long, delicate fingers was so white that Frances wondered if he used the same paste her mother had applied to the old Queen’s skin every day. She peered closer, as if focusing on this trivial detail would distract her from the rising agitation his presence had provoked. No, his beauty had been bestowed by Nature, not craft. His artifice lay only in his words and deeds.
‘You are blessed to have such a conscientious husband,’ he continued, when it was clear that she was not going to respond. She saw his eyes flick behind her to the hall of their lodging. ‘Our royal master values him highly – of that there is no doubt. A less favoured man might have found himself out in the cold after that accident at Apethorpe. His Grace did so love Oswyn. Poor beast.’
He affected a look of sorrow. Frances’s scalp prickled as she stared at his downturned face.
‘I am most fortunate indeed – as is the King,’ she said carefully. ‘Sir Thomas is as loyal a servant as he is a husband.’
‘I am delighted to hear it, Lady Frances,’ he purred. ‘When you first arrived at Whitehall, I wondered if you had come to reassure yourself that he was not indulging in the many . . . delights that the court has to offer.’
She gave a humourless laugh. ‘What a dim view you have of marriage, Sir George. It provides more joy and comfort than any passing diversion. I wonder that you have not sought it for yourself before now.’
He gave a heavy sigh. ‘Ah, if only I could, Lady Frances. You make it sound so much more appealing than most other reports I have heard. I had begun to think that court marriages were made only for gain, not for love.’ His mouth twitched with amusement. ‘But sadly my duties here allow me no leisure to enter such a state myself, at present. The King requires me at his beck and call, day and night. Little wonder he calls me his wife!’ He gave a high-pitched titter, but his eyes were watching Frances closely. She knew that he was trying to shock her into a reaction, so she was careful to keep her expression neutral.
‘Well, I hope you may enjoy its consolations one day – when the King has moved on to a new favourite, perhaps.’ She was gratified to see anger flare briefly in his eyes.
‘You think His Grace’s favour so lightly bestowed?’
She knew she must have a care. He would delight in twisting her words if he reported their conversation to the King, as he surely must. Why else would he have come here, if not to cause trouble for one of his rivals?
‘Of course not,’ she replied. ‘No more so than any monarch.’
He shifted so that he was no longer leaning on the doorframe, then moved a step closer. ‘I must heed your warning, Lady Frances,’ he whispered, in a conspiratorial tone. ‘Would that Somerset had done the same. He might have been better prepared for his fall from grace.’
Frances did not allow herself to look away, even though his face was now uncomfortably close to hers. ‘I did not know that he had lost his position,’ she said.
Villiers touched his index finger to his lips, as if to stop them betraying more confidences. ‘You draw out my secrets as cleverly as a mother coaxes a toy from her baby’s grasp,’ he murmured. ‘It is as if you have bewitched me.’
A long pause followed. Frances was only vaguely aware of holding her breath. She imagined the King recounting the details of her arrest to his favourite, proud of the part he had played in her interrogation. The thought sickened as much as terrified her. She had come here to help Thomas, not drag him into more danger.
Villiers straightened himself and glanced down at his pocket watch. ‘Well, it has been such a pleasure, Lady Frances,’ he said airily, ‘but duty calls – as it always does. I do hope there will be another opportunity soon for us to become better acquainted.’
He bent to kiss her hand and she had to resist the urge to pull it away. His lips felt cool as they brushed her skin. She watched as he sauntered back along the corridor, towards the King’s apartments.
The bedchamber was already flooded with light when Frances woke the next day. She had slept only fitfully, her mind turning endlessly over the conversation with Villiers. Thomas had been aghast when she