“Oh- OH! Yes!” she stammered, fixing a wide smile on her face as her mind raced for an excuse for her confusion.
“Forgive me, no one has greeted me in such a way since I returned to London. I nearly forgot that was the custom.”
“No need for forgiveness, darling,” Henry answered happily, stepping to her side and taking her arm. “I do rather like it, though. The custom of kissing cheeks as a greeting. It is rather cheeky—pun intended.”
Beatrice laughed, grateful that was one of the language lessons she remembered from her brief time with a governess.
“Indeed, it is,” she agreed, “So, what brings you by? Business with your brother?”
“Actually, it is you I came to see,” Henry explained as they walked arm in arm toward the back of the vast mansion. “It is a beautiful day out, and I thought I would like to spend it with a beautiful woman in a beautiful place. Algernon does not appreciate our gardens as I do, and I gathered that he had not even taken it upon himself to show you their splendor.”
Beatrice blushed at the mention of Algernon’s name. She had not seen him since she had fallen asleep in his arms the other night. When she had awoken later that morning, she found herself in her bed and alone, her curtains opened, so she would not awaken in darkness for a second time.
“He has not,” she replied, drawing back to the present. Now was not the time to think of such things. The fact that Henry was visiting on his own volition was a very good sign that Algernon’s plan was actually working, and she needed to focus on that.
“I have wandered some sections on my own but only briefly. I would love to have you as a guide,” she added as they reached the back patio doors.
The flesh on Beatrice’s bare arms warmed as they stepped out of the mansion and into the summer day, a shiver of excitement passing through her. She had never been able to spend much time outdoors aside from completing chores. Never even contemplated the possibility of enjoying the weather. Yet afterthe other night on the kitchen patio, she was quickly starting to learn that she adored being outside.
“So, tell me about yourself,” Beatrice insisted as Henry led her down the garden path. “It has been days since you had dinner with us. What adventures have you had since then?”
Henry laughed by her side and patted her hand.
“I do love that you are so eager to hear me talk,” he confessed then looked over at her.
“And yes, I do in fact have adventures to speak on,” he said with a wink.
Beatrice laughed at the roguish gesture, feeling a genuine sense of friendship form between them.
“Tell, tell,” she urged.
As they walked through the gardens, Henry occasionally breaking from his story to point out a particularly beautiful flower or another, he told her what he had been up to. Beatrice liked the way he told stories, even making the mundane parts of his day sound as if a great feat were accomplished, and when she laughed, she did so not to flatter his ego but because she truly found him amusing.
“I am once more taken aback by you, Beatrice,” Henry sighed dramatically as he ended his stories.
“Oh?” she asked as Henry stopped them before the rose garden. “Have I done something wrong?”
Henry chuckled as he drew his arm from hers and turned to the blooming red, pink, white, and yellow flowers.
“Not at all,” he answered, pulling a knife from his pocket. “In fact, quite the opposite. If I had told any other lady about the parties I had just told you about, they would take on the sourest of expressions and pout that I did not invite them. You, however, seem genuinely happy for me that I had a good time.”
Henry then reached out to the flowers, using his knife to cut off some of the blooms.
“I am genuinely happy for you, Henry,” she answered truthfully.
“You are not disappointed that I did not take you along? Surely, with your beauty and grace, you were invited to many parties in France.”
Again, Beatrice blushed at Algernon’s rumor.
“I am not so much interested in parties,” she answered carefully. “In truth, I have quite enjoyed the respite your brother has offered me by allowing me to stay indoors. Though I do enjoy hearing aboutyouenjoying the parties.”
Henry’s smile was charming. In fact, as she studied his youthful handsomeness, Beatrice found him quite pretty. Not ruggedand masculine looking as Algernon was. Instead, there was a gentleness to his features which were almost as delicate as a woman’s.
“I have had a thought, new friend,” Henry said, his words pulling her from her thought. She returned his smile.
“Do share then, new friend,” she encouraged, feeling the ease between them grow.
Henry looked thoughtful for a moment, the expression a bit overdramatic in a way that made her laugh.