They arrived together, of course. They spent a good thirty minutes greeting close friends and acquaintances. And then, Sebastian told her to go and meet with friends and that he would find her later. Free to do as she wished, he would not try to control her as he once did.
He has changed so much. Or perhaps he has simply dropped the façade he once wore like a heavy cloak. Whatever it is, I find this version of my husband as close to the real him as I have seen yet.
“And where is your husband, Anna?” Helena asked. “I have not seen him.”
“Oh…” Anna sighed, but with a smile. “I had better go find him. He tends to worry about me.” She touched Helena’s arm. “But once the Duke finds you, bring him to me. I wish to meet him.”
“Of course I will.”
“And please, Helena, do not do anything that is… well, you.”
“What does that mean?” Helena frowned.
“You know well what,” Anna said rightly. “It looks like the two of you are happy, which I know you hate. But this is a good thing, and I pray you realize it.”
“Anna…” Helena rolled her eyes. “You are being silly.”
“Hopefully I am.” Anna leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before vanishing back into the crowd.
It was just as she did that Helena turned to find her husband, who wore a large smile that seemed just for her as he stepped away from his friends and started through the crowd and toward her.
She watched him coming, wondering now about her friend’s words. Words that should not have made a difference, because this was not a true marriage in any sense.
How could she ruin something that she did not have? How could she hate that which was not real?
Arguments that made perfect sense, she knew, but that did not stop her stomach from twisting, as if with guilt, a sense of betrayal of everything she was and had always been.
We are not in love, nor will we ever be. So why even think about such things! Why concern myself with that which will never come to pass? Which I do not want to come to pass, regardless!
Her stomach continued to twist as she watched the Duke draw closer, prompting her to turn away. This led her to come face-to-face with an elderly lady whom she did not know but seemed to know.
“Do not think I am a fool like the rest of them,” the lady said.
She was the same age as Helena’s mother, the Countess, dressed finely, and wearing too much powder on her face. But it was her breath that Helena smelled, rancid with alcohol.
“Excuse me?” Helena sputtered, leaning back.
“You might have everyone else fooled, but not me,” the lady continued haughtily. “Oh no. Not me.”
“I am sorry, do I know you?”
“Ha!” Her voice rose the longer she spoke, and Helena could see out the corner of her eye that people were starting to watch. “I know you, and that is what matters. Oh yes, I know all about you.” The lady curled her lip derisively and ran her eyes over Helena. “Your past transgressions—your current ones!”
Helena felt the sudden urge to snap at the woman. There were times when she would have done just that. But with how well things were going, and her desire not to ruin the illusion she and the Duke were working so hard to maintain, she held her tongue.
“I do not know what you did, but you tricked the Duke. Admit it!” the elderly lady cried out. “You… you snake. That is what you are.” She swayed a little, her eyes rolled, and then she focused. “A snake and a liar and a?—”
“That is enough!” the Duke’s voice roared from behind Helena.
The effect was immediate. Not only did it silence the elderly lady, but those who were chattering nearby also shut their mouths, an awkward silence descending on them such that it felt as if the entire ballroom was watching them.
Helena’s eyes were wide, and her body was stiff. She did not dare turn around, as if the Duke might direct his anger at her.
“I do not know what this argument is about.” The Duke stepped beside her, and then his hand went to her waist, pulling her close as if for protection. “But nobody speaks to my wife like that.” He narrowed his eyes at the drunken lady. “Nobody.”
The lady’s painted face paled, and she started to stammer an apology that never reached her lips.
“All of you!” Still holding Helena, the Duke cast a disparaging glare across the ballroom at those who were watching. “I hope I make myself clear on this matter!”
