Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss (Book 2)
She writes the unwritten …
England, 1802: Daughter to the EARL OF WHICKERTON, Lady Leonora has an insatiable curiosity about the human condition. At every ball and social event, while others dance and flirt, Leonora observes, her trusted notebook in hand. She is captivated by the silent language of glances and gestures, recording the subtle tells of human nature. But her keen interest in the unspoken soon teaches her a chilling lesson: not all smiles are friendly, and the greatest deceits are dressed in charm.
… he rights the wrongs.
Haunted by his past and cloaked in regret, Drake Shaw, Marquess of Pemberton, leads a dual existence. By day, a gentleman; by night, a vigilante, targeting dishonorable men who escape justice. His life is a ceaseless quest for redemption, driven by the shadows of his mistakes. Drake's world is black and white until he meets a young lady who colors it with intrigue. Leonora, vulnerable yet undeniably brave, disrupts his vendetta, making him question if revenge is truly what his heart desires.
When curiosity meets vengeance, the real story begins.
When Leonora's curiosity draws her into danger, crossing paths with Drake’s underworld of revenge, both must confront their inner demons. Drake finds himself protecting the very spirit he admires, while Leonora learns that the most compelling stories are found not in her notebook, but in living them.
A leap of faith: all or nothing.
Together, they must navigate a perilous society where secrets abound and trust is a rare commodity. As they draw closer, they discover that understanding human nature might just be the key to unlocking their own hearts. Will their joint journey through darkness lead them to light, or will old enemies and familiar fears dictate their fate?
Drake cleared his throat, preferring for the topic of the conversation to remain far away from his own personal affairs. "My reasons are my own. I am offering you my help, and of course, you have every right to refuse."
Instead of accepting or refusing his help, Lady Leonora asked, "And if you should discover his name, what will you do then?"
Pushing off the wall, Drake pulled back his shoulders, his hands linking behind his back. "You know what I will do," he told her calmly, feeling his pulse starting to beat wildly in his veins.
He wondered why that was.
She inhaled a deep breath. "Say it."
"I will put a bullet between his eyes."
Lady Leonora flinched at the words. "Why? Why would you do that? You would be risking yourself. Dueling is illegal, and--"
"The law is not always about right and wrong," Drake snapped in a tone he immediately regretted. He watched Lady Leonora's gaze go wide, but he knew that she needed to hear what he had to say. "You know as well as I do that even if it were discovered what gentleman attacked you that night, if it became publicly known, you would be the only one to suffer. Yet, you did nothing wrong."
Lady Leonora hung her head. "I should not have left the house that night. I should not have gone to the masquerade in the first place. I should not have wandered off without my sister. I should not have--"
"Perhaps not," Drake agreed, waiting until she lifted her gaze once more. "Yes, I suppose it is fair to say that you made a mistake. Still, does that mean that any woman out on her own is fair game? Do we not live in a society where we are protected by our laws? Do we truly want to place blame on the victim instead of the attacker? Is that the world we wish to live in? Simply because it is so, it does not mean it should be." Shaking his head, Drake turned away. He needed a moment to collect his thoughts. Indeed, he had said more than he had intended to.
Her voice was soft when she suddenly spoke again, distant and coming as though from far away. "I still dream of that night," she whispered before she, too, turned away and stepped over to the window. "I still see that mask, black like most of the others that night. In my dreams, I sometimes find myself staring at it. When I finally work up the courage to reach for it, it moves away. I never can. It is always just out of reach, remaining firmly in place, hiding his face." A shiver shook her delicate frame, and Drake knew that it was not from the cold of the season.
