Ashamed, I felt heat rise in my cheeks, and I hastily tried to pull away from Henry. I didn’t want him to fight with his parents because of me—it wasn’t worth it. But instead of letting me go, his arm tightened around me like a noose. I glanced up at him, but he didn’t return my look. His eyes were fixed on his parents, his expression darker than I had ever seen it. I was incredibly relieved to not be on the receiving end.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t mean that the way it sounded, because if you did, we’d have a problem,” Henry said to his dad. His voice was calm—dangerously calm—giving me a glimpse of the man he became when he was at the office making million-pound decisions that affected dozens of employees. “I’m here to have a nice evening with Kate before I have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to fix what you screwed up. If you can’t give me this one evening and be kind to Kate, then it’s best we don’t speak at all.”
A cutting silence followed Henry’s words, broken only by the incongruously cheerful music of the band. I hardly dared to breathe.
Eventually, Henry broke the silence. “We’re going to dance. See you later. Or not. That’s up to you.”
Before I could react, he took my hand and led me away from his parents. I glanced over my shoulder at Mr. and Mrs. Darlington, who stood frozen in place at our table, staring after us. If looks could kill, I would probably have dropped dead on the spot. But despite the tension and spiteful words, I felt strangely good. No one had ever stood up for me the way Henry had just done.
I shot him a furtive look. “Henry?”
“Yes?”
I wanted to address what had just happened, but I didn’t know how. Instead, I said the first thing that came to my head: “I can’t dance.”
He laughed.
The moment we reached the dance floor, the upbeat song ended, and a slower one began. The couples around us inched closer together. Henry placed my hand on his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around my waist and rested his hand on my lower back. If he hadn’t been wearing gloves, I would have felt his skin against mine, but I could still feel the heat of his hand through the fabric.
“Put your other arm around my neck,” he said.
I obeyed, pulling us even closer together. His familiar smell washed over me, and though he hadn’t asked me to, I instinctively rested my head on his shoulder. He pulled me closer, and it felt more like an embrace than a dance. We began to sway gently to the music as a whirl of colourful dresses and masks surrounded us.
“I’m sorry about that,” Henry murmured into my ear.
I looked up at him. “You don’t have to be sorry.”
“My parents are sometimes...” He faltered and shook his head, words failing him. Despite how tenderly he was holding me, his eyes were hard behind his horned mask. He stared in the direction of his parents, though I suspected the dancing guests had already blocked them from view.
“Hey.” I touched his cheek, gently turning his head to look at me. His expression softened instantly. I liked having that effect on him. I smiled at him. “Forget them. You said yourself that you’re here to have a nice evening with me, so don’t let them ruin it.”
He sighed. “You’re right. It’s just...”
“Shh,” I interrupted, pressing a finger to his lips. “Not another word about your parents. You can vent about them again tomorrow, but not tonight. We’re at a ball now! Arealball. When I was a little girl, I dreamed of this. I wanted to be a princess.”
I felt Henry’s lips curl into a smile beneath my finger, which I took as a sign that he’d understood. I put my hand back on his shoulder. The rhythm of the music changed, although it didn’t pick up pace. Henry turned us in slow circles, using only the slightest pressure to guide me. I had never danced to music like this in my life, but he made me feel like I knew what I was doing.
“You really wanted to be a princess?” he asked quietly. His hand glided up my back to my shoulder blades. I shivered as his fingers traced lightly over my skin, mirroring the slow rhythm of our movements across the dance floor.
“You sound surprised.”
“You don’t strike me as a princess girl.”
“You might not believe it, but my life used to be quite normal,” I said. “Iwas quite normal.” It had been a long time since I’d allowed myself to remember life before Randell and even longer since I had talked about it. “I never had as much money as my friends, but I wanted the same things as them. In primary school, it was glittery pens; later, it was pretty clothes, cool makeup, and a cute boyfriend.”
“And look at you now,” Henry teased. “You have it all, glittery pens aside. But I’m sure we can fix that.”
I lowered my gaze shyly. Was Henry aware that he’d just indirectly referred to himself as my boyfriend? I knew things between us weren’t that serious, but the thought still warmed me.“It’s fine. I don’t care about them so much anymore,” I said quickly, trying to steer the conversation away.
“OK, but just say the word, and I’ll call Rakesh. He’ll take care of it.” Henry’s eyes sparkled playfully behind his mask, but his tone was serious.
“I can’t tell if you’re joking right now,” I said.
Henry let out a deep, throaty laugh that sounded even more melodious to me than the music. “That was a joke. Rakesh deserves a break. I’d get the pens myself.”
I was completely at his mercy. And I had no doubt that Henry would immediately set out to find me glittery pens if they truly mattered to me. Since we’d met, he had done everything in his power to make sure I was fine and that I had everything I needed. Right now, though, the only thing I needed was him.
I rested my head against his shoulder again. As if he had read my mind, he pulled me so close that not even the smallest gap remained between us, and we swayed together to the music. In Henry’s arms that evening, I felt like a real princess. And he was my prince—not in shining armour, but dressed as the devil.
