A Love Unbroken - Rose Pearson

Chapter One

Lady Selina Forrest sucked in a breath as she looked across the ballroom. She felt exposed and unprotected. Cold. This was not what she had expected to feel during the very first ball of the Season, but yet she could not remove such feelings. There was not even a glimmer of happiness within her, nor contentment or even interest! For whatever reason, she wanted nothing more than to turn around and make her way back to the carriage.

“Lady Selina?”

She started in surprise, then turned to Lady Hayward with a forced smile on her lips.

“Yes, Lady Hayward?”

There was no pretending when it came to Lady Hayward, however. The sharp look in her eye and the concern that was beginning to spread across her face told Selina that her chaperone was fully aware of what she was feeling.

“You are uncomfortable this evening?”

Selina closed her eyes for a moment and let out a long breath.

“Forgive me, Lady Hayward,” she said, awkwardly. “I know that I am meant to feel excitement and all manner of happiness at being present this evening but, for whatever reason, I find myself pulling back from it.”

Lady Hayward nodded, as though she had expected to hear such a thing from Selina.

“But that is understandable,” she suggested as Selina frowned. “Surely you can see why? You must not berate yourself, my dear. It will just take a little time.”

Not at all certain as to what Lady Hayward meant, Selina’s frown deepened.

“It is not my first Season, Lady Hayward,” she said, as if the lady needed to be reminded of it. “Last Season, I managed very well, did I not?”

Lady Hayward smiled and grasped Selina’s hand.

“Forgive me, that is not what I meant to imply,” she said, kindly. “What I meant to state, Lady Selina, is that this Season, you are present alone. You do not have your sister with you. It will take some time to adjust to such a circumstance, of course, but it is to be expected.”

Selina hesitated, then nodded slowly, finally realizing what Lady Hayward meant. Swallowing hard, she looked all about her again, taking in the ball, the guests, the music, and the laughter which buzzed all around her. Last Season, she had found no difficulty in being present here but, then again, she had been standing with her twin sister, Lady Anna. In addition, Selina knew that Anna had a little more boldness than she, stepping forward whilst Selina herself lingered behind. Now, there was no Anna for her to remain behind, no shadow that she could hide herself in. Was that why she now felt as she did? Because she had no sister to hide behind?

“I did not mean to upset you,” Lady Hayward said quietly, perhaps aware of the emotions that now ran amok in Selina’s mind. “But only to encourage you not to believe that you are, somehow, expected to be something – or indeed, someone - you are not.”

Selina took in a deep breath and tried to nod, understanding what Lady Hayward was saying but yet still feeling as though she ought to be thrilled with all that was going on rather than struggling to even remain in the ballroom! Looking about her, she took in another steadying breath and found her fingers curling tightly into fists as she tried her utmost to push away every last modicum of what she now knew to be fear. There was no reason to feel so, she told herself. She was with Lady Hayward, the lady who had guided both her twin sister and her older sister into happy marriages. Why then should she expect anything different for herself?

Because you lack the confidence your sister has.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Selina felt a tremor run through her. That was the truth and she could not deny it. Her twin sister Anna had always been the one to speak first, to smile first and to generally take the attention of whomever they had been conversing with. The confidence and assurance that Lady Anna always displayed was something that Selina herself was a little jealous of, given that she could not do the same. For whatever reason, however, she had never given her lack of self-assurance a great deal of consideration. It was only now, at this very moment as she stood in the ballroom, that she realized just how much she lacked.

“Lady Hayward, good evening!”

“Good evening, Lady Thurleigh,” came the swift reply, as Selina turned quickly, ready to greet the lady in question. “And