Beckham returned with drinks that Molly ignored. Jayce grasped his glass without raising it to his lips, observing the crowd almost nonchalantly while conversing with Beckham. How could they communicate in such a noisy environment? She could scarcely hear her own thoughts.
“Ah!” The newly formed family!Robbie approached their table with a smile. Molly observed several individuals casting him disdainful glances, as if they resented his mere existence. This was intriguing. “How are you finding it thus far?”
“I am quite well, thank you,” Beckham remarked, scanning the crowd for the friend he had previously encountered, but to no avail. Molly contemplated whether she would encounter the girls she had met, confident they would have much to discuss if they had indulged even slightly in alcohol.
Robbie leaned excessively close to Molly, allowing her to detect the strong odour of alcohol on his breath.
Would you like to dance? I assure your husband it will be harmless.
“No,” Jayce stated emphatically, devoid of any kindness in his tone. Robbie recoiled slightly from the intensity of his gaze, as if it could incinerate him.
Indeed, well. “I will see you three later,” he stated before he hurriedly departed.
Molly surveyed the crowd and observed several individuals scrutinising them intently. She clasped his thigh beneath the table and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I believe they are gazing at you.”
Jayce casually surveyed the crowd, appearing disinterested. Upon noticing something, he redirected his gaze towards her. “I believe they desire a performance.”
“A performance-”
Jayce pressed his lips to hers before she could complete her inquiry. He cradled the nape of her neck, disregarding Beckham’s irritating whistles as she reciprocated the kiss. An overwhelming sensation of ecstasy enveloped her, and he embodied the flavour she yearned for. She encircled his neck with her arms, permitting him to draw her closer as he intensified the kiss and sought entry into her mouth with a gentle nip of her lip.
Molly opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to engage in a contest with her own, resulting in a fierce struggle. He kissed her until she felt somewhat inebriated by the caress of his hand along her thigh. She momentarily lost sight of their pretence. For an instant, it felt entirely authentic. They were a married couple, youthful and in love, striving to navigate life while sharing kisses in bars and dancing beneath the moonlight. It could all be genuine if she simply embraced the illusion.
They separated momentarily to breathe. Her eyes involuntarily shifted from his lips to his azure gaze, which appeared engulfed in longing; she felt an urge to immerse herself in it. She was unaware of her proximity to him until Beckham cleared his throat. Molly promptly retreated to her own seat, pressing her hands against her flushed cheeks in an attempt to suppress her embarrassment, though she recognised it would be futile this time.
“I am pleased to observe your enjoyment, but our purpose here is not for leisure.” Beckham smirked, prompting Jayce to kick him under the table, resulting in Beckham cursing. They were indeed a pair of fools.
Molly turned her gaze towards the crowd and observed that all attention had shifted away from them. She regulated her breathing and endeavoured to suppress her disappointment at their swift separation. Beckham was correct. It was not the appropriate moment for frivolity in a pub! What had affected her? Each decision she made distanced her further from the woman she once was at the castle. However, a portion of her experienced a sense of liberation. As though she lacked a leash and collar, she was simply Molly—even when she was not embodying Molly.
Beckham gestured towards an elderly man in the crowd. He staggered over, and they all recognised that he was already inebriated. “Greg! It is a pleasure to see you,” Beckham remarked as he shifted to allow the man to take a seat. “This is my cousin, James, and his spouse, Isabelle.”
“Oh, greetings. Are you selling what you provided to him?” the man remarked. Molly sank further into her seat as her shame surfaced.
“No,” Jayce retorted. The elderly man merely chuckled and settled into the chair opposite them. He consumed half of his beer before resurfacing for breath.
Beckham cleared his throat. “What is new, Greg?”
“Unfortunately, it is the same situation. I must rise early and prepare the horses.”
“Oh really? For what purpose?” Beckham enquired as he took a lengthy gulp of beer. “Are you embarking on a hunt?”
“No, they are still searching for the elusive prince, yet he has not been sighted in a week. I suspect he is already en route to the kingdom, where he can conceal himself like the coward he is. However, my insights are consistently disregarded.”
Molly swiftly grasped Jayce’s leg beneath the table upon sensing his tension beside her. After one minute, he became at ease.
“Are you accompanying them?” Beckham enquired. His failure to glance at them led Molly to conclude that he was attempting to avoid suspicion. Simultaneously, her heart was racing at an extraordinary pace, and had the bar not been so cacophonous, she was certain that everyone would have perceived it.
“No, I am too mature for that. I prepare the horses for them and attend to their needs upon their return.”
“Indeed, I can assist you,” Beckham stated, patting the elderly man on the back. He appeared somewhat astonished despite his inebriated state.
“Indeed? Such offers are rarely made.”
“I believe it will provide me with a respite from that unpleasant stirring job for a few hours.”
Greg chuckled and struck his knee. “Agreed, rendezvous with me at dawn.” The elderly man rose and winked at Molly. She experienced a sensation of revulsion, as he was sufficiently aged to be her father. Jayce fixed him with a glare until he disappeared from view. His hand flexed and extended upon his lap.
“I informed you that we would obtain something,” Beckham murmured. He surveyed his surroundings, yet all others appeared engrossed in their own thoughts.
Jayce rose to his feet. “That is insufficient,” he muttered as he lifted Molly alongside him. “I prefer not to hear your voice again until you possess more.”
They navigated through the throng, and Molly felt relieved to be rid of the odour. She abhorred the odour of alcohol. It merely evoked distressing memories, and she was ill-equipped to revisit them.
“Do you believe it will be effective?” Molly whispered as they stepped into the snow. She inched closer as the wind chilled her to the bone.
