King Henry

Chapter 20 - The Library Holds the Answer

***** Henry's Point of View *****

After kissing Eleanor that night in the garden, Henry had to leave because he couldn't stand how strong the temptation was. Kissing her had felt better than kissing any other woman ever had before, because he was in love with her. It was by far the best kiss of his life.

It was a mistake though, because now he wanted her more than ever and it took all of his willpower to fight it. He had to make an excuse to leave the castle for a while because he needed some time to clear his head, without being distracted by the temptation that being around Eleanor was creating. He had never wanted a woman more, but he couldn't have her. Even if he could, he didn't want to lay with her knowing he could never be her husband. That would just complicate things even further because she was going to marry his best friend. He had to resist the temptation.

He left the castle that night, telling Joan to give Eleanor the message that he had to leave unexpectedly on business but that he would be back in time for the ball. He didn't want anyone to know where he was going so he didn't wake his coachman. He drove the carriage himself to his old friend William Thackery's house.

When he knocked on his door, William answered holding a burning candle, wearing a nightgown and a sleeping cap.

"Henry?" he asked with scrunched eyebrows, looking surprised.

"I'm sorry to show up so late and unannounced William. I needed to get away from the castle and clear my head and I didn't know where else to go."

"Well you're always welcome here any time. I was just surprised is all. Come inside," he said, opening the door wider and waving him in.

William took Henry's jacket and hung it on a hook before leading the way into the kitchen, holding a candle.

He used his candle to light a few others around the kitchen until the room was fully lit up and then he grabbed a bottle of wine and poured some into two metal tankards, sliding one across to Henry.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything. You didn't have company over tonight did you?" Henry asked, taking a sip of the dark red wine.

William was a young, single man so it wasn't unusual for him to have female visitors staying over.

"No, not tonight. I was all alone until you came," William said, taking a drink too. "So why did you need to get away from the castle to clear your head?"

Henry took a deep breath in and let it out.

"Because I've fallen in love with a woman that I can't have and she's staying at the castle this week as my guest. I made the mistake of kissing her tonight and now I can't get her off my mind."

"So why can't you have her?" William asked, taking a drink. "You could have anyone you want."

"By have her, I don't mean have her in my bed. I mean have her as my wife, but I can't because she's a commoner."

"A commoner? How on earth did YOU become acquainted with a commoner?" he asked, wrinkling up his nose like he was smelling something bad.

"Thomas Fletcher brought her to the Royal court to see if I would approve of him marrying her. She didn't love him and was pretty much being forced into the marriage by her family because of his wealth and status. I had the idea to have her stay at the castle this week so I could see if she could fit in as a courtier before I approved anything."

"So what's she like, this commoner that you're so in love with?" William asked with an amused smile. "She must be pretty special to have you so torn up over her like this."

Henry took a drink, letting out an exhale. "She is William. She's not like anyone else I've ever met," he said with a smile. "I can talk to her for hours and never get tired of it, and somehow she gets me to open up and talk about things I've never told anyone else before, but I don't mind. I want to tell her everything and I want to know everything about her too."