He couldn"t believe that relationships could ever be like this. It was a taste that was better than anything he had ever known. His connection with her was like an electric line ran from her to him and would pulsate with energy when he least expected it. Love or l.u.s.t? Would he ever want any other human being as much as he did now? Henry felt that his hunger was endless. He thought about keeping her and this beautiful house. Wouldn"t it be much simpler to give up his other lady? He had already put his name to Ellie and he knew that she took all the responsibilities that came with that seriously. He had won everything tonight and he was itching to do it again. It would be so easy to work on this house and have her hands resting in his like this . . .Could he ever taste something like this?
Of course not. It was never going to be simple. Henry knew himself based on his prior encounters with women. He knew that he would always think of the other option modeling lingerie in some studio in new york with her eyes shadowed with wet seduction. It would be a snap here for him to succ.u.mb to the charms of Ellie Chen with her clean simple charm, now the tempting aristocratic Baroness Braye. A true jewel restled between these verdant hills. No one would deny that this woman was quite the catch for any man . . . he felt his stomach twist in knots as the idea made him almost gag . . . the idea that some other man would have the privilege of touching her. But it was inevitable, the twisting would stop when he saw how happy she was with the other person -- someone who really did love just her and treasured her for all the good quality she possessed.
On the other hand, his heart could not be swayed to give up his everything if she accidentally broke him. His heart had already been broke too many times to count, so he needed to keep it protected. He stretched and quickly got up from the table. The napkin from his lap slid onto the floor so he picked it up and put it on the table for the person who would clear their plates. He looked at the clock with an incredulous look. "Look how the time has pa.s.sed. It"s a bit after your birthday now as it"s past one. The whole of today"s activities are proving to have sapped all my energy. I apologize if I later forget what you said tonight as I"m struggling to keep my own eyes open."
Ellie yawned hugely as she pulled his hand down to see the time on the watch face. "Hmmm, I was so engrossed in our conversation that sleeping slipped out of my mind. You know I have to go to Lutterworth early tomorrow to meet my friends for a girls day out. I want to show them around the city. You"re invited if you don"t want to do your activities tomorrow. I think having you along and going together would be excellent fun. I know you have a love for this area as much as I do. But, don"t make any decisions too hastily, why don"t you sleep on it?"
As Ellie moved forward to kiss him on the cheek, Henry deftly dodged as his thoughts started to feel restricting. He suddenly felt the urge to get away from her as he struggled with controlling his emotions. He couldn"t stay in England for long if this kept happened as her outstretched frozen arm grew smaller and smaller as he retreated. He needed to maintain his sanity if he wanted his life to continue the way it had always been.
A heated blanket had been plugged in for him, which Michael had known he would need after interacting with so many unknown people. He hated that he didn"t feel comfortable anywhere without the butler. Although he was not in the room, Henry wondered how this experience would have been different if he was here all alone with Ellie. He threw the anxieties out of his mind as he changed into his silk pajamas. These ones were special in that they were covered in small mathematical equations that were commonly used in risk management. Even considering he had the guise of the comforts of his usual home around him, nothing could soothe him. Every position possible to sleep felt uncomfortable. His arm grew numb as he tried to stare at the wall to bore himself to sleep, but even that proved to be futile in this quest. Outside he could see the red light from a helicopter flying through the area a.s.sessing the land with a spotlight. Henry"s interest was piqued so he got up to see where it was, but it had already left. No matter what he could think, his body felt like it was humming with a touch to finally act on his feelings.
He opened the door to the balcony and went outside, throwing a bathrobe over his shoulders to try and combat the cool breeze that had come with the night"s fog. Henry had hoped the cold would maybe steal away the drop in his emotions, but he knew it was fairly useless. Nature could only do so much to calm his senses no matter how beautiful and orderly it was. He crossed his arms as he felt the silk move against his legs, trembling so slightly against the slight breeze that chilled him, although not melting away the evidence of where his mind had been on the lower half of his body. The tie around his waist was already loosened to give his midsection more room to breathe, but even that wasn"t enough. Henry knew that here he was a man with a problem that could be easily solved, if he had not decided to make sure that he stayed away from the opposite s.e.x.
He looked down at the pool of water below him at his own reflection, before he threw a stone down at it to dissolve his reflection. He could not find something within himself to calm his troubled mind. He could hear a bird calling out to it"s partner.
Henry felt himself make his decision as he recalled the letters from Ellie"s parents were still in the drawer in the dining room. He looked at the door connecting their rooms and realized that he had not heard a sound from that place. Ellie had not yet turned in for the night so she was probably still downstairs.
Quickly he walked through the balcony door and locked he. He found his phone and turned on the phone"s light as he crept through the house. As he walked, Henry wondered why he was doing this instead of waiting until morning. Ellie probably wouldn"t be able to really read the letters until she got some good lighting. He felt that the faces in every painting were leaning out with stern expressions with distaste of his action. Was this really a good idea?