They waded for a while, Arabella clinging tight to Henry’s arm, until they reached the southernmost curve of the cove. There, Henry helped her up onto a shelf of stone, punctured by pretty rock pools where dark green shelled crabs scuttled for cover.
“Have I guided well?” Henry smiled down at her, the pair perched on the edge of the shelf, their legs dangling and dripping water down to the shore below.
Arabella leaned into him slightly. “You were perfect. Truly, everything here is perfect. I have never been to the Continent, but I could well imagine that I am at a French chateau, basking in summer warmth, listening to cicadas in the long grass.”
“Fortunately, we have none of the latter. They are obnoxiously loud.” He laughed but his expression clouded over slightly. She remembered that his memories of the Continent were likely not favorable ones.
“I can imagine you playing here as a boy, causing all kinds of trouble.” She changed the subject slightly, admiring his handsome profile—the furrowing of his brow, the strength of his jaw, the inviting shape of his lips, and the glisten of his beautiful eyes.
He smiled. “You will be surprised to hear that I did not cause much upset during my summers and winters here, between terms at Eton. I had no playfellows and causing trouble on one’s own is no fun for anyone.” He gazed at her warmly. “But I did play here often. I used to swim between the cliffs every morning, and take a boat out when the sea was calm. Or I would skim stones, or draw seabirds, or simply lie out in the sun until someone came to fetch me.”
“Ah, well that explains why you weresucha tyrant when you visited our estate in the summer,” Arabella conceded. “Having a playfellow, at last, must have made you overly exuberant.”
Henry took her hand and pressed it to his lips. “I did not know how to behave toward you, back then. I do, now.” His eyes shone with an affection that made Arabella’s heart quicken. “You do not know how glad I am that you are here, for this is the first time I have come to this beloved cove of mine, and not felt the least bit lonely. I am pleased beyond words that I can finally share it with someone.”
It was not an overt confession of feelings, and there was no mention of love, but she realized this was not one of her books—not everything had to be explicitly phrased for clarity. There was far more subtext to be found in Henry’s expression than could ever have been formed into words.
He cares for me. He really cares for me. He wants to share this with me… not just now, but for a long time to come. At least, I hope that is right.
“May I ask something, while your chaperone is distracted?” Henry looked back over his shoulder, and Arabella followed his gaze. Sure enough, Cassie was lounging upon a long, flat boulder that rather resembled a chaise-longue, with one glove placed over her eyes like a blindfold.
Cassie, you rascal!Arabella glowed with pleasure and embarrassment.
“Of course you may,” she said, turning back to look out at the glittering sea.
Henry gazed down at Arabella’s hand, which he still held in his, and brushed soft circles across her glove. “Might I kiss you again, Dear Arabella? I know it is imprudent to ask, but I… hope you will forgive me.”
“Yes,” Arabella whispered, hardly daring to breathe. “Yes.”
His hand came up to caress her cheek and with the sun setting in the distance, casting ribbons of radiant red, burnished orange, golden yellow, and dusky purple across the sky like nature’s fireworks, it truly felt as though fantasy and reality had collided.
Arabella gazed up into his eyes, feeling her mouth reflect his fond smile. As he bent his head, closing the gap between them, her eyes closed instinctively.
The pleasant darkness awakened her other senses as their lips grazed. The rush of the surf against the shore and the trill of roosting seabirds sounded like music, the touch of her palms against his chest felt every thud of his racing heart and the subtle swell and contraction of his lungs. She tasted the sweetness of grapes and the salt of the seaside upon his lips, and the scent of sun-warmed earth, chalky limestone, the saline breeze, and the soap of his skin was one she wished she could bottle.
I am falling in love with you, Henry.She did not dare to say it out loud, though he had already confessed after a fashion. The moment could not have been more perfect for a proclamation of love but, right now, their kiss said all that needed to be said.
As his lips moved tenderly against hers, and she echoed the motion, his thumb brushed along the line of her jaw. It tickled in the most wondrous way, as though his fingertips were kissing her, too.
“Henry!” a loud shout boomed down into the cove, seemingly bouncing off every curved wall of stone.
Arabella broke away first, watching Henry’s dazed expression as he unfurled from the moment. As a second cry bellowed down, the contented smile upon his lips was replaced with a grimace, and his head turned sharply to see who had called. Arabella did the same, dreading what the person might have seen.
We are to be married, are we not? What difference does it make?She would have liked to believe that, but until the vows were spoken, she was still under the authority of proper etiquette.
A figure appeared at the top of the stone steps, cut right into the cliff face. The Duchess of Wright, her hands cupped around her mouth, shouted half of his name before pausing and lifting one hand to her brow to block out the glow of the sunset.
“There you are!” the Duchess shouted. “It is time for dinner, Darling!”
Evidently, she had not seen anything untoward. As that realization dawned, Arabella breathed a shallow sigh of relief. A similar hiss of gratitude soughed between Henry’s teeth, though he made sure to flash her a reassuring smile as he stood and helped her to her feet.
“I should say that was a rather close call,” he murmured, flashing a wink.
Arabella flushed with bashfulness. “Too close.”
“Not at all.” Henry tucked a wayward strand of her hair, teased by the wind, behind her ear. “If Motherhadcaught us, she would have put on a wild fanfare and urged everyone to clink glasses in celebration. She has been waiting for this for a very long time.”
Arabella tilted her head to one side. “This?”
