“Unfortunately not,” he answers. “I fear I’d do any lady a disservice by being her partner when there are much better ones to be found.”
“I thought you danced very well,” I tell him.
He looks back at me in way that makes my stomach tighten. “Perhaps I was especially inspired that evening.” I think he’s about to go on when he suddenly bows again, only saying, “Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”
He takes my hand, and I almost pull him back to make him stay when he pushes a small piece of paper into my palm. My breath catches as he walks away. When no one is watching me, I move over toward the windows with my back to rest of the room.
I unfold the tiny parchment, seeing six words written in neat, hurried handwriting:
Tomorrow. Meet me in the garden...
Chapter Fifteen
I walk along the gravel path, listening as my shoes crunch against the tiny stones. Tall, neatly trimmed hedges shield me on either side as the sun drips through the green cracks. I’m not too far from where Simon and I sat with Theo that night, and I’m hoping this is where I’m supposed to meet him. I walk through the hedges until I reach the garden wall, and when I do, I hear the sound of footsteps behind me.
I exhale in relief when Simon comes into view, his small smile both soothing and fanning my fluttering nerves.
“You could have been a bit more specific than saying ‘meet me in the garden.’”
“I’m sorry,” he answers. “Are you well, Lily?”
I don’t think I’ll ever not feel a thrill when Simon says my name. I take a quick breath in as I look around at the hedges. “I am,” I tell him. “So, are we going for another walk?”
“In a way.” He moves in my direction, and I stay still when he suddenly strides past me. He steps right next to the stone wall and bends his knees, leaning down to cup his hand in front of me like a stirrup.
“Your foot goes here,” he says.
I take a second, looking at his offered hands and then to the wall, which has to be about seven feet high. “You’re going to fling me over the wall?”
“I’m not going to fling you,” he assures me. “Just help you over.”
“To see or do what on the other side?”
Simon stands up straight again. “You’ll have to trust me if you want to find out.”
I look back to the path we just came down, and at the palace beyond. I told Lady Rochford that I needed privacy. Some time alone in nature to clear my head. Technically, I’m still in nature even if I jump the fence. But I could also be in unimaginable trouble if we get caught. I look at Simon—his hand is reaching out, waiting for mine, and there’s a soft hum beneath my skin when I take it.
I can’t go back just yet.
“I guess we’re going over, then.”
Simon smiles and leans down once more. I raise the hem of my gown, putting my foot in his palm and my hand on his shoulder as he easily hoists me up. I swing my leg over the wall, which is no easy feat in these heavy skirts. With my back to the garden, my feet dangle down in front of me as I look out at the deep green fields and the dark trees of the king’s woods in front of us.
Pulling himself up on his own, Simon settles beside me. He gazes forward before turning his eyes in my direction. “Hello again.”
“Hello,” I answer with a smile.
He jumps down a moment later and reaches up to help me after. His arms wrap around my waist as he lowers me to the ground, and he weaves his fingers through mine as soon as I’m steady. We walk through the field in a comfortable silence that doesn’t feel like silence at all.
We’ve gone maybe a quarter of a mile into the woods when Simon gradually comes to a stop. “We’re here,” he says, his gaze resting ahead of us. I follow his eyeline and see a massive tree. Its pale leaves are dangling down, touching the ground and carpeting the wide area it encompasses.
“It’s a weeping willow,” Simon goes on. “I like to come here when I want to be alone.”
I can feel him looking at me, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the tree, which seems straight out of a storybook.
“It’s beautiful,” I tell him.
Simon gently squeezes my hand in his. “You haven’t seen the best part.”
