Once Upon a Devilishly Enchanting Kiss: #1 The Whickertons in Love

by Wolf, Bree

  Phineas barely managed to grasp her arm, pulling her back. “Will you tell me what’s going on?” His pulse started hammering wildly in his veins, and he felt a sense of fear and terror he had never experienced before. His hands closed more tightly around her upper arms as his dark gaze searched her face. “What’s wrong? Tell me!”

  Swallowing, Louisa stared up at him, the look upon her face still sending chills through his body. “I left her alone,” she stammered, still shaking her head. “I promised her I wouldn’t. I told her she would be safe with me.” Her breathing came quickly now. “I left her alone!” Again, she tried to jerk out of his arms, but Phineas held her tight.

  “Are you speaking of Leonora?” he asked, trying to understand why Louisa was looking so horrified. “Why can you not leave her alone? Perhaps she is still outside with—” The words died on his lips as Phineas finally realized why Louisa looked so horrified. “He would never hurt her! I’ve known him forever, and he is the most decent man I have ever come across in all my years. I give you my word!”

  Louisa swallowed hard. “I never for a second thought he would,” she replied, still straining away from him, her feet eager to leave. “It is not about him, but about her. She feels…afraid around any man right now. It does not matter who he is. The thought to be alone with someone, anyone frightens her. She didn’t even want to come here. She only agreed because I promised her I would not leave her side.” And with that, she broke free from his hold and dashed out of the conservatory.

  Phineas could only hope that Louisa would find a way to help her sister because living in fear was no life at all. And Leonora deserved better.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  A True Gentleman

  Louisa cursed herself for having been so caught up in her own drama that she had all but forgotten about her sister. The thought of what Leonora had to have gone through pained her. After everything that had happened to her, she deserved to feel safe now. How could she, Louisa, have been so careless?

  After slipping into her coat, Louisa rushed back outside to the last spot where she had seen Leonora. Would she still be there? Or had she escaped Lord Pemberton’s presence right after Louisa had fled the scene? Where could she be?

  Leaving fresh prints in the thin layer of snow covering the lawns, Louisa headed back out into the gardens. The light was dimming, gray clouds drifting overhead, whispering of rain or snow. A chilling wind blew into her face, cooling her heated cheeks after the emotional moment she had just experienced. “I’m betrothed,” Louisa whispered suddenly, shocking herself as the significance of that simple moment only a few minutes ago sank in. “I’m getting married. I’m going to marry…Phineas Hawke.” As outlandish as the thought felt, it still brought a wide smile to her face and sent utter happiness to her heart.

  Her smile quickly disappeared, though, when her gaze swept over the small slope where she had last seen her sister. Unfortunately, Leonora was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Lord Pemberton. “Where could she be?” Louisa mumbled, craning her neck, hoping to spot her sister’s slender figure and bright blue eyes somewhere in the gardens.

  “Louisa!”

  At the sound of her sister’s voice, Louisa whirled around.

  To her utter surprise, Leonora looked neither terrified nor angry. The look upon her face held mild nervousness; a far cry from the full-on terror Louisa had seen there before.

  Especially, considering that Lord Pemberton was standing only an arm’s length or two away from her.

  Louisa frowned, momentarily wondering what had happened since she had rushed off. Then she inhaled a deep breath, willed a smile onto her face and approached. Curiously, she looked back and forth between her sister and her fiancé’s—that still felt odd!—old friend. “Is everything all right?” she asked, her gaze seeking Leonora’s.

  Her sister nodded. “Everything’s fine,” she told Louisa before her gaze moved back to Lord Pemberton, something oddly intimate in her blue eyes.

  Still rather stoic, Lord Pemberton inclined his head to her in answer or reassurance; Louisa did not know. His gray eyes were watchful, but kind, and he kept sweeping his gaze over their surroundings as though expecting an attack at any moment. There was something tense in his shoulders, and Louisa could not help but think that he looked angry…although he did hide it well.

  What was most odd was the fact that Leonora did not seem terrified at all. Under the circumstances, Louisa would have expected her to have bolted long before now. After all, Lord Pemberton appeared far from harmless. Indeed, something rather dangerous lingered in his gray eyes, enhancing the threat of his towering stature and broad-shouldered appearance. Why was Leonora still here? What had happened between them? Had they spoken to each other?

  After another sweep of their surroundings, Lord Pemberton once more turned to look at Leonora. “I bid you good day, my lady.” Again, he inclined his head to her most respectfully, then took a step back, turned and strode away.

  A small smile played over Leonora’s face as she watched him leave. Then she inhaled a deep breath, and her blue gaze flickered back to Louisa. “Did Phineas catch up with you?” she asked, slipping her arm through Louisa’s and pulling her along back up toward the house.

  Confused by her sister’s increasingly odd behavior, Louisa found herself stopping every few steps of the way, turning to look at Leonora’s face. “He did.”

  “And? Did you let him explain?”

  Louisa frowned. “Let him explain?” She stopped for good, her hands settling on her hips as she looked at her sister. “Whose side are you on?”

  A warm smile came to Leonora’s face. “The side that will see you two married soon.” She laughed, and Louisa could do little else but stare at her. “Is something wrong?” Leonora asked, a slight frown drawing down her brows as she looked at her sister. “Please, don’t tell me that you refused him. It is so obvious that he cares for you. You must believe him that he only spoke to Lord Pemberton to help you.”

  Louisa shook her head, trying to clear it. “I know that,” she replied, a bit of an annoyed note in her voice. “How do you know? How could you possibly…?” Her gaze shifted back to the spot where they had all stood together not long ago before it returned to Leonora. “You spoke to Lord Pemberton, did you not?”

  Leonora nodded. “Of course, I did. Why is that such a surprise to you?”

  “Because… Because…” Louisa stared at her sister, torn between a feeling of deepest guilt and one of slowly growing annoyance. “Because I promised to remain by your side,” she finally exclaimed, confused and admittedly a bit concerned by Leonora’s strange behavior. “I promised, and I broke that promise. I did not mean to, but when Phineas…” She shook her head, momentarily too overwhelmed to find the right words.

  Leonora’s hand settled upon her shoulder, a warm smile coming to her face. “I’m not angry,” her sister assured her. “I saw your face, and I know that you were afraid and overwhelmed. I understand.”

  Louisa exhaled a breath of relief. “And you are all right?”

  A faint shadow crossed over Leonora’s face. “I admit for a moment I was terrified.” A faraway look came to her eyes, and no more words tumbled from her lips.

  Louisa reached for her sister’s hand, squeezing it gently. “What happened?”

  Leonora blinked, and that warm smile slowly reclaimed her face. “I’m fine,” was all she said.

  Louisa frowned. “You need to tell me more than that.”

  Laughing, Leonora shook her head, “For now, I’m afraid I cannot.”

  “Why?” A cold feeling settled in Louisa’s belly. “Do you not trust me?”

  “Oh, that is not it!” Leonora assured her instantly. “It is simply that I…need some time to understand it myself.” The hint of a question lingered in her voice as though she honestly did not know what to make of the moment she had spent alone with Lord Pemberton.

  Searching her sister’s face, Louisa wasn’t quite ready to drop the subje
ct. In fact, she was far, far from it. “What did he do?” she demanded, feeling a sudden urge to strangle the man despite not knowing what exactly he had done.

  If anything at all.

  Leonora inhaled a slow breath before releasing it once more, her eyes clear and no longer overshadowed as they had been for so long. Indeed, something had changed. “He did nothing untoward,” Leonora finally said. “I can see what you’re thinking, and I assure you that Lord Pemberton behaved as a perfect gentleman should.”

  “Then why won’t you tell me what happened?” Louisa asked, wishing she could understand the sudden change in her sister. What could Lord Pemberton have possibly said or done that could have reassured Leonora in such a profound way that she suddenly almost seemed like her old self again?

  “I cannot explain what I do not understand,” Leonora replied in her gentle way. “I need time to analyze everything that happened, to make sense of it and to understand how one thing is connected to another. I hope you can understand that.”

  Far from satisfied with her sister’s answer, Louisa nodded, nonetheless. After all, Leonora had always been thus. Always observing. Always assessing. Always taking her time before making up her mind. She was a scientist, and she knew not how to be anyone else. It was who she was, and perhaps it would help her find her way back to her old self.

  Indeed, listening to Leonora prattle on about another project she sought to undertake felt deeply reassuring. The worry that had lingered upon Louisa’s soul since the night of the masquerade lifted and drifted off, hopefully never to be seen again.

  Walking with her sister arm in arm back to the house, Louisa smiled. “I’m glad to see that you are still capable of confusing me in that usual way of yours,” she chuckled.

  Leonora gave her one of her usual looks. “You do know that I don’t do it intentionally, don’t you?”

  Louisa nodded, grinning. “That doesn’t make it any less confusing.” She patted her sister’s hand as they stepped back across the threshold into the warm house. “But I’m glad to see you did not lose that side of you.”

  For a moment, Leonora’s gaze held hers. “As am I,” she whispered then, a slight catch in her voice. “I’m still me. I…I simply need to find a way to…to reclaim myself.” A brave smile teased her lips. “I’ll manage. Don’t worry. It might take some time, but now…now I know that it can be done.”

  Footmen took their coats. “And you did not know so before?” Louisa asked in a hushed tone before they strode away across the foyer. “Before speaking to Lord Pemberton?”

  Her sister shrugged. “I cannot explain it.” She looked at Louisa. “I’m sorry, but I need some time to think everything through.” She inhaled another deep breath. “But, yes, he…he helped me.”

  Staring at her sister, Louisa shook her head. “I admit I’m a bit jealous that he managed to help you where I could not. Not that I’m saying I regret that he did! I’m glad you feel…” Her voice trailed off, not certain if better was an appropriate word for she could still see that fearful spark lurking in the depth of Leonora’s blue eyes. Would it ever vanish completely? Or would she carry it for the rest of her life?

  Footsteps echoed closer, saving Louisa from finding a fitting word. She turned and saw her new fiancé walking toward them, a smile fighting to claim his face as his gaze fell on hers. Still, he held back, and his gaze drifted to Leonora, caution in his dark eyes. “There you are,” he said, glancing from one sister to the other.

  Louisa offered him a reassuring smile. “Were you looking for us?”

  Understanding her silent reply to his equally silent question, Phineas nodded, that smile finally fighting through to the surface. “Indeed, I was.” He glanced at Leonora, another question on his face. “I’ve gathered our families in the blue salon. Will you join us?”

  Louisa grinned, her heart skipping a beat, while Leonora frowned, looking from Phineas to her. “The blue salon? Why?” She grasped Louisa’s hand tightly, her eyes opening wide. “What happened?” Her gaze darted to Phineas. “Are you—?”

  The grin upon Phineas’ face was unmistakable, and Louisa found her own head bobbing up and down rather vehemently, a wide grin upon her face, as Leonora’s eyes returned to her.

  “Truly?” her sister asked, utter joy barely held in check clearly visible upon her face.

  “Truly,” Louisa replied before Leonora threw herself into her arms, hugging her with a strength Louisa would not have expected.

  Phineas chuckled, “I’m glad you approve,” he said to his future sister-in-law. “I confess I did not procure your father’s blessing before asking Louisa.” He looked at her, a deeply meaningful look in his eyes that Louisa felt all the way to her toes. “It was a rather overwhelming moment.”

  “Oh, do not worry,” Leonora assured him cheerfully. “Father will take one look at her, see how she is glowing and welcome you into the family without further ado.” And with that, she grasped one of their hands each and pulled them ahead toward the blue salon.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  A New Chapter

  Fortunately for Phineas, Leonora ended up being right. She dragged him and Louisa into the blue salon where not only her parents, grandmother and brother and sisters were waiting, but also Tobias and Anne. All their faces held expectant looks, and Phineas guessed that at least half of them were assuming quite accurately why he had summoned them here.

  “Will you finally tell us why we’re here?” Harriet complained, a bit of a bored expression upon her face as she kept glancing out the window. “I admit I’d rather be out there than in here.”

  “Patience,” their mother chided gently, a knowing smile upon her face as she walked by her daughter and patted her shoulder before seating herself next to her.

  Troy eyed Phineas with a rather tense expression, suggesting that he, too, guessed what they were about to reveal to their families. Anne and Tobias grinned widely, exchanging meaningful glances with one another. “Well,” Phineas finally said as Leonora stepped away and joined her family, leaving him and Louisa side by side.

  “Well,” Louisa repeated, catching his eye, a joyous smile coming to her face as she sidled closer, slipping her hand through the crook of his arm.

  Phineas felt like the luckiest man in the world and would have easily forgotten the other people in the room if the dowager countess had not cleared her throat rather loudly. “No one’s getting any younger,” she chided with a chuckle. “I, for one, would like to hear the good news before my heart gives out.”

  Phineas laughed and pulled Louisa into his arms, his gaze moving to look at the dowager countess, remembering what she had said to him after clearing the room so he could speak to Louisa. “I suspect nothing that happens ever truly comes as a surprise to you, does it?”

  The old woman laughed but did not say a word.

  It was Louisa’s father, who stepped forward, his watchful gaze lingering upon his daughter, a warm smile on his face. “I assume congratulations are in order, my dear,” he said, stepping toward her and holding out his hands.

  Leaving Phineas’ embrace, Louisa grasped her father’s hands. “Yes, Father.”

  His smile widened. “You’re happy,” he observed, squeezing her hands.

  Louisa nodded, and Phineas was overwhelmed to see tears mist her eyes. Indeed, he had known that she cared for him, that she even loved him. Still, the strength he had always seen in her had never allowed him to see her as one of those women who could be brought to tears by words of affection, by moments of love. And it touched him that she showed her happiness so openly.

  “We’re betrothed,” Louisa finally said loud and clear for all to hear. “I’m going to marry him.”

  Joyful cheers erupted throughout the room, and they were pulled into many warm hugs as Anne and Tobias surged forward, closely followed by Louisa’s brother and sisters. “You sound rather surprised,” Chris remarked with a smirk as she finally released Louisa, stepping back and looking at the two of them.
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  Harriet nodded. “Indeed, you look more surprised than the rest of us. How is that possible?” She glanced at her sister. “Of course, we have every right to be surprised for you always made it quite clear that you—how can I put it nicely?—that you rather loathed Phineas Hawke.” She said the word loathed carefully and with an apologetic look cast in his direction.

  Louisa laughed, hugging her mother and then her grandmother. “Oh, believe me, for the longest time I was convinced that I did.”

  “Then what changed your mind?” Juliet inquired, assisting their grandmother back into her armchair. Phineas could not help but doubt that the old lady required it and wondered what she was up to; for clearly the dowager always had a plan…for everything. Had it not been her who had somehow maneuvered them, Louisa and him, together again and again?

  “It was not one isolated moment,” Louisa told her family, her eyes moving to meet his, the look in them whispering of the many challenges they had faced over the course of the past few months. “It was…” She shrugged, unable to find the words.

  Moving to her side, Phineas pulled her back into his arms where she belonged. “It was everything and nothing. It was the good and the bad and everything in-between.”

  “It usually is, is it not?” Louisa’s mother remarked as she looked up at her husband, and Phineas noticed for the first time that the way Louisa’s parents looked at one another echoed within himself. Was it the same way he now looked at Louisa? The same way she now looked at him? Did love always feel the same? But in truth it did not matter, did it?

  “Indeed, Lord Archibald’s Christmas house party is proving utterly life-changing for our families, is it not?” Anne chuckled, snuggling closer into her husband’s arms as she looked around at her family. “This is the second marriage proposal here.” She looked around the sisters. “Perhaps not the last one.”

  Everyone laughed. “Does that mean you intend to return next year?” their father asked, a wide grin upon his face as he hugged his wife closer, his gaze sweeping over his assembled children. “At the risk of finding yourself betrothed before you know it?”