Helen couldn’t meet her eyes, but she nodded faintly. “I would be truly grateful.”
Dragonfly knelt and began re-lacing Helen’s stays with quick, practiced fingers. Nic sank down beside them, tossing blackberries into the air and catching them in his mouth like nothing was wrong. His grin was back, unbothered and boyish, as if the last ten minutes hadn’t happened.The scoundrel.
Helen’s chemise had to be tugged higher than usual to hide the bruise blooming at her collarbone. Even then, a trace of it showed. After some trial and error, Dragonfly arranged Helen’s hair so it spilled over one shoulder.
“There,” she said. “Keep your hair like that and no one will notice a thing.”
Helen gave a shy smile and smoothed her skirt. “Thank you so much.”
Nic sprang to his feet and grabbed Dragonfly’s hand, pressing a dramatic kiss to her knuckles. “I owe you somethingwonderful.”
Before she could roll her eyes, she tugged his sleeve and pulled him down to whisper, “I don’t want to embarrass Helen, but unless you’re prepared to learn how to lace complicated bodices, maybe suggest she wear something that laces infrontnext time you decide to go trysting.”
Nic straightened, his smile wicked. “What about the spontaneous ones wedon’tplan?”
She glared. She shouldn’t find him amusing. Shereallyshouldn’t. But it was hard not to. That’s what made him dangerous—how easily charm could deflect consequence. One day it would catch up to him.
She gave him a light shove.
Before she could slip through the hedge, Nic wrapped her in a warm, impromptu hug. “Thank you again, Fly.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, it’d be a shame if her fatherdidkill you. Helen seems rather fond of you.”
Nic reached for Helen’s hand, and the two of them followed Dragonfly out of the hidden hollow. Once they reached the road again and Dragonfly had picked up her cake pan, brushing leaves from her skirt, Helen spoke softly.
“Darling, why don’t you go on ahead to your friends’? I’ll walk the rest of the way with Dragonfly.”
Nic hesitated, his fingers tightening around hers like he feared she might vanish if he let go.
“The trail’s easy from here,” Dragonfly said, trying to sound casual. “We’ll be fine.”
He didn’t move right away. His face tensed—caught between wanting to linger and knowing he should go. Then, after a moment, he turned to Helen. They wrapped their arms around each other’s waists and began murmuring their goodbyes like no one else was standing there.
“I have to work in the morning,” Nic said.
“I have dance class in the afternoon,” Helen replied.
“I wish I could watch you dance.”
“You know you’re not allowed in the glass hall anymore!”
“Then I’ll wait in the square. Come find me when you’re done.”
And then he kissed her. Long. Soft. Like they were the only two people in the world.
Dragonfly turned away, her cheeks heating again. She didn’t want to intrude—but more than that, she didn’t want tofeelanything about it. The way they clung to each other, as if saying goodbye for a year instead of a few hours—how could anyone need that much from someone else?
Seconds ticked by.Love,it seemed, demanded a great deal of everyone’s time—especially the bystanders.
She was about to clear her throat, but Helen finally pulled away and hurried to catch up. Dragonfly glanced back. Nic was already disappearing between the trees.
She turned to Helen. “Where do you live?”
"Past the stream, right over the little footbridge. You live in the village circle, right?"
The girls set off for home side by side. Dragonfly nodded. "My sister and I live in the loft above my aunt’s shop.”
"Oh, I do like your aunt's shop. She makes the nicest boots. These are hers." Helen paused and shook her foot.
