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Rags Meets Riches

ⅶ.

My feet pattered against the hard dirt ground outside the gates of the mansion the next day as I quietly wandered farther and farther away from the premises. A light source always seemed to follow my heavy footsteps and I dreaded the moment my mother would realize I wasn’t actually taken hostage by a blanket of sleep again. I didn’t know how much time I had before she would unlock the door to my room and discover that I had decided to be audacious and take a chance with my heart for once in my life.

I had no idea what I was going to end up doing with him nor did I know how long we were going to be out though it seemed very likely that we were staying out to an ungodly hour. Making my way through the marketplace, I searched for Harry’s dark locks, but they were nowhere to be seen. I shielded my face with my hair as I walked past people who knew of my status and scurried along.

As I stood in the center of the town of London looking all around me, I saw the bright face of young children and jubilant adults passing by me. Their smiles could light up a room a thousand times over and even brought a small smile upon my pink lips. Right as I walked past a bakery, I turned and glanced at my reflection in the window and saw a ghastly face staring back at me. My doleful eyes made me stand out from the rest of the population who were thriving prosperously.

Moving a strand of hair out of my face, I continued to gape at my reflection trying to figure out how the rest of the world saw me. My eyes left the glass and I kept on walking. It wasn’t until I reached the town square that I heard footsteps growing louder and louder come from behind me. Whenever I glanced black, the town continued to carry on and there was no one behind me. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out for my arm, and turned me around. I also screamed but then I saw Harry’s beautiful green eyes gazing into mine.

He was dressed in a simple trench coat with a button down and black sweater vest underneath with black slacks and worn out shoes whose soles were dragged against the black pavement too many times. His widening smile only made him appear more striking.

“I thought you couldn’t get out of your mansion.” He teased me just as I stepped into the bright daylight into the beautiful, classic town square. His hands released my arm and I found myself trying to catch my breath. “What changed your mommy’s mind?”

I looked down at my feet and fidgeted before responding in a quiet and faint voice, a voice so soft that Harry had to lean in to be able to hear me. His curls tickled my skin as he bent down so our eyes would be at the same level. From as close as he stood, I could hear his heavy breathing and he smiled lightly. “Nothing,” I answered in a whisper. “I didn’t tell her.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “So did you sneak out then?”

And when I didn’t answer to his banter, he went to say, “I think I’m starting to actually like you Adelaide.”

“And should I be flattered or appalled that I’m tolerable to you?” I wondered aloud, staring right into his eyes. His hand brushed against mine and within the next moment, his fingers loosely entwined with mine. He stepped away from me and kept his hand locked on mine, squeezing gently. Tilting his head just slight to the left, he smiled widely.

“Well that depends, doesn’t it?” He questioned with curiosity swimming in the pools of emerald within his eyes. “It depends if you want a pilfering criminal after your heart.”

I didn’t know how I felt about that so I kept quiet. My heart rate still had yet to calm down and was beating rapidly against the wall of my chest. Harry let my hand go but the wide smile remained plastered on his face. Butterflies flew around in my stomach as I wondered what his next intention was. He was always so mysterious in such an intricate way too.

“But Adelaide, there’s one more thing you should know about me,” He informed me.

“Well, what is it?”

We had started walking again and our pace was almost identical at one point. I glanced over my shoulder and kept my eyes focused solely on his figure. Suddenly, he stopped in his footsteps and waited until I did the same before turning in towards a dark alley leading elsewhere. Shabby pubs and abandoned shops were located on either side of the narrow alley and I felt a cloud of eeriness loom over me while I followed Harry.

“My intentions never fail to satisfy me. I’ve never failed to steal anything I want or wanted, Adelaide, and I think I’ve just set my eyes on something new. It might be a challenge but I’m up for the ride,” He spoke as he walked, taking longer strides this time around. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” I ran to catch up to him and the minute I stepped in front of him, he grabbed my wrist and held me back. He pulled me close until my body was pressed into his front. “What are we doing Harry?”

“We’re sneaking into a theater, of course.” We glanced up at the sky and I started to notice that the hue of blue was starting to change into a canvas of orange and pink shades blended together. “The sun’s starting to set. We should get going.”

“So does that mean I should start getting used to the idea of sneaking around with you?” I asked along the way.

He turned around and looked back at me, a smirk playing on his plump lips and said, “I like this side of you.”