“Will you dance with me, Libby?” Henry asked, his mood lightening. “I promise not to insult you this time.”
I grinned and nodded.
We danced several reels and country dances. I was breathless and happier than I had been in a long time. Henry was a magnificent dancer and joined in the fun with everyone, regardless of rank or position. He was, by far, the most elevated member of society in the house, but he put everyone at ease with his laughter, teasing, and good nature.
The room grew warm and close as the night progressed. I was ready to step outside for a bit of fresh air when Henry caught my eye. He nodded toward the hallway as if he had read my mind.
We slipped out while everyone gathered for another dance. I took my cloak and bonnet off the front hook, and Henry found his overcoat and hat. Without a word, we stepped out the back door and into the snow-covered yard.
The silence was startling as the still, quiet world opened before us. The stars and moon were hidden behind heavy clouds laden with snow. It fell from the sky in soft, large flakes. Clouds of fog billowed from our mouths, but I was very warm, both from dancing and being with Henry.
Neither of us spoke as we walked along the path that led to the large elm tree in the center of the backyard. The snow crunched beneath our feet.
Henry stopped and wiped snow off the bench. When he was done, I took a seat, and he sat beside me. Anticipation filled me as I looked at him. It didn’t take long for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, and the white snow all around seemed to reflect whatever light touched it.
He took my hands in his. Neither of us was wearing gloves, and our skin pressed together. His hands were warm and firm and much larger than I had realized. I felt tiny and fragile, yet safe and protected. My heart beat an erratic rhythm as he ran his thumbs over the backs of my hands. We had been alone together before, but this time it felt different.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, his voice low and soft, somehow matching the cadence of the falling snow. “I could think of little else while I was away.”
“Five months is too long.”
He lifted one hand and brushed his thumb over the ridge of my cheekbone to remove a snowflake. “Five hours is too long, Libby.”
My heart soared at his words and his touch. “Henry,” I said on a soft breath, leaning into his hand, marveling at how he made me feel. I placed my hand over his. I wanted his touch and his love, had yearned for it since I was fourteen.
“Libby,” he said my name again, almost reverently, “there is so much I wish to tell you, so many things I long to say.”
“Then say them.” I wanted him—all of him—his secrets included.
He lifted his free hand to my other cheek and looked into my eyes. There was so much restrained emotion there, as if he were warring within himself. “Do you remember the first day you came calling with your mama to our house on the Palace Green?”
I nodded. I was young, but I remembered it like it was yesterday.
“We were just children,” he continued, “but I knew then, and every day since, that you are the only woman I’ll ever love.”
I held my breath, almost unable to believe what he was saying. Tears gathered in my eyes. “I’ve loved you too.” I spoke the words, though they didn’t seem like nearly enough to convey how dear he was to me.
A smile tilted his lips. “Truly?”
“Is it not obvious? You are my heart, Henry.”
He kissed me then, lowering his lips to mine in the gentlest caress I could have imagined. Love and hope mingled together, filling me with a thousand wishes and a million dreams as snowflakes danced upon our cheeks.
Henry pulled me close, deepening the kiss. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him, wishing for it never to end. The more he kissed me, the more I wanted. I’d never known anything like it.
When he broke away, he still held me close, and I rested my cheek against his chest. All I could do was marvel at his touch. Everything else seemed to slip away. He was warmth and strength and everything good.
He whispered, “Do you know why I left Williamsburg in August?”
I shook my head.
“Because I could no longer hide my love for you. Every time I was with you, it became harder and harder. When we walked along the garden path, when we were alone in the sitting room, and even when we stood in the rain. You mean more to me than life itself, and if I had stayed, I would have done something foolish, like declare my love for you and steal a kiss. Like this.”
He kissed me again as I clung to the folds of his cloak.
“You do not have to steal something I would give to you freely,” I whispered when we parted.
He held me for a long time before he said, “I could not stay away, Libby. I tried—truly. I was going to stay at Edgewater Hall through Christmastide, but I couldn’t keep myself from you. It was agony.”
