“Yes, Dear Arabella.” He held her gaze. “She has waited my entire lifetime for me to find a lady who would bring untold joy into my existence. A lady whom I could adore, with all my heart. I only hope I will be able to bring you the same joy you have brought me.”
There was still no mention of love, which disappointed Arabella slightly, but not enough to mar the beauty of an idyllic evening in his company. And certainly not enough to mar the prospect of a happy future with him at her side. Although, with several weeks to go until the end of summer, she would not tell him that until their courtship was over.
He knows I have no desire to seek another. He must know.
“Is this the beginning of your wooing?” Arabella teased, too awkward and flustered to say what was really in her heart.
Henry grinned. “Am I so obvious?”
“A touch,” she conceded.
He offered her his arm and helped her down from the rock pools. “Well then, you must tell me how I am faring thus far?”
“I am not quite ready to reach for a nun’s habit.” She cast him an amused, sideways glance as they made their way across the shingle shore to where Cassie still lounged. Although, it appeared it was no longer a pretense. Arabella’s dearest friend had fallen asleep, no doubt thanks to the soporific warmth of the evening and the lullaby of the rushing tide.
Henry feigned mopping his brow. “I am glad to hear that. Tomorrow, I will begin again, twice as determined.”
“I look forward to it,” she whispered, before stooping to shake Cassie gently by the shoulders.
The lady’s maid shot up with a start, unaware of the glove over her eyes. “Who goes there? Milady, where are you? I can’t see! I’ve gone blind!”
“You have not, Dear Cassie.” Arabella chuckled and removed the glove. “You fell asleep.”
Cassie blinked. “I never did!”
“Perhaps I was mistaken.” Arabella helped Cassie to her feet, offering her a conspiratorial look. “I think, maybe, you were just comforting your eyes from the sun’s glare.”
Cassie nodded effusively, though a half-smile played upon her lips. “Quite right, Milady. I’d never dream of falling asleep while my ward was off gallivanting.” She paused and clamped a hand over her mouth. “My apologies, My Lord, I did not mean… Of course you were not gallivanting.”
“It is quite all right, Miss Cassie.” Henry laughed warmly. “A touch of gallivanting was enjoyed this fine evening, but it shall be our little secret. One that we shall all take to the grave.”
The notion should have made Arabella feel giddy, for it appeared the man she adored was taking pains to make her dearest friend feel comfortable. It would certainly aid matters in the future, if Arabella agreed to be his wife, and she went to live with him, for she would take Cassie wherever she went. However, instead of joy, she felt a cold unease ripple down her back, like the churning of a nauseated stomach.
“Do not say that,” she chided Henry quietly, not knowing why his mention of the grave had perturbed her so. She supposed, where life was at its brightest and most remarkable, she did not want to be reminded of the fleeting nature of it.
Henry looked puzzled. “I apologize, Arabella. Is it a turn of phrase you do not care for? If so, I shall never use it again.”
“Are you well, Milady?” Even Cassie appeared bemused by Arabella’s remark.
Arabella shook her head, as if to jolt away the strange discomfort. “I must still be suffering the effects of the carriage ride,” she said. “I do not mind the turn of phrase, Henry. Please, ignore that. I do not know why I said it.”
“Let me carry you up the stairs. If you are still unwell, you cannot be expected to walk.” Without waiting for her permission, Henry hoisted Arabella into his arms and proceeded to make his way up the wide, flat stone steps, worn smooth by years of ascents and descents.
Held close to him, Arabella felt her odd fears draining away. Her arms looped around his neck, and she rested her head against his shoulder, inhaling that summer perfume she wished she could savor forever. With him, she felt safe, like his very presence put an invisible shield around her.
As she closed her eyes, so she would not have to look down at the sheer drop of the cliff, a wave of comfort swept through her. No matter how long their lives might be, she had all but decided they would spend them together. Perhaps, when they were gone, people would tell stories of their love for one another, granting them an immortality that few gained.
There is nothing to fear in that…
“I will take care of you,” Henry said softly, making her eyes open again. “I promise, regardless of any challenge that presents itself, I will take care of you. I will cherish you. I will hold you. I will do whatever I can to make you happy, as long as you consent to let me.”
Arabella smiled. “Ask me when the summer ends.”
“I intend to,” he replied huskily.
As they crested the steps and made their way along the worn path that led back to the house, she knew she had no reason to worry. Her giddiness surrounding the kiss could return, with the promise of more kisses to come. Indeed, she was content to sink back into a heady state of bliss, when a violent explosion of birds erupted from a nearby square of woodland. Sleek-bodied crows took to the air, cawing out a warning.
Though she tried to ignore it, the sharp sound struck a nerve within her, bringing back that ripple of unease. For in her beloved novels, crows and ravens always heralded death.
