Page 5 of The Duke’s Godsend Bride

Leonora looked into her guardian’s eyes and knew there was no escaping the trap. Lady Byron meant every word. If she broke this promise, her freedom in the city would vanish forever.

“I promise,” Leonora whispered, her chest tightening. “I will not do anything that dangerous again. Truly. I am sorry.”

Lady Byron did not look entirely convinced, but she slowly relaxed her posture, leaning back in her chair with a sigh.

“I know why you insisted on coming to London two years ago,” Lady Byron said. “You tried to convince me that it was to join the season with the help of your sisters. To find a suitable match, to build a life. I recall how much Euphemia insisted on this adventure. How she begged, and stood her ground saying that the three of you needed to experience love and start families of your own. You on the other hand... you were only trying to convince me because you had other motives. Euphemia found her place as a duchess, and Seraphina secured her own happiness too even though she did not plan that future for herself. I am endlessly glad they have their families. But you... you never came for a husband, Leonora.”

Leonora swallowed, looking down at her hands.

“We have all tried to help you,” Lady Byron continued. “I know it feels terribly unfair when we urge you to stop your search, as though we are abandoning the cause. But sometimes, child, I worry that your mother either simply does not wish to be found, or...” her words trailed off.

“Or perhaps she is dead,” Leonora finished.

“You do not know that,” Lady Byron said softly.

“You were thinking it,” she answered. “That is what you, Seraphina and Euphemia are thinking, is it not?” her voice trembled slightly. “You want me to stop looking because you are terrified that after digging for all these years, I will finally uncover a grave instead of a person. You are afraid I will get hurt. I understand your intentions, Lady Byron, but I need you to let me try until the very end. When we reach that bridge, I will cross it. For now, I have to operate on the belief that she is still alive somewhere out there.”

Lady Byron watched her, saying nothing.

Leonora leaned back and shut her eyes, wondering how and why everything had to be the way it was. Her sisters – Euphemia and Seraphina – were not related to her by blood, but they were the closest thing to a family that she had.

Years ago, when the three of them were all still children, their fathers, who had been viscounts at the time had entered into a disastrous business venture together. They had invested everything, staked their entire fortunes, and lost the lot in a single catastrophic collapse. On one of the coldest nights in London, after a night of heavy drinking where they tried to drown their ruin, the men had wandered out into the snow and frozen to death.

In the wake of that tragedy, with no one else left in the world to care for the orphaned girls, Lady Byron, a dowager viscountess had taken all of them in. She had raised them as her own. Yet, to Leonora, there had always been a yawning chasm of difference between her story and her sisters’.

“I have always felt like the only one of us who never received true closure,” Leonora murmured. “Euphemia lost her mother shortly after her father died. Seraphina lost hers when she was just an infant. But my mother... my mother was alive, healthy, and right there with us. Then, the day the creditors came to strip our house away, she simply vanished. She was nowhere to be found. Not a note, not a word. That absolute silence is what is killing me, Lady Byron. I do not care about finding love or making a conventional family. I already have a family. I have you, and I have Effie and Seraphina. But I need to know what happened to my mother.”

“I understand, my dear,” Lady Byron responded firmly. “Believe me, I do. I am not trying to dispute what you feel. I only worry because the unknown is a dangerous master to serve, and if something dark happened to her, walking blindly into the same shadows will only destroy you.”

“I know,” Leonora whispered, letting out a shaky breath. “But –”

“Do not sneak out again,” she responded, cutting her off. “You have promised.”

Leonora sat back and said nothing. Too tired to argue.

“Perhaps you care to explain how you managed to infiltrate an underground gambling den in the middle of the night?” Lady Byron asked. “You could not possibly have just... waltz into the room.”

Leonora flushed, biting the inside of her cheek. “I acquired some clothing.”

“Clothing?” Lady Byron repeated skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

“A gentleman’s clothing,” Leonora mumbled, staring hard at the tablecloth. “A coat. Trousers. A waistcoat stuffed with a pair of rolled-up wool stockings to give it some... breadth.”

Lady Byron stared at her in disbelief, her mouth opening slightly before she pressed a hand to her forehead. “You dressed as a man?”

“It worked wonderfully,” Leonora defended herself weakly. “No one suspected a thing. The trousers were somewhat drafty around the ankles, and the boots pinched quite fiercely, but it worked out quite nicely.”

Lady Byron let out a sound that was half-groan and half-laugh, shaking her head slowly. “You are an absolute trial, Leonora Ashcroft. Do try to keep me somewhat informed of your developments, should you actually manage to find any leads that do not involve criminal disguise.”

“I will,” Leonora said softly.

As her guardian stood and walked toward the door, Leonora watched her go, a determination settling back into her bones. She had given her word not to sneak into any more dark alleys or rough taverns disguised as a man. But walking through the front doors of Glenhaven in broad daylight to cut a deal was an entirely different matter.

She had a duke to meet, and a necklace to win back.

CHAPTER THREE

“Grandmother, I must ask you to keep your feline companions out of my study!”