Her Christmas Prince by Mariah Stone

Author:Mariah Stone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stone Publishing

9

Little Irina looked so small in the vast bed, the poor ragged dolly, dry and washed, tucked under her armpit. Helen’s heart squeezed at the sight of the girl’s pale face.

She quietly closed the guest bedroom door and turned to go to the tea room, almost bumping into Roman.

“Oh!” She clenched her hand against her heart. “You startled me.”

A shadow of a smile touched Roman’s eyes, and Helen smiled, too. “Forgive me,” he said. “How is she?”

Helen swallowed, Roman’s presence so powerful she forgot to breathe. His eyes were like liquid bluish shadow in the semidarkness of the hallway.

“She is better. The fever broke, and she is sleeping.”

Images of Irina screaming for her life, the rushing water almost pulling her under, invaded Helen’s mind. She had been busy with other girls. They’d had so many questions about England and London, and if she was honest with herself, she had been enjoying the attention.

If she had paid more attention to Irina…

“It is my fault,” Helen said.

“Nonsense!” Roman barked.

“Shhh!” Helen said, putting her finger to her lips. “Do be quiet. You shall wake the poor child and likely scare her half to death.”

Roman growled a little, took Helen by the elbow and led her to the next bedchamber.

“Nonsense!” he said again, letting go of her and facing her.

Helen looked around. It was another beautiful bedroom, this one in pale green. Tall windows were framed with heavy fleur-de-lis drapes. The ceiling was molded, and the large bed was decorated with a pale-green silk bedspread.

The image of Roman and her tangled in that bedspread flashed through her mind. Heat broke through her skin.

“Prince Roman, we should not be here.”

She took a step towards the door, but Roman said, “No. I must clarify this with you. I will not let you take the blame for Irina’s accident. It was completely my fault, not yours. I was not watching her while I should have. I should have never separated from you on the ice. If I had been next to you, I would have noticed—”

Helen stopped and looked at him, her eyes widening in astonishment. “There is nothing you should be blaming yourself for. You saved her life! Thanks to you, she is breathing.” She pointed to the wall behind which Irina slept.

He shook his head, eyes darkening even more. Their gazes locked, and Helen melted under the heat in his eyes. He growled like a bear.

“Look at you, all beautiful and kind. And I am so selfish I have been keeping something to myself all this time…”

His words made her mouth feel as dry as the desert sands. Keeping something to himself?

“I must tell you the truth, Helen,” he said and took her hand in his. She almost jerked it away, feeling as though his touch burned her. But he tugged her towards the bed. “You must sit while I tell you. And I must once again let my brother have everything I want.”

Helen sat on the edge of the bed, and Roman sat next to her.

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