Healer's Touch (28 page)

A knock came at the door and they both tensed.

“Who is it?” Llew called.

“I am here to help you dress for the ball.” A young woman’s voice came through the door. They relaxed.

“What?” Llew got up, wrapped her towel securely about herself, and went to the door. She opened it just enough to poke her head through.

“I am here to help you dress for the ball,” the girl repeated. She was Llew’s age, brunette, buxom and pretty.

“I don’t need help. The dress buttons up the front.”

“But you will need help with your corset,” the girl said in a friendly, puzzled tone.

“My what?”

“Corset.” The girl lifted the strange looking garment in her hands. “It does up at the back, and is quite difficult to do alone.”

“Right.” Llew had never seen anything like garment the girl held in her hand, but she did know she couldn’t allow her to enter the room right now. “I just need a little time to finish my bath. Could you come back in five minutes?”

“Certainly, ma’am.” The girl gave a small curtsy and left.

Ma’am!

Llew closed the door and turned to see Jonas doing up the last of his shirt buttons. Fully clothed, he paused to look at her, his expression unreadable.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know.” He nodded, buckling his belt, and Llew sensed he had been trying to convince himself of that fact since the day his family had died.

“You’re still not getting it back tonight,” Llew reminded him on his way past.

“I know.” He gave her a brief smile and a small kiss on the cheek. “Don’t lose it.”

“I won’t.”

He opened the door enough to check that the hall was empty.

“Alvaro asked me, by the way.”

Jonas paused. “Then you’ll go with Alvaro.” He slipped through the door, pulling it behind him.

“I wish I had your job,” said Hisham as the door clicked shut.

* * *

Llew mulled over a misspent afternoon and recalled the sensations she had experienced minutes earlier. Only for minutes, too. She didn’t mind. It had been the most joyous few minutes she could remember. She hugged herself.

Now what? Jonas seemed to have accepted her determination to relieve him of his self-imposed burden. A burden she still lacked a full understanding of, but which she now felt keenly. She had given herself a duty to keep the weapon safe, and she would do it. She straightened out the bed covers and waited for the girl to return.

Soon afterwards, dressed in nothing but a corset and long puffy leggings with scratchy lace at the edges, Llew shooed the girl from her room and pushed the door closed behind her; then she walked to the bath tub, knelt beside it and fished around for the knife. She pulled it from the water and dried it in the towel. She found a long ribbon from a drawer and tied it around the knife and then her waist, and used another shorter ribbon to hold the blade against her thigh. Pulling the dress on was much harder than she had anticipated. The corset restricted her movement so she could barely bend at the waist. Why ladies chose to wear such things she could not imagine.

When she was properly attired, complete with dress-gloves and gleaming shoes, Llew prepared to present herself to the rest of the world. Through the door she could hear the murmurings of her friends in the hallway. They were to arrive together, with Anya following a minute or two behind.

Llew faced the door and gave herself one last pat down to ensure everything was sitting as it should. Her hand paused where she could feel the shape of the knife sitting against her thigh. The blade was already warming to her skin. When she pulled her hand away, the dress returned to its usual shape, completely disguising the weapon. She took one more breath and opened the door.

Cassidy, Alvaro, and Aris loitered restlessly in the hallway, while Jonas leaned against a decorative table with a vase of flowers on top. They all looked up at the sound of her door opening. The warm and discomfiting glow of self-consciousness spread through her as she rustled towards them. Aris quickly scooted over to help her with the door while she gathered up her skirts before they were trapped in it.

“Civilisation suits you, Llew,” he said with a raise of his eyebrows and an appraising smile. Then he leaned in so that no one else would hear. “Whatever you did to get him to put down that knife and come along, thank you. It’s high time he had some fun.” Llew bit her lip and tried not to blush, wondering if he’d be quite so grateful if he knew the details. Louder, he said, “I’ll see if Anya is ready.” He headed off down the hall.

“How do you do that?” Cassidy was looking at her with mock wonder.

“What?”

“One minute you look like just one of the guys, and the next you come out looking like . . . 
that
.”

“I think he is trying to say that you look beautiful.” Alvaro stepped up to her. “And I would have to agree.”

Llew had to admit that the men all were transformed too. Cassidy and Alvaro wore fancy new suits, waist coats, and brand new shirts, similar to those they had worn that morning but somehow more magnificent. Jonas was attired in black again. The jacket had fine detail around the cuffs and lapels, giving him an exotic appearance. He’d even taken the time to hook his hair back in a pony-tail.

Aris returned down the hall.

“The ladies– sorry, Llew, the
other
ladies are ready to follow us in a couple of minutes. Shall we go?”

Alvaro presented his elbow and Llew hooked her hand through it, though somewhat reluctantly. She looked at Jonas, who gave sign. The ghost of skin on skin washed over her and she had to look away. She smiled up at Alvaro. Now was not the time to break the news to him; they had a dance to attend.

With a nod from Aris, they made their way to the ballroom.

* * *

The ballroom was spacious and airy, and filled with the same sense of grandeur as the rest of the house. Tonight, though, it was even more spectacular: candles in stunning silver holders along the walls made for a subdued light that gave the room a romantic air. A long table at one end offered nibbles as there was no formal dinner tonight; tonight it was all about dancing.

Lord Tovias greeted them as they entered, embracing Aris warmly and shaking the hands of each of the others. He had an air of anticipation and kept glancing behind them, until he saw Llew.

“My lady.” He took her hand and kissed it as he bowed gracefully. “You honour me with your beauty.”

Flustered, Llew smiled shyly, not knowing what she was meant to do in cases such as this. Alvaro stood by her side, beaming.

“Please enjoy the night’s festivities.” Lord Tovias spread his arms to indicate the ballroom. “It is all in honour of the work you all have done for me, for which I am eternally grateful.”

Llew let herself be led by Alvaro into the room, where they loitered as a group for a while, getting their bearings. She was aware of Jonas, but he seemed to be hanging back, keeping out of her way. Leaving Alvaro to enjoy his night, she supposed. But her thoughts were consumed with memories of the afternoon.

The ballroom was filled with ladies and gentlemen dressed in extravagant dresses and suave suits. Some lounged near the table, eating and chattering, others wandered around carrying glasses, and still others were dancing to music being played by a small orchestra at the far end of the room. Everything was strikingly beautiful: the clothes, the platters of food, glassware, walls, the ceiling, everything. Llew felt herself pale in comparison.

“Hello, handsome man.” Llew turned at sound of the sultry voice to see a woman in a sun yellow dress step close to Jonas and lay claim to him with her hand on his bicep.

“Franziska.” Jonas nodded, lifting her hand from his arm. “What are you doing here?”

“I received an invitation.” The woman looped her arm under Jonas’. She said something to him, but Alvaro was already leading Llew away. Jonas laughed, and the woman’s arm remained linked in his. Llew’s hand went to the knife at her side. Had she done the right thing?

“Can’t take you anywhere, can we?” Hisham pushed his way through the crowd. He was dressed in the same uniform as Lord Tovias’ guards. He afforded Llew a knowing look before carrying on through to Jonas, who disentangled himself from the yellow woman to greet his friend. She glared at Hisham, and Llew relaxed a little. She hadn’t realised she had been holding her breath.

A moment later a hush swept through the crowd. Llew looked around at the entrance. There stood Anya, with Emylia at her side, and trailed by two young attendants.

Anya sparkled. Her dress was a pale blue, the material shimmering in the flickering lights, and it was covered in tiny precious stones. Lord Tovias bowed deeply, kissing her hand. Sections of the crowd began to clap and cheer. Soon the rest of the room followed suit, and even Llew found herself cheering the couple on. Aris moved through the crowd to take Emylia’s hand, and the new arrivals entered the ballroom to mingle with the assembled guests. The music started up again.

Llew let Alvaro guide her to the food and drink table, where he offered her a stemmed glass.

“Wine?”

She accepted it and took a sip. The tangy, fruity liquid smelled and tasted exquisite. They enjoyed a little of the selection of tiny cakes, fruit, bread and thin slithers of meats, before Alvaro took the glass from her hand, placed it back on the table, and clasped her hand in his.

“Dance?”

“Oh, well, I . . . ”

“You’ll be fine. Come with me.”

He guided her through the crowd. She saw Cassidy watching them as they went by, but she had lost sight of the rest of the others. Alvaro led her closer to the musicians and then turned to face her, lifting her hand with his and placing his other hand behind her back. His lead was inexpert, but Llew found that she could follow him, and barely stepped on his feet or anyone else’s. The experience of dancing was glorious. Llew felt more womanly than she ever had, and moving her body with the accompanying music seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Sometimes she felt as though she and Alvaro were the only two people in the room: but for one. Frequently, she swept her eyes over the crowd, seeking Jonas

Now and then they stopped dancing for more wine. But Alvaro must have sensed her enjoyment, for he never took her from the dance floor for long.

“You look lovely tonight, Llew,” he said one time when they stopped for refreshments.

She accepted his compliment with a smile and small nod, and grabbed another glass of wine.

Anya tapped Alvaro on the shoulder. “May I borrow your date?”

“Sure.” Alvaro shrugged. Llew waved goodbye to him as she was led away, grabbing another glass of wine.

Anya took her out through the double-doors to the deep, semi-circular balcony, on either side of which a stairway swept to the gardens below. A small waterfall ran into a pond dug into the tidy short-clipped lawn of soft green grass. So different from the dry Cheer she had left behind only a month before. Various bushes dotted the garden, and she thought she recognised some roses but, lacking any horticultural experience, Llew just appreciated the strange tidiness of it. Nature, shaped and moulded to fit some human ideal.

Anya took a deep breath of the cool evening air and puffed it out with an “ahhh”. Her eyes gleamed, her cheeks were rosy, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

“Isn’t this magnificent?”

“Sure is.” Llew sipped her wine, watching Anya. The girl seemed truly happy. The earl must have been making a good impression.

“I just needed some girl time. You’re my only friend here, and if I don’t share with someone I’m afraid I’ll explode.” She threw her arms out in a big circle.

Llew suddenly realised what she meant to the girl. During their travels, Llew had spent most of her time with the boys, and she almost felt as though she was one of them. But Anya had always been treated as a girl. She interacted with Aris and Emylia, but not on a truly companionable level. Llew was her own age, and she felt some guilt at not having made more of an effort to get to know the other girl.

Anya couldn’t stop beaming.

“He’s absolutely wonderful, Llew. Just wonderful,” she gushed.

“That’s great.” Llew smiled. Pleased for Anya, she was less sure how she felt about herself. She had had an amazing time with Jonas that afternoon, but he’d barely acknowledged her since the start of the ball, and then that other woman . . . 

Anya turned wide eyes on her.

“So, what about you? You came with Alvaro.”

Llew looked back through the large open doorway into the hall. Alvaro was already dancing with another young lady, smiling and talking animatedly. Happy. Strangely, seeing Alvaro with another woman didn’t have anything like the same effect as seeing that woman drape herself over Jonas.

“Well, he asked me.”

“I see.” Anya watched Llew, then let out another contented sigh and looked up at the stars. “I hope you find as much joy as I have, Llew. I really do.” Her gaze shifted past Llew’s shoulder. “Oh, and it just may have found you.”

Llew turned and found herself nose to chest with a man.