Chapter Text
Henry noticed her as she walked up with friends. She was smiling and laughing with one of the other ladies. He bowed when she passed by, their eyes locking even under the masks they were wearing. At first he wasn’t going to go to this charity event, but after locking eyes with this mysterious woman, he was glad he had changed his mind. He was intrigued by her, she was mysterious.
She felt her breath hitch, wondering who belonged to those beautiful blue eyes with dark lashes. His eyes had pierced her inside; stirring something in her she hadn’t felt before. She longed to see those lips up closer.
She found herself thinking about the mystery man and tuning out her friend who was rattling on about someone or something. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, letting the music sink in. Her friend tapped her on the shoulder, “Ella, did you hear me? Come back to earth” she laughed, “Oh I am so sorry, all of these beautiful costumes and masks caught my attention” she looped her arm in her friends and they headed inside.
It was a beautiful venue, an old majestic theater which was still adorned with gold, paintings on the ceiling, heavy red velvet curtains and antique chandeliers. She was spellbound for the first few minutes they were inside. “Oh Becca, it’s just like Phantom of the Opera, it’s magical” her voice quiet. Becca smiled, “It’s rather beautiful to say the least.” They could hear the orchestra playing the Minuet from Mozart's c-minor Serenade and stopped to watch the other attendee’s dancing. “Oh Oh Oh” was all she could say. Becca lightly laughed, “Oh Ella, you are such a romantic at heart” She smiled, “I know, I can’t help it” her eyes gazing around the room, she nearly dropped her glass when she locked eyes with the mystery man again. “Jesus” she muttered under her breath. “What is it Ella?”
“Oh gods, don’t look right now but that man across the room with the grey wig and hat, well, he was standing outside when we came in. There is something about his eyes, I can’t explain it but when he looked at me, I swear ,it was like he could read me like a book” Becca smiled slyly at her, “Oh really, well I must find out more about your mystery man then”
“Don’t you dare, you know the rules, and we can’t reveal who we are until midnight.” She hissed at Becca. “I like the mystery and suspense. It means I can shamelessly flirt with him” Becca gasped mockingly, clutching her chest. “Ella, I am shocked, you never act this way” Ella winked at her as she took another sip of her drink, “Well it’s the mask, it’s giving me courage or the alcohol or both.” She turned to whisper something to Becca when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and saw Becca’s face light up “Umm hmmm” she coughed. Ella slowly turned around and came face to face with her mystery man. He held out his hand, “Would you do the pleasure of dancing with me madame?” his accent think and his voice deep.
She felt frozen, like her feet wouldn’t move if she tried, her throat went dry and she was so thankful he couldn’t really see her face. She placed her hand in his, Becca pushed her towards him, and she whipped her head back around and glared at Becca, who just smiled. Her hand in his, she felt how soft and warm his palms are along with the charge of electricity of his skin on hers. She spoke softly, ‘I’m afraid I am not much of a dancer, I do know the waltz though” He slowly turned his head back around, smiling at her. “Well that’s perfect, because it is the only dance I remember”, his voice mesmerizing her, casting a spell over her. She could feel what could only be described as butterflies in her stomach and her breath becoming more rapid.
She smiled at him, letting him continue to lead her on the dance floor. He held out his arm, his palm turned up and she placed her hand in his. His arm wrapping around her as his hand rested in the small of her back, on top of her skin above where her dress started. She felt herself gasp as his warm hand embraced her skin. His lips curled into a smile, reaching his eyes under the mask. She felt the heat radiate to her cheeks and she smiled back as he slowly twirled her around on the dance floor in the waltz. It was a magical moment and she shut everyone else in the room out, for a moment it felt as if they were the only people on the dance floor and she became giddy as they continued to dance. He smiled sweetly at her, his voice soft “I do hope that I am not being too forward with you but I couldn’t help but notice you as you came up with your friends. Your costume and mask are most beautiful, but they don’t match the beauty under that mask, which I hope to see at midnight...”
As they continued to move across the floor, she was silently gushing on the inside and had to fight to keep her composure. Looking up through her lashes at him, she softly smiled, her voice soft as well, “I…I noticed you too. I know this might sound strange and I promise I am not crazy” she pauses, softly laughing as she looks down, “God that just made me sound crazy.” He tipped his finger under her chin, tilting her head to look up at him, a soft smile on his face. His eyes locked with hers, causing the tiniest of hairs to stand up on her neck. “No it doesn’t, well maybe a little”, winking at her as she laughed. “I can’t explain it, I just felt this sudden connection with you, I know that stuff normally only happens in movies but I just felt it.” He paused for a moment, stroking her cheek with his hand, his touch light and feathery against her jaw line.
She leaned into his hand, looking up at him. “I felt it too. I don’t even know your name yet I want nothing more than to whisper it in your ear” his voice soft.
He moved them around the dance floor until the end of the song, slowly breaking the embrace. He bowed in front of her, taking her hand, brushing his soft lips across her knuckles. She was sure that her knees were going to give out on her at any moment. “A most enjoyable pleasure madame. I hope your dance card doesn’t fill up so that I may ask you for another turn around the floor” She felt her cheeks flush from the words he spoke to her. “Oh I don’t think you have to worry about that, I mean…..” she pauses trying to think of something clever to say, but her words fail her. She hangs her head, wanting to slink away. He tips his finger under her chin, tilting her head to look at him, his eyes soft and a warm smile on his face. “What is it?”
She softly sighs, “I’m sure your dance card will be very full, I see the way these other ladies are staring you down” nodding towards the crowd. “I don’t care about them; I only care about getting to know this lady standing in front of me right now. I don’t think we will break the rules if we tell each other our names”
She smiled at him, “No, I guess that would be alright. I’m Ella” holding out her hand as he takes it, softly grasping it. “Ella, so very nice to meet you, I’m Henry”
“It’s nice to meet you too Henry, that’s a name you don’t hear much anymore”
He laughs, shaking his head, “No my mum named me after someone special to her” He realizes that she doesn’t know who he is and enjoys that fact for the moment. “Oh my mom named me after my grandma.”
“Well we are already off to a good start then” grinning at her, he starts to say something else when a man in a silver mask comes up and taps him on the shoulder. “Excuse me for a minute Ella” as he steps off and has a conversation with the man. He comes back with a frown on his face, “Ella, I am terribly sorry but something has come up, I have to leave” A look of disappointment comes over her face. “Oh”
“I really want to get to know you, would it be possible to get your number so that I may call you, if that’s alright of course?” beaming at her. “Absolutely”, returning his smile. He takes his phone out of his pocket, handing it to her. “Put your number in please” She takes the phone from him and types in her number hitting send then quickly hanging up. “Perfect” he states. He leans in and kisses her softly on the cheek, his lips full and lush. “I’ll call you soon” he says as he turns and walks off. She stands there smiling like a girl in high school. Becca comes up to her, “What happened?” a frown on her face.
She turns to Becca smiling, “Oh he had to leave but he got my number” Becca grinned, “Well hot damn, there is hope for you yet. I bet he is gorgeous under that mask, what a shame you have to wait to find out.” Ella turned to see him leave as he looked back, waving at her, “Yeah, a shame indeed”
She and Becca danced with several people and she met some interesting people, chatting with them. As it got close to midnight, she felt her stomach drop in disappointment, knowing there was really no one special she wanted to reveal who she was to. She slipped off to the side and found a set of French doors leading outside to the terrace adorned with hundreds of twinkle lights. She softly closed the door behind her, walking around taking in the beautifully decorated terrace. The large water fountain changed colors with the lights; the cool breeze caused her to shiver as she made her way to the fountain. Just as she heard the crowd cheer, she knew it must be midnight. She stood there just watching the water splash, lost in her thoughts.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and smiled, she knew it was him. “Ella”
She turned around, “Henry, I thought you had to leave”
“I did but I had to come back to see you. I’ve only got about 20 minutes then I have to rush to the airport but I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing that beautiful face under the mask before I go”
“Well shall we then” she asked, softly
“Ok, on the count of three then” Henry tells her
“One…two…three” she counted as her hands fumbled to untie the mask behind her head. She slowly slips it off her face, looking up at him as he takes his off. She is stunned and a little in shock. “Holy shit, you’re…..you’re that Henry. Oh dear god” she steps back, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her
“And you, you are even more beautiful that what I imagined was under that mask.” She smiled at him. “Well I can tell you that the pictures I have seen of you on the internet do not do you justice. Oh you are even more handsome in person, really”
He laughs and slightly blushes, “Oh my god, are you blushing. The big movie star is blushing over a mere commoners compliment” slightly giggling…
He steps closer to her, his hands caressing her face, he sweeps his lips across hers, silencing her. “Anyone ever tell you that you bloody talk too much?” She shakes her head yes and before she can speak again, his lips sweep against hers as his thumb glides along her jaw line”
He pulls from the embrace, “Ella darling, I do have to dash but I will be calling you.”
“You better, you can’t just kiss a woman like that and not call her”, her tone playful.
“Well that’s just a start” he smirks and winks as he turns to make a mad dash to the car. She isn’t sure how long she stayed out there rubbing her lips and cheek.
She eventually made her way back in and found Becca, “Are you ready”
Becca nodded, “God yes, this damn dress is too much. Let’s blow this place” grabbing her hand and leading her out the front entrance. As they got settled in the car, she felt her phone buzz in her purse. She took it out, seeing a text message from Henry, she smiled. “Like I said, that kiss was just the beginning. I am looking forward to getting to know you and taking you on a proper date. –H”, she turned to look out the window, smiling.