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The choir was singing “While Shepherds Watched their Flocks at Night”. She closed her eyes as the melody and words washed over her.
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone all around…
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Jude was standing by her side, watching the choir. She gasped as he surreptitiously found the hand hanging by her side with his own, brushing against it ever so slightly. A bolt of desire zigzagged through her like a lightning bolt tearing out of the sky.
She turned to him. He was still watching the choir, but he felt her eyes upon him, turning towards her.
“How beautiful you are,” he whispered. “Truly an angel.”
Her breath caught in her throat at the ardency in his voice and the adulation in his face. She would still ask him about that maid she had seen him embracing, but she knew in that moment, in her deepest heart, that what he felt for her was real. He wasn’t pretending.
Her heart shifted. If only he were a gentleman. If only they could openly court.
But it was like a child crying for the moon. She must be content with what they could have. Before, it was all too late.
***
Under the cover of night, Jude slipped out of his room, walking quickly into the gardens. He felt a single snowflake land on his forehead. It was cold, but not icy.
He couldn’t believe he was doing this. About an hour after they had finally returned from the village, Evelina had sought him out, covertly pressing a note into this hand. The words were engraved in his memory now.
Meet me at the dial at ten this evening precisely.
He hadn’t known what she was referring to at first. And then he had remembered the large sundial in the gardens, surrounded by bushes. His heart had flipped within his chest.
She wants to meet me alone.
In one sense, he shouldn’t have been surprised. The sensual tension had been brewing between them all day. It had started during the pantomime rehearsal and thickened during their time wandering the village Christmas fair. When he had reached out to secretly touch her hand, it was as if the air crackled between them.
He knew in that moment that she felt it just as strongly as he did.
He watched his breath come out in small puffs of fog as he headed in the direction of the sundial. He had checked carefully that there was no one else about who might see him, but the whole place was quiet, seemingly asleep for the night. The coast was clear.
He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. He knew it would only cause him more pain later when, inevitably, they must put an end to it. But it was as if he was under the force of a spell now; as if he truly had no free will.
Desire is stronger than will, he thought.Lenny claimed it isn’t… but he is wrong.
His heart leapt as he turned her corner and saw her waiting near the sundial for him. She was wearing her long velvet winter cloak with a fur-lined hood and looked mysterious and very romantic against the backdrop of the gardens and darkened sky. Two lanterns that sat on either side of the sundial, their flames flickering, casting shadows over the lawn illuminated her.
She is a sorceress, he thought, suffused with desire. An enchantress. For she has ensnared me, body and soul.
She turned suddenly and saw him. He watched her vivid blue eyes widen and her red lips part. It was such a sensual sight that he was overcome with desire again.
She beckoned him with the crook of a little finger. “Come with me,” she whispered, picking up one of the lanterns before heading off down a narrow path.
He smiled slowly, following her. He had never been in this section of the gardens before. The path grew narrower as it climbed upwards and turned rocky underfoot. He stumbled a little before finding his footing again. He could just see the outline of a small door ahead of them, hidden beneath overhanging tree branches.
She stopped, getting a key out of the pocket of her cloak. The door clicked open. It was so small that he had to bend considerably when he went through it so that he wouldn’t hit his head.
Jude blinked rapidly, gazing around in astonishment. It was a long, narrow hallway. Evelina kept walking, not saying anything, the lantern bobbing in her hand. Suddenly, they entered an almost bare room. He saw a large cabinet against one wall above which hung a large crucifix.
“What is this place?” he asked. His voice seemed to bounce off the walls.
