An Impossible Attraction by Brenda Joyce

dismayed now. She wished she hadn’t spoken so openly. Then, across their heads, she saw her escort. Denney smiled at her and indicated that he would return in another moment. He was surrounded by gentlemen now. Clearly he was well liked.
    Three couples were ahead of them on the receiving line. The knot in her stomach had grown and was aching now. Her head hurt. What had she been thinking, to come out this way with Olivia and Corey? She overheard the matron at the front of the line going on and on about how lovely Sara was—how graceful, how genteel. It was true. Of course Sara de Warenne, a nice enough young lady, did not lack for anything.
    “Jilted.”
    She turned and saw a woman staring cruelly at her. If looks could kill, she would have dropped over on the spot. She focused on making out what the woman was saying to her friend.
    “At the altar?” The friend gasped, looking at Alexandra with malicious delight.
    “Yes, she was jilted right at the altar. I recall it so well now.” The first woman smiled with triumph at Alexandra. “She got what she deserved. St. James came to his senses—and married a proper title from a proper family.”
    Alexandra whirled, putting her back to the two matrons, aghast. Olivia whispered, “Did I just hear what I thought I did? Were those two ladies saying that Owen jilted you?”
    Of all she had endured up to that point, that lie hurt the most, and to think Olivia had heard it, too. “It doesn’t matter, Olivia,” she said, feeling oddly faint now. She realized she was too exhausted to linger at Sara’s birthday ball. She looked around for a chair. Seats lined the entry hall, many of them taken. But only two couples were ahead of them in the queue now; she would have to see this through.
    She touched her throbbing temples. If she were at home, she would have lain down with an ice pack.
    “Why would anyone say such a thing, when it is patently untrue?” Olivia demanded in a hushed tone.
    Alexandra managed to sound calm. “I’m sure the lie wasn’t deliberate. Undoubtedly they haven’t recalled the past correctly, that is all. I’m sure those ladies made an innocent mistake.” But she wasn’t certain, not at all.
    “Gossip is like wildfire,” Olivia said. “Once it starts, it is impossible to control.”
    “I think those ladies are hateful,” Corey said.
    Alexandra’s temples throbbed painfully now. She put her arm around Corey. “No one is hateful. And we should not be eavesdropping.”
    “They wanted us to hear,” Corey said, twisting away.
    “Why don’t we change the topic? We came here to enjoy the evening,” Alexandra suggested.
    “How can we enjoy the evening now?” Olivia asked, clearly worried. “Although a small scandal might chase Squire Denney away.”
    Alexandra choked. Her despair seemed complete.
    She had barely slept in days, mired in so much stress and anxiety since her father’s shocking announcement. Last night she had worked herself to exhaustion—to the point of having numb fingertips. Suddenly she knew that no matter how close she was to the front of the queue, she must sit down—at once. She did not feel well, not at all.
    The room spun.
    The lights dulled and grayed.
    I am not going to faint , Alexandra thought, horrified. If I faint, there will be even more gossip .
    But the floor tilted wildly anyway.
    As she reached out blindly, she crashed into a hard male body—and a strong arm went around her. For one moment she was filled with disbelief; she hadn’t felt such masculinity in almost a decade. Her heart slammed to a stop, then began hammering. Hard and muscular, her rescuer enveloped her in warmth. Breathless, Alexandra looked helplessly up….
    And found herself gazing into the most piercing—and most beautiful—blue eyes she had ever seen.
    With utter calm, the man said, “Let me help you to a chair.”
    She meant to reply, she really did, but she couldn’t form words. She could only stare at his stunningly handsome