Free The Queen's Secret by Victoria Lamb

between her breasts. So his desire for her had not been lessened by the fear of discovery, Lettice thought. He tugged at the restraining material of her bodice as though he intended to free her breasts.
    ‘Essex is a fool.’ He groaned. ‘He should be whipped for neglecting such a wife.’
    Hungry as a cat for physical affection, Lettice sank her face into his red and gold jacket with its glorious scent of his body, sweetly spiced, his breath warm on her throat. If only Walter could possess Robert’s easy charm, or if he could at least spend more time at home or at court, perhaps she might not feel so starved of love. It was not entirely her fault that she had looked elsewhere.
    Arching backwards for more of his kisses, she scratched her cheek on one of his embossed gold buttons and gave a sharp cry.
    He caught her shoulders as she jerked away. ‘What now?’
    ‘Your finery attacked me,’ she complained, rubbing her cheek, then laughed at the expression on his face. ‘Wasn’t it you who told me love hurts?’
    ‘Yes, I did say that.’ He traced her scratched cheek with one finger, his eyes intent. ‘But in bed, not on the stairs.’
    ‘Yet one must climb the stairs to reach one’s bed.’
    He sighed. ‘Have a care then, not to fall in the attempt.’
    She laid a restraining hand on his arm as he made to turn away. ‘You too must be careful, Robert. The Queen suspects us, I’m sure of it. I have not seen her this agitated for months. There was an old Latin Bible at her bedside. She cursed and threw it to the floor when I read to her from it.’
    He frowned. ‘I thought the Latin would please her.’
    ‘Tonight everything offends her. She called for a plain English Bible, and all but accused you of being a Papist.’
    Their eyes met at that, and both laughed. But it was an uncomfortable laughter, and she caught a hint of anger in his face. He had always been so vehemently against the Roman faith, such a groundless accusation must sting hard.
    Robert tugged at his jacket as if to straighten it, then paused. Slowly and carefully, he unwound one of her long red hairs from around a gilt button.
    His eyes danced as he held up the single hair. ‘This could have made for an awkward moment later.’
    ‘I don’t see why,’ she replied tartly. ‘The lady in question might have mistaken it for one of her own.’
    He held the hair up to the light from the nearest window slit, examining it mock-critically. ‘Hers has not the same rich lustre—’
    ‘For pity’s sake, keep your voice down!’
    He smiled at her shocked expression, and tucked the reddish hair into some hidden pocket in his jacket. ‘There,’ he whispered. ‘Close to my heart. Now don’t look so worried. The Queen will not hurt you, even if she does suspect our affair. You are her cousin and more like Elizabeth than any other woman at court. To harm you would be like cutting off her own right hand.’
    ‘Or her nose to spite her face,’ Lettice muttered.
    Silently, he moved to step round her, and she caught at his arm. ‘Don’t bother with her tonight, Robert. She won’t let you past the door.’
    ‘I have a prior arrangement. The Queen will honour it.’
    ‘I do not believe she will. Stay with me instead,’ she insisted. The sound of carousing drifted up the stairs from the open courtyard below. ‘You are master here. We are in your own castle of Kenilworth, not at court where we are constantly watched.’
    ‘Court is where the Queen is.’
    She shook her head at his blind submission. ‘Find us a place where we can bolt the door and be private together. The Queen won’t expect my return tonight. We will not be discovered.’
    ‘Lettice, sweetest, I can’t do that.’ He kissed her again, once on each cheek and once on her parted lips, then put her gently aside, as no doubt he had once put aside his wife. ‘The Queen will be expecting me, and I can’t fail to be there. To serve the Queen is what I most desire, even beyond my love