Heartless by Grant Jaimey

Author:Grant, Jaimey [Grant, Jaimey]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: TreasureLine Publishing
Published: 2012-11-06T05:00:00+00:00

20

It was said one who listened at doors never heard good of themselves. Leandra knew the truth of that statement having had the habit of doing just that when she was a child. This time it was an accident and one she regretted. It shouldn’t hurt but it did.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t already known, she told herself sternly. The duke never lied about his reason for marrying her. She’d only hoped that he had at least come to care for her a little. Apparently, she was just an added burden when he had more important things to worry about.

Such as who was trying to kill him.

The thought made her tremble. Whether it was rage or fear, she didn’t know. It was probably both. She was afraid the villain might succeed and she was furious that anyone would contemplate hurting her husband.

And she felt unutterably helpless. She clenched her hands and tried to compose her mind for sleep. It was early morning and the feeble light of dawn was creeping between the part in her bedroom drapes. It only made sleep far more difficult to achieve.

She must have slept at some point. Sunlight streaked across the room, straight to her bed and over her eyes. She blinked, turning her head away. She encountered two large blue eyes gazing at her in wonder. Pasting on a bright smile that she didn’t really feel, she greeted Rhiannon Greville and tried to wake up.

“Hello, sweetheart.”

Rhiannon smiled slightly. “Papa Levi bought me a new dolly,” was the child’s reply.

The response was effective in restoring much of Leandra’s calm and natural joy, despite the events of the night just past. She struggled up against the pillows, popping her spectacles onto her face.

“Can I see?” she asked, smiling at the simple joy on the adorable child’s piquant features. How she wished for a child of her own!

The little girl held up a very pretty doll with blond hair and blue eyes the same shade as Rhiannon’s.

“What is her name?”

“I call her Moppet cause that’s what Papa calls me.”

“I see. Does she have another name as well?”

Rhiannon’s brow puckered adorably as she thought about that. “Mama says her name is Lucy.”

“That’s a very pretty name,” observed Leandra. “Where is your nurse?”

Her brow puckered again. Then she grinned. “In the nursery.”

“And why are you not in the nursery as well?” Leandra couldn’t resist asking.

“I wanted to show you my new dolly,” explained Rhiannon as if the answer were quite plain to even the simplest of souls.

“Well, thank you for showing me, my dear. Now I must be up and about if I am to prevent the household from falling down about our ears.”

She swung her feet from the bed and moved toward her dressing room. The clock informed her it was nearly four hours past her accustomed time to rise.

“Will the house really fall?” asked a tiny, fearful voice at her side.

Leandra paused to stare down at the little girl. She wasn’t really surprised that she hadn’t left.

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