Page 16 of The Curious Life of the Unfortunate Duchess
“Pardon me?”
“Nothing, Your Grace. I said nothing of consequence. Forgive me, I, I see Lady Charlotte signalling for my attention.”
Herbert bolted away so quickly, Leonard considered he might be on fire but he did not follow the lawyer with his eyes.
Perhaps I will introduce myself,Leonard thought, unable to alleviate the twisting sensation that Miss Follett was important somehow to him. He started toward the young woman and her companion but he did not get very far before freezing in his tracks.
“Franny, I found you the cheese you adore,” a breathless girl announced appearing at Miss Follett’s side. “There is more if you desire.”
Miss Follett’s hazel eyes grew bright and she snatched the plate from the younger woman’s hands.
“Mind your manners, Frances!” the boy chided. Miss Follett looked up, contrition in her eyes.
“Thank you, Liza,” she cooed but just as quickly turned back to her food and began to devour the morsels of cheese. Yet Leonard was transfixed, not by Miss Follett but by Liza who smiled patiently. He had no doubt that she was the same woman whom he had seen in town the previous day.
And Miss Follett was her companion,Leonard realized. What he had not noticed, however, was that his feet had moved him closer to the trio who had yet to heed his arrival. He could not tear his eyes from Liza’s face, the glowing gold of her beautiful eyes warming his body like hot coals on the hearth.
Her eyes were not green nor blue nor brown. They are unlike any color I have ever seen and a hundredfold lovelier than I could have imagined in my most vivid dreams.
Leonard felt time slow somewhat as he lost himself in the delicate lines of her cheeks and he saw how closely she resembled the lady he had concocted in his mind. Perhaps they had known one another in another time or place.
“Is something troubling you, my Lord?”
The question was sharp and surprising as it did not emanate from Liza’s mouth. It was roused by her younger male companion who became aware of Leonard standing so closely before them. Moreover, it was inappropriate for him to be so bold without being formally introduced by another but Leonard was inexplicably smitten with the boy’s brazenness and he could not help but engage in conversation with the lad.
“Certainly not,” Leonard replied, instantly reclaiming his composition. “I was merely trying to place the faces of these fine ladies, Mr.…?”
He stepped forward but his eyes remained suspicious.
“Mr. David Follett, son to the Viscount of Gordon.”
“Leonard, Duke of Pembroke,” the older man introduced himself. He was having a difficult time keeping Mr. Follett’s gaze with Lady Liza so close.
Leonard realized then that Liza must be the sister to the young man and therefore Miss Liza Follett but the title was the least important matter on his mind in that moment. Leonard deigned to reach for her, to touch her skin, propriety be notwithstanding.
“Charmed,” the boy said. “I daresay, you study my sisters with a great deal of intensity.”
Leonard stifled a smile at the boy’s brave words for he could hear the tremor in his voice.
He does love his sisters but he is merely a boy.
“Forgive me if I appeared forward,” the Duke replied cordially. “I am quite certain I did catch a glimpse of the ladies in town yesterday, quite near Pembroke.”
“Yes!” Frances cried with remarkable glee, startling for a woman of her age and stature. “We searched high and low for a headdress of pearls and golden strands, did we not, Liza?”
Leonard was finally able to set his eyes back toward the object of his interest, his pulse quickening when their gazes locked for the first time. To say he felt a spark between them sounded commonplace, even tawdry. Their unspoken connection was more intense than that written on the pages of silly poetry books.
“Indeed we did,” Liza replied and when her lyrical voice reached his ears, he knew she was precisely whom he had sought. “I daresay, Your Grace, I did not see you.”
“I confess, I did not make myself seen,” Leonard offered. “Yet, I knew when I saw you across the room, you were unmistakably her…ah, them.”
He shot Liza’s sister an apologetic look, lest she think he had forsaken her but his concern was only with the smaller of the two ladies. He wondered if Liza could hear the emotion in his voice, the truth of his words. If she could, she made no comment although her face did seem to reflect more than a polite interest in his scrutiny.
“Are you well acquainted with Lady Fife?” Leonard asked, determined to keep the conversation flowing between them. “Miss Liza?”
“Miss Elizabeth,” David corrected sharply, not overly happy with the interest the Duke was showing in his sister.
“Forgive me,” Leonard replied smoothly although he did not much care if he was forgiven by anyone but the lady with the remarkable eyes before him. The expression upon Elizabeth’s face told him that she did not see cause for mercy. She appeared to be conflicted over the attraction between them.
