I crept across the room as silently as I could. Maybe I could slip into bed with him. Perhaps lying with him for a time would put my mind at ease. But when I reached his bed, I found it empty.
I frowned and looked around the room. Those were Henri’s trunks. Those were his clothes strewn about the floor. But where was Henri? And at this time of night?
I eyed the discarded clothing warily, imagining him running about the castle without them. Blood rushed to my face as I tried to banish the images I’d conjured, knowing full well he’d have changed into something appropriate for wandering these drafty halls.
I heard a sound from the hall and stepped out, wondering if it was Henri returning from some brief errand, but it was only Bertolino, standing in the doorway of Montoni’s room.
“What do you mean ‘missing’?” Montoni’s voice bellowed loud enough for me to hear.
I stepped closer to the wall, unwilling to be observed. I was too far away to hear most of what was said, but I caught snatches of conversation. “Who was on watch?” and “a thorough search in the morning” were other bits I was able to make out. Clearly, something had been stolen. Something valuable. Perhaps one of the servants had used the chaos of our arrival to mask the crime. Either way, Montoni did not sound pleased. When I heard a glass crash into the wall, I ducked into Henri’s room, lingering for a few minutes before stepping back into the corridor.
A howl from outside sent a shiver down my back. In rapid succession, other howls joined in with the first, chasing me all the way back to my room.
“Last night?” Henri grinned at me the next morning as he loomed over my bed, holding a breakfast tray. “Were you planning on having your way with me finally? And I missed it?”
I sighed. “It’s not funny. I was scared out of my mind.”
Henri sat on the edge of my bed and set down the tray. I eyed the eggs and bacon with longing, but I refused to partake of anything until I got to the bottom of why Henri wasn’t in his room last night.
“I didn’t mean to diminish how you felt,” Henri said, placing a hand on my arm. “It’s just usually me coming to you. It’s a nice change.”
“And you were …?” I didn’t know why I found it so surprising. They were clearly close.
Henri shrugged. “Getting a glass of milk, emptying my chamber pot … a number of things.” He tilted his head. “What did you think I was up to? Sneaking off for a secret rendezvous with another boy? There’s no one around for literally hundreds of miles who would interest me.”
“No? Not even Ludovico?”
Henri snorted. “Don’t get me wrong: He’s nice to look at. But he’s completely mad for Annette.”
“Annette?” My eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Does she … know?”
Henri rolled his eyes. “Yes, she knows. Unless she’s hopelessly daft.” He considered. “Which she might be.”
“She is not,” I slapped his arm. “Annette is a sharp girl.”
“I know.” Henri grinned at me. “But my point is, out here, I only have eyes for you, because you’re all that’s available.”
“That’s one way to boost my confidence. And if I was the last man on a desert island, you’d choose me too, I suppose?”
“See? You’re sharp too.” He watched me eat, choosing a piece of toast for himself. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Ask you?”
“Last night, when you came to rouse me in my bedchamber.”
I swallowed a mouthful of bacon. In truth, I was rather embarrassed about the previous night. Clearly, no one had been in my room, and I certainly hadn’t heard a ghost. It had been my imagination running away with me. I didn’t need Henri teasing me about how I was afraid of the dark or some such nonsense.
“You know, I don’t even remember,” I told him.
Henri put a hand on my knee. “If you want to sneak into my bedroom at night, you don’t have to make up excuses.”
My face burned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Please do.”
