Henry could have simply done nothing at all but gaze upon Arabella for hours on end, everything about the young heiress charmed him, from her soft doe eyes to her sweet mannerisms, she reminded him of a sika deer, elegant and docile and far more vulnerable than she seemed to be aware of. He wanted to protect her, to steal her away from her wicked witch of a mother and care for her in every way that he could, but she hardly knew him—hardly ever even glanced his way if he was being honest. It wasn’t something that Henry was used to at all, women had always come easily enough to him, it had even gotten to the point that he wasn’t even aware of leading someone on until they were half-certain he was about to propose. He had loved Lilianna for years now, every other woman aside from her had only been a distraction. Until … Arabella. She was a distraction, that was for damn sure, but to the extent where he couldn’t think about anything but her so long as they were in the same room together. Or even when they weren’t.
Her soft, timid voice cut right to his heart, he was smiling at her before he could even help it. “Arabella, then,” he said gently, focused solely on her as he waited patiently for her to finish speaking. She had a beautiful mouth—like a velveteen rose. When she looked up at him with those large doe eyes of her, it was all the same, he was melting for her and she could have asked him for anything at all and he would have said yes in an instant. It was the same with Lilianna, he was hopeless when it came to the both of them. “Dancing and networking? It sounds like you’ve had your fill of the ballroom, in that case,” he continued with an easy smile, when she mentioned the gardens, and the animals, he could hear the hopeful tone of her voice and it made him want to do everything he could to please her.
“I came on my own, actually, and I have to say that I’ve only just begun enjoying myself from the moment I spotted you across the way. If you’ll have me, Arabella, I’d be thrilled to walk the gardens with you … and play with the animals, of course. Whatever you’d like.” He offered her his arm, then, hoping she would tuck one of her graceful hands into its crook, what he wanted most was to splay his own fingers across the small of her back and pull her close, but he was nothing if not a gentleman. “Shall we disappear for a little bit?”
Her expression warmed as he spoke to her, glad that he had allowed her to say her piece without interruption. Arabella’s hesitations and stutterings had often been cause for interruption, and the gala had been exceptionally bad. It wasn’t that she couldn’t speak well, but she was so soft-spoken that it was easier for the more dominant sorts to steamroll over whatever thought had been forming on her tongue. It was a small gesture, but a kind one; something she appreciated about Henry. “I- yes, I do not like formalities so much.” She admitted, feeling a bit more like she was the one talking rather than one of her mother’s prescribed personas.
To think that Henry had come on his own, without some stunning woman on his arm was a surprise to the model. She had heard rumours of him among the various women who aided the Triad; how he had gone about charming and breaking the hearts of every beauty that trailed after him. And yet he had chosen to go alone; an odd contradiction from anything she ever heard of him. It was all that much more advantageous for her, given that she had no need to compete with another for his attentions. Liling would have been pleased.
Arabella lit up as he accepted her invitation, clasping her hands together in delight. “Oh, r-really? I’d love that, truly.” Even if she was playing up part of the vulnerable act a little heavily, it hadn’t been a lie when she had mentioned wanted to visit the animals. She had seen all the other women her age cooing over them, running their hands through their soft fur and giggling as they were met with wet kisses from affectionate goats and llamas. And while Arabella couldn’t possibly hope to have that same child-like innocence that they did, she could pretend that Henry was a date rather than a target, and she was invited as a friend rather than as a spy. Arabella took hold of Henry’s outstretched arm, her heart fluttering even faster as she drew close.
This wasn’t real. None of it was. But she could believe it, for just a little.
But then the sounds of guns going off filled the room, and the warm ambiance came to a screeching halt.
“Henry...? W-what’s going on?“ She hadn’t needed to fake the uncertainty, or the fear that filled her with a familiar chilling sensation that went right to her bones. No, whatever was going on was beyond her careful calculations, was beyond even her mother’s foresight. As the crowds started to swell around them, she pressed closely to Henry, using him as a shield against the stampede of confused party guests. Arabella looked up at him, her panic written clearly against her porcelain features. “Are we- are we under attack?” But the Triad had been painstakingly careful with its preparations. How could they have possibly been uncovered? Unless... “H-Henry, I think there might be others here. We...we need to regroup.”
