Chapter 2

Her mother had shooed them out of the house, telling her to go show Henry the

garden, so they can 'bond and get to know one another'.

It was quiet and awkward at first, but Winnie had never been a terribly shy person, so

she spoke up first.

"Have I...met you before?"

He shook his head and replied plainly, "Nope. My father says he met you and your

parents when you were young though."

"Ah, I see."

It got quiet again. Winnie racked her brain for what to say next. It wasn't that there

was nothing to say, it was just that there was too much. Too much to say, and

definitely too much to ask.

"This is a beautiful garden, by the way."

"You think so?"

"Of course." He leaned down, poking his nose into a shrub of daphnes, soaking in it's

fragrance, "Did you grow them?"

"Yes, I did. I pretty much grew it all myself, but mother helped me with a few things."

She explained to him, as he watched her carefully. She was now in her element. "I

always thought the farm yard was pretty bland, and it always smells stinky." She

laughed, thinking of all the animals that contributed to such a stench. "So, I knew it

needed something to spruce it up. This is like my little oasis in the desert! Isn't it

nice?"

He laughed too. "It is."

She looked at him and lit up in a smile without even thinking.

"You know, I'm glad."

"About what?"

"That it's you." The words of her heart flowed naturally with him, despite the fact that

they had only known each other for less than an hour. "I worried that I might end up

marrying a man that wasn't kind, but I can tell that you are; that you're kind."

He smiled at her sentiment and replied, "I'm glad you think so. And, I'm sorry-"

"For what?"

"That you've found yourself in an arranged marriage." He plucked a leaf off of the

rose bush that sat beside him, and he twirled it between his finger tips as he said it,

"Even if we don't love each other now...I truly believe we can grow to. If we allow

ourselves to."

He had the most gentle face and the softest voice, she thought. She felt like a princess

in a fairytale; falling for the prince she had just met. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts. Nothing was set in stone yet, so she couldn't get attached. If it

ended up not working out, than she'd just end up broken-hearted.

So, she just replied with, "I believe that too."