“You seem uncomfortable,” Henry remarked, the orchestra taking forever to begin. All around Arabella, she heard the coquettish giggles of bold young ladies who were obviously thrilled to be so near to their gentlemanly counterparts.
She turned her head to the side. “As you would be, if you could not breathe, and were terrified the Royal Court might intrude at any moment and lock us all up for indulging in such an outrageous dance.”
“Those judgments were cast by old men who probably cannot abide their wives. As such, they do not want others to have any enjoyment in life, so everyone can be equally miserable.” He flashed her a smile, as the music began.
Slowly, Henry and Arabella began to whirl about the ballroom floor. She had heard tales of this waltz taking place in Vienna itself, where they spun like dervishes until they became nothing but blurs. Fortunately, even though the dance was somewhat scandalous, it had been given the sedate, English treatment.
“How fortuitous that you should bring up gentlemen who cannot abide their wives,” she grumbled, trying not to get her skirts tangled up in her legs. “I imagine you will join their society in the next few years.”
Henry chuckled. “You think so little of yourself?”
“No, but I am not naïve.” She turned her face slightly, to look at him better. “Let us be honest, while we have a moment of privacy.”
He inclined his head. “We shall have to speak in very hushed voices, for if you had not noticed, there are at least ten couples surrounding us. I would not call that private.”
“You know what I meant.” She rolled her eyes.
“Indeed, I do.” His arm gripped her tighter as she stumbled slightly and brought her straight back into the whirling pace of the dance, not missing a note. The breath abandoned her lungs, for they had practically been chest to chest. An embrace, by anyone’s standards. She just hoped no one had noticed, though perhaps it would be secretly admired after everyone discovered they were engaged.
It took a few moments before she was recovered. “I was not going to fall. You did not have to do th—” Her foot caught in her skirts and she lurched forward, blocked by his broad chest and steadying demeanor. His arm remained tight around her, keeping her upright.
“You were saying?” He smirked.
Flustered, she longed to wrench away from him and take respite in the cool night air. Yet, she continued to allow him to lead her around the floor, her waist and back growing accustomed to the presence of his hand and forearm. Though he was likely having a less comfortable experience, for she was clutching his upper arm like a cat about to fall from a great height.
“I was saying, I am not naïve.” She swallowed thickly. “I understand that this is not a love match. I doubt you are fond of the arrangement, and I would have you know that I am equally displeased by it. I am but twenty. True, I ought to be finding a husband, but I would put the emphasis onfinding. I was not given that opportunity.”
Henry’s expression turned more serious. “We do what is demanded of us. That is the burden we bear.”
Arabella observed him, for his words were heavy with anguish. She could almost see the chains upon him, clapped in place when he was born a Duke’s eldest son. They were the same as the ones she often felt, dragging behind her in the name of duty.
“I will not make you unhappy, as long as you give me no cause to be unhappy,” she continued. “I know we must do what our parents have asked, but that does not mean I will exchange one dictatorship for another.”
Henry stifled a snort. “Does your mother know you call her that?”
“Have you seen my gown? She is aware of the power she wields.” Arabella mustered a smile. “Nevertheless, my mother and father gave me life and comfort, so I owed them payment. This union is that payment. However, and I do not mean to be rude, but I owe you nothing. So, I will not obey you if I find you to be unkind or uncouth.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I should hate to hear what you sound like when youarebeing rude.” His expression softened. “You are definitely not that shy, meek girl I once knew. Nor do I suspect your mother and father are aware of this fiery streak in you.”
“They do not have to be aware. It does not concern them. It concerns only you and me, as we are to be shackled together for the rest of our days.” She flinched as her neck whipped around a bit too quickly, sending a jolt of pain into her head. “If we were to do the candle test, it would have sputtered out at the very start.”
Henry laughed softly. “How metaphorical of you.”
“Yes, I suppose so.” She allowed a chuckle of her own. “Those ribbons would have doused any flame before we even set foot upon the metaphorical floor.”
“Ouch, that stung.” He feigned a grimace. “Though I cannot deny I deserved it. I thought you might find it funny.”
“You thought wrong.”
He nodded. “Yes, I can see that in your devastating glower.”
“I have not forgotten the way you treated me when I was a child, though I will seek to forgive it, if you grant me kindness in our marriage.” Arabella’s heart beat faster at the mere mention of the “M” word. Even in his arms, like this, she could not make it feel right. “That is, as long as youneverbuy me ribbons again.”
His eyes widened with boyish innocence. “I thought they would clash divinely with your gown.”
She could not deny that he was amusing. Humor came easily to him, and it might have softened her view of him, if he had not come to meet her, for the first time in a decade, as drunk as a skunk and engaging in a conflict with Lord Powell. It signaled a disastrous future that might hold more of the same, and she did not like the idea of being one of those wives who were perpetually reining in their unruly husbands to prevent humiliation.
“What if we did not have to marry?” he said, out of nowhere.
