"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.
"Check."
He forced his eyes back to the board. She has no idea how right she is, he thought wryly. "And mate," he said with a wince. Checkmate indeed. Now he would have to stand up and all would be revealed. He looked at the crowd around them and, by some miracle, his intense fear of mortification solved his problem. He sighed in relief and smiled at the object of his infatuation. "Good game, mademoiselle. You are clever, to be sure."
Anne smiled, wondering at his clear discomfort and his seeming recovery. "Thank you. Would you care for a rematch?" She asked out of politeness, but what she really wanted was to retire for the evening. It was getting late and she had had an emotionally draining evening.
"Perhaps another night, my lady. However, I would truly enjoy a dance, if it would please you."
Anne knew that this Lord from Ireland would, in the near future hold some sway within various courts. It would be wise to remain on good terms, and he clearly desired her company for a little longer. She smiled graciously with a slight tilt of her head. "It would please me, Mr. Butler."
"James, please," he said as he took her hand. He lead her to the dance floor as a new song began.
"Your reputation at chess precedes you. I should have known better than to play against you with so many witnesses," James said with a grin.
Anne smiled back. She would never understand why men always seemed to want to play her. They rarely won. But then, perhaps that was it. Men loved a challenge. Millie had taught her that. The harder they had to work for something, the more pleasure they took in their victory.
"Are you long for France, then? Does the English court not draw you to it?"
Anne thought about this for a moment. She had wondered, occasionally, about when her parents might call her back to London. She didn't know why they waited so long. Perhaps they felt her older sister Mary ought to be properly wed before she made her debut in London circles. Years had passed since she had seen her home. Visits from her siblings were rare and only served to make her yearn more for the sweet comforts of home. However, the constant activity in the French court did keep her mind occupied and most of the time she didn't feel homesick. In fact, if she left France she believed she would miss it a great deal.
"I am very happy here in France. Claude has become such a close friend, I will miss her a great deal when I am called back. And I think she will miss me, too."
"You don't miss home?"
"Not really, no," Anne responded with a demure smile. How much could she confide in this cousin with whom she'd just become acquainted? Best to hold her secrets next to her heart.
Something in her smile made him catch his breath. "Pardon my boldness, Miss Boleyn, but there is something about you that makes me ache."
"Ache?"
"Yes, everywhere, but especially here," he said laying his hand on his chest. "I feel as though my heart could beat right out of my body. Is that not the most preposterous thing you've ever heard?"
She felt a blush rise from the top of her chest right to her hairline. Some keep their secrets close and some do not, she thought. She looked down to the floor, trying to escape the sudden awkwardness.
"Do you feel it at all?" he asked hopefully.
Her lips almost danced beneath his gaze. Uncertainty? he wondered, What is she thinking? He was bursting to know.
"I do, James. Yes." She lied with a breathless whisper. But this, she knew, was a part of the game at court. Women made men feel powerful and desirable, without giving everything over.
He gently took her elbow and guided her to a private alcove, dimly lit. Face to face they gazed into each others' eyes. A vein on his neck was throbbing with desire and she could only imagine that other parts were in a similar state. Hesitant fingers caressed her cheek. She leaned into his hand until her lips touched the tips of his fingers. Her mouth was opened ever so slightly and she heard him catch his breath.
"Anne."
Their eyes met and then closed as their lips pressed together in the most gentle of kisses. And then again. Anne's legs felt weak as James pulled away enough to look at her again. Tingles flowed through her body, the unmistakable sign of chemistry. These lips, the fingers that touched her, were made for her. She kept her eyes closed, willing the moment to continue. Hoping, that when she opened her eyes, she would see...Henry.
And when she finally summoned the courage to blink into the dim room, she did see Henry. He was standing at the doorway with a frightful look on his face. A small gasp escaped her as her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Are you okay?" James asked.
With both hands, Anne held his face to hers. "Of course." She kissed him again, this time with more force. "I must retire James. Good evening." She offered him a flustered curtsey and then walked away, brushing past Henry as she left.
Disorganized thoughts swam through her head as she walked with practiced calmness back to her chambers. The hour was late. Her absence would barely be noticed.
When she flopped onto her bed, she pulled a pillow over her face and screamed. What in the world had just happened? Was she going completely mad? What kind of departure had she just made with James? She cringed into her pillow and shook her head with regret. What a disaster.
A gentle tap at the door made her lift her pillow. Oh, God. Which one was at the blasted door? Should she pretend she was asleep? It was rather bold to come knocking at her door after that fiasco.
"Yes?" she called.
"My Lady, would you like some help with your dress?"
Millie. Thank God for Millie.
~~
A/N Well, Millie's plan seems to be going quite well. How are you liking the story so far? Please let me know and make that empty star below light up! :)