Page 41 of The Haunted Duke

Nora, small and silver-haired but sharp-eyed, took Helena’s hands in her own with surprising strength.

“So you are the young lady who has managed to drag my son out from behind those walls of his,” she said, studying Helena’s face closely, as if searching for something. Whatever she found seemed to satisfy her, for her expression softened all at once. “Thank you, my dear. You cannot know what it means to see him standing here, out among people again.”

Helena did not quite know what to say to that, so she simply offered a small, uncertain smile and thanked her in return.

Elara, meanwhile, laughed as she pressed a quick kiss to Helena’s cheek.

“I do hope my brother has behaved himself,” she said, her eyes bright with amusement. “Mason men are dreadfully difficult, and Evander has always been the worst of the lot. I imagine planning a wedding was not the easiest task to hand him.”

Helena suddenly felt dizzy as she realized she was surrounded not by Jeremy’s family, but by Evander’s. They all spoke to her kindly, thanking her for giving Evander something to do besides boxing or sulking on his estate, and crowded around her, hugging her tightly as if she were going to be Evander’s bride, not Jeremy’s.

By the time she had accepted all their loving words and kind praise, Helena found herself struggling to stay on her feet.

“I believe we have overwhelmed the bride-to-be enough,” Damien said, coming to her rescue just as Helena feared she was going to faint. “Let us go inside and pester the future groom, shall we?”

The circle of warmth disbanded from Helena, and she pulled in a deep breath.

“The Masons are a very loving family,” Damien murmured at her side. “They did not mean to overwhelm you.”

Helena let out a weak laugh.

“Oh, I am certain of that, Your Grace,” she replied. “I suppose I am just not used to so much attention.”

Damien chortled.

“I understand. When I was younger, it took me a long time to get accustomed to their tight-knit relations. There are no better or more fiercely loyal people; however, I assure you. The fact that Evander came to Jeremy’s aid, after everything he has been through, should speak to that,” he answered.

Helena’s heart clenched as she remembered startling Evander the night before in the hallway. His eyes had been wild when he pushed her against the wall. As if he had been staring at the Devil himself, not at her. The pain and suffering he must endure in his private moments must be pure torture.

“He has done well in Jeremy’s absence,” Helena found herself saying. “I am grateful for his aid.”

Damien, who was standing at her side, cocked a brow as he stepped in front of her.

“What do you mean? Jeremy was not here?” Damien asked.

Helena’s brows flew up in surprise as a blush turned her cheeks pink.

“Oh. I thought you knew? He had to go to London. For some urgent business, he said,” she explained.

Damien’s curious look shifted to one of annoyance.

“That is strange. I know nothing about this urgent business of his,” Damien replied, throwing a suspicious look toward the house. “Jeremy left the planning of his own party to you and Evander? He was supposed to assist. Not be responsible for the whole thing. Jeremy should have known better.”

He shook his head as he muttered something Helena could not quite catch.

“Pardon me, Miss Robinson,” Damien said. “I must go scold my little brother and check on my best friend.”

“I did not mean to get anyone in trouble,” Helena hastily replied, following a little way behind him.

“You are not responsible for Jeremy’s poor actions,” Damien called over his shoulder. “And I suggest that in the future, that is a blame you never allow him to put on you.”

Helena stopped halfway up the stairs, torn between the two pieces of new information. She found it very strange that Damien did not know Jeremy had left the country and gone back to London, especially since they lived together. She also worried about Evander. Not because picking flowers and music was too hard for him, but because being around so many people must be painful. What kind of suffering had he gone through since coming to Winterbourne? And how much of it was caused by her?

Her own mind was a mess of its own making. She burned for Evander in a way she had no right to, in a way that frightened her more with each passing day. She had wanted him to kiss her in that corridor, had ached for it with a desperation she could not explain away as mere curiosity. Yet Jeremy was home now, and whatever she felt for the Duke of Redgrave changed nothing. She could not simply cast aside her engagement, not when it would wound Jeremy so deeply, and not when his grandmother’s health was so precarious. Too many people depended on this wedding proceeding exactly as planned. Herself included. Still, how could she deny her own heart?

She needed answers, but as she stepped inside the house, she was immediately whisked away by her mother, who insisted it was time to change into her evening gown.

Chapter 14