Loving Helen (29 page)

“Oh, Helen.” Grace pulled her into a hug. “We have done the best we can, haven’t we?”

“Yes,” Helen agreed.

But it still remained to be seen if their best would be good enough.

Helen watched from the upstairs window of the cottage as Lord Sutherland’s carriage came into view.
They’re here!
She felt desperate to see Samuel again; the week apart had been long and had only strengthened her conviction that his feelings for her were also no longer pretended. The carriage turned up the drive, and Helen hurried toward the stairs, then came running down them. Her gathered skirts swishing, she rushed past Grace. “He’s here!”

“Goodness,” Grace exclaimed. She set aside the book she’d been reading and glanced out the window in time to see the familiar carriage come to a stop before the front walk. “
Who’s
here?” She brought a hand to her chest and leaned forward, as if not quite believing what she was seeing.

Helen thrilled to see the look of hope on her sister’s face. With each passing day it had become more difficult to refrain from telling Grace that Lord Sutherland was coming. Only the fear that telling her of his plans might ruin a happy outcome for their reunion, along with the promise she’d made, had kept Helen from speaking of it throughout the week.

“Samuel is here.” Helen smoothed her skirt before opening the front door. “I saw him waving as they pulled up the drive.”

“In Lord Sutherland’s carriage?” Grace left her chair and followed Helen to the front door.

Helen raised up on her toes to better see the carriage and clasped her hands, feeling both terribly excited and equally anxious for herself and for her sister and the events that were about to unfold. She glanced at Grace once more, glad her story was to end well.

It is good that Grace should be so happy.

“Restrain yourself, Helen,” Grace said. “It has scarcely been a week since you last saw each other.”

“A week is forever,” Helen said, wondering how Grace had survived two months without the man she loved.

And Samuel has been alone for over three years since Elizabeth’s death.
Helen did not ever wish him to be so again and knew she would be perfectly content spending the rest of her days doing all she could to bring Samuel and Beth happiness.

A footman opened the carriage door, and Samuel stepped down, the look on his face as exuberant as Helen felt. From the corner of her eye, she watched Grace’s hopeful gaze travel past him.

When the footman shut the door behind Samuel and put up the step, it was all Helen could do not to put her arms around Grace in comfort.
Just a few minutes more, dear sister.
She did not understand why Lord Sutherland had insisted upon doing things this way — it seemed cruel — but Samuel had said they must not interfere.

Any more than we already have,
Helen thought, her smile growing broader as they hurried down the walk toward him.

He met them halfway. “Helen.” He spoke her name with a joy that matched her own, then took her hands and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

“Samuel!” Helen felt a blush heating her face and remembered how he had complimented her on it before. “You mustn’t kiss me in front of Grace.”

Grace laughed. “On the contrary, I think he
must.
” She held her hand out to him.

He kissed the back of it, and Helen watched as the look in his eyes changed to brotherly concern. She had known it would be so but felt relieved to see it, just the same.

“How are you?” Samuel asked Grace. “How have you been?”

“Well,” Grace said, withdrawing her hand. “The country is every bit as peaceful as we hoped.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Samuel said. “Nicholas said to give you his regards. He hopes you are well and eagerly awaits news of your family.”

“How is he? And how is it you came to be driving in his coach today?” Grace blinked and turned aside, pretending a sneeze.

Helen and Samuel exchanged sympathetic looks.

“Ah.” Samuel turned his pointed gaze upon Grace before glancing at the carriage. “You thought —”

“No.” Grace shook her head. “I would never expect a visit.” She took a deep breath and looked at Helen. “You two have much to discuss, I expect. And owing to the compact nature of our cottage, you do not have much place to do it. May I suggest a walk down the lane to the swing in the old oak?”

“Yes, let’s. Please.” Helen linked her arm through Samuel’s and wished they were near another swing, at a place she held dear.

“I’ll search out Christopher, and we’ll see you at tea,” Grace said. “We can catch up then, and you can tell me all of your plans.” She turned away, walking in the opposite direction.

“
You
shall be telling us of your plans,” Helen said too softly for Grace to hear.

“While Helen and I shall be keeping silent about ours, which have led to this happy reunion,” Samuel added. He leaned forward, kissing the top of her nose.

“What was that for?” she asked, secretly pleased at the display of affection when no one was near to observe it.

“I am kissing away your worries,” he said. “Your nose wrinkles whenever something is bothering you. It is quite endearing.”

“I did not realize,” Helen said, touched that he had noticed something like that.

“What is troubling you?” Samuel’s own brow wrinkled. “I hope you are not worried about the way Nicholas plans to greet your sister. He loves Grace deeply and spoke of nothing throughout the entire ride but how he might please her — and that with Beth seated beside him.”

“Beth has come?” Helen looked over her shoulder, wondering where the precocious child could be.
Certainly she wouldn’t have stayed in the carriage. She would have insisted upon seeing me — wouldn’t she?
“Such a long journey for her. I did not expect —”

“Yes, well. I thought it might be good if she accompanied me.” Samuel increased his pace and ceased looking at Helen. “Let’s walk quickly. I would like to have a few moments alone before Grace and Nicholas arrive.”

Alone.
Helen felt a bit dizzy in an entirely pleasant way as she hurried to keep up with Samuel’s brisk steps. “I should think we will have several minutes. Grace and Lord Sutherland have been apart for so long they will have much to discuss.”

“I daresay you’re right,” Samuel said. “But they may have to talk later. Everyone else is already at the church — including Beth, who is probably busy throwing flower petals about or extinguishing candles, and generally driving her grandmother mad.” He grinned, as if pleased with his daughter’s mischief.

“Nothing more than Lady Sutherland can handle,” Helen assured him, remembering all too well the dowager’s stern reprimands. She’d nearly forgotten that she would see the woman today.

But any worrying over what Lady Sutherland would find to criticize her about was quickly eclipsed by the anticipation of having a few moments alone with Samuel.

Will he kiss me again? Will we finally speak of
our
future?
Helen lapsed into silence as they walked, but her heart and step were light, filled with happy expectation. She led Samuel to a grassy knoll at the top of the meadow, overlooking the path Lord Sutherland and Grace should shortly be walking.

“They will not be able to see us here.” Helen released her hold on Samuel’s arm and sat on the ground, arranging her skirts modestly around her.

“Alas, we are not close enough to eavesdrop,” Samuel lamented as he dropped to the ground beside her.

“A
good
thing,” Helen said. “I have had enough of eavesdropping to last a lifetime. We need only be close enough to ascertain that Grace appears happy.”

“
I
have had enough of fretting over your sister and Nicholas,” Samuel said, rather surprising Helen. “It is
you
I am concerned for at the moment.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, quietly pleased at his words. “I am perfectly well at this moment — and most others of late.” She pressed her lips together to hold back a flirting smile but gazed up at him from beneath her long lashes.

Samuel took her hand in his but did not bring it to his lips; neither did he appear to return her look with the tender affection she had witnessed from him before. Instead a somber mood seemed to have descended on him during their walk, and he sat somewhat hunched forward, as if he carried a great weight upon his shoulders.

A twinge of worry took hold in Helen’s mind.

“Is something amiss?” she asked, sensing the answer already.
What is wrong?
She ought to have asked that instead.

“Yes. And there is no easy way to tell you. It is
not
what I wished to tell you this morning, but I feel I must.” Samuel met her gaze and held it. “It is about Crayton.”

Helen stiffened and instinctively looked around. She did not see the pirate, but Grace and Lord Sutherland appeared on the path, walking together in apparently deep conversation.

“Crayton is nowhere about,” Samuel rushed to assure her. “He does not know where you are. I have had a man following him, just to be sure.”

Helen relaxed the tiniest bit. “You’ve hired someone to watch him? Is that not a bit extreme? It isn’t as if we are in London.”

“And we ought not to go there until the situation is resolved,” Samuel said.

“What
situation
? If you mean what happened the evening at the theatre, I have determined not to dwell on it. It was an unfortunate incident on an otherwise perfect evening.” She attempted to catch Samuel’s eye, hoping to lighten his mood by reminding him of the pleasantness of that excursion. But instead of looking at her, he stared past her, seemingly lost in thought.

“Why are you are so serious?” Helen asked. “And on this morning when we are supposed to be celebrating?”
When I believed we would be speaking of our feelings for each other.

In the meadow below Grace and Lord Sutherland had stopped walking and stood facing one another. He pulled something from his pocket and held it out to her.

Beside Helen, Samuel inhaled deeply, as if gathering courage. “I am serious because the situation demands it. Several months ago your father accepted a payment of £3500 from Sir Crayton.”

Helen gasped. She pulled her hand from Samuel’s and covered her mouth, as if that could contain her horror and the sick feeling washing over her. “A payment — for me?”

He nodded. “The evidence is not entirely conclusive yet, but it also appears that when your father failed to deliver you he met with foul play.”

Helen’s eyes widened. “You think Crayton had something to do with Father’s death?”

“Yes.” Samuel rubbed the back of his neck, as if the whole business pained him.

As it must.
She felt a lurch of fear.
Samuel is involved now — and Beth.

“I have made arrangements for Crayton to be paid the £3500,” Samuel said. “And I should like to have it done with as quickly as possible.”

“Such a large sum,” Helen exclaimed. “We shall never be able to repay you.”

“I did not tell you this so you would fret about the money,” he said. “That is the least of my concerns, as it should be yours. I would gladly pay ten times that much to see that you are safe.” He looked at her directly, as if to make certain she understood.

“I thank you.”
Still …

“I suspect it was against my better judgment to mention any of this to you at all and cause you more fear and heartache, as I see I have done already.” Samuel stood and brushed the dirt from his trousers, then held his hand out and helped Helen to her feet, studying her face closely. “But I felt you had a right to know, that I ought to be honest and you to be made aware.”

“It is good you have told me.” She folded her arms across her middle and looked out at the meadow, where Grace and Lord Sutherland stood facing one another and holding hands.
I hope their romantic moment is going far better than ours.

Helen thought of the kiss she and Samuel had shared in the gazebo and wanted to cry. She had been gone but one week, and now it seemed as if that place and those memories were taken from her, destined to remain only as some magical figment of her imagination.

Sir Crayton has purchased me.
The chilling thought worked its way from her mind to her heart, sending a cold numbness spreading through her. “Paying Crayton will not satisfy him,” Helen predicted. “He was put off once before, and it cost Grandfather dearly to get him to go away.” She remembered that time, the guards they had posted to keep her and Grace safe, and the enormous sum of money — far more than £3500 — Grandfather had spent to be rid of Crayton.

“I have heard the story,” Samuel said. “And you are likely correct. He has already put a price on your brother’s head, and he has men searching the city for you. Sooner or later one of them is bound to learn who accompanied you that night at the theatre. Mrs. Ellis had learned of it already, by the time we attended her ball.”

Helen felt herself pale. She turned to Samuel. “You are in danger. Beth too.”
That’s why he brought Beth with him today,
she realized.

“Shh.” He pulled Helen close, wrapping his arms around her, yet she could take no comfort from his embrace. Every minute she stayed near him was another that might lead Crayton closer.