Behind Boleyn

IV - Scattered

"I swear to you, Anne. I didn't know where you went. Nobody would tell me anything. I didn't want to give us away. How much could I ask without raising suspicion?" Henry was pleading for her forgiveness, but Anne stood firm.

"What do you think? That I want you following me around? I don't, Henry. Go. There are hundreds of people here tonight. Talk to them."

"I came here to talk with you, Anne."

"I've been here for years, Henry. Years." Even her own ears could hear the heartbreak in her last word.

Henry could sense the weakening in Anne's resolve. "It took patience. Subtle inquiry. Finally, one rainy day, I heard one of the stable boys make a comment about your location. It was as if, up until that moment, you had simply disappeared. As soon as I heard, I came."

Henry's heart thundered in his chest as Anne's eyes softened ever so slightly. There was hope, after all! Without thinking he blurted a poem that had been rolling in his mind:

"My lady's eyes, I searched their depth. 

She disappeared, O' how I wept.

Search I did for years on end,    

To meet again, my charming friend."

"Friend?" Anne's eyes narrowed dangerously as she repeated the word.

Realizing his error too late, Henry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. His lower jaw was bobbing open and closed, much like a fish. He looked so ridiculous that a bubble of laughter escaped Anne's mouth before she could hold it in. In a moment, she caught herself and any sign of humour disappeared once again.

"You are not my friend, Henry. We were never friends."

He watched helplessly as Anne turned her back to him and returned to the room full of dancing bodies. She was immediately enveloped among the crowd, being a favourite of the queen.

Henry shook his head as if to clear it. What had he been thinking to spout a poem like that? It wasn't even one of his good ones. In all of his years of searching, he'd never felt more desperate than he did tonight. Yet here she was, right before him. Now more than ever, he needed to keep his head about him. He needed her forgiveness. He needed her love.

With a deep sigh to calm his shaking hands, he followed her back into the party. If nothing else, he would watch out for her. Court could be a dangerous place for a fresh young lady like Anne. Her friendly disposition could put her at risk.

As he made his way into the crowded room, he spotted Anne speaking with James Butler. His bottom lip pouted out just a little bit as he watched her laugh. Her hand fluttered up to touch James' shoulder and he smiled at her with some degree of adoration. Henry's brow furrowed as he took in the scene before him. No, he would not watch. He could not. Slowly, Henry walked away to a corner of the room. Still, he couldn't help but cast a glance her way every now and then. Just to see what she was doing. Who was graced with her smile, with her soft touch. It was an evening of torture for poor Henry.

Millie enjoyed every minute of it.

~~

"Come now, Mr. Butler, I don't believe you are trying your hardest. It is actually bad manners to just let me win." Anne smiled under hooded lids, rubbing her bottom lip with her finger. She licked her lips as she took his bishop with her rook.

James Butler couldn't tear his gaze from her hands, her lips, her eyes. He was lost in everything about her. How odd, he thought. He had never been quite so consumed with a woman before. Every movement, however innocent, was driving him mad with desire. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Heaven forbid the game end and he had to stand up. He wasn't quite sure what he would do.