Page 96

For days after he and Chrissy left, Deveraux haunted Leona’s dreams. Too often, she saw his face near hers as it had been when he carried her upstairs.

The harsh planes of his face, the long swoop of black lashes veiling the clearest and the most vivid blue eyes she’d ever seen, the fall of his thick black hair against a broad brow, were all images that plagued her.

She dismissed those images when she could as the product of her illness.

Then, in the light of day, unbidden and when she least expected it, the memory of his arrogant sneering expression when he thought her involved in the kidnapping would come into her mind.

He was hard and threatening. What kept him in her thoughts and dreams were her attempts to puzzle out his change in manner.

What happened that alleviated his suspicions?

Was it just because he knew Charlie? Or was it something to do with duty?

The swift change in him had been unsettling, leaving her bereft of action.

Most likely, that is why she was so shaken when Chrissy held them close together and when he carried her upstairs.

His actions were inconsistent and therefore left her unbalanced.

Leona was not accustomed to being out of control of a situation, to say nothing of being out of control of herself.

Control gave her substance, gave her an identity, and had since she was twelve years old when her mother died, and she took charge of the Leonard household.

Lack of control was not a feeling she desired to repeat, for it was far too unsettling.

Therefore, to avoid these unsettling feelings, she needed to stay out of Nigel Deveraux’s realm.

She chewed on her soft lower lip. Still, she conceded, there was the matter of the promise, but she could not admit that to Maria.

The carriage, driven by the oldest Tubbs boy, Noah, approached the magistrate’s home. Leona straightened in her seat and cast a quizzical glance at Maria. She was annoyed to spy a faint smile on her companion’s lips. What could she be smiling about?

Suddenly, Leona hoped Sir Nathan was safely away from home.

As the carriage drew up in front of the house, the front door opened, and Sir Nathan himself came out to greet them.

Suspicious, Leona turned to look at Maria, one eyebrow climbing up her forehead.

“When you sent the housemaid to Mr. Tubbs requiring a horse and carriage for the afternoon, I sent along another note requesting he advise Sir Nathan of our intentions,” Maria explained with strained brightness.

“What? And I suppose you also told him of the box and note?”

Righteous indignation thinned Maria’s lips. “Of course not. I merely advised him we would call.”

Leona blinked and began to make an apology when the carriage door opened, and the steps were let down.

“Miss Leonard!” said Sir Nathan as he handed her down.

He held her fingers warmly, far longer than necessary, before turning back to the carriage to hand Maria down.

“Ladies, please, this way,” he invited, guiding them toward the house.

“I’ve ordered refreshments to be served in the parlor.

Jessica will be here directly. She’s gone to check on my daughter Pamela.

I’ve told Jessica all about you. She’s most interested in meeting you. ”

“Jessica?” inquired Maria.

“My sister,” explained Sir Nathan. “Came to live with me when my poor Mary died. Been wonderful for the children to have her here, especially when my duties call me away. Ah, here she is now.”

The fashionably dressed woman descending the broad marble staircase moved with restrained elegance, but there was nothing restrained in her expression as she keenly studied their guests.

There was a sharp avidity in the look she gave Leona.

It startled her and made Leona feel like a horse considered for purchase.

When Sir Nathan introduced them, she could almost imagine the woman asking to see her teeth.

With deep foreboding, Leona realized their visit could be a mistake for reasons that had nothing to do with the blasted button.

“I’m so pleased to meet you, Miss Leonard. My brother has told me so much about you and how good you were to Lady Christiana. That poor child.”

“Yes, a bad business. A nasty business,” agreed Sir Nathan.

“My brother tells me you were ill after that horrid night. I trust you’ve not suffered any lasting effects?

” Jessica Cruikston guided them to a sofa and chair grouping near the tall windows that overlooked the manor's parklands. Without seeming to do so, she arranged the seating so Leona shared the sofa with Sir Nathan while she and Maria took facing chairs. While she poured tea and offered cakes, she kept up a stream of social patter, asking Leona questions regarding her family and her life at Rose Cottage. Leona answered politely, drawing Maria into the conversation when she could, and introducing other subjects of conversation such as Napoleon’s recent escape from Elba.

Still, she could not deflect Miss Cruikston from her subject.

The woman possessed the tenacity of a dog with a favorite bone.

Leona realized she was going to have to be the one to stop this conversational interview.

She drained her cup and set it down on the table, refusing Miss Cruikston’s offer for more.

She turned slightly to face Sir Nathan, making it clear to his sister that he was the object of her visit.

Miss Cruikston smiled. Maria Sprockett, to Leona’s silent wrath, was finding it more and more challenging to maintain an air of gravity.

“Sir, you must have wondered at the suddenness of our visit.”

“Oh, not at all, my dear Miss Leonard. My only regret is that it wasn’t sooner.”

“I have come for your advice. Your advice as a magistrate,” she hastily clarified when she saw his overly pleased expression.

“Of course, my dear,” he reached out to pat her hand reassuringly.

Leona ground her teeth. “This morning I received a package in the mails. I would like you to see it.” She opened up her reticule and took out the small box, handing it to him.

He opened it. “A button, Miss Leonard?”

She leaned forward, one finger reaching out to lightly trace the raised figure on the button. “The design on the face of it is the Leonard family crest. The button came from the suit of clothes I was wearing when I rescued Chrissy—Lady Christiana. I lost the button that night.”

Sir Nathan glanced at her sharply, the image of the anxious suitor falling away. Leona relaxed, suddenly more comfortable. Sir Nathan was, if nothing else, a dedicated magistrate.

“I suppose we must assume this is from the Norths. The question is, what does it mean?”

Leona was silent a moment, her lips pursed as she considered what and how much to tell him.

One of Maria’s fine-lined brows climbed upward.

A lightning flash of irritation streaked through Leona.

She pursed her lips, then sighed and reached again into her reticule.

“This note came with the button,” she said reluctantly.

Aware of some tension between Miss Leonard and Miss Sprockett, Sir Nathan glanced from one to the other, perplexed. He unfolded the square of paper.

“What is it, Nathan?” asked Miss Cruikston when she saw the dismayed expression on her brother’s face.

“It appears young Deveraux’s concerns were well-founded,” he said heavily.

He looked at Leona. “Before he returned to Castle Marin, Mr. Deveraux warned me that he felt Lady Christiana’s kidnappers were not the sort to abandon their game as bad luck and go on to other endeavors.

He expected they might try some form of revenge action. This note proves him right.”

“It would seem so on the surface, but I’m inclined to believe it is more in the nature of a ruse. They are trying to scare me, for I ask you, what would they benefit from taking action against me? I have neither money nor position.”

“My dear Miss Leonard, from what Mr. Deveraux told me, it doesn’t appear that money was the primary motive in the kidnapping of Lady Christiana.

You, my dear, have lived a sheltered existence, far removed from the cankerous aspects of our great country.

You have no notion of the depths of depravity men sink to.

Some, regrettably, are forced into it by circumstances in their lives.

Others are the devil’s minions from birth.

I, just as a country magistrate, have seen more horrors than you can imagine, things that are not fit for polite discussion with gently-bred ladies. ”

Leona smiled slightly. “I am hardly the swooning type.”

“I know that, Miss Leonard. You have the heart of the lion that graces your family crest.” He reached over to press her hand, the steadfast suitor once again. “It is a wonder that you remain unwed, my dear, for you possess elegance and strength of mind. A rare combination.”

Leona felt a tide of blush creep up her cheeks.

He smiled gently at her, then again became the magistrate.

He grabbed his coat lapels, a heavy frown pulling his cheeks into jowls.

“Mr. Deveraux requested that I urge you to go to Castle Marin should any whisper of danger from this incident come to my attention. Now that his people are aware of the danger, they are prepared. It will be no burden to add you and Miss Sprockett to the number they are guarding. As much as it personally pains me to see you leave the district, I concur with Mr. Deveraux.”

“That is precisely what I do not wish to do.”

“Rose Cottage is too secluded. You need to be surrounded by people.”

Leona shook her head. “Why should the Norths risk doing me harm? If, as Mr. Deveraux believes, their purpose was to obtain more than money, isn’t it likely they have some grudge against the Deveraux family alone? Particularly against the Earl of Nevin?”