“It rather sounds like you didnotread my letters. At least, not thoroughly,” she replied, her tone slightly teasing.
“Ah, that brings me to my second apology.” He had to look away from her. The intensity of her eyes was too much, tying his tongue in knots. “We were late because the carriage wheel came off. We left early, as well, which is infinitely more annoying.”
Arabella shuffled closer to him. “Are you not interested to hear what I plan to say to Lord Powell?”
“Of course.” He gripped the edge of the stone lip, bracing for a dismissal.
Her arm brushed against his. “I will thank him, graciously, and then refuse him. I have had a great deal of time to think, this past fortnight, and he is not the gentleman I choose.” She paused. “I do not know what was in that original letter, but Idoknow, with some certainty, that he stole it. If it was not incriminating, he would not have done so. Even if it were not, I could not trust a man who steals words from me… Well, not one who did not seek to return them, eventually.”
“You… do not wish to marry him?” Henry turned, determined to hold her powerful, enchanting gaze.
She shook her head. “No.”
“But the Season will soon be over. You do not have much time to find another.” Henry gripped the ledge harder, wondering if this meant what he hoped it meant.
A smile played upon her lips. “I know. Perhaps, I will not bother.”
Overcome with relief, Henry lifted his hands to cradle Arabella’s face. He knew it was improper, but he did not care. If he could not get his mouth to speak the words to confess his affections for her, then something more potent would have to do.
Slowly, he bent his head toward her, giving her a moment to pull away. When she did not, he closed the gap between their mouths and pressed his lips to hers. They were warm and soft and tasted sweet, like she had stolen a jam tart on her way out of the annex room.
To his surprise, her palms came up to press against his chest, no doubt feeling the rampaging thump of his heart. A moment later, her lips returned the kiss, moving tenderly against his. It spurred him on to kiss her more deeply, catching her mouth with his and guiding her in how it ought to be done. Although, in his limited experience, he had never known a kiss could be like this, setting his entire being ablaze.
He could have remained like that for an hour and still desired more, but it appeared their time had run out. The crack of a twig breaking underfoot splintered through the perfectly serene night air like a pistol shot, making the pair jolt apart like they had both been bitten.
“Who goes there?” Henry hissed, whipping around and using his body to hide Arabella. His arm curved backward defensively, keeping her behind him.
He stared at the shadowed gap between the hedged entrance to the gardens, waiting for someone to appear. Time seemed to slow as he braced to defend the woman he adored. It had been a long while since he had fought a hidden enemy, but he had not forgotten how.
“Show yourself!” he demanded, a few moments later.
Still, the gap between the hedges remained empty. At least, it looked empty, but it was hard to make out anything but darkness. All the while, Henry’s heart thundered, not out of fear for himself, but for Arabella.
“Perhaps, it was an animal?” she whispered, her hands pressed to his back.
Henry narrowed his eyes. “Wait here for just a moment. I will go and investigate.”
“Do not leave me!” she pleaded, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him back down onto the stone ledge.
Turning to face her, he cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb across the flushed apple. “I willneverlet any harm come to you, but I must see who is out there. Do not move from this spot. I will be less than a minute, Darling.” He smiled reassuringly and placed a tender kiss upon her forehead. “I promise, all will be well.”
This time, she loosened her grip on his arm, allowing him to stand and walk toward the gap between the hedges. His hands curled into fists as he made his way down the path of crushed shells, ignoring the pinch against his bare feet.
Reaching the shadowed gap, he lunged forward and raised his fists. “Who is out here?” he growled, fully prepared to fight for Arabella’s honor. “Show yourself, immediately!”
As the seconds wore on, nobody revealed themselves, and the night seemed to have returned to that peaceful stillness that had been so rudely interrupted. Peering into the darkness, just to be sure, Henry waited a minute longer… until a rabbit darted out from the bushes and scampered across the grass, where it dove beneath the protection of a willow that swayed beside the Oriental fishpond.
“Goodness!” Henry’s heart jumped, startled by the creature.
“What is it?” Arabella whispered from the moonlit safety of the fountain.
Henry glanced back. “It was a rabbit, Darling. Only a rabbit.”
Picking up her shoes and his, Arabella hurried toward him. “I think this is why I have never been out here in the evening,” she confessed, her voice trembling slightly. “Although, I have half a mind to find that rabbit and give it a stern talking-to.”
“You do not want to stay a while longer?” Henry was loath to relinquish Arabella back to the ball before he had kissed her again.
She smiled. “I fear the magic has temporarily dissipated.”
