Lady Catherine Silverton looked out over the hall, searching for some nobleman she could try to seduce. Her eyes wandered over the dancing men and women, whose colorful clothes swirled around their legs. At the other end of the hall, Elizabeth I sat overseeing the scene with a slight frown on her painted forehead.
"The queen is troubled," Catherine said to the woman beside her.
"She is only thinking about politics," Lady Camden said with a smile. "You'll learn to see when she needs you soon enough."
Catherine nodded. "I only want to serve her the best way I can."
"Today, you can relax. The queen already favors you. Let someone else tend to her needs for once."
Catherine smiled and let her eyes wander to a handsome, dark-haired man standing in a far-away corner.
"I haven't seen him before," she said.
"You have only been here a week. How can you expect to know every face at the queen's court?"
"Who is he?"
"Richard Crowden," Lady Camden said. "One of Seymour's trusted men. Rumor has it he will soon work his way to the top."
Catherine wrinkled her nose. Being a part of the queen's court meant she could talk to important men in the hopes of an advantageous marriage. She wasn't going to waste her time on a man without land or title.
Richard Crowden looked up, and their eyes met over the dancing crowd. Christine felt a jolt in her stomach, and her body became warm as if she had just drunk a cup of wine. She cleared her throat and shifted her weight, feeling an unfamiliar desire rise within her.
"Beware of him," Lady Camden warned, seeing Christine's reaction to his looks. "Many women have felt what you feel now, only to have their hearts broken when he refuses them. He is not like other men. He says he will find love before he shares a woman's bed."
"Is that so?" Christine shrugged, trying to appear indifferent. "It matters not. What has he to offer a woman like me?"
"Not much," Lady Camden agreed. "A broken heart and a damaged reputation."
"None of which I care for."
Christine excused herself from Lady Camden's company and left the hall. With a sigh of relief at the sudden stillness, she leaned up against the wall. Her body was flushed with excitement, as if she had been dancing for hours. Keeping up the pretence for Lady Camden had been more than she could muster. Fanning herself with a piece of her shawl, she thought back to the look Richard Crowden had given her, the very reason for her current state of mind.
"My lady."
The stranger's voice made her jump, and she startled when she found herself face to face with Mr. Crowden.
"Mr. Crowden," she said and inclined her head.
"I haven't seen you at court before," he said. "But it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"I arrived only a week ago." Christine straightened her back, trying to look her best despite cheeks that burned like embers. "As a handmaiden to the queen."
She felt a pang of excitement at the sight of his full lips curving into a smile. His dark eyes, glittering with amusement, went from her face down to her full bosom. She should be horrified at this rude gesture, but her body filled with desire instead of shame.
"And how do you find the queen's court?" Crowden asked, his eyes returning to her face. "Is it to your liking?"
"Most certainly," Christine said. "I am very pleased to spend time with such prominent members of society."
His smile made her knees weak. "If you meant to include me in that remark, you are too kind."
"Not at all," she said, but she had to admit she hadn't intended to include him. "I hear you are making a name for yourself at court. That is most admirable."
"I thank you." Crowden bowed and took her hand. He placed a kiss in the air above it, and the look he gave Catherine was so full of joy and lust that she nearly lost her breath.
"Mr. Crowden," she said. "This is most inappropriate."
"Forgive me, my lady. I cannot help myself. When my eyes fell on you across the queen's hall, I knew I had to speak to you at once. You have stolen my heart."
"Nonsense." Christine snapped her hand back and raised her chin. "I have done no such thing. Now, please excuse me."
She strode off despite the fact that all she wanted was to remain in Crowden's company. His eyes burned on her back, and it was a relief to turn a corner where she could sit down and think.
I can't waste my time with a man like that. She sank down on a window seat and sighed. He doesn't have anything to his name. It would be foolish!
On the other hand, it would be wonderful as well. Her body ached with something she had come to know as lust. She had felt it before, from the looks of a stable boy at her mother's estate, from a soldier who had spent a night dining in her father's company. But she was not one to give in to such notions. That could ruin all her plans for the future. What man would marry a woman who had already been touched?
