“Little did I know my damsel was in genuine distress. By the time I found her, she could barely breathe, laced far too tightly in her gown.”
Ellie’s cheeks warmed. “Henry, please, you don’t—”
“Ghastly invention, those corsets,” Miles muttered. “Should be outlawed.”
“But I was there in time to rescue her,” Henry continued, the baritone of his voice ringing through the plaza like a bard of old. “And what did my lovely lady do?”
“Please no,” Ellie moaned, putting her face in her hands.
“She—” Henry paused.
“She what?” Alice asked, enthralled.
But Henry had stopped talking. Ellie finally looked up to find him observing her. The piazza, Rome—the entire universe—shrank until it was only the two of them, Henry and Ellie. Nothing else mattered, nothing could hurt them. He inhaled, his breath shaky, before exhaling and putting his hand over hers. “She told me if I wanted to prove myself good enough for her, I would have to work very hard indeed.”
Alice looked disappointed, and Miles scoffed. Ellie’s heart glowed. He hadn’t told them. He had the perfect opportunity to embarrass her, to make himself brighter by diminishing her light as so many others had done before, breaking her down to make themselves taller. But he didn’t. He gave her a soft smile, and tears pushed at her eyes.
Henry spoke without breaking eye contact with Ellie. “I suspect my wife is ready to retire for the evening.”
Henry helped Ellie to her feet, his free arm wrapping around her waist and settling at her hip.What would I do without him?she thought as he held her steady.
“How are you?” he whispered into her ear.
“Grateful to have you here with me.” Her mind was too foggy to censor her words.
After bidding their companions goodnight, they walked—stumbled, more accurately—down the plaza to their hotel. They dissolved into giggles ascending the stairs and were in near hysterics by the time Henry opened the door.
Ellie shuffled through the door of her room and dropped onto the bed, removing her half-boots and stockings. Henry leaned against the doorframe, two glasses of water in hand, watching her with dark eyes.
“Are you coming in?” she asked, then winced. “I mean, you don’t have to stand there.”
He swallowed hard. “You should stay awake for a bit, have some water.”
She tossed her stocking on the floor; his eyes tracked the motion, and she felt a momentary rush of power, as though she might be an object of desire, then chuckled to herself.I must be quite drunk.The last time she had been drunk was at Henry’s Christmas musicale, the brandy in the library…
She patted the bed. “Join me,” she said, summoning her bravery. “I’ll fall asleep unless you keep me awake.”
Henry hesitated before crossing the room and removing his shoes and stockings. He handed her the water before laying alongside her, close but not touching, his warmth spreading along her side.
“I was sure you were going to tell the truth about what happened at the ball,” Ellie said, her voice low.
Henry hesitated before responding. “It wasn’t their story. It’s ours.”
Ellie snickered. “And what a story it is. And besides, the rest of the tale wasn’t true, so I feel no guilt about the ending being a lie.”
“What do you mean?”
She turned on her side, propping her head on her elbow. “How you were enchanted by me? Chased me into the garden? Eyes like silver?” She laughed. “I know that’s not true.”
When he didn’t respond, Ellie squeezed her eyes shut and imagined she was speaking to herself. “Why are you marrying now, when you never wanted to before?”
Silence rang for so long that Ellie opened her eyes to be certain he hadn’t fallen asleep.
He shifted and ran his hand through his hair, staring at the crack on the ceiling for a moment longer. “I should be ready, I suppose. I’ve disappointed my father enough. I’ve disappointed everyone.”
Ellie put her hand over his. “Not me.” This wasn’t entirely true, but there was no sense in dwelling in the past. How many times had Henry overlooked her, forgotten she was even there? This trip was him making things right. “And you’re going to be ready for your exhibition, I know it. All these sketches you’ve been working on will be glorious. And I will be there, cheering the loudest.”
For several moments, she listened to him breathe, and she imagined he was doing the same. How easy a life with Henry could be, how satisfying to have one person with whom you could share your fears and would love you for precisely who you were.
