An attacking gnome? Henrietta had never experienced a gnome attack. She wasn't even sure she had seen one up close before, for all the time she spent loitering in gardens. Her mama would have had an exterminator out at the first sign of trouble, she assumed, and they lived in London, which meant they weren't quite as prone to infestations of the magical nature as they might have been in London. They weren't, anyway, going to catch anything simply because it was going through the neighborhood. All of which to say, she had no idea whether the man's apparent fear was a reasonable one or not. Maybe she ought not to spend her evening home alone in the garden, if she was in danger of being attacked by strange creatures...

At his question, she briefly took stock of herself. "I think so," she said with a nod, though she still wasn't sure about how to get up. There was nothing to grab on to in order to assist her, which made it challenging. The hedge was the only thing within arm's reach, and she could hardly just grab a fistful of leaves and try to claw her way back to a standing position. Perhaps she could have used the broom as a support, but first she would have to get it, and it had fallen several feet away. How would she even manage it? She might have to crawl, which wouldn't have been so bad except that there was a strange gentleman there to watch her. Mrs. Abercrombie was going to live to regret having finished her, Henrietta just knew it.

"Could you — perhaps — help me up?" she asked, utterly mortified by the request but seeing no way around it.