Page 3 of Just About a Rake (Ladies Who Dare #5)

L eonora laughed as her horse flew over a fallen log in the park. She had snuck away to ride, and she loved these early morning gallops. Especially on misty mornings when the crisp air brought a flush to her face. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night after a certain rogue’s parting words and her brother marching her from the ball, but she was hoping the exercise would help finally clear her mind.

She was good for him ? Her?

Leonora grinned as she spurred Lightning faster. Ah! Why did such a simple thing bring such a thrill to her? It wasn’t that much of a compliment, and she would never read more into it given its owner, but the thought of being good for someone brought her a touch of delight.

In addition to Dare’s words, she had a certain duchess on her mind as well. She should have questioned Calstone more and rather regretted that she hadn’t seized the opportunity.

“Whoa!” a voice called.

Leonora’s head whipped to survey the vegetation from whence the shout came. She brought her horse slowly to a halt, every nerve going on alert. Her morning rides weren’t exactly proper, since she wore breeches beneath her skirts and rode her horse astride. Plus, she was a lady alone. Fortunately, the mist hung low today, obscuring her a bit to onlookers.

She patted Lightning’s neck. “Who could that be, do you think?” Her gaze tracked the parklands. “Let’s just be on the outlook. Luckily, we have the skill to outride just about anyone, isn’t that right, Lightning?”

These rides were the only time she could unpin her hair and ride as though she were a breeze in the park. No restraints. No worries. No nagging Heart breathing down her neck. But continuing to enjoy these moments was contingent on them staying secret.

The galloping hooves of a horse approached, and Leonora bit her lip while she gathered the hood of her cape and shrugged it over her head, burrowing deeply into the shelter it provided. But there was no helping it—she would have to make a hard run for it. She sent one last glance over her shoulder before readying to spur Lighting into to run.

And froze.

Leonora blinked at the rider emerging from the mist like some mysterious phantom. Only, he was no phantom at all.

Dare?

Think of the rake and he shall appear.

He sat atop his thoroughbred as though he might as well have sat atop the world. Imperial, that’s what he was. He wore a white shirt with a black coat and no hat, his hair falling in wild disarray, giving her a rare, intimate glimpse of a side of him she hadn’t seen before. The ties of his shirt were fastened only up to his collarbone, offering her a view of the full breadth of his neck. A glimpse of his strength. One part elegant and nine parts rogue.

Undeniably handsome.

He brought his horse to a stop when he caught sight of her. “Greetings,” he said in a low, gruff voice. “Is all well, madam? Do you require some assistance?”

Oh, right. He probably didn’t even recognize her with her cloak pulled close and her hood up, and here she was, staring in his direction as if she’d never seen a man atop a horse before! But, Lord, oh Lord. What a delightful surprise! She grinned beneath her hood and pitched her voice low. “All is quite well, sir. In fact, my morning has taken a turn for the better.”

Surprise crossed his face before his gaze narrowed on her in a very obviously scrutinizing way. “You sound strangely familiar. Do I perhaps know you, my lady?”

“Who says I’m a lady?”

“I have a distinct ear for voices,” he said slowly.

Hah! “That does not mean I’m a lady.”

“Your speech gives you away.”

Leonora chuckled. He had, in all likelihood, already guessed her identity. “I’m indeed a lady, and yet at the same time I am not.”

“Fascinating words coming from such sweet lips.”

“Sweet lips? Well, I suppose it has been suggested that I am the delight of a certain gentleman’s evening.”

“I’m sure the man who said that was no gentleman at all.” His voice had a hint of a smile in it.

“Well, he is a bit rakish.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Only a bit?”

She shrugged. “From my experience, yes, although the same cannot be said about his rakish reputation. That is somewhat big.”

He laughed. “Only somewhat, Lady Leonora?”

Leonora pulled the hood of her cape back from her head, her eyes sparkling at him. “What brings you out and about so early in the morning, Lord Dare? Don’t rakes play until dawn and rise only at twilight?”

He scoffed. “What a cheeky assumption.” He nudged his horse forward to approach her. “What about you, my lady? Riding this early all alone in the woods? Is that wise or is it reckless?”

“Can it be both? The morning air clears my head.”

“You should be careful,” he admonished, though no sting clung to his words. “Danger lurks in these woods.”

Her gaze swept over him. “I can see that.”

“Then you should know if we are discovered together that—” He cut off at the sound of more hooves hitting the ground echoed in the distance, approaching fast.

He cursed.

Her sentiments exactly. “The woods seemed to be fully occupied this morning. Should we find a spot to hide?”

He nodded, his gaze flicking over their surroundings. “Put your hood back on. We can’t be found together like this.”

Leonora pulled the hood over her head again. He didn’t need to tell her. She was all too aware that while she boldly flirted with this man in the presence of the ton , her reputation would never survive this . Well, it might, but that depended on who it was who was approaching them, whether they would be recognized, and whether any newcomers could be convinced that it was a mere coincidence that she and Dare had met here today. Unlikely.

“Come.” Dare dismounted and led his horse behind a patch of thick bushes. Leonora followed suit. “This should do.”

“First a pillar and now bushes,” Leonora murmured. “I daresay I’m learning all sorts of hiding spots from you. Is this bush an old haunt of yours?”

“Ridiculous.”

Soon two riders came to a halt a few feet away beneath a big tree. Neither dismounted. Leonora squinted to peer through the bushes, her sight partly obstructed by the mist but not enough to completely obscure her view. Inadvertently, they had found the perfect spot. One of the riders was cloaked, not unlike Leonora, but the other was not. The uncloaked rider was clearly a woman, and judging by stature and bearing, the cloaked person seemed to be a woman as well.

“A secret meeting?” Leonora whispered.

Dare leaned in, his face almost touching hers as he too peered through the spot she found.

“Well, what do you know...” he said, his voice a barely audible murmur.

“What?” Leonora asked in a hush. “Who is it?”

“I believe that is the Duchess of Crane,” he whispered back, nodding toward the uncloaked rider.

The duchess! What were the odds?

“Are you sure that is the duchess?” Leonora asked softly.

“No doubt in my mind.”

Leonora turned her head to look at him and started when her lips grazed his upper cheekbone.

Slowly, his head turned to meet her gaze.

“I mean... that...” Dear Lord . “That was an accident.” So awkward! She quickly changed to topic. “I’ve heard she hasn’t been in town for years. Have you met her by any chance?”

His eyes probed her before once again peeking through the spot. “Yes. Fleetingly, right before the duke’s death.”

Really? Leonora swallowed her heartbeats and glanced at the duo again. What a brilliant coincidence. Both people she’d thought about this morning had now appeared before her. “Who is the person with her, do you think?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s most certainly a woman. These woods seem to attract a lot of those.”

Leonora smiled at his mocking tone. From this distance, while she could see the duchess, so many nuances were lost to her. But she could tell by her posture that she was tall and slender, poised, and she should be about Heart’s age, or perhaps a few years younger. Her dark hair, the exact opposite color as Leonora’s, was swept up in a delicate twist, and her riding habit—a rich green—blended with the trees of the parklands. She couldn’t help a small grin, recalling Dare’s comment about the color the night before.

She wished she could get a closer look. And a listen. “I wonder what they are talking about.”

“Why are you so interested in the duchess?” Dare asked.

“I have my reasons,” she said softly.

“Are you by chance acquainted with her?”

Leonora glanced at him. Something in his tone struck her as odd. “No. Why?”

Dare arched a brow. “I have some interest.”

That surprised her. “In what? The duchess? Whatever for?” What was this pinch in her chest? “Or perhaps I shouldn’t ask. A rake showing interest in a woman can’t mean too many things.”

He arched that smoldering brow at her. “Tell me your interest and I’ll tell you mine.”

She might be my mother.

But Leonora couldn’t reveal such a shocking thing. That would expose her family’s secrets and open them up for scandal and scrutiny. Neither did she have any other explanation that Dare might find plausible. But perhaps a half-truth would do. So, she answered in a faint voice, “She has knowledge about a family member I’m curious about.”

“A family member?” He nodded thoughtfully. “So it’s information you are after?”

Leonora nodded.

“Well, then, our interests are the aligned.”

“You want information, too?” Her curiosity bloomed.

“Yes. Well, not precisely. The duchess is in possession of something that an... acquaintance of mine wants.”

Fascinating. What did the duchess have that someone Dare knew could want? “And you are helping them retrieve this something?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Mmm. “Is it rightfully your friend’s?”

“My friend believes so.”

“I see.” Leonora could scarcely wrap her head around the idea that the woman she was curious about was equally of interest to Dare. What a strange, strange coincidence.

“What exactly is this information are you looking for?” Dare nearly pressed his lips against her ear as he whispered. “Perhaps I can be of help.”

Leonora shivered, biting her lip. Could he? If she told him, would he put two and two together? No. It was just too unbelievable to guess at. And she had to admit, the weight of trying to discover all these hidden truths, while looking as though she weren’t trying to discover anything, sat heavily on her shoulders.

She could use a friend.

She could use a bit of help.

Her eyes met his. “I want to know if she ever had a daughter.”

*

Daughter?

Dare’s mind raced as he stared at Lady Leonora. So many questions flared at her admission. Why would she want to know if the duchess had a daughter? Could the duchess be connected to the Heart family? Wait... Heart, the rake of old. Did Leonora wish to know if she had a niece? All that her words implied rather stunned him.

Heart, Heart, Heart.

Always acting like he was better than Dare. Just what have you been up to?

Of course, it could be information about another family member that Lady Leonora sought, but somehow—call it instinct—that didn’t ring true.

It was remarkable that he had encountered Leonora on his ride morning ride at all, which he usually took an hour later in the morning, but now he’d learned possible news that he was perhaps better off not discovering. He should have slept later.

“You have questions, I presume,” she whispered when he remained silent.

Dare scratched his head. “It’s none of my business.” He should never have offered his help in the first place. It moved them beyond shallow flirtations into deeper territory, and Dare didn’t do deeper territory with a woman. Ever.

“Oh? I suppose that is smart of you,” she said a touch teasingly. “So, do you know whether the duchess ever had a daughter?”

“I know she has a stepson, the current duke.”

“Oh, yes, I hadn’t even thought about him.”

Why would you? No, Dare. It is none of your business. Keep it at shallow flirting. “I can ask around.”

Dare, damn it.

To his surprise, she shook her head. “No need. That might just raise questions.”

Ah yes, true enough. “If you require my help, all you have to do is ask.”

“Likewise.” She didn’t smile, but the promise of a one hovered on her lips. “Help from a rake, now wouldn’t that be thrilling?”

“I wouldn’t know,” he said dryly.

She did smile then. “I’m curious. Does it not bother you that people—that I—blatantly call you a rake? I’d imagine most rakes are in denial and don’t care for the term.”

Dare shrugged. What was there to mind when he lived the very definition of the term? “Most are; I am not. And you forgot infamous—I am an infamous rake.”

“Well, I daresay you shall have to marry one day.”

“A wife is inconvenient.” He lowered his voice even more. “And having me for a husband would be even more inconvenient.”

“But you’ve never been a husband, so how can you know?”

“Trust me, I just know.”

She picked at a leaf. “Oh? Heart says the same thing, so my mother always scolds him, saying that inconvenience is just another word men use to justify skirting their duties.”

Well, what could he say to that?

Duty had always been a double-edged sword for him. It conflicted with his desire for freedom—freedom from the past. But he’d rather not give history the chance to repeat itself in any way or form. Just look at his father. He had been optimistic about breaking the cycle of rakish forefathers, but he had failed over and over again.

And who was Dare if not his father’s son?

Being as self-aware as he was, he would never deny this. Denying it would mean countless tears and heartbreak in the future. It wasn’t that he was against duty or marriage. No, he was against love. The best sort of marriage for him would be an arrangement where neither expected anything from the other beyond producing an heir and then moving on with their lives however they wished.

Dare had yet to meet a woman with those expectations.

“Your brother must smart from such scolding.”

She gave a tiny snort. “Oh, no, he’s got quite the thick head.”

On that, they agreed. “I would still like to argue that an inconvenience is inconvenient.”

“And what a stellar argument, if a bit dull.”

Well, hell. “No woman has ever called me dull.”

“How fortunate that I am the first.” She paused. “Look. The cloaked woman is leaving...”

“Dare peered through the bush at the same time the cloaked woman turned in their direction. The breeze caused her hood to flutter, offering them a glimpse of her face.

“Lord above, is that your mother?” He glanced at Leonora, who had gone still beside him, her gaze fixed on the marchioness. And the plot thickened. “I suppose whatever you wish to discover, you are on the right path.”

“I... this... she is supposed to be in Wales with my father. Did she return, or did she lie?”

His brow inched upward. “She hasn’t been home?”

“No . . .”

What an interesting turn of events, then. “Why don’t you ask your mother for the information you seek?”

“She doesn’t know that I am seeking it, and for now, I’d like to keep it that way.”

So complex. There must be more to the secret that he didn’t know. Didn’t need to know. He watched as both figures trotted off, remaining silent at Leonora’s side until they were well out of sight and he could no longer hear any echo of hooves.

“We should leave, too,” she finally whispered.

Dare caught the note of disbelief still lacing her voice and glanced at her. The little temptress had not expected the other woman to be her mother, and he couldn’t tell if she believed it a good thing or a bad thing or if she was just stunned.

“You know,” he said after a moment, “I find it quite interesting.”

Her eyes met his. “What?”

“The duchess hasn’t frequented the circles of London for years. Now she suddenly appears, all stealth and intrigue, with multiple people showing interest in her. What a mystifying woman, don’t you agree? So many secrets.”

Her lips quirked.

Ah, there is that smile. “Lady Leonora, all mixed up in mystery, and here I thought you were just a simple lady.”

Her smile widened. “I am the very epitome of simple.”

I don’t believe you, minx. Leaves crunched, and Dare went on alert. His gaze tracked his surroundings, but he couldn’t find anything suspicious.

He reached out to adjust Leonora’s hood, drawing it down farther over her head. He placed a finger over her lips, wishing he hadn’t worn gloves so that he could selfishly indulge in their softness. He cursed in his mind. Another rustle of leaves, this time closer to them.

Both horses shifted restlessly.

“It’s probably just a mouse,” Lady Leonora murmured.

A mouse? His back stiffened. He’d prefer anything else over mice. “Then we should leave before the mouse makes its appearance.”

“I don’t think mice do that. They just scurry about.” Her eyes widened. “Why? Are you afraid of mice?”

“Let’s just say they are not my favorite creatures in the world.”

“But they are just little mice, and you are a big, scary, intimidating man,” she teased.

“Scary? Intimidating?”

“For the mouse.”

He gave her a flat look. He should have told her he was concerned about their horses. “Did you know you have a talent for speaking nonsense?”

“Oh, I’m very well aware. Heart never misses an opportunity to inform me of my nonsense. Shall we go?”

Dare nodded and mounted his horse alongside her. Fortunately, they hadn’t been caught by the duchess and Leonora’s mother. Just the thought brought a slight shiver up his spine. They waited a few more moments, listening carefully to the silence, before she smiled at him and gave a nod.

“I’ll be off then.”

Just like that? Why did it feel so abrupt? As though they’d shared a monumental moment, and now they parted ways? “I’ll escort you home,” he said before he could think better of it. Had he forgotten they could not be seen together? He must have lost his damn head.

She laughed. “Accompany me? Why not race me?” More nonsense. “Or are you going to tell me women shouldn’t race?” she asked before he could answer.

“I’m not the sort of man to tell a woman what she should or should not do.”

Her laugh turned merry. “No words of wisdom for me?”

“Wisdom? No.” Just look at him.

“Then race it is! The first one to clear the woods wins.” She spurred her horse into a run.

“Prepare to lose,” Dare called out after her, urging his own thoroughbred, Flash, into a run after her.

Utter madness.

He loved it.

He would be skinned by her brother if they were caught, but so be it. He’d chase her light like a determined shadow. And while he didn’t rightly know what possessed him to race against her, he did know he might never get the chance to do so again. And when it came to this woman and all her brilliancy, he wanted to grasp every chance before the inevitable conclusion of their acquaintanceship came about.

For it was just a matter of time.