Page 19 of Just About a Rake (Ladies Who Dare #5)

L eonora had a secret.

A secret shared by only two people in the entire world. And it hung on her lips like a teasing whisper that would never reach the ear of even the most careful listener, and it danced in every step she took. How long would the thrill of it last? The most thrilling part had certainly been the actual moment of being ruined—or rather ravaged—by one of the most notorious rakes that had ever roamed London. But also, the morning after had still been thoroughly thrilling. Even stepping into the splendor of Drury Lane on Heart’s arm, walking about the swarming hallway to their box, the thrum of the thrill bubbled through her veins with no signs of stopping.

Until she entered the box.

She started, two lines forming between her brows as she stared at a man she’d never expected to meet here. She glanced at her brother, and his smile sent a chill down her spine.

Something was wrong with this picture.

In a Duke-of-Calstone sort of way.

What was he doing here? She turned to Heart and lifted a brow.

Heart pretended not to notice and nodded at Calstone before retreating a step toward the door. “You will have to pardon me for a bit.”

“ Heart .” Was this not supposed to be a bonding experience for the both of them? “What are you up to, dear brother?” Though a monkey could wager and guess correctly. But nothing could justify him leaving at the moment! “And where are you off to?”

Calstone, who’d had a smile on his face when they’d entered, had also formed a slight crease between his brows, which told her all she needed to know.

He hadn’t expected her brother’s duplicity either.

Heart, you sly fox.

“I’m not up to anything diabolical, I assure you,” Heart said with a wave of a hand. “I merely forgot about a commitment. I’ll be back by the second half of the play.”

“So you are just leaving me here? Alone?” She pointed at the duke. “With him?” Unbelievable!

“I cannot believe I’m saying this,” the duke said, joining her side, “but I share the sentiment.”

Heart inclined his head. “My apologies, Calstone. I’m afraid I shall still have to rely on you to keep Leonora company while I see to my commitment.”

Leonora’s hands settled on her hips. “What commitment is this, exactly?”

“It’s business.” His chest puffed up. “Nothing to concern your precious head over.”

Really? “What business can be done this time of night?”

“ Personal business.”

Hah! “Personal business? With a certain duchess, I imagine.”

His entire body jerked in response, and Leonora inwardly scoffed. So obvious. So predictable.

“Why the devil would you stay such a thing?” Heart demanded.

“Why would you tell me tonight is for sibling bonding and then leave?” Leonora countered. “It seems to me that you are leaving me to bond with the duke while you are off bonding with someone else.”

“Leonora,” he bit out.

She stood her ground. She would be raked over the coals for mentioning the duchess later—she could tell by Heart’s molten face she wouldn’t be able to escape her fate. If she were choosing, she’d much rather be raked over Rake.

And it struck her then—the idea of her fate. This whole matching attempt was one more effort to protect her, was it not? What else could it be? And the attempts wouldn’t stop either, not until she married a man her family believed could protect her, too. She saw it then, her whole season, and the next, and next rolling out before her like a carpet of Heart and her family protecting her.

That was not the life—or the sort of marriage—she wanted.

She realized suddenly that it was time—time to stop hesitating and confess she knew the truth. Besides, they would have to include her at some point. Then they could work out the future together.

But first things first.

“This is utterly ridiculous of you, Heart.”

The duke coughed delicately off to the side.

“That’s enough,” Heart said with a warning look. “I will see you later.”

Leonora watched in disbelief as he strode from the box, back stiff, leaving her alone with the duke. She glanced at Calstone, her mind racing through ideas for how to escape this situation. She didn’t want to sit through an entire play smiling while she inwardly fumed at that rascal Heart!

“Well, this is certainly interesting,” the duke said, then chuckled. “I can’t say this has ever happened to me before.”

“Are you not angry?” Leonora asked. She wanted to throttle the man who called himself her brother.

He shrugged. “Fortunately, I am slow to lose my temper. Shall we make a run for it? I’m afraid, however, if we do, it will do neither of us any good.”

Leonora sighed. There was no helping it, was there? Though the idea of making a run for it did hold some appeal. It would certainly spark a rumor or two. But she also didn’t want the duke to be further dragged into whatever plot her brother had concocted.

“Well, since we are here, shall we at least enjoy the first half of the play?” Calstone said, correctly interpreting her silence and motioning to the seats.

“I apologize for my brother’s little scheme,” she offered, taking a seat. She might as well enjoy the first half as he suggested, though her earlier thrill had all but disappeared. She had wanted to know how long it would last. Well, it had crumbled in the face of Heart’s machinations. The only way to rekindle that thrill would be if a certain other lord were to walk through those doors. The cause of her thrill—her fellow secret sharer.

She sighed softly. Leonora rarely ever succumbed to speechlessness. Yet tonight... she had no words for the stunt Heart had pulled. Just where had he disappeared to? Had she been right about the duchess? Or was he sitting in some dark corner like a fool and waiting for the first half of the play to end? The man must have lost his faculties. Leaving her alone with Calstone in their booth? While not entirely improper—since they were in full view of the entire theatre—it was the second most calculating thing he’d ever done—the first becoming her brother.

Both ploys spoke volumes about his inner conflicts.

However, who was she if not a moment snatcher? And at present she had a moment with the Duke of Calstone and a play. Unfortunately, while she had no problem seizing the moment, as she stared down at the stage, watching the performers, she could not focus on a single actor’s performance.

She cast a sidelong glance at the duke.

“I’m sorry,” she couldn’t help but apologize to the man once more. “I do not know what has gotten into Heart’s head.” Or perhaps there had only been air in his head all along. It would certainly explain a few things!

A smile danced in Calstone’s eyes as he looked her way. “Your brother means well.”

If only Heart meaning well did something other than annoy her. “This is one step too far, in my opinion.”

“We could still make a run for it. Though I must admit, I’ve never had a lady resist the presence of my company to quite such a degree before. Tonight even more so than that day in the boat.”

She grinned. “To be fair, it’s not that I loathe your presence, but I did enjoy it far more when you were in that boat.” At least then he had been a shield between her and Heart.

“Truly? I was but a mere spectator who fervently regretted the desire to spectate.”

“Exactly.”

He laughed. “I see.” He leaned his head in toward hers. “Don’t be too hard on your brother. You might not like what he did either then or tonight—it’s underhanded to be sure—but he adores you. Of that, there can be no doubt. Also, I’m enjoying myself.”

“You are?” Leonora asked incredulously. “Even though you find yourself once again a spectator?”

He shrugged. “Tonight there is no water, so I’d say I’m fairly safe, wouldn’t you?”

Leonora shook her head. “Don’t succumb to Heart’s madness. Will you still be enjoying this if I truly set my sights on you?”

He grinned. “You won’t.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s just one of those things a man knows.”

Leonora cast her eyes heavenward, but she could not prevent a smile from forming, or a chuckle from escaping. “That ducal arrogance alone is enough for me to not set my sights anywhere near you. How long before the interval, do you think?”

“I’ve never met a woman so eager to relieve herself from my company. It still amazes me.”

“Oh? I’ve never met a duke so eager to be led by the lapels.”

“I’m a spectator of life. It’s the best cure for boredom.”

“How pleasant for me that I could relieve your boredom some.”

“Ah, well, it’s the cost of having a meddlesome brother. I suppose you would much rather be here with your Lord Dare.”

Leonora jolted in response to Dare’s name uttered on the duke’s lips. A tiny sliver of the earlier dwindled thrill shot up her belly and burrowed in her chest. “He is not my Lord Dare. Why does everyone assume so?” Because they flirted so much?

“I don’t mean anything by the statement, only that the two of you seemed drawn to each other.”

“It’s called friendship.” Or the relationship between the ravager and the ravaged. Did that have a name?

“Friends bat their eyes at each other?”

Leonora cocked her head at the duke, who gazed back smiling at her. Had she batted her lashes at Dare? Maybe. The picture of him batting his lashes at her, however, brought a matching grin to her face. What a delightful picture!

The earl certainly had the face of an angel and the attitude of a devil, but there was also an endearing part of him that could make her laugh despite his harrowing reputation and the chaos that was his past.

The words infamous and notorious and rake all vanished when she was with him. Even when she called him rakish or he himself referred to himself as such, it was more in a teasing manner than anything else. Leonora didn’t see the rake. She never really had.

She saw the man.

What did he see when he looked at her? Did he see a foolish flirt or a beguiling woman? Probably a bit of everything.

Perhaps not much of anything.

Now why had that unwelcome thought claimed a spot of torment in her heart?

*

“What the bloody hell are they laughing at?”

Two chuckles followed Dare’s sour question.

He shot a glare to his left, to Drake. “And why did you follow me here? You never attend these sorts of events in this part of town.”

“For the former, I have my reasons,” Drake murmured, his eyes sweeping the interior of Dare’s private box. “As for the latter, you have inspired me.”

Inspired his arse! The man enjoyed watching him trip over his own damn proverbial boots, that’s what.

“Come now,” Knox drawled from his other side. “Let’s enjoy the play.”

There was no way he could do that, he bit out in his mind, glancing back at the box that housed Leonora and her perfect duke. At that moment, she was looking up at the man and smiling at something he’d said. Not one person here tonight needed a looking glass to see her lips curling upward. It was there. Plain for everyone to draw conclusions from.

And Lord, she looked beautiful. Even from this distance, he could tell. And she looked it while not beside him. She looked it beside another man.

“Why don’t you just admit you like the chit?” Drake asked, mockery dripping from every word.

“Why should I admit that?” To you of all people? Though he had admitted it to himself more times than he cared to count. Every look her way was an admission. Every touch. Every smile. But someone as jaded as Drake— cough —would never understand this.

“Leave the man be, Drake,” Knox said. “He doesn’t fancy the lady, not in the way you are implying.”

“Oh, he does.”

Dare cut a chilling look to his cousin. “What is like anyway? It means horse shite. Whether I like her or not, it changes nothing.”

Drake shrugged. “If it changes nothing, it’s because you change nothing.”

“Is this how a pot calls a kettle black?”

“I call it as I see it.”

“Then what the devil should I call you as I see you?”

“Me?” Drake crossed one ankle over the other. “You should call me as you don’t see me. That is usually a better way.”

“Cousins...” Knox murmured. “This is not the place to bicker like two eleven-year-old boys.”

Right. Dare wasn’t about to bicker with the arse. He planted his gaze firmly back on the box with the vision in blue so that he could dissect every one of Leonora’s small interactions with the duke.

This nonsense with Drake, feeble and fleeting though it was, had turned the already sour taste in his mouth to a bitter one. What did it matter to Drake whether he liked Leonora or not? The one it should matter to was his own self. All these damn feelings belonged to him, not his cousin.

Knox nudged his arm. “Here.”

Dare glanced over and let out a foul curse at the lorgnette being offered. He pushed it away with a scowl. “Now you are mocking me as well?”

“I’m helping you.” Knox grinned. “While entertaining myself.”

Dare rolled his eyes. He didn’t have friends. Not a single one. All he had were pigs masquerading as friends.

“Give it to Drake,” Dare countered evilly. “He might need a better look at the stage with his lack of culture and all.”

“Is this what nobles do to entertain themselves? What godawful play is this anyway?”

“Shakespeare,” Knox said. “ As You Like It . Quite interestingly, it does tend to mock those who fall into the trap of love.”

Dare scowled, his eyes never leaving the private box across from him. Mock me if you must . One day he would return the favor.

“Nevertheless, I’m rather enjoying the reminder of why I never venture into your world. Such shallow entertainment.”

Could he kick his cousin from the box? “Then return to your dark little world in Brighton. No one is stopping you.”

“Ah, the intermission,” Knox murmured as he rose to his feet. “Thank Christ.”

Dare sprang to his feet, his gaze lingering one moment longer on Leonora before he balled his hands into fists and strode from the box. He only had one direction in mind—the path that took him to her . He didn’t want or need a lorgnette to see she’d gifted another smile to someone who wasn’t him. No. What he wanted was a look up close to catch with his very eyes the evidence of what he’d known all along.

She was not for him.

She deserved better than him.

She could snatch herself a duke and never think again about him and all they had shared. He’d taken her innocence, couldn’t take more. Could never hope for more. He drew to a halt, finding he had already descended the three flights of stairs that brought him back to the lobby with its sparkling chandeliers hanging overhead.

What are you doing, Dare? He shouldn’t even be here tonight. When last in his life had he attended the theatre? He’d always been a prowler of the night. Now what had he become?

He shouldn’t be here.

Even his feet knew that, for they had brought him here instead of taking him to her.

A high-pitched screech brought a chill to the very heart of him, and Dare knew—for some reason, he just knew—that this did not bode well for him.

That one screech drew out what sounded like a thousand more.

Run, Dare. Just run!

But he stood frozen for all of three seconds before he turned around—and then wished to God he’d run instead.

Something smashed into him. What in God’s green earth?

He stared down at a monkey, who bared its small white teeth and let out a shriek that tried, but failed, to rival the surrounding cries. One of those cries was his, but thank God that one sounded only in his head!

Why the hell was this damn monkey attacking him? No, why the bloody hell were animals attacking him? First the bird. Then the alligator. Now a damn monkey with a red hat on his head.

His hand gripped the fur and yanked.

And tossed the thing, quite accidentally, onto someone else.

Dare’s eyes went wide.

A couple had entered the sphere of madness, and the monkey he had tossed aside now clung to a man’s head, whilst the woman beside him leaped away with a yelp. What the devil was Calstone doing here? His gaze flicked to Leonora, whose eyes were blazing with laughter, one hand covering her mouth.

“Damn it!” Calstone let out a string of curses. “Get this savage creature off me!”

A portly man rushed forward, yelling, “Monty! Come here, Monty!”

Dare wanted to scowl at the man, but he couldn’t drag his gaze from Leonora long enough for his brows to grow solemn enough. In the end, he couldn’t help but demand, “How the hell does this happen? Are these things even allowed in the theatre?”

The man bowed while rushing forward, almost resembling that of a rocking chair set into motion. Only this rocking chair jiggled and had sweat dripping from his face like rain. “My apologies, my lords.” He dabbed a handkerchief at his face. “Monty is part of the second act, and he escaped.”

“ As You Like It has a monkey in the play?” That was news to Dare.

“Monty was added last minute for a bit of comedic effect.”

Bloody hell, don’t talk to him about comedic effect! He had never been so humiliated in his life. His gaze flicked at Calstone, who still had the little beast attached to his face.

He instantly felt better.

“Oh, dear,” Leonora seemed to finally breathe through her amusement. She stepped up to the duke.

Dare wanted to protest. He wanted to stop her. Wedge his way in between her and Calstone, but a hand clasped onto his shoulder, keeping him from acting on his impulse and forcing him to watch as Leonora and the portly man fussed over Calstone, finally managing to wrench the monkey off the duke.

“Too many people,” Knox murmured, his grip tightening before he let go.

Only then did Dare notice the gathering crowd that had been attracted by the chaos. At some point, Knox and Drake had joined the fray, both their faces remarkably stoic given the ensuing frolics.

Dare turned from their dour faces only to see Leonora with the duke’s mug between her hands, inspecting his face.

The perfect couple.

He should leave. If ever there were a time to escape, this would be it. But his legs, for some reason, had changed their mind and instead of heading to the door as per their original intention, they now blasted forward to the pair.

Even his arms had developed minds of their own, for he certainly did not instruct his left arm to reach for her and clasp her wrist gently while the other pushed Calstone away hard.

No adequate curse word existed for this moment.

The drop of a pin would echo through the theatre, such was the silence caused by his shocking action. Even the monkey had gone silent, staring at him with big, confused eyes.

You’ve gone and done it now, Dare.