Loving Helen by Michele Paige Holmes Page A

I will not be alone , Helen thought, resigning herself to the fact that she was not likely to be allowed to spend the evening with only a potted plant for company.
    “I’ll be back shortly,” Grace promised, taking Lord Sutherland’s arm and allowing him to lead her to the middle of the ballroom.
    Though no other couples had taken the floor, the violinists started up the moment Grace and Lord Sutherland faced each other.
    Helen watched curiously as they engaged in conversation but did not yet dance.
    “He has something special planned.” The dowager spoke through the side of her mouth in a conspiratorial whisper, as if sharing a great secret.
    “Oh?” Helen asked, showing the interest she imagined Lady Sutherland hoped for.
    “He is going to lead her in a waltz. ” The dowager whispered the word, as if it were too scandalous to speak aloud.
    It was scandalous. Helen barely contained a horrified gasp. “Does Grace know about this?” she asked, not quite believing her sister would be a willing participant. Grandfather had not approved of such intimate dances, and Grace had always tried very hard to please him.
    “I daresay she does now,” Lady Sutherland said as her son and Grace joined hands and began gliding about the room.
    Helen leaned forward in her seat to better watch. It seemed that every person in the room had their eyes riveted on the handsome couple as well. Together they were breathtaking and beautiful, and in less than a minute, Helen had forgotten to feel scandalized and was instead lost in the looks of adoration passing between Lord Sutherland and her sister.
    “When Nicholas first proposed this scheme, I was not in agreement,” Lady Sutherland said. “After all … the scandal.” Her gaze slid to Helen. “But then, thanks to your sister, the Sutherland name has already been embroiled in nearly the worst sort of scandal to be had.”
    Helen’s fists clenched. She scooted to the edge of her chair, determined to rise in defense of Grace, when Lady Sutherland’s tone changed quite suddenly.
    “But I’ve come to realize — also thanks to your sister — that Nicholas is happier than I ever imagined he could be. He has traded his bitterness for love, and it has transformed him entirely. That is what he wished to show everyone tonight — how dear your sister has become to him, how precious we both find her to be.”
    Helen leaned back in her chair and placed her hands demurely in her lap, feeling immensely grateful that she’d held her tongue and not ruined the moment for Lady Sutherland, and especially for her sister and Lord Sutherland.
    “Grace loves him,” she said in response to the dowager’s revelation. The truth had to be obvious to anyone watching them. Helen felt a pang of envy . To be looked at like that, to be held close as Grace is, to have a man love me so much that he would declare it in front of everyone.
    She realized that it did not matter that she had failed to gain Mr. Preston’s interest. It would not matter — for Grace, at least — if they never received a penny of their inheritance. She had found herself both a husband and a home and would be well cared for.
    Helen knew it was probable that she and Christopher could live at Sutherland Hall as well. She wished Christopher had stayed this evening, but, detesting balls and dancing, he’d already excused himself, to return to Mr. Preston’s to help move Beth’s dollhouse to the Christmas tree in the main house.
    As for herself …
    Helen sighed inwardly. Grace might be happy here, but Helen was certain she could never be. She could never feel comfortable around someone as stern as Lord Sutherland, and she would feel an intruder in his home. Even if it is Grace’s home too. Something — many things, likely —had changed since Grace had come to Sutherland Hall. For the first time in her life, Helen realized that she and Christopher were not the center of her sister’s focus. Certainly Grace still loved them both,