“Want some air?It’s a little close in here, don’t you think?I think the stars are preferable to walls on a night like this.”He offered his arm to her, waiting.It was always her choice.
“Dressed like this?”She ran a hand down her night attire.
“It’s warm, and there’s very little breeze.I won’t tell if you won’t.”He gestured to his own attire.“I’m not dressed for polite society either, so we match.”
Anna’s soft laugh was muted, but her smile let him know he’d won the argument.
“Where do you suggest we go?”she asked, her hand tentatively reaching out to rest on his offered arm.Her featherlight touch sent shock waves through him, as if all prior thoughts of her had sparked electricity.
Henley swallowed and regarded her.“How adventurous do you feel?”
Lady Anna’s brows shot up, then a smile softened her features.“Slightly.”
Nodding, Henley led them down the hall toward the stairs.“I can work with that.It’s good you’re feeling a little brave since we’re taking the servants’ stairs.”
“Oh, and what would you have done if I hadn’t felt adventurous?”Anna asked, her soft footsteps in sync with his as he opened a door and led them into a dark hall.
“I’d accommodate you, of course.But this is a more direct route.”
“To?”Anna asked as she gracefully started down the staircase.
The air was fresh in the dark hall, likely from servants using the door below frequently during the day to haul guests’ trunks to their rooms.A few small candles flickered, offering weak light but enough to see each creaking wooden step.Henley twisted the handle on the door at the foot of the stairs and opened it wide for Lady Anna.“Outside, of course.”
Anna’s soft gasp confirmed he’d chosen wisely.The full moon hung brightly in the sky, giving the effect of a weak silver sun illuminating the grounds around them.In the distance, an owl called.
“It truly would be a shame to miss such a lovely night.Did you know the moon was full?”She turned to study him, her cream skin silvered in the moon’s glow.
“I couldn’t sleep, remember?I spent some time by the window.My rooms face this direction, and it’s one of my favorite views in the world,” he answered.“I was about to escape here when I found you and convinced you to join me.”
“It took a lot of convincing,” she teased.
“I can be charming when I want,” Henley responded, then reached out and offered his hand rather than his arm.
Anna’s gaze dropped to his offered hand, and slowly, tentatively, she reached out her ungloved fingers and grasped his.
Henley watched as her hand matched his, and he breathed a deep breath of victory when he gently tugged her closer and she didn’t resist.“Come.”
Anna’s hand fit perfectly within his, and he marveled at the softness of her skin and the warmth of her touch as he wound around a few hedgerows and into a low-walled garden.“There’s a fountain in the center, and several stone benches.It’s the perfect place to watch the stars.”Henley spoke in a tone just above a whisper.
“It’s so much darker here than in London—even with the full moon,” Anna mused.
“Indeed.”Henley led her to the fountain and gestured to a stone bench.“This one faces east—we can watch the moon set.”He waited until she sat, then eased himself down beside her, not releasing her hand.
“It’s so quiet too,” Anna whispered.“I feel like if I speak louder than a whisper, surely those in the house will wake from the noise.”She glanced toward the house, then back at him.
“It might seem that way, but I assure you, I have spent many an hour here at night, watching the stars and the moon, and not once did my parents suspect.One night…” He turned to face her fully.
Her smile encouraged him to continue.
“I saw lightning in the distance and decided to come out here to watch the storm.After a few minutes, I realized my mistake—the estate was directly in the storm’s path.The rain began, and I thought about going back inside.Then lightning struck a tree just over there.”Henley pointed to a dark row of trees lining the sparse woods.“It split the tree, and the crack was so loud my ears rang.The thunder afterward was just as loud, and I decided it was time to run inside.”He gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
Anna’s eyes had grown wide; a quiet gasp escaped.
“In the morning, I overheard the butler telling my father about a tree that had been struck and needed removal since it was in view of the manor, and my mother insisted the grounds be keptpresentable, as she put it.My father questioned the butler, stating he hadn’t heard any storm, let alone thunder the night before.Only after the butler assured him it was a storm did my father believe him and ask the steward to send men to remove the tree.”
“Was it black from the lightning?Did it split in two?”Anna asked, her expression animated as she squeezed his hand tighter.
Henley nodded.“Both, and the split caused a large portion of the tree to fall.Took them a day or two to sort out the mess.I would know—I watched.”
