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“Kate,” Helen whispered. “How have you been?”
Her best friend scowled. “You have refused to visit our manor for weeks. May I ask why? Or have you found something more interesting than our friendship?”
Helen laughed lightly, holding her friend’s hands. “Surely, I will never forget our friendship, but I have been held by the binds of courtship for weeks. The process has been excruciating.”
“I am so happy that you are finally back in society after all this time, Helen. And without your aunt hovering around you.”
She pointed to the older woman. “Aunt Gertrude is probably brokering a marriage for me as we speak, Kate. But enough about me, how is it going with you?”
Helen saw that Kate looked different than usual. Her green eyes glowed, and she looked happier than ever. Even her gown was more beautiful than most at the ball. She had a nervous energy around her, one that Helen knew came with gossip.
“The best thing has happened to me, Helen! I never thought it to be something I would ever experience.”
“Calm down, Kate,” Helen replied, a smile on her face. “Tell me everything in detail. And make sure not to leave anything out.”
“I have been proposed to!” Kate squealed, and Helen saw heads turn toward them. They hurried toward the darker part of the ballroom after Helen told Kate that their squeals would only attract the people that she wanted to get away from.
“A proposal?” Helen repeated, completely astonished. “When did this happen? How?”
Kate was all smiles as Helen’s mind worked furiously to come up with a proper explanation. The last time she talked with her best friend, they still talked about Kate’s lack of potential suitors because of her family’s issues. Now, her best friend was engaged.
Kate flaunted the ring on her finger. It was beautiful — peridot placed on silver, simple yet elegant. It made Helen’s heart ache with happiness at her friend’s achievement. After a long time of searching, Kate found someone and was completely wrapped up in excitement.
“It happened not long after we spoke last. We met at the soiree at the Manton’s. One that you refused to show up to.”
“I am so sorry,” Helen replied. “I totally forgot about it.”
“His name is Sebastian. Sebastian Simmons!”
Astonishment was an understatement of what Helen felt. “Simmons?”
“He is the Duke’s brother! We can finally be sisters-in-law!” Kate squealed, shaking Helen vigorously.
Truly, Helen was happy for her friend. The engagement seemed fast, but it was normal. Courting was usually for a few weeks, and a proposal would truly raise Kate’s family status.
“So, do you like him? Or perhaps, are you doing it for the sake of family?”
“I love him, Helen. I do not know what love is, but this must be it. Beautiful and warm.”
Theodore’s voice cut into their discussion, low and sensual. He bowed before them, holding his hand out for Helen. Slowly, he planted a soft kiss on her gloves and felt the tremor that ran through her.
“Lady Kate, you seem much more than excited,” he said. “I trust that something extraordinary has happened?”
“Indeed, Your Grace,” Kate replied, bobbing a curtsy. “You might have heard that I am engaged to your brother, right?”
He was surprised. Theodore had not spoken to Sebastian in a while, so he found it hard to believe, but when he saw the ring on her finger, he knew that only his brother would opt for something simple yet expensive.
“Of course,” Theodore lied swiftly. “I have heard tales of the woman who stole my brother’s heart. Surely, I will have to plan a visit to Wallington in the hopes that we might all get to know one another better.”
A low voice resonated through their meeting. Helen gasped at the sight of the man. He looked so much like Isadora with the blonde hair that looked golden under the light from the chandelier. Slightly taller than Theodore, Helen had to look up to see his dark brown eyes that reminded her of the polished mahogany in her father’s study. He was devilishly handsome, just like Kate told her.
“I believe we have not met,” he bowed before Helen, “but my brother has said so much about me, has he not?”
Helen almost melted under his warm smile. “Of course. His Grace has spoken all about you — particularly the memory about stomping all over the house with mud.”
He smiled again, his eyes boring into Helen’s. “My brother never told anyone that. You must be pretty special to him.”
Sebastian began to talk to the women, exchanging funny experiences. Theodore was happy to see his brother on his feet again, talking freely with people, but Sebastian did not include him in their conversation. It made Theodore become filled with guilt, knowing that his brother had not forgiven him still.
