As Lord Partridge did not comment on this, Henry guessed that the lord had run out of things to say to refute Henryʼs philosophy.
“I appreciate the effort you obviously put into Sarahʼs education,” Lord Partridge said after a while of contemplation. “I employed you exactly for that reason, because I could see from your letter of application that you are a man with a sense of duty. Still, I would prefer it if you stayed on our premises during lessons. I do not consider it safe for my daughter to wander around in that forest—not even in company.”
“Certainly, Lord Partridge,” Henry replied obediently although it frustrated him to see his chances dwindle to be with Sarah outside the classroom ever again. But he was well aware that it was better to bow to the wishes of Lord Partridge, who so obviously didnʼt have the faintest idea that Sarah secretly spent more time alone in the forest than at home.
From the corner of his eyes, Henry could see that Sarah was far from bowing, though. There was that dangerous twinkle in her eyes which Henry knew all too well by now; a twinkle that announced a major outburst.
“Is it because we might get inadvertently shot by you or your hunting mates?” she snapped before Henry had a chance to stop her from conjuring up a row.
Lord Partridge pulled his typical impassive, stony face which was a sure sign that he was angry.
Henry realized that he needed to interfere.
“Sarah... shh,” he said softly, throwing the girl a placatory glance.
Sarah pouted but immediately lowered her gaze.
“I am sorry,” she whispered, sheepishly staring onto her plate where bits of untouched carrot were piling.
Lord Partridge stared at her in utter surprise, as did Lady Partridge. Henry noticed that even the butler and the chambermaid looked at each other, perplexed.
Lord Partridge cleared his throat.
“Mr. Abbott, I wonder what your secret is to silence that girlʼs loose tongue—something that my wife and I have been trying to achieve for more than a decade now; in vain I must say,” he said, seemingly more impressed by Sarahʼs unexpected obedience than by her little lecture on photosynthesis. “Someday you must tell me your tactics.”
All it takes is a little love... Henry thought.
And with exactly that love in her eyes, Sarah looked at him when they parted after dinner. They weren't granted a chance to share another moment alone, but the memories of the time they had spent together during that day and the anticipation of seeing each other again the next morning helped them stand through the parting and the long night to come.
* * *
Dear Diary,
I am so in love...
Chapter 7 – The Boathouse
When he had fallen asleep the night before, Henry had envisaged Sarahʼs face in every detail, wallowing in the memory of her mahogany irises and her full lips. And upon waking the next morning he saw her again, her hair, her smile, the yearning in her eyes. And all the while he was quite certain that in his visions she looked exactly the way she did in reality.
But then, when she entered the classroom—even fifteen minutes too early this time—it struck him how misleading his memory had been. With her brown curls falling over her shoulders and that shy but still curious look in her eyes, she was so much more beautiful than in his wildest dreams.
A cautious smile on her lips, she nervously hovered in the doorway, her books pressed to her chest, as if she didnʼt dare to come in.
“It is scary, isnʼt it?” she whispered.
“What is scary?” Henry asked her softly.
“Love.”
Henry nodded.
“It is indeed...”
Overwhelmed by her sweetness, he slowly walked towards her, realizing that she was right: It was scary, that feeling of completely lying at someone elseʼs feet and of being completely lost in love.
Henry raised his hand and almost reverentially touched Sarahʼs face, gingerly caressing her cheek and tracing the curves of her mouth with his fingertips. Sarah closed her eyes and slightly parted her lips, waiting for him to kiss her. When he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, she carelessly let her books and pencils fall onto the floor, flung her arms around his shoulders, and eagerly pressed her lips onto his mouth which was impatiently seeking hers. Henry shoved her into the farthest corner of the room behind the curtain, and gently pushed her back against the wall. Sarah gasped when he kissed her, when he let almost all his tension out on her which had built up during the night. And yet to him it still seemed that it was not enough. He wanted her so much more than she was able to imagine.
Suddenly, he felt her slightly stiffen in his arms, and her reaction made him come back to his senses. He realized that he needed to quickly cool his surging passion in order not to scare her, which was so obviously the case. She wasnʼt ready to be received so fiercely although a certain glow in her eyes told him that his straightforward manner had also fascinated her in some way. Still, he knew that he had to bear in mind that she was a lot younger than him and quite inexperienced. He supposed that she was currently being tossed around by a whole range of new emotions which she first had to learn to deal with. And somehow he could even identify with her, as he too had to come to terms with this new and much more serious way of feeling for someone else.
In his attempt to show consideration for Sarahʼs fears, he slightly loosened his grip around her.
“Please, forgive me,” he whispered and kissed her again, but this time it was just a very gentle and tender kiss which made her sigh with pleasure.
Henry pondered how they were supposed to fill the upcoming hours with serious studying when their minds were so fixated on each other. Still, he found that they couldnʼt spend the entire time without at least pretending to do lessons. After all, Emily and Roderick kept rushing along the corridor while they were going after their work; filling up the candle holders, cleaning the floors, tidying the rooms, emptying the chamber pots. And after that, Lady Partridge would conduct her inspection in order to make sure that everything had been done according to her instructions. Henry gathered that it would raise suspicion if the lot of them didnʼt hear any voices coming out of the little classroom all morning.
With a heavy heart, he picked up Sarahʼs books and writing utensils from the ground and gave them to her as she sat down on her chair. Then he took his chair, sat down next to Sarah at her desk and held her hand.
“I have not done my homework,” Sarah nibbled at her pencil, smiling guiltily at Henry.
“I could not care less,” Henry answered, absent-mindedly smothering her fingers with gentle kisses.
“But I have an adequate excuse,” Sarah added. “The reason is, I was far too busy thinking of you…”
“I was thinking of you too, Sarah...”
It was an almost impossible task to hold a somewhat decent lesson. Both their concentration left a lot to be desired. Apart from that, Sarah didnʼt remember anything at all of what Henry had taught her about colonies, kings, and photosynthesis. But nothing of it mattered to Henry now. He didnʼt see himself as Sarahʼs tutor anymore anyway, but as her lover. Forgotten were all his good intentions to succeed in terms of educating Sarah the way the Partridges wanted it. Still, he found that he had not failed either; he had not failed in giving a little bit of healing to Sarahʼs soul.
Towards the end of lessons, Henry could clearly feel the girlʼs spirits sink, just like his own. Again, time had flown by at incredible speed.
“Our moments together are much too short compared to the moments that we are apart...” Sarah whimpered. A heartbroken look in her eyes, she grabbed her books and reluctantly walked over to the door.
“You are right...” Henry sighed, stroking the girl's face. Sarah closed her eyes and nestled her cheek into the warmth of his hand.
Suddenly, her face lightened up.
“Henry, you could meet me at the lake!”
Henryʼs forehead crinkled in concern at the thought of it.
&
nbsp; “Sarah, I think this is too dangerous,” he answered softly, fighting the temptation to agree to her plan as there was nothing he would have loved to do more than see her again in the afternoon.
“It is not dangerous at all!” Sarah excitedly drummed her hands on his chest. “I will tell my aunt that I am going for a ride, which is nothing unusual. And you could tell her that you will go for a walk, which is nothing unusual either.”
“And then?” Henry asked uncertainly.
“Of course, you will need to leave a little bit later than I, maybe an hour. You will take the route through the forest and I will ride around the lake, coming from the other direction. Nobody will see us together.”
Henry considered this for a moment while Sarah eagerly searched his face for a sign that he would play along.
“Is your uncle out hunting today?” Henry asked. “I do not want him to see me staggering through the forest, with or without you. He will just ask me silly questions.”
“I can tell for sure that he will be out in town, visiting his factory. Some of his employees are planning a riot, because they are not happy with the working conditions and the money he pays them. Be sure that it will take him all day to calm down the outraged folks...”
Henry was still not entirely convinced.
“Somebody else might see us at the lake.”
“Do you not want to be with me, Henry…?” Waves of disappointment washed over Sarahʼs face. Henry knew the reason why. He too hated the thought of yet another endless afternoon without a chance to see and touch each other, an afternoon which seamlessly went over into an evening that only consisted of sitting at the dinner table, miles away from each other, with him and Sarah not even daring to exchange glances for fear someone might interpret their looks the wrong way—or rather the right way.
“Sarah, I am craving to be with you,” Henry said. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “But I do not want to risk that your aunt and uncle find out about us and tear us apart. For the time being, we at least have the possibility to meet in here. It is better than not being together at all, isnʼt it?”
Sarah nodded half-heartedly although Henry could see that she was still sad. And he could more than understand her. No, the mornings simply werenʼt enough because even then they werenʼt really safe and freed of the impression that the Partridgesʼ spirit lingered in every corner.
“We... we would not be just at the lake, you know...” Sarah said, hesitantly. “There is a place nearby where nobody ever goes. And there is an old little boathouse...”
Henry pricked his ears.
Boathouse.
The word sounded utterly alluring. Still, he could sense that Sarah was unsure if it had been a good idea to tell him about it. He guessed that she was somewhat worried to be alone with him after his impetuous reception earlier on.
“It is the safest place to... talk and… and… just be together, holding hands…” she quickly added.
Henry grinned at her and tenderly wiped a strand of hair out of her face.
“Alright, I will come to the boathouse. And do not worry. I will behave in an exemplary manner,” he said softly.
Sarah smiled in relief before her smile faded into a frown.
“Do you still remember the way to the lake, though?”
“I am afraid, I have no recollection of it whatsoever,” Henry admitted, remembering that the day before he only had eyes for Sarah. He had not paid attention in any way to his surroundings.
“I will do a little sketch for you and push it underneath your door after lunch,” Sarah said merrily. And before Henry had a chance to air any more doubts about the plan, Sarah gave him a quick peck on his nose and rushed out of the classroom.
* * *
Stumbling through the thicket, Henry worried that he would neither find the place at the lake nor his way back home again. Sarahʼs laboriously drawn sketch of the forest had not helped him very much. Instead, it had rather confused him. After all, he had spent at least twenty minutes being on the lookout for a stone which, according to Sarahʼs description, was supposed to look like a split scull. Next, he had gone in search of a tree trunk showing a knothole which allegedly bore a striking resemblance to ʻthe face of a madly laughing witch.ʼ He came to the conclusion that Sarah had a pretty fertile imagination. Still, he had needed to find the stone and the trunk, otherwise he would not have known his way to the next clue which said, ʻonce you have found the stone and the trunk, you must walk past the bush with the little white berries of which you told me one should not eat them because they can cause congestion. Then turn left.ʼ Henry was glad the Sarah had not advised him to look for the little roe deer and ask it for further directions.
After having discovered the old graveyard by pure chance, Henry decided to rely on the moss growing at the trees rather than Sarahʼs little map. Eventually, he reached the meadow with the marguerites and lilies and knew that he would just have to cross it in order to find the lake, where he was supposed to follow a little path along the shore in order to reach his destination.
And indeed, after some hundred yards, he could see it in the distance: the boathouse.
It turned out to be in an overall lousy state, withered and weather-beaten as it was, its rotten stilts in high danger of collapsing. Upon looking closer, though, Henry saw that the water was shallow, and he gathered that the worst thing that could happen to him and Sarah was that their feet got wet in case the boathouse fell apart while they were inside of it.
Apart from that, Henry found that it was indeed the best spot for two lovers to have a secret rendezvous. He also considered himself honored to be the one that Sarah revealed her well-kept secret to, as he was sure that no one else—except for Oscar maybe—knew about the place.
Henry looked around and let his gaze wander over the lake and the surrounding woodlands. It was peaceful, tranquil, and picturesque. After a little while, he saw Sarah in the distance, riding her white stallion elegantly along the shore. Henry found that the sight of hers gave the whole scene a finishing touch. Overwhelmed, he was watching her as she approached, gradually slowed down, and ultimately brought the horse to a halt next to him.
She beamed when she saw him. And when she dismounted the horse, he rushed over to her and caught her with his arms.
“Henry...” she breathed, her eyes fusing with his. In her voice lay utter relief that he had really come. And how could he have not come. Only minutes after lessons had finished, her absence had already tortured him as if someone was driving a thorn through his heart.
Sarah slipped out of his embrace and tied the stallion to a willow tree. The willow was big and lavish enough to help cover the sight of the horse a little bit. But Henry found that there was truly no need to worry that they might be detected. The place was very secluded, and except for a little family of ducks swimming past them, they were alone.
Sarah took Henry by the hand and led him over to the boathouse, which was connected to the land by a little footbridge. The latter creaked dangerously underneath them as they were walking on it.
Upon entering the boathouse, Henry noticed that it didnʼt have a roof; it had collapsed over the years. There was a bench in the corner. Henry checked if it would be strong enough to support him, then he sat down.
Hesitating at first, Sarah stiffly sat down next to him and neatly folded her hands in her lap. Henry sensed that she was a little scared. Smiling in amusement, he took her hand and squeezed it gently.
“I am not a beast,” he said softly.
Sarah shyly avoided his gaze which rested on her.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured as he was studying her face. “I have never seen a girl as beautiful as you in my entire life...”
“Donʼt be foolish.” Sarah chuckled. “I am certain that you have encountered many women who were much more beautiful than me.”
Henry frowned.
“I think you have the wrong image of me,” he said, pulling her close and wra
pping his arms around her.
“I do not have any image of you at all, Henry,” Sarah replied, leaning her head against his chest. “I barely know you, but what I do know is that you are a very handsome man; the most handsome I have ever lain eyes on...”
“Do not worry about my past,” Henry whispered into her ear. “Nothing of it matters now that we are together...”
Sarah nodded and seemed to be somewhat content. Henry pondered why she had been so curious about his previous love affairs. Didnʼt these questions only come up if someone was really interested in a relationship? In order to find out if the other person was serious? Was Sarah really considering giving him, Henry, a chance? Did she see more in him than just a welcome distraction to her gloomy days? Did he really represent a serious competition to Damian Cox?
Henry & Sarah Page 17