The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen Read Free Book Online

recall her name, only that she was in Lady Rochford’s employ. William looked rather like a sleek cat as he bent his head to listen to the lady. His eyes were not on her face, and he was slow to remember himself when another woman, in a dark red dress that highlighted her figure, interrupted.
    Alyce de Clare. Minuette frowned. What could Alyce have to speak to William about, important enough to interrupt his obvious flirting? Could it be … could her trouble … is it Will?
    No , Minuette told herself immediately. If Alyce had been in the king’s bed, the entire court would know it.
    “Can it be that one of the Three Graces does not have a partner?” The voice in her ear was low and familiar, and she turned from her worries about Alyce to greet Dominic.
    “Not unless you choose to honour me,” she said.
    He hesitated for the barest moment before taking her hand. “It’s been a long time since we’ve danced together. You’ve grown taller.”
    As he led her out, her free hand came up to touch the star pendant around her neck. “Thank you for this, Dominic. It’s lovely. All of it. I … thank you.” She felt his eyes on her, a dark, jewel-hued green, but for some nameless reason could not meet them.
    “You’re welcome,” he said, pulling her into the opening steps of a pavane.
    Although Minuette had long ago learnt the patterns of many dances, the last two years had taught her to move without thought. Every posture, every cadence, was instinctive, and Dominic partnered her perfectly, which was perhaps not surprising in a man who had known her all her life.
    When the dance ended he escorted her off the floor, and she waited for him to say something. She waited so long that she finally opened her own mouth in a question, only to find him speaking at the same time.
    “Tell me about—”
    “You’ve become—”
    They both stopped. Feeling unaccountably shy, Minuette said, “I’m sorry. I only meant to ask about Wales.”
    She could see Dominic relax as he answered her. “The border country is beautiful. And the Welsh mountains … far more rugged than anything I’ve seen before. Being a soldier suits me perfectly. I don’t think I have any talent for diplomacy, whatever Lord Rochford might say.”
    “What has Lord Rochford to do with you?”
    He shook his head and said lightly, “Never mind. It’s nothing.”
    Minuette did not think it was nothing. But before she could press her point, Giles Howard was asking her to dance. Smiling as graciously as she could manage at the unappealing prospect, she let him take her hand and lead her away from Dominic, who scowled at the interruption.
    In spite of the fact that Minuette’s stepfather was also Giles’s uncle, Minuette hardly knew the young man at all. He was a familiar figure, of course, his peacock clothing contrasting sharply with his solid build and sallow skin. In spite of his appearance, he was of some importance, and Minuette knew how to be effortlessly polite even while dancing with a man an inch shorter than herself.
    When he caught hold of her fingers at the end of the dance and asked her to walk with him in the courtyard below, Minuette thought wryly that she might have been too polite. There was nothing improper about the request—there were plenty of people about, both inside and out—and because she didn’t like him, she agreed out of guilt.
    To her relief, Giles didn’t try to hold her hand or quote poetry to her, just boasted a bit about his prowess at fencing and jousting. He seemed in no hurry to reach the courtyard, however, leading her through the far entrance of the great hall and down the gallery by the chapel. The stairway on this end was deserted, and Minuette shivered as they reached the stone steps, wishing that she wore more than the thin layers of her costume.
    Because she had been listening to Giles with only half her mind, it took a moment for the last thing he said to sink in. She stopped at the top of the stairs