Free Deverell's Obsession: A Risqué Regency Romance by Sahara Kelly Page A

rooms.
    “Fancy,” muttered Lucius, glancing around. “So this is how the Ton spends its nights.”
    “Oh shut up,” Dev muttered.
    Léonie suppressed a chuckle. These two had obviously been friends for many years. They were so comfortable with each other. She envied them that pleasure. One of the drawbacks of travelling most of one’s life was that there never seemed to be enough time to build the kind of friendship Dev and Lucius shared.
    Then Dev led them into his bedroom, a sizeable space with a huge bed, one or two elegant pieces of furniture…and a painting.
    All alone in the center of one wall.
    A painting of—of— her .
    *~~*~~*
    Dev held his breath as silence fell. He wondered if Léonie’s heart was beating as fast as his at this precise moment.
    He heard her murmur and then felt her move to his side. “Dev,” she whispered. “I don’t understand.”
    She turned and met his gaze, her eyes mirroring the ones staring at them from the painting.
    Without thought, Dev reached for her hand and held it. “I don’t understand either, Léonie, but there it is. When I saw you…” he swallowed, searching for the right words. “When I saw you, it was as if this painting had come to life.”
    “It’s…beyond belief, Dev.” Lucius sounded amazed. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes…”
    “Who is she?” asked Julia. “Is there a signature?”
    “You were right, Dev.” Mary’s voice sounded from behind them. “The spitting image, she is.”
    Dev turned, still keeping Léonie’s hand in his. “I wish I could answer your questions, my friends. But I can’t. I’m as much in the dark as all of you. No, there’s no signature to this piece. I received it a year or so ago during the estate settlement of a distant relative I barely knew. It’s not unusual for items like this to stay within a family no matter how tenuous the connection.”
    Lucius nodded. “I remember one or two pieces like that in my family.” His mouth twisted. “I had to sell ‘em, of course. Fortunately, they were ugly as sin. Not like this beauty.”
    “She is a beauty indeed,” murmured Eileen. “’T’is enough to take ma breath away.” Her Irish accent thickened with her emotions.
    Dev looked down at Léonie. “It’s not you, my dear. We all understand that. It’s got to be two generations older than you at least. But has anyone ever commented that you resemble one of your ancestors, perhaps?”
    Léonie looked back at the painting, aware of the warmth of Dev’s grasp and finding it both comforting and wonderfully pleasant. In spite of the strangeness of this moment—staring at herself and knowing it couldn’t be herself—she wasn’t upset. Just puzzled.
    She shook her head. “Nobody has made such a comment, that I can remember. Although I was told that as I grew I was close to my mother in appearance.”
    “Could this possibly be your grandmother, Léonie? Or great-grandmother?” Julia was still staring at the painting.
    Léonie thought about that. “My mother was a Petrova. I don’t know about her mother, since my grandparents died either before I was born or when I was very young. So I’m not sure if the Petrov line came to Mama from her mother or from her father.” She glanced at Dev. “Is that something we could research?”
    Dev glanced at Lucius who raised his eyebrows at the notion. “I don’t see why not.”
    “We will see what we can find out, dear.” Julia put her arm around Léonie’s shoulders. “Once we start digging around…well, you’d be surprised what we can turn up.”
    “I will be patient, I promise.” Léonie gave Julia a grateful smile. “But I can’t help but worry. It’s all so…so uncertain at the moment.”
    “You just trust these folks, dearie.” Mary nodded firmly. “If anyone can work out this tangle, it’s them.”
    Léonie felt her eyes fill. “Thank you. Merci . What else can I say? You offer me my life back. There are no words…”
    “All right,