Page 31 of Seduced by an Irresistible Lady
Lady Lavinia came down first, jumping into the arms of her friend. Helena tried to keep her excited friend from properly roughing her up, but she could only try.
“You came early,” Lady Lavinia said.
Lady Lavinia took two steps back to look properly at her friend.
“And look at you, you look amazing,” she squealed.
Helena blushed and went into a mock kneeling position.
“Thank you for your compliment,” Helena said.
Lady Lavinia shook her head with a smile on her face. She leaned into her friend and spoke into Helena’s ears.
“You went all out for this. You are breathtaking.”
Helena blushed. She knew she looked good. Lady Lavinia leaned back. She turned to the open door as her cousins came down first. Abigail came down first and walked straight to Helena. She hugged her as they kissed each other’s cheeks. Abigail carried a strong maple scent. Helena mentally reminded herself to ask her later of how she came about that scent. Alistair came down after his sister. Helena offered him her hand which he kissed.
“You look amazing,” he said in his deep voice.
“Thank you, Mr Alistair,” Helena replied.
Her gaze was riveted to the door as Prince Drew came down. Before his feet touched the ground, Helena saw that he was taller than she had expected. When he stood, she confirmed it. The man was looking to be a few inches taller than six feet. His hair was pitch black, and though he had a few freckles on his cheeks, there was a permanent smile that was infectious. His two front teeth were slightly bigger than the rest but just big enough to make his smile cute, not awkward. When he saw Helena, he walked straight to her, taking quick long strides. He bowed stiffly to her, and without saying anything, he took the hand she offered then kissed it.
“My eyes have seen beauty enough for days this morning. Having looked upon my dear Lavinia,” he said looking at Lady Lavinia who was standing beside him. “And now, you, Sinclair, my eyes can close shut to beauty for the next few days.”
Helena blushed at his flattery and saw her friend smiling and looking up to the Prince but his eyes were still on Helena. His voice was as accented as Lady Lavinia had described. Helena found it hard to grasp some words he spoke directly, only getting them by calculating based on what he had said before then.
“Thank you, Prince Drew. You are a pleasing sight yourself,” Helena replied.
He nodded and took his gaze away from Helena, looking over her to the surrounding compound. Lady Lavinia soon directed her Prince’s attention back to herself.
“Let’s go in,” Lady Lavinia said.
The twins were already going up the stairwell. Helena looked to the top of the stairwell and saw a tall man speaking with two young debutantes.
Lord Jeffrey?
Helena wasn’t sure. She squinted, trying to focus on the man when she felt her ankle twist. She looked down to see that the high heels of her shoes were not balanced. The front part of her shoes touched the ground while her heel climbed on a branch. She felt the heel break, and she lost balance. Her ankle turned as she fell awkwardly, crashing her knees on the hard granite covered ground. The pain shot from her ankle to the top of her head.
“Argh, argh,” she exclaimed.
Helena looked to the top of the staircase. The young man and the two accompanying chits were already gone. Helena shook her head in disgust of herself.
How can I be so graceless?
Helena quickly pushed the foot out from under her, wrapping her hands around the red ankle. The others ran down from the stairwell. Miss Justina who had been near the top of the stairs was surprisingly the first to get to Helena.
“What happened?” she asked her.
The pain was still too much for Helena to speak. She held tight to the ankle and shook her head. The ankle felt like a muscle had torn in it. Helena bit down hard on her lower lip and tried to hold the wet heat she felt developing behind her eyes. But the pain was too much.
And the embarrassment.
People had stopped to stare at her as she sat undignified on the ground. Tears trickled down both cheeks and were quickly cleaned by Miss Justina with her ’kerchief.
After more than a minute, the pain started subsiding, little by little. The ankle had already taken on a purplish hue, and Helena felt a sharp pain anytime she touched it. Prince Drew bent beside her and offered her his arms as aid. She held tight to him and made to stand up, but when she tried putting pressure on the ankle, there was an incredible searing pain that buckled her. She went back down.
Helena looked at her stained dress. All the compliments she had gotten that day for her impressive dress were all a waste. She wasn’t sure she could attend the ball anymore. She couldn’t stand, much less dance.
