Page 66 of The Scandalous Deal of the Scarred Lady
“My child, I am placing you into the care of the Duke. Sir, see that Helena is taken to her room, will you not? I am mobilizing my men as we speak, but I am entrusting her into your care. Please make sure to keep her safe.”
Safe?The word made little sense.Where is Aunt Phoebe? What is going on?
There was no time to think on these things. She was in the arms of the man that…well…yes, she did love him. She knew that with every beat of her heart - had known it for a while now. It was hard to breathe when he held her so close. Or was it the bandage at her throat that felt so strange?
“Shh…my Lady…it is temporary. Here, look, we are at your chambers.” She looked at him, but his head was turned toward a servant, and he was no longer speaking to her at all. “You there! See that anything with strawberries has been removed before I even bring her in. I want her to be entirely safe.”
Strawberries?
She felt his arms stiffen as he held her, as people moved past quickly, Tess…where was Tess? The girl would know what had strawberries in it, though she had no idea why it was important. She whispered James’s name, but no one heard. The next thing Helena knew she was being placed within her own bed, and James…James had already left, after giving instruction to put her to bed that she might rest.
“I will be just outside. You have nothing to fear.”
Shewasafraid, but she had no idea how to tell him that. The maid that stayed behind to help Helena into her nightdress was the one who had served Phoebe. What James did not realize was that Tess should have been there. Tess would have expected to be needed. Why was she not there?
But James only smiled as he hovered over her before leaving, his gaze lingering for a long moment upon her face. He placed his finger against her lips to still her restless half-whispers. “Shh…all will be explained in due time. I think that rest would be for the best. Sleep, and know I will be just outside the room.”
She watched him go, cringing away from Janet’s touch, for the maid was not kind, nor had she ever been. Why her aunt ever employed her, Helena did not know.
In no time, Helena was tucked into bed, staring blearily at the fire across the room, her mind restless, her fingers touching her neck, wishing there was something that could distract her from the pain. She could not imagine sleeping.
She remembered the cream, dense and so red that it had seemed a paste more than a lotion. The strong smell of strawberries. The inability to breathe. It was all connected somehow. What exactly had happened?
Helena scratched idly at her burning face and recalled the way her throat had closed painfully, how she could not breathe. While the air moved easier now, and the neck no longer felt painfully swollen, she was still clearly not herself. She stared for a moment at her hands, seeing the new swellings, the hard, itchy bumps coming out. The hand that had held the jar was especially painful and red.
The last cream I would ever need. Strawberries.
Things came together then in her mind. Her skin had always seemed especially painful after meals where she had been allowed her single berry as an occasional treat. She had felt ill then too and complained more than once from the difficulty in breathing. Her aunt had chastised her for this, telling her she had clearly overeaten if she felt uncomfortable.
But then there was the constant scent of berries upon her hands and face. Every cream had held the faintest scent of strawberry. And her skin had always been worse after applying those creams.
The room seemed suddenly cold. Helena huddled under the blankets, not liking where her thoughts were taking her. Was this why James had been worried about strawberries in her room? And why they were looking for Phoebe?
My aunt tried to kill me.
No. It was impossible. Her aunt had raised her since she was a child. Surely, they were mistaken. This whole thing was a terrible coincidence.
But her hands stung. She had been unable to breathe. She had nearly died. Helena rose from the bed, no longer able to sit still. Lying there, left her feeling very vulnerable.Where was Tess?
Helena could not simply hide in her bed until she knew more of what was going on. There had to be something she could do to help. Besides, was she not already stronger? She was already breathing better, more naturally.
Thinking that being dressed would leave her readier to face whatever came next, Helena took a cautious step towards the wardrobe. When her legs proved steady enough to carry her, she dashed across and wrenched the doors open, intent on finding something simple to wear that she could don easily herself.
The door opened quickly beneath her hand. Too quickly. Something heavy was on the other side, pushing the door open for her. Helena bit back a scream. It was Tess, bound with her hands tied behind her back with a length of rope. She tumbled to the floor and lay very still.
Please, God, let her only have fainted.
Helena bit back a sob, clutching at the girl who had been a friend, relieved when she Tess stirred at last. She lived after all! With a soft cry, Helena tugged at the cord that bound the other girl who struggled to speak past the cloth wadded in her mouth. Something behind Helena’s head had caught her attention. Something terrifying, judging from the way Tess’s eyes widened.
Helena turned her head and saw Phoebe stepping out from behind the curtain.
“Aunt Phoebe.” The words could not escape her throat. Helena could only mouth them; the dull rasp that was her voice had betrayed her. One hand went to her throat as she struggled to stand, even as her aunt approached, slowly, a single hand outstretched.
“They were too late,” Phoebe said, as she circled Helena keeping between her and the door. “Your father ordered that the strawberries be destroyed, but I stole the last of them. Janet got them for me. She always has been a faithful servant. By now she should have killed your precious Duke. I gave her the knife myself. I doubt he expected to see her with it.”
Phoebe’s head tilted to the side as she studied her. “But I warned you thatRomeo and Juliethas a rather tragic ending, did I not?”
There were a dozen things that Helena wished to say to that, but none of them could pass her lips. She glanced back at Tess, but saw no help there, the cords around her wrists and ankles had left her immobilized. Tess’s eyes filled with tears as she struggled to sit up.
