I move out of the crowd, standing along the edge in the hopes of getting a better view. Half of my eyeline is on the bonfire when I suddenly see Simon through the flames, walking on the other side. My breath catches. He doesn’t see me yet, and I move toward him like I’m being pulled by a magnet. But then I stop myself. I get that nervous swirling sensation in my belly, the one that always seems to manifest right before I decide to do something risky.
I think of disappearing into the crowd. I could just ease away and be gone. I start to do it. My foot is inching backward when Simon looks up. Our eyes meet in the jumping sparks of the bonfire, and in that split second, we both know that I’m not going anywhere.
Simon is startled at first, but it doesn’t last. It takes him all of two seconds to stride forward. He makes his way around the fire, stopping when we’re only a few feet apart.
“Catherine? What are you doing here?”
I try to appear nonchalant and not tipsy, gazing out at the surrounding festivities. “I decided to venture out a bit.”
“Clearly,” he says with a strained chuckle. “Everyone is still celebrating your marriage.”
“Are they? And here I thought it was my birthday.” I take a sip of my drink, and Simon lifts his cup to do the same. “Is that you drinking to my future happiness?”
“Always.” He places his now-empty cup on a log behind him, and I pass him mine to do the same. He glances around before speaking again. “How did you even get here?”
I give a little shrug. “I’m mysterious like that. Are you going to tell me I should go back to the palace?”
He continues to watch me, his gaze light but intent. “Not if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t want to,” I tell him. “Lady Rochford gave us an hour.”
“Lady Rochford is here with you?” he asks, amazed. “The surprises never cease.” Then, “In that case, should we have a look around while there’s still time?”
Simon and I have time. It’s a really nice feeling. I give him a nod and follow his lead as we begin to head back in the direction of the entrance. We have a fair walk ahead of us, but we slow down near a table of jewelry. It isn’t diamonds or rubies on display here—more beads and wooden charms, or special woven ribbons for your hair. One bracelet catches my eye, the sea green color of the beads against the linen cord reminding me of my favorite beach. I touch it with the tip of my finger before moving along, and Simon falls into step beside me.
“Let me guess: This outing tonight was your idea?”
“And what makes you say that?” I ask teasingly.
A crooked edge pulls at his mouth. “Just a feeling I have.”
We twist through a cackling group of revelers, and Simon’s hand brushes my wrist, making sure I stay beside him. My stomach flutters at the sensation. “I like that you’re comfortable talking about your feelings. Emotional intelligence is a good strength to have.”
He looks down at me to catch my gaze, and I have to crane my neck up meet his. “You bring it out in me,” is all he says.
A flickering wave swooshes through my abdomen. “I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”
“No,” he answers confidently. “Just you.”
A smile tugs at my cheeks, but before I get the chance to reply, a fight breaks out between two revelers beside us. The shoulders of one of the men knocks into me hard, and Simon immediately shoves him with so much force that the man goes tumbling to the ground. Before I know that it’s happened, he’s blocking the entirety of my body with his – a shield between me and the world. More fighting erupts, but Simon takes my hand and pulls me away, moving us into a nearby tent a few yards off.
The entrance flap drops down behind us as we move to stand in the center of the empty tent. We’re all alone now. Everyone and everything is shut out around us as we gaze at each other in adrenaline-spiked silence. The commotion outside slowly dies and fades, being replaced by the chords of music once again.
There’s room in the tent but we don’t use it. We’re so close to each other. Only one of us would need to step forward for our chests to touch. Simon lifts his arm slightly, and the tips of his fingers brush mine. “Do you want to leave?” he asks. There’s a rasp to his voice. It draws me in and under as I shake my head.
“No,” I manage. “I don’t want to leave.” Our hands weave together. The air around us feels so thin that I wonder if it’s there at all.
“Do you know how many times I have imagined us alone like this?” Simon brings his hand up, running the tips of his fingers under my chin, barely grazing the surface of my skin. “Thoughts of you fill my mind.”
I should stop this. I know that I should. If the wrong person saw us hidden away in here together, we could be killed. But Simon wasn’t executed with Catherine in the past, so he should be safe this time. Maybe that’s just what happened when Catherine was here. Maybe she and Thomas Culpepper flaunted their affair, and that was why they got caught. Simon and I can be careful. What happened to them doesn’t have to happen to us.
Looking at Simon now, I step forward until our bodies meet. I’ve never felt a pull like this. I doubt I will again. My arms feel heavy as I raise my hands to his warm chest. His heart is thundering under my palm, and I want to make it go even faster.
Simon gazes down at my face like he’s trying to memorize me—the curve of my cheek, the suppleness of my mouth. “Are you scared?” he asks.
I tilt my head as I look up at him. The closer we get, the more intoxicated I feel. And we’re so close now that my body is humming. “No,” I tell him.
Simon’s smile is almost restrained, yet his eyes hold nothing but hunger. “You’re fearless, aren’t you?”
