David’s lips thinned into a sharp line as he studied his friend, though he knew well enough that pushing the issue would do little good; Miss Leigh was blunt, but there were some subjects in which a gentle hand was required.
“Much of the same,” he said, taking up his tea and cakes once more. Between bites, he shrugged. “The usual mess, though now I will have to spend some time hunting down my father and begging him to return, or Mother won’t rest easy. And I just passed a miserable hour with someone who is most certainly not my Mystery Lady.”
Miss Leigh’s fingers clenched together. “Yes, I can imagine that would be frustrating.”
“It is so vexing to have been given a glimpse of something wonderful, only to have it ripped away,” he said with a sigh, discarding his dishes to the side.
“I can well imagine,” she murmured.
But before David could say another word, Mother’s voice rang through the corridors. “Katherine? Could you please play for us?”
Miss Leigh’s gaze turned in that direction, her eyes brightening as she rose to her feet, but David caught her by the hand and stopped her before she left.
“You needn’t go if you do not wish to. It is kind of you to take care of her, but it isn’t your duty, and you shouldn’t feel obligated…”But his words trailed off as her brows rose in challenge, a slight smirk curling her lips.
“For once, someone is requesting me to play, and you think I accept out of obligation?” she asked, and David grimaced at the ridiculousness of his assertion. Of course Miss Leigh would wish to do so. “And you needn’t fear, Mr. Archer. I am quite comfortable with saying ‘no’ when I wish to, but hearing her words is as close to heaven as I can find in this world.”
David smiled, nodded, and released her. Reaching over, Miss Leigh straightened the edge of the blanket and tucked it up to cover him better. With one final smile and a nudge of her glasses, she turned and hurried out the door, leaving him frowning at the empty library. A bit of solitude was precisely what he had wanted—but not this much.
But then, Miss Leigh wasn’t company. And being with her was no burden. Quite the opposite.
What a wretched day. Three candidates eliminated, and only Miss Sheridan remained. Thankfully, their meeting tomorrow would provide the answers he sought. Hopefully.
But what if she proved as poor a choice as the rest? What would he do then? Was it time to simply surrender? Benjamin certainly thought so, but he’d made his indifference concerning David’s search clear many times. As though it was a simple thing to ignore such an incredible connection and throw his heart into loving another.
As he contemplated that, the first notes of the piano sang through the house, and David rested his head against the back of the chair and listened to the melody. His breathing grew even and steady, and his eyelids lowered as her music lulled him into the sort of peaceful state he never seemed to find on his own.
For all that Miss Leigh was not an inherently tranquil person (she possessed far too passionate a heart for such a description, regardless the outward calm she projected), she had a way of bringing peace into his life. Her friendship was such a blessing.
“What does this fantasy lady have that is so much better than a lady whose company you crave and whose opinion you value?”Benjamin’s question surfaced to plague him once more.
No doubt, it was merely coming to trouble him during a weak moment. Another failed attempt to find his Mystery Lady, only to arrive home and find his dear Miss Leigh slipping into his life with such ease. Naturally, he would question his present course in favor of the easier path. However, it didn’t resolve the one lingering issue that stood between them.
Miss Leigh was a passionate creature, but she didn’t inspire passion within him, nor he in her. They were merely friends. That was all.
Yet as the days had passed, David's thoughts returned again and again to her first visit to Stratsfield House. The image of her seated at the piano came quickly to his mind’s eye, her gaze fixed upon him with such tenderness and feeling. Even the memory of it made his heart burn, filling him with a warmth he’d never attributed to the lady before.
And then, there was that touch.
David flexed his fingers, though that couldn’t erase the feel of her skin. He’d only meant to comfort, but his cheeks reddened at the memory of his hand grazing that delicate shoulder.
Straightening, he allowed the blanket to fall away. Could he develop a tendre for Miss Leigh? Having never considered her in such a light, it felt like such a strange question to ask, but his pulse quickened at the thought of it.
Miss Katherine Leigh. His sweetheart?
Of course, it still didn’t resolve the issue of her own feelings towards him—and he wasn’t settled on any course of action in the first place—but it was a strange yet intriguing prospect. From the very first, his only true answer to Benjamin’s question had been the issue of attraction, but if one were to remove that obstacle, what was left?
His Mystery Lady and Miss Leigh were indistinguishable.
David’s brow furrowed, and he turned his gaze to the fireplace. The maid hadn’t bothered lighting it as the family rarely graced the room in the afternoon, but his eyes weren’t seeing it at any rate.
Benjamin had jokingly tossed his sister into the list of contenders, and the whole idea had seemed too far-fetched to consider. Yet as David compared the lady behind the mask and the friend he knew so well, there was little to differentiate the two. The Mystery Lady shared so many similarities with Miss Leigh that he couldn’t help but linger for a long moment on that thought.
Yet it was impossible.
One month since the masquerade. The subject of the Mystery Lady had arisen many times during those four weeks, and not once had Miss Leigh given any indication that she knew the masked lady. David scoured his memory and couldn’t think of any concrete sign. Surely that was evidence enough that they were two separate ladies.
Yet he knew his friend as well as anyone could boast, and Miss Leigh was a cautious person, quick to hide her heart if she feared it might be hurt. Having him burst into their home the day after the masquerade speaking of some other woman whilst her family all laughed at her was certainly reason enough to guard that delicate part of her.
