“You are still shying away from me, I see.”
Henry looked down at her, trying to ignore the burning in his arm from where her hand rested on it.
“And you are just as bold as ever,” he responded, making her laugh.
The sound was crisp and sharp in the air, making his heart leap, and he found himself smiling despite the strange situation.
“I am afraid that is one trait that I will never be able to give up,” she told him with a shrug. “I fear that you will think poorly of me because of it.”
Henry found himself shaking his head.
“Indeed I do not.”
“You do not?” Her surprise filled every word. “I was sure that…” With a quick smile, she turned her head away, her eyes lit by the flames that surrounded them. “I was certain that you would think poorly of me, given my forwardness.”
“I will not pretend that I have not found it a little… irritating at times, but I cannot help but admire your determination.” He spoke honestly, a little surprised at all that was going on in his heart at present. “You are quite dogged, Lady Emma.”
Her smile seemed to light up the edges of the night.
“Yes. That is quite true.”
“I have found myself a little surprised at your forwardness, certainly.”
“But have I proven anything to you?” she asked, the glint in her eye making him fully aware of everything she meant.
To his astonishment, a gentle heat began to curl in the pit of his stomach, rising into his chest. His conscience would not permit him to tell her a mistruth and, indeed, the truth came to his lips regardless of his own concerns.
“You have indeed.” Half mumbling, and now with a great deal of awkwardness, he turned his gaze away. “You have proven yourself a very effective adversary.”
“But I am not your adversary.” Her voice was soft, and Henry turned his gaze back towards her quickly, not wanting her to have any concerns over his opinion of her tenacity. “In fact, I am quite the opposite.” The smile in her voice set him at ease, and he found himself looking into her eyes, not quite certain what else to say. The darkness of the evening seemed to curl itself around them, as though they were being hidden from every other watchful eye. “I am concerned about you.”
His eyes flared.
“Concerned?”
“You recall that I saw the injuries to your back?”
He shook his head, finding his free hand reaching over to pat hers as it rested on his arm.
“You need not worry about that. I am quite recovered.”
“But nonetheless –”
“Please.”
Turning to look at her, Henry waited until she drew in a breath, fighting to make her decision. After a moment, she nodded.
“It is a very pleasant evening, is it not?” she murmured as Henry found himself smiling back at her, glad that she had changed the subject from the injuries to his back. “Might I ask, my Lord Thornbridge, if you have given any consideration to my question?”
Henry found himself wincing, fully aware of what she meant. They had gone from one difficult topic to the next.
I do not think that I have a choice.
“I fear I must tell you the truth, given just how much you have pursued me.” Sighing heavily, and seeing her smile begin to fade, he spread out his free hand. “I will admit to you that everything you have said is quite true. I have been doing my best to avoid you – not because I had any real desire to do so, but because I thought it was in your best interests. That may be rather difficult to believe, but I assure you that it is the truth. I did not want to pull myself away from you, as you have already identified, but I felt that there was no other choice.”
“Tell me why.”
The softness of her voice had him smiling, and Henry looked towards her, his steps slowing completely as he quite forgot about the fact that Lady Fullerton and Lord Stonebridge were walking ahead of them.
