The Secret Wallflower Society - Jillian Eaton Page 0,51

his eyes off of you.”

And she had absolutely no idea why that would make her feel jealous.

Helena liked Leo. As a friend. They’d kissed once, years ago. It had been a terrible kiss, and they’d both laughed it off. Why then, was she seeing a flicker of green whenever she imagined Calliope and Leo walking down the aisle? She was the one who had put them together in the first place!

Maybe because her jealousy didn’t stem from wanting the Earl of Winchester, but rather from wanting a man to look at her the way Leo looked at his future countess. As if she was the only person who mattered in the entire world, and his next breath – and every breath after that – would be solely for her.

Cambridge had never looked at her that way. To him, and to a lesser extent her parents, she’d been nothing more than a commodity. Something pretty to be purchased and put on a shelf, like a vase or a doll. After her husband died, she had promised herself she would never let a man control her again. Not her head…or her heart. In making that vow, she’d protected herself from falling victim to another brute like Cambridge. But she’d also prevented herself from falling in love.

It was, Helena decided as she followed Percy and Calliope out of the shop, a fair exchange. Hard sometimes when she saw what she was potentially giving up.

But fair.

“Should we get some tea?” she asked brightly. “There’s a little place not too far from here. They have the most delicious chocolate biscuits.”

Percy bit her lip. “You two go ahead,” she said, her gaze darting nervously. “I think I’ll return to the house.”

“And do what?” Helena said, lifting a brow. “Sit about and stare out the window? No,” she said firmly when Percy started to nod. “That is not how you’re going to live your life.”

It had taken a herculean effort to get the duchess outside in the first place, and Helena wasn’t about to let her go scampering back without a fight. She knew Percy was afraid of being recognized. Of her whereabouts being reported to Glastonbury (who was, the last anyone had heard, lounging at his country estate in the company of his mistress, the notorious Lady LaBec). But she also knew Percy couldn’t hide indefinitely. After all, she’d done nothing wrong. Nothing to deserve her mistreatment. Why, then, should she be the one who continued to suffer while her arse of a husband did whatever he pleased?

“But what if someone sees me?” Percy whispered.

In unison, Helena and Calliope each took one of her arms.

“Then they’ll have to get through us first,” said Calliope.

“And I’ve been practicing my right hook,” Helena added.

Tears shimmered in Percy’s eyes. She blinked them away, then managed a watery smile. “I’m so grateful to have met you. You’re the dearest friends I’ve ever had.”

It went without saying the feeling was mutual. But as they struck off three abreast towards the tea shop, Helena couldn’t help but feel a familiar prickling of guilt in the back of her mind. Because dear friends did not hide secrets from each other, and there was one secret she hadn’t been able to bring herself to share. One secret that would change the way Percy and Calliope saw her. One secret that would destroy her life. One secret that she would do anything to keep buried.

Just like she’d buried her husband….

After she murdered him.

Chapter Four

The wedding was a beautiful affair. Percy wept openly as the vows were read, and even Helena found herself wiping away a stray tear. When it was over, they exchanged hugs with Calliope and then watched as the new countess and her earl were ferried away to their happily ever after in a gleaming black carriage pulled by matching greys.

“Care for a game of cards?” Helena asked Percy. “Then, I believe a nap is in order.” She made a face. “I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten up this early in all my life.”

“It was rather early,” Percy said as she cracked a yawn.

Following the rest of the guests back to the estate, where a small luncheon would be served before everyone departed (excluding Helena and Percy, of course), the two women excused themselves to the parlor and were soon engaged in rousing round of whist.

“You’re getting much better,” Helena complimented Percy after the duchess won her second hand in a row. “No one would know you hadn’t played until a few