move, so does he. He is always nearby, always looking at you in that penetrating sort of way.”
“Yet, we have never seen the two of you speak to one another,” Christina pointed out, one brow drawn down in suspicion. “Is there anything you wish to tell us?”
Never having been a good liar, Leonora stared at her sisters, unable to form a coherent thought. Thankfully, Juliet came to her rescue as she often did. “Now, don’t all badger her at once. If she does not wish to tell us, it is her choice.” She gave their two youngest sisters a stern look, then turned back to look at Leonora. “We are simply concerned about you. You have not been yourself this past year,” a measure of sadness came to her eyes, and Leonora wondered if perhaps her eldest sister suspected something, “and we simply wish to know if he could be the reason for your recent change in spirits.”
“Precisely,” Harriet chimed in, new eagerness upon her face as she leaned forward, eyes fixed upon Leonora. “I find it most strange that lately you often seem to disappear without a trace. You’re not in your chambers. You’re not in the gardens. You’re not anywhere you usually are.” Her brows drew down. “Where do you go?”
Juliet huffed out a chiding breath. “Harry, you cannot truly mean to suggest that Leo sneaks off to meet Lord Pemberton in secret?” She shook her head at the absurdity of such a notion.
Leonora raised the cup to her lips once more, hoping to buy herself some time. Her eyes darted to Louisa, remembering what Lord Pemberton had told her. Her sister and brother-in-law had noticed Leonora slipping through the gap in the hedge the day of their wedding. They, at least, knew that she did in fact sneak off to meet Lord Pemberton in secret. Fortunately, though, Louisa did not say a word about it. Instead, she turned to Christina and asked, “Have you heard from Sarah lately? Do you think her mother still plans on compromising her in order to secure her a husband?”
In fact, Lady Hartmore had had her sights set upon Phineas not long ago, intent to see him married to her daughter. She had gone to great lengths in order to see it happen. However, Phineas had always been in love with Louisa, and in the end, nothing had kept them apart. Still, Lady Hartmore was not one to give up easily. Who knew which gentleman she would single out as her next victim?
Christina’s eyes narrowed at the question. “That woman is a vile creature!”
Juliet’s jaw dropped and she swung around to stare at her younger sister. “Christina!” She chided, shaking her head. “Watch your language!”
Christina merely rolled her eyes at her eldest sister. “From a conversation Sarah managed to overhear, we believe that her mother currently plans to sell her to a merchant.” She all but spat those two words.
“What do you mean sell?” Harry inquired promptly.
“I mean,” Christina huffed out, her fists shaking with anger, “that Lady Hartmore is in conversation with a wealthy merchant, who wishes to marry into the peerage. I have no doubt that he is an awful blackguard. He does not deserve Sarah, and she would not have to marry him if her father had not gambled away their fortune.”
Louisa sighed for although she loathed Lady Hartmore, Sarah was a dear friend to all of them. “How do you know all this, Chris?”
Christina shrugged. “That does not matter. What matters is that Sarah cannot marry that man.”
A cautious look came to Juliet’s face. “Christina, you’re not planning to interf—”
“What if I am?” Christina interjected. “Someone has to do something!”
Juliet shook her head. “It is not your place. Let her parents see to her future.”
Christina’s face turned red, righteous indignation glowing in her eyes. She looked like a vengeful warrior goddess in that moment, ready to wipe out mankind with her wrath.
Catching Louisa’s eye, Leonora noticed her sister almost imperceptibly gesturing toward the door. At first, Leonora was confused, but the moment Louisa returned to the conversation, ensuring that their sisters’ attention was focused on her, Leonora understood.
Gently setting down her teacup, Leonora rose to her feet and first ventured over to the windows, pretending to look outside. Then she slowly inched closer to the door, careful not to draw anyone’s attention, most grateful for Louisa for keeping it fixed on her, on Christina, on anything but Leonora.
And then Leonora was out the door, quietly closing it behind her. She glanced up and down the hall and then swung the cloak once more over her shoulders. Careful not to make any noise, she retreated to the back of the house and then slipped out the door into the gardens. Quick footsteps carried her onward, along the hedge and then through the gap.
