“I assure you, Arabella,” he turned to her, “there is no cause for concern.”
Oh, but there was. Arabella was quite concerned about her self-composure, her restraint, and finally her sanity. But still, she followed him into the maze.
“This place,” Gerald said as he guided her through the corridors, “was supposed to be the jewel of the estate.”
“I have heard that it was legendary.”
“I never had any reason to return it to its previous glory,” he said suddenly, somber.
His tone made her look at him. He was not teasing or joking anymore. He sensed her look upon him and added, leaning closer,
“Not until now, anyway.”
The best course of action for Arabella, so she could preserve the basic functions of her mind, would be to ignore the look on his face and the soft tone in his voice. She found that endeavor quite challenging.
“We are almost at the center,” he murmured, mostly to himself.
As they walked, she got the sense that they were the only people in the world, secluded in that little fortress of hedges. It was indeed a very beautiful maze, with little nooks and crannies adorned with intricate statues, the lanterns lit on each turn of exquisite taste. It was a cunning plan to bring her here if he wanted to appease her, because the scenery was definitely working in his favor.
And then they turned and found themselves in the center of the maze. Arabella came to an abrupt halt.
There was a circular opening with a perfectly mown lawn. At the edges stood marble benches, and ancient Greek-style statues of nymphs added to the allure, their pale forms almost luminous beneath the soft glow of carefully placed candles. But it wasn’t that that caught her attention.
And there, right in the middle, there was a red blanket, secured with white round stones. And on that blanket, there was a beautifully arranged picnic. There were ivory pillows scattered, and the basket was filled to the brim with bread and cheese, fruits, and wine. Glass lanterns surrounded the space, their warm light dancing across the scene, turning it into something almost dreamlike.
She took in the setting in total disbelief. Of all the things she was expecting from this day, this thoughtfully arranged picnic could not have been conjured even by the wildest imagination.
“Are you hungry, Arabella?”
Oh. She definitely was.
CHAPTER 23
Candlelight Confessions
Arabella was still looking at the sight before her with utter disbelief. This was planned with deliberate effort; this was not an impulse. Gerald had people prepare this.
“Did you do this?” Arabella had to make sure.
“Unless you believe that spontaneous picnics sprout in the middle of mazes, I asked the staff to bring this here.”
Arabella would very much love to ask a very simple question. Why. But something inside her told her that she was not prepared for the answer. And yet the Duke was never one to allow her to be prepared for anything.
“Arabella, I would like to try to explain myself one more time.”
“There is no need,” Arabella hastened to say.
This was definitely not going according to plan. The plan was for her to have a silent dinner in her room as a blunt demonstration of her displeasure, and though she hated eating alone, she would have been accompanied by the satisfaction that the Duke would be rather annoyed by this change in their plans.
Instead, what really happened was the Duke taking that perfectly laid plan along with their daily routine and throwing them both into a glorious fire that probably illuminated the lanterns that made this place so infuriatingly beautiful.
“I do believe that there is a need for me to apologize,” he insisted.
Arabella sighed in resignation. Gerald seemed quite intent on rectifying his appalling behavior, and he was doing a very good job so far.
Gerald took her by the hand and guided her to the blanket. He helped her down onto the pillows, and she just noticed that there were more blankets there in case the night grew more chilly. He sat down across from her, but still very close, and she noticed that he didn’t let go of her hands.
“I know that there is truly no justification for the way I behaved to you, not only last night but this morning as well.”
