Or had she justwantedto love him, infatuated with the idea of being in love?
Hélène realized with a start that it had grown dark; storm clouds curled overhead like black ink spilling onto parchment. The rain was so hard it stung her bare skin. Around her, the forest was a sodden blur.
She wiped the rain from her eyes, exhilarated. Somethingabout the storm made her want to tip her face up to the thunder and shout a reply.
A dim shape rose up on the path before them.
She yanked at the reins, but it was too late; Odette was lurching wildly to one side. Hélène managed to slip her boots from the stirrups as the world flipped brutally on its axis. For a moment everything seemed to freeze—disorientingly, the ground was overhead, and hurtling closer. She closed her eyes as someone cried out in alarm—
HÉLÈNE BLINKED. DARKNESS SWIRLED AROUNDher. She wiped at her eyes, and it resolved itself into the rain-soaked darkness of the storm, not the heavy black of unconsciousness.
“Are you all right?”
She looked up, startled, into the brilliant blue eyes of Prince Eddy.
So it hadn’t been a deer that spooked Odette. Hélène struggled to sit up and immediately gasped, emitting a string of curses that would have made her roguish great-uncle Henri proud.
“Miss d’Orléans?” Eddy asked, surprised. “What are you doing out here?”
Hélène realized, a bit angrily—which was a stupid emotion in light of the circumstances—that Prince Eddy hadn’t recognized her at first. Though she didn’t look like much of a princess with wet hair plastered to her face. And even though they periodically crossed paths at parties, it wasn’t as if she and Eddy spent any meaningful time together.
“You’re hurt,” he observed.
Hélène ignored him, twisting despite the pain. “Odette…”
“Your mare? She’s hurt, too. Just a sprain, I think,” Eddy said swiftly, at Hélène’s expression. “But I doubt she can carry you back right now. Not that you’re in much shape to ride.”
Hélène followed his gaze to her legs. Her skirts were still twisted to one side, revealing a dangerous amount of bare stocking, but she had bigger problems. Her right ankle was swelling rapidly, already the size of a small melon.
She braced a hand on the mud behind her, trying to stand, and Eddy gave a huff of protest. “You can’t put any weight on that.”
“Then I suppose I’ll hop back on one foot,” Hélène snapped. The rain was coming down harder now, but there was no use trying to find shelter when she was already soaked through.
“Let me help.” The prince hooked his hands beneath her armpits and hoisted her to her feet.
Hélène tried to hobble a few steps, leaning her weight on Eddy and using only her left foot. He moved slowly, letting her set the pace—until lightning shot through the night-dark sky. An instant later, thunder cracked, loud enough to make them both jump.
“This is getting ridiculous,” Eddy muttered. Before Hélène could react, he reached a hand beneath her knees and swept her into his arms.
She was so shocked that she said nothing at first, just blinked up at the Prince of England as he held her to his chest. A very firm, solid chest. He smelled of damp wool and soap and, underneath, something else: something indefinably masculine and warm.
Then the reality of her situation sank in, and Hélène tried to wriggle from his grasp. “What are youdoing?”
Eddy tightened his grip. “I’m trying tohelpyou, not that you’re making it particularly easy. If I lift you up, do you think you can ride?”
“Yes,” Hélène said sullenly. The rain was already abating. Typical English fickleness. At least in France the weather picked a side, good or bad, and stayed there for more than an hour.
They started toward Eddy’s horse, a massive bay that had been waiting to one side of the path, untethered. “Ares!” he called out, and the stallion trotted over, obedient as a dog. Hélène made a mental note to practice that with Odette.
“Ares?” she repeated drily. “You named your horse after the god of war? What, because you’re both so intimidating and strong?”
“Are you always this grateful when accepting help from gentlemen?”
“I wouldn’t know. I never need help.”
“Of course not,” Eddy muttered. Ares came to stand next to them, and the prince set her gingerly on her left foot. Hélène gritted her teeth.
“Ready for me to lift you up?” Eddy asked. She nodded, and he settled his palms around her waist.
