Close by, young boys played with toy ships in the park’s boat pond. She watched them idly, drinking in the little pleasures of the day. It had been years since she’d indulged in an afternoon picnic and lazed around afterwards on a blanket. Never had she done so with a gentleman, like she did today. She moved her gaze from the boys sailing their boats to the man on the blanket beside her. Alain lay stretched out, his long legs crossed at the ankles and his hands tucked behind his head. His eyes were closed and he looked utterly at peace in his rest. Looking at him now, it was easy to discard the anxieties of the night, to forget what she’d overheard in his garden. Resting as he was now, it was impossible to believe Alain was other than an officer from a titled family. Aristocracy and athletic grace were mixed in the lines of his reposed body. Only nobility could rest so completely in the middle of the day without a care in the world. She was somewhat surprised that such tranquil repose came to Alain so easily.
