“Henry,” she chided, and he nudged her shoulder with his, sending a rush of warmth through her.
These small touches were nothing new. Henry had never shied from demonstrating physical affection, and she had witnessed him nearly tackling friends with embraces, placing his hand on the shoulder of an acquaintance, or stroking the arm of a female admirer. The touches held no romantic meaning to him; they were a means for him to make a connection, to show his limitless care for others.
She had learned to not read too much into his hand on hers, or the nudge of his elbow, or the brush of his finger when he pushed a curl behind her ear. They meant nothing.
To him they meant nothing.
“Another!” Miles called.
Henry looked at Ellie and winked, and she fought the urge to laugh. Miles, for all his appearance as a stuffy history professor, took his fun seriously. It appeared as though they would be along for the adventure as he filled the four glasses to the brim once more.
“Just humor him,” Ellie whispered as she handed Henry a glass. “It’s an experience.”
“One I’ll most certainly regret.” His fingers brushed hers.
She ignored the rush of electricity sparking through her. Or at least, she tried to.
“Salute!” Miles yelled, and the four tossed back their glasses.
“Good lord,” Henry moaned, his face contorting. Ellie couldn’t contain the laughter this time, tipping her face up to take in the smattering of stars against the black sky. The sweet and sour liquor had made her limbs loose, her heart free and relaxed in a way she hadn’t in quite some time. Not since the night of the Christmas party, when—
“Enjoying yourself?” Henry asked, his face so close to hers she would only have needed to turn the slightest bit to touch her lips to his.
She blinked hard and was grateful for the low light hiding the flush in her cheeks. “Very much so. You?”
He chuckled as Miles filled their glasses once more. “Oh yes, although I suspect I will not be enjoying myself so much in the morning.”
Ellie lifted her glass and touched it to his. More accurately, she tried but only managed to slop half of the liquor on his hand. She giggled. “Then let’s live in the moment.”
The moment had become very, very wobbly. Ellie was reasonably certain she would not have been able to stand had it been necessary, and the light surrounding the table blurred until the entire plaza resembled a fairy scene. At some point, Henry pulled his chair against hers and draped his arm around her shoulders, most likely to keep her from tumbling to the ground in a heap of giggling skirts.
“How did you meet?” Alice asked, and Ellie jolted in her seat, stiffening. How had they not considered this question? What would they say? How could—
“At my mother’s Christmas ball,” Henry said, his face opening into a wide grin.
Ellie stared at him incredulously, but he wore an expression full of affection.
“I suppose that is how it is done in England,” Miles remarked, holding up his empty glass as though curious how the limoncello had escaped.
“Well,” Henry chuckled, “it is at times, but Ellie had a somewhat more… explosive experience than most ladies of theton.”
No. No no no. Please—
“Oh, you must tell.” Alice leaned forward on her elbows with glee in her expression.
“I saw her from across the room and couldn’t take my eyes off her,” Henry said, his tone almost wistful. “She was beautiful, but not in a way I had ever witnessed before.” He shrugged. “I didn’t exactly have the best reputation and rarely noticed fresh-faced debutantes, but Ellie…” He looked at her. “She was magnificent. Eyes like silver, skin so perfect she could have been a painting. She entranced me from the start.”
Ellie’s heart stopped in her chest.He’s acting. This is just a game, a lie. It means nothing.
Henry broke his gaze from hers and sat back in a posture she knew to be his “story-telling” pose. Horror washed over her as she considered the myriad ways in which he might humiliate her.
“Before I could ask her to dance, Ellie dashed from the ballroom into the gardens. I chased after her—how could I not?”
Alice’s eyes were wide. “Of course you chased after her!”
“Now, an unmarried lady alone in the gardens is a recipe for disaster, particularly when a gentleman like me is on her heels. But I couldn’t stay away. Nothing could have kept me from her side.”
Alice sighed—actuallysighed—like a love-struck schoolgirl. Ellie fought the urge to roll her eyes.
