Again, she noticed, and her expression fell a little further. He wasn't okay. He still wasn't. And yet he refused to tell her what was wrong. She knew that no amount of prying would get it out of him, but she hated that. She wanted to be able to help him, to fix whatever wrong she'd done him.

She wasn't scared off by his movement, even as it added an extra layer of confusion and worry to the already very large pile. Part of her wanted to act on some other thought, something she hadn't allowed herself to consider while John was still at large. However, in light of recent events...

No, she still needed to keep up appearances, let her heart settle.

"Yes. Always," she agreed softly. She paused for a moment before moving just a little bit closer, close enough to turn to rest her cheek against his shoulder and lean against him. It wasn't proper by any means, but she found she didn't much care. Having already defied the boundaries of society by not marrying before she turned twenty and having a child before she was thirty, Helen saw no reason to obey every last law of society. Or at least, tonight she didn't. Her hand slid further down his arm until she was resting it on his hand, letting him know that he meant a great deal to her.

"And I hope you will always be here." Always... as long as she was.