Helena walked to the base of the stairwell. She was lifting her foot when she heard her name.
“Helena.”
She turned back to look at who was calling her. The voice was from a hooded landau. Helena waited for it to stop in front of her. The driver rode dangerously close to her, stopping with its wheels just in front of her feet. Helena took a step back as the door looked to be about to open. She smiled widely as the open door revealed its inhabitants.
Lady Lavinia came down first, jumping into the arms of her friend. Helena tried to keep her excited friend from properly roughing her up, but she could only try.
“You came early,” Lady Lavinia said.
Lady Lavinia took two steps back to look properly at her friend.
“And look at you, you look amazing,” she squealed.
Helena blushed and went into a mock kneeling position.
“Thank you for your compliment,” Helena said.
Lady Lavinia shook her head with a smile on her face. She leaned into her friend and spoke into Helena’s ears.
“You went all out for this. You are breathtaking.”
Helena blushed. She knew she looked good. Lady Lavinia leaned back. She turned to the open door as her cousins came down first. Abigail came down first and walked straight to Helena. She hugged her as they kissed each other’s cheeks. Abigail carried a strong maple scent. Helena mentally reminded herself to ask her later of how she came about that scent. Alistair came down after his sister. Helena offered him her hand which he kissed.
“You look amazing,” he said in his deep voice.
“Thank you, Mr Alistair,” Helena replied.
Her gaze was riveted to the door as Prince Drew came down. Before his feet touched the ground, Helena saw that he was taller than she had expected. When he stood, she confirmed it. The man was looking to be a few inches taller than six feet. His hair was pitch black, and though he had a few freckles on his cheeks, there was a permanent smile that was infectious. His two front teeth were slightly bigger than the rest but just big enough to make his smile cute, not awkward. When he saw Helena, he walked straight to her, taking quick long strides. He bowed stiffly to her, and without saying anything, he took the hand she offered then kissed it.
“My eyes have seen beauty enough for days this morning. Having looked upon my dear Lavinia,” he said looking at Lady Lavinia who was standing beside him. “And now, you, Sinclair, my eyes can close shut to beauty for the next few days.”
Helena blushed at his flattery and saw her friend smiling and looking up to the Prince but his eyes were still on Helena. His voice was as accented as Lady Lavinia had described. Helena found it hard to grasp some words he spoke directly, only getting them by calculating based on what he had said before then.
“Thank you, Prince Drew. You are a pleasing sight yourself,” Helena replied.
He nodded and took his gaze away from Helena, looking over her to the surrounding compound. Lady Lavinia soon directed her Prince’s attention back to herself.
“Let’s go in,” Lady Lavinia said.
The twins were already going up the stairwell. Helena looked to the top of the stairwell and saw a tall man speaking with two young debutantes.
Lord Jeffrey?
Helena wasn’t sure. She squinted, trying to focus on the man when she felt her ankle twist. She looked down to see that the high heels of her shoes were not balanced. The front part of her shoes touched the ground while her heel climbed on a branch. She felt the heel break, and she lost balance. Her ankle turned as she fell awkwardly, crashing her knees on the hard granite covered ground. The pain shot from her ankle to the top of her head.
“Argh, argh,” she exclaimed.
Helena looked to the top of the staircase. The young man and the two accompanying chits were already gone. Helena shook her head in disgust of herself.
How can I be so graceless?
Helena quickly pushed the foot out from under her, wrapping her hands around the red ankle. The others ran down from the stairwell. Miss Justina who had been near the top of the stairs was surprisingly the first to get to Helena.
“What happened?” she asked her.
The pain was still too much for Helena to speak. She held tight to the ankle and shook her head. The ankle felt like a muscle had torn in it. Helena bit down hard on her lower lip and tried to hold the wet heat she felt developing behind her eyes. But the pain was too much.
And the embarrassment.
People had stopped to stare at her as she sat undignified on the ground. Tears trickled down both cheeks and were quickly cleaned by Miss Justina with her ’kerchief.
After more than a minute, the pain started subsiding, little by little. The ankle had already taken on a purplish hue, and Helena felt a sharp pain anytime she touched it. Prince Drew bent beside her and offered her his arms as aid. She held tight to him and made to stand up, but when she tried putting pressure on the ankle, there was an incredible searing pain that buckled her. She went back down.
Helena looked at her stained dress. All the compliments she had gotten that day for her impressive dress were all a waste. She wasn’t sure she could attend the ball anymore. She couldn’t stand, much less dance.
“Try to stand, see if you can manage the pain,” Miss Justina said.
Helena shook her head. She had already tried. She couldn’t manage the pain. The ankle was swelling rapidly. It felt soft and ginger to touch now.
“Just get Mr Booth, let me go home,” Helena told Miss Justina.
She was greatly pained. She wanted to attend the ball, but this unfortunate event chose to occur now.
How could I have been so careless?
She looked at the ground on which she had stepped and saw the broken branch rested beside her. Helena picked it and whipped it with force into a surrounding shrub, drawing some furtive glances from a passing steward.
“Should I have thrown it at you?” she said to him, causing him to place his focus on where he was going.
Helena was frustrated.
“Go and get the driver, Justina,” she said again to her reluctant maid.
“There might not be a need for that.”
Helena turned her neck to look at the person who said that. She recognised the voice, but she needed confirmation.
It was Dr Frederick. He was bent beside her and smiling. Helena felt the intensity in those boring eyes and felt instantly safer. Dr Frederick was here.
It’s going to be alright.
Helena managed to smile despite the pain in her ankle.
“You came,” she said.
“Yes, and thank God I did. It much seems like you need me.”
Chapter 7
Tempted
Miss Helena smiled when she saw him. Dr Frederick couldn’t tell which was brighter, her snowy white dress or her dazzling teeth. He had arrived just behind her friend’s landau and had seen them embrace. Miss Helena was breathtaking today. Her white skin fit the dress like a continuation and the red punctuations at her lips and with the brooch were a trigger to more than sober thoughts. When the tall man bent to kiss her hand, Dr Frederick felt bile rise in his throat. He checked himself.
Why do you get vexed for a lady who you have no claim to?
Thoughts of her had waned in intensity over the last few days as he got more entrenched in his work.
But when they come, I swear I can almost smell her scent.
Her gown was full at the chest, completely filled out by heavy bust. Dr Frederick wished he could just be with her, alone in the entire compound. His sleeping member arose, nudging itself to life and hardness as his thoughts took him where his hands could not. Her breasts would be white, even whiter than her exposed skin. He imagined the softness of her nipples in his mouth, the tender meatiness if he dragged on it between his lips. His hands would travel up her thighs, uniting at their confluence, meeting an eager spring of warm wetness. His lips would capture hers, threatening to drain the red dye in them with persisten
t sucks.
Why such erotic thoughts about a woman who has been nothing but civil? I didn’t even think like this when I treated that doxy for the clap two months ago.
Dr Frederick pushed away uncivilised sensual thoughts when the fall happened. He had seen it happen. She didn’t watch where she stepped. It seemed she was too eager to catch up to her friends that when her shoe got hooked in the arm of the branch, she still tried to take another step. He was walking towards her when she tried standing again.
She shouldn’t have done that. It would only cause more inflammation if there was a tear there that had not been treated. Now the ankle was swollen and rapidly turning purple. Dr Frederick shook his head.
“Why do you shake your head?” Helena asked.
Her eyes met his gaze, no quaver, no shake. It was like he was under scrutiny.
God must have purposely given her eyes such a bland, unobtrusive colour. If she had dark eyes, men would shiver as she bored into their souls.
“If I had been here any sooner, I would have advised you against trying to stand up. It might have further ruptured the ankle.”
Miss Helena’s eyes shook. She was pained. Then just like that, the pain was gone. Her eyes were empty again, her expression unreadable. Dr Frederick looked to his side and saw a steward coming down from the stairs. He looked to be passing by but was attracted by the gathering so he came closer.
“Hello,” Dr Frederick said to him.
The steward nodded.
“Please do you have anything cold inside? We need it for her leg.”
The steward pursed his lips and placed his finger on them.
“We have ice,” he said, unsure that would suffice.
“Exactly what we need,” Dr Frederick said.
The steward turned and started walking towards the back of the house.
“Please we need it as soon as possible,” Dr Frederick shouted.
The young man picked up his pace and broke into a run just as he was about turning around the back. Dr Frederick looked back at Miss Helena. She was bent over, staring at the obviously annoying ankle. Her mouth was turned up in a scowl that was still amazingly attractive. Her face was entirely readable now that she wasn’t conscious he was looking at her. She wasn’t happy she had gotten this injury. She looked to the main entrance at the top of the stairs and shook her head.
What lies inside that makes you so wistful? Is that what you were rushing to meet? What or who?
She dropped her gaze back to her ankle, and the neckline of her gown eased down. Dr Frederick’s eyes were riveted on the clean whiteness of her exposed bust. His breath held as his gaze got lost in the fine line that separated the two breasts. He couldn’t move his eyes from the bulge of her bust. His imagination was triggered once again, causing him to shake his head to clear it. She must have seen him shaking his head from her peripheral vision because she turned to him and smiled.
“Is something on my face?” she asked him with the smile still lingering.
“Nothing, I was lost staring at you,” Dr Frederick replied very quietly.
No one else heard; that he was sure. Her eyes darkened when she heard, and she dropped her gaze. She couldn’t lift it to meet his till he touched her.
“Let me see how the ankle is faring before he comes back,” Dr Frederick said.
He placed his fingers on the ankle, touching it lightly. Her eyes shot to meet his, and Dr Frederick wasn’t sure if that was a reaction from the pain or the spark he had also felt as their skin touched. He wrapped his right palm around the ankle. Her eyes widened, and she bit down on her lower lip.
This reaction is to pain.
“Is it very painful?”
Miss Helena nodded her head very quickly. Her mouth was a tight line. Dr Frederick knew the ankle would be very tender and painful to touch. Her reaction was subdued compared to what he had expected. She either had a very high pain threshold or she had an amazing ability to withstand pain.
For a woman, this is impressive.
He put pressure on the ankle with his fingers. This time she couldn’t hold in the pain. Her left hand shot out fast and gripped his wrist. Their eyes met, and Dr Frederick felt a lump rise slowly till it rested at the top of his throat. He swallowed.
“Please, don’t press it,” she said.
“I won’t for now. I just wanted to see your reaction,” he answered.
Is that my voice?
His voice was thick and hoarse. Dr Frederick swallowed again.
“Did you injure anywhere else?”
“I am not sure,” she answered. She looked up at her friends who surrounded them and were watching quietly.
“I might have,” she whispered, “Check higher.”
Dr Frederick planned to. He moved his fingers up her limb. Her shin was smooth and warm, no signs of scar or injury. He put his palm under her shin and squeezed the muscle. He let his fingers rub gently, caressing her skin with little pressure. Miss Helena swallowed. Dr Frederick followed the lump till it disappeared at the base of her throat, just at the beginning of her protruding bust. He was tempted to place his hands between her clothed breasts just to find that lump. His member was rock hard, causing him to change position as it rubbed the ground in the stance he was.
He pushed his hands higher, watching them get lost in her gown. His left palm was on her knee. He squeezed.
“Ouch,” she said softly.
Dr Frederick didn’t feel any swelling or injury there. She wasn’t injured. The only things he felt was an increase in temperature as his hands neared her centre and a tight tension that held his body taut. He rubbed gently underneath her knees, and the grip of her left hand on his right increased. He moved his hand back down.
“I don’t think you are injured anywhere else,” he said.
She nodded her head. There was a shuffling of feet behind him. Dr Frederick turned back to see two of her friends move backwards. He looked at their faces, they looked very alike.
They must be twins.
The steward’s face appeared between their shoulders. There was a black bowl in his hands. He dropped the bowl in front of Dr Frederick. There was a wet leather skin bag inside. The steward picked up the leather skin and gave it to him. It was cold and heavy.
“The block is inside,” he said.
“Thank you,” Dr Frederick answered as he collected it from the steward. The steward was eager to drop it as it seemed his hand was already numb from the cold block.
Dr Frederick took out the leather skin and smashed it against the floor, twice. The ice broke into multiple parts in the bag. He opened the bag’s mouth and poured some of the broken ice into the bowl. He only needed a small part. When he had the size he needed, about the size of a fist, he closed the mouth of the bag. He looked at Miss Helena whose wide open eyes told him she was preparing herself for the bite of cold ice.
Dr Frederick held the bag by its mouth, pushing the ice to the end of the small bag. He placed the ice on the purple ankle without applying pressure. Miss Helena beat her left hand rapidly on her lap. She bit down on her lower lip causing Dr Frederick to briefly lose his attention on the clash of white teeth on rouge lips. He refocused on her ankle and applied a bit of pressure. There was a faint hissing sound as Miss Helena drew in air from the tiny slit between her lips. Dr Frederick turned the position of the ice bag to just above her heel. Miss Helena threw her hands on his shoulders and held tightly. The force of her grip bit into Dr Frederick’s shoulder blades.
After close to a minute, he removed the ice bag from her ankle. It was still purple but had reduced in size. He poked gently at it. It didn’t feel so tender anymore though still more tender than normal. He placed the leather skin back in the bowl. Miss Helena exhaled loudly.
“No more?” she asked.
“No more,” Dr Frederick responded, smiling broadly.
She nodded her head.
“You have to be still for a while. I’m going to get an unguent for you now. I’ll apply
it on the ankle. It’ll ease the pain,” Dr Frederick said.
Miss Helena nodded.
“Thank you. You can take it away,” Dr Frederick said to the steward who stood behind him.
The young man nodded and picked up the bowl. He carried it away, around the back of the house. Dr Frederick stood up and walked back to the stable where the steward would have tied his horse. When he got there, he looked into it from the door without going in. The stable was full of horses. Dr Frederick didn’t want any horse kicking up a foot or straw that would stain his outfit. He looked at his jacket. He had managed to keep it clean despite his ministrations on Miss Helena. He turned back and saw the steward who collected his horse from him bringing in another mount.
Seduced by an Irresistible Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 8
