Page 46 of The Duke of her Dreams

Helen wanted to pick up her skirts and run away, all the way back home. The memories she tried so long to bury resurfaced in her mind, vivid as the day it happened.

“I was accosted by a man in the gardens. It was dark, so I could not get a good look at his face, but he is responsible for this scandal and misfortune that has befallen me.”

“Accosted?” Theodore asked, trying to reel his fear and rage in. He was surprised when his voice came out crisp and smooth.

“I went into the gardens for some fresh air, Theodore. The heat of the ballroom was causing me to wilt. The man tried to force himself on me. It was horrible!” she exclaimed, and the first droplets of tears slipped past her eyes.

“…I tried to escape, but he was very strong. He held me in a tight grip, yet I managed to use one of my hairpins to injure him so he would release me long enough for me to make my escape,” Helen went on. “I ran to the mamas, but none of them believed my story. The next day, I was all over the gossip columns.”

Tears slipped down her eyes as she explained everything to Theodore. How the man yelled at her and kissed her; how she used her pin as a defense against the onslaught. The bitterness in her heart welled as they found shade under a tree, far away from prying eyes.

Theodore was angry as the words flowed from Helen’s mouth. Anger clawed at his chest, rising steadily by the minute. The man who caused the terrible scandal wanted to take advantage of her because there was no chaperone in sight. Now, her reputation was ruined, and the man was running amok in other gardens like a predator, looking for more young ladies to prey on.

Ever since he heard of her ruined reputation, Theodore thought he was responsible for her misfortune. As he heard her speak, it was a bitter-sweet experience. While he was angry at the man, he was glad that the same situation had completely different results. While it led to his sister’s demise, he was grateful that Helen was still alive. Theodore was strangely relieved, tears stinging his eyes.

“I know you might not believe me, Theodore. Because I initiated our kiss, you might think me to be of loose morals and licentious behavior. But I—”

He interrupted her, speaking tenderly and raising his finger to brush the tears off her cheeks. “I believe you, Helen. With all of my heart. Someone close to me was in this situation before, but it did not end well. And the others that did not believe you are fools.”

Helen was astonished. “What? To whom did such misfortune befall?”

“Fools of course,” he repeated, ignoring her second question. “They had no right to shame you like that. Everyone who saw you should have gone in search of the man. It is what I would have done.”

He placed his hand over Helen’s gloved one. “You do not need to be sorry. Thetonis just filled with hypocrites. If we were to write a scandal sheet about everything that happens behind closed doors, the entire ton would be swimming in gossip for months.”

He wiped another tear off her cheek and smiled at her. She returned it, sniffling. Theodore fell into the trap of her lucent blue eyes, sinking deeper into the overwhelming thrill that erupted in his mind. He wanted to kiss her so badly, to revel in his affections toward her.

“Can I kiss you?” she asked, so bold that it caught Theodore off-guard.

Theodore laughed and pulled her to the back of the tree. “I should be the one asking that.”

With her face below his, all of his other thoughts were suspended. He was transfixed by the sight of her. Theodore stared at the pulse beating in her throat, slanting his head slowly towards her. Their lips brushed, a subtle embrace that sent shivers through Helen’s spine. She stood on her toes now, with the fiery urge to deepen the kiss and —

“Your Grace! Not behind the tree!” Aunt Gertrude’s shrill voice rang through the air.

They both erupted into laughter, and for the first time, he did not feel awkward with her. Instead, he felt pulled, and a sly smile played on his lips.

“Perhaps another time,” he said and pulled her from behind the tree.

Helen nodded earnestly, seeing Theodore’s smile grow even bigger. It unnerved her, but all thoughts of that were quickly dispelled by the trail of his fingers on her skin. It sent a tide of demand through her, sending all her morals away. Helen was hurt that her aunt ruined the perfect ending for the great afternoon she was having.

“Another time, then,” she replied.

“We should continue from where we left off — next time, when your aunt is not watching over us like a hawk,” he replied, and Helen saw his eyes darken once again. They were beautiful — two orbs of desire and passion.

She nodded, and they bade each other goodbyes before walking to their respective chaperones.

ChapterNineteen

“Did you bring what I asked?” Theodore asked his grandmother for the umpteenth time, wanting to make sure that he had the means to keep Helen’s meddlesome aunt away.

The previous day had been one of the best in his entire life, and he could not help but miss Helen all the time that when she was away. Since they started their arrangement, his grandmother told him that he had been less rigid than usual. Though, the Dowager knew nothing about their pretense, Theodore knew that something was changing in him.

“Yes,” she replied, standing tall with her cane, “but you did not tell me why?”

Theodore gave his grandmother an easy smile, one that he knew would melt her heart. “It is for a little trick I have decided to play today. But you can put your mind at peace, Grandmother, for I have no evil intentions.”

The Dowager laughed throatily. “You always have evil intentions, Theodore. Even when you were just an infant.”

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