Mustering the courage, Henry was about to stride out onto the ballroom floor, when the orchestra began to slow to a conclusion. With the ebb of music, Lord Powell and Arabella also came to the end of their radiant dance. Politely, Arabella curtseyed, while Lord Powell bowed. A moment later, the ballroom erupted into a clamoring din of applause.
“Hard luck, Dear Haskett.” Seth leaned down to whisper in Henry’s ear. “You will simply have to dance the next set with her and show these people who the real Prince Charming is. Personally, I found Lord Powell’s footwork to be a note too slow.”
But Henry had no intention of waiting to dance with Arabella, for them to have a moment of privacy. He was not only jealous now, he was furious—furious at himself, furious at Lord Powell, and furious at Arabella.
So, as the guests swept forward to rain congratulations and praise upon Arabella and Lord Powell, Henry made his move. Snaking through the throng, he took hold of Arabella’s hand and pulled her from the fray. In her absence, the young ladies of the ball surged forward, desperate to be closer to the gentleman of the hour.
Henry did not let go as he marched her across the ballroom and through a narrow door at the back which, if his childhood memories were correct, would lead them into a storage annex.
“Henry!” Arabella protested. “Henry, what are you doing?”
“What I should have done a fortnight ago,” he replied, closing the door behind them. However, it seemed he had misjudged the layout of the house slightly, for though theyhadentered a storage annex, it was currently filled with servants, arranging fresh trays of hors d’oeuvres and champagne on long tables.
Startled by the rapid turn of at least twelve pairs of eyes, all fixed upon him, Henry urged Arabella toward the French doors on his right. He knew the servants would likely alert someone to this odd behavior, meaning he did not have much time. Still, he knew the exact place to take Arabella, where they would not be discovered. At least, not for a while.
Fumbling with the catch on the French doors, he urged Arabella out onto the terrace. A few guests were taking in the balmy evening breeze, but they were too far away to notice a lone couple. Nor would they be able to figure out who the pair were.
“Henry, what is the matter with you?” Arabella whispered, sounding frightened as he led her out through the night-swathed gardens.
“I must speak with you,” he said, moving more quickly toward the Oriental bridge, which would take them over to the spot he had in mind. “I cannot do so in there, with so many people suffocating me.”
Arabella fell silent and did not pull against his hold upon her hand. Gradually, he began to slow his pace, until she drew level with him. Even then, she did not seek to remove her hand from his. Instead, they walked together, hand in hand, over the bridge and across the neat lawn beyond, to the wall of yew bushes and the ornamental gardens within.
Crossing the threshold into the gardens, Henry inhaled deeply. “It smells even more wonderful in the evening. How is that possible?”
“In truth, I have never been here in the evening,” Arabella confessed, letting go of his hand and wandering toward the fountain up ahead.
Bathed in moonlight, she truly looked like she belonged to a different time and realm, her gown shimmering in the moon’s incandescence. Henry could do nothing but gaze in admiration, as she sat down on the stone ring that surrounded the fountain and looked back at him expectantly.
How could I ever have thought she was not the bride for me? She is everything I did not know I wanted.
“You said you wished to speak, and will gain me a sharp chiding from my mother and father when the servants tell them what they saw, and yet you are silent,” she said, her tone soft.
Smoothing down his lapels, Henry approached her. “I am sorry for the abruptness and crudeness of my actions, Arabella,” he began uncertainly. Now that the moment had come to confess, he did not know what to say. “I… uh… I wanted to speak to you.”
“You said that already.” She chuckled, the sound disarming him. “Come and sit with me.”
Taking a deep breath, he obeyed, leaving a courteous space between them.
“It seems we are always destined to meet beside water, Henry,” she mused, trailing her hand in the clear water of the fountain’s pool.
He smiled. “Would you care to dip your feet?”
“How scandalous! I adore the notion.” She grinned and turned around upon the stone edge, prompting him to turn his gaze away as she removed her shoes and stockings. In the meantime, he removed his shoes and rolled up his trousers, before swiveling to face the water.
Dipping his feet beneath the surface, his racing heart slowed, and a sense of serenity washed over him. Although, his heart proceeded to pound again whenever he accidentally glimpsed her bare calves through the moonlit silver of the water.
“Are you going to keep me in suspense?” Arabella glanced at him shyly.
Henry dipped his chin to his chest. “Firstly, I wanted to apologize for not writing to you. I read your letters today—the one you sent after receiving my gift, and the one you sent a fortnight ago. Alas, it appears your brother is a hoarder of correspondence that does not belong to him. That is why you gained no reply from me.” He paused. “If I had known of their existence, I would have responded immediately.”
“Ah, so that is why.” She gave a slight nod. “Cassie and I had our theories about the postal service wanting to curse you and I. I should have known the reality would be more… Seth.”
Henry laughed. “He does deserve a verb. To Seth: to be careless; to cause unnecessary chaos and trouble; to be clumsy; to panic and do foolish things; to be oblivious to everything going on around you. I must say, I have Sethed many times since meeting you, Arabella.”
“As have I. Indeed, I have Sethed this very night by dancing with Lord Powell. He tapped me on the shoulder. I turned, thinking it was you, and remembered I was supposed to give him an answer tonight,” she said quietly. “Then, he asked me to dance, and I panicked. It is all the more frustrating because I had done such a marvelous job of refusing every other person who asked, as I wanted to dance only with you.”
Henry’s heart jumped into his throat. “With me?”
