AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She tried to defend herself. “Unhappy? I am definitely not. Look, Kate, I am just trying to save you from this dastard you call your betrothed!”
“Look at you, trying to use underhanded tricks. Trying to come between Sebastian and me because Theodore is merely wasting your time?”
Tears stung Helen’s eyes as she stared at her best friend. Never had she imagined that they would have a fight. In all their years, they almost never had the slightest argument. If they did, it was resolved almost immediately. But Helen knew that the matter at hand could not be resolved that quickly.
The fight itself did not hurt her. What pained her was that her best friend called her a liar and an envious witch who wanted nothing more than to tear down their relationship. Wherever Sebastian was, Helen knew that he would be happy with their argument.
“I am merely trying to tell you the truth, Kate. Sebastian is the man who ruined my reputation! He attacked me in the gardens!”
“Stop with your defamation, Helen! I will no longer have any of it! Sebastian is a good man, and you are trying to ruin his image before me. But that will never work,” Kate retorted. “Besides, you brought your misfortune on yourself! If you adhered to my advice and not wandered off in search of your lustful desires, maybe your reputation might have been intact!”
“You think that I brought this all on myself, Kate?”
Helen was crying now, unable to hold in the tears that streamed down her face. The tears were hot and cruel, dancing down her face in tiny rivulets. A part of her knew that Kate was right. If she had not followed Theodore to the gardens, maybe she would be betrothed to a gentleman by now. But if she had not, then Helen would never have had the chance to meet Theodore.
She blinked, fighting to regain her composure. But Kate’s onslaught of words still came at her, ramming into her gut.
“You sniveling coward! Never have you wanted to see me happy, Helen. Even when I was constantly pressured to find a husband, you did not care. Instead, you decided to follow your lust and see where it led you! A man who has no intentions of marrying you!”
“What? Is that how you really felt all this time? That I did not care about you in the least?” Helen asked, trying to collect her wits.
“All I know is that you are trying so well to arrange this farce! And I will not stand to see my betrothed’s name tarnished like this. You want to do everything in your power to make me believe you! But that will not happen because I love Sebastian, and not even your lies can come between us!”
Helen clenched her gloved hands into a fist, attempting to control the explosive rage that thrummed through her body. She was telling the truth and her own best friend would not believe her. If Kate did not, then no one ever would. Sebastian would go scot-free like nothing ever happened.
“Kate,” Helen sobbed, the sting of Kate’s words tearing through her flesh. “I never meant to hurt you. I am trying to protect you from the despicable rogue who might be your husband in a few months. He might try to do the same to you, Kate. To forcefully take you just like he wanted to do to me.”
Her best friend was seething now, her voice gaining with force. “You, Helen, are the most jealous and despicable person I have ever met. Since I introduced you to Sebastian, you have not even shown the slightest bit of happiness for me. All you want to do is tear me down and make me desolate like you are! You even told me before that you did not remember the man!”
Helen was silent, her lips quivering as the tears streamed down her face. She sobbed hysterically and dashed away from the gazebo with her face buried in her palms. Wanting to get away from everything, she ran towards the only place on the estate that held good memories — the shrubbery.
* * *
She just sat there, trying to push the jumble of rage and hurt to the back of her mind. Helen was furious that the man who attacked her was staying in the same home as she was. It made her frightened that he might come again at any time to pull her into the darkest spots of the mansion. She tried to make herself calm, but even the singing birds did nothing to placate the betrayal in her heart.
“Is something wrong?” Theodore’s soft tone tugged Helen back to reality. She shook her head, cleaning the tears on her face. But no matter how she tried, Theodore knew that something was definitely wrong. He had almost never seen Helen upset, and now, it brought out something that had been lurking deep in his mind. Concern.
“Nothing,” she replied immediately, shaking her head.
The pins in her hair had come loose, and her hair tumbled down her shoulders. Theodore’s breath hitched in his throat, and he fought to regain his composure. He had hurt her, and there was no way he could explain it.
“It is not nothing,” he replied. “I can tell that something bothers you so. Is it what happened between us yesterday?”
Helen had completely forgotten about the conversation they had. Now that he mentioned it, the pain and confusion came rushing back once again. Since Kate did not believe her about Sebastian being the man that attacked her, there was no way his own brother would believe it. She was at a loss, stiffening as his hand covered hers.
“Leave me be, Theodore,” she rasped, her voice shaking from the stress she had to endure.
“I will not if you would not tell me what this is about,” he replied succinctly, searching her eyes for any hint of information. “Talk to me, Helen.” His concern grew as she kept mute and continued staring at the lake beyond the tree line. He reached for her face, to stroke the curl of hair from her face.
“You have always talked to me, Helen. I care about you, and I do not want you to forget that.”
She turned to face him, her eyes bloodshot. “But will you still care about me when I tell you of the discovery that I have made?”
“We have told each other everything, right from when you trespassed on my lands,” he said — a silly attempt to make her laugh. When she did not, he continued, “You can still tell me anything.”
Helen stared at her feet now, her concentration wavering. “I found him, Theodore. I found the man who caused my misfortune.”
She saw the anger flood his face as his features became cold and hard. “Tell me, Helen. Tell me who the coward is so that I can send him to where he belongs.”
