I opened my mouth, ready to tell him—him, if anyone—about my title, about being Lady Huntingdon, but I stopped. I just wanted to be Scarlet a while longer.
“What?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Come on.”
We brought food, and several women went back into the castle to cook more food. I tried cutting salted pork, but it were clumsy and awful with my hands wrapped up. Hissing in frustration, I froze when familiar arms came around me and covered my hands. “Want me to do that?”
I shut my eyes, leaning my head against his for a breath.
Rob’s head leaned against mine. “We need to talk, Scarlet.”
With a sigh, I nodded. “I know.”
“Let me,” he said, nudging me aside.
I moved, leaning my hip on the table to look at him still. I crossed my arms. “I bare know where to start, Rob.”
“Start where you left,” he said, lifting his eyes to mine. “When I saw you last.”
I drew a breath. “Prince John sent my carriage away from the others. He hid me, imprisoning me in castle dungeons. I never knew where I was.” I stopped, the word feeling strange on my tongue, here with Rob, where I thought my hen-picked way of talking were the real part of me.
His eyebrows lifted. “You’re talking different.”
I tightened my arms round myself. “It wasn’t like I didn’t know how to talk before. Eleanor made me practice—but that’s a later part.”
He nodded, waiting for me to continue.
“He moved me round, and then one night he told my guards to kill me. One tried, and David killed him to save me.”
“David was one of your captors,” he said dark.
I nodded. “But before he tried to kill me, Prince John said Richard wasn’t coming back.”
“Which is the only way he’d try such a thing,” Rob said, cutting the pork hard. “Coward.”
“I had to tell Eleanor,” I told him. He nodded. “It took a few days to send word to her, but she met me at Winchester—”
“Winchester?” he asked. “You were with de Quincy?”
I nodded. “He did me a great service, sheltering me until the queen came.”
He frowned. “Go on.”
My eyes dropped. “From there, I went to Bristol,” I said soft.
“Bristol?”
I nodded.
“What was in Bristol?”
I looked up at him, swallowing hard. “A ship. Bound for Ireland.”
He stopped cutting, looking at the food.
My mouth were dry. “I thought—I thought maybe running from Prince John would keep you safe. Would keep me safe,” I said, and he looked at me, his eyes hot and full of things I didn’t know to name. “I thought I could leave, Rob, I thought I could forget you, and forget the person I’ve become because of you. I thought—I thought so many things.”
His throat worked.
There were water filling in my eyes. “I couldn’t,” I told him. “I heard Eleanor were in trouble—was in trouble—and I knew I couldn’t leave. Leaving doesn’t keep you safe. Leaving doesn’t do anything but keep us apart,” I told him. “I know that—” I kept on, but he stopped me, tugging me into his arms. Slow and careful, he pushed the hair off my face and tipped my mouth up to kiss him.
I closed my eyes and the water fell, but it didn’t matter, not when I were hidden in Rob’s love.
“My lord Sheriff, step away,” I heard, and Rob’s mouth left mine so that we could both turn and see David, his sword half-drawn.
Rob glared at him. “Sir?” he asked.
“David, what are you doing?” I demanded.
“My lady, I cannot allow him to dishonor you in such a way! The queen mother—the king!—would demand my life for less.”
There were giggles around us, but David were fair serious.
“He may already demand your life for keeping his daughter captive,” Rob snapped.
David’s face went pale, but he didn’t move or relent.
“She is—” he started, and my eyes went wide. “A lady of the court,” he finished, nodding a touch to me. “The daughter of a king. You will not put your hands on her in such a manner.”
Rob let me go, but he were still glaring at David. “She’s my betrothed, sir.”
“I am?” I asked.
“Then you should be more mindful of her reputation.”
Rob crossed his arms.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, what reputation do I have left?” I asked them. “I fell to my knees in the house of God covered with the blood of several men, and yet I’m not meant to kiss the man I have always loved?” I demanded.
Rob looked at me. “When did that happen?” he asked, turning to me—but still keeping his big, strong arms that I very much liked crossed round me crossed over his chest.
David sheathed his sword in full. “When the queen mother was attacked,” he said. “My lady defended her valiantly.”
And then I found I were Lady Huntingdon, I tried in my head. It were the most important thing to tell him.
“Was that part of Prince John’s plot against Richard—to steal the ransom money? I can’t believe he’d attack his own mother—though I suppose that would put suspicion off him.”
I shook my head. “No—they were vagabonds seizing an opportunity. Well, I believe so, at least. I believe Prince John will steal the money, but he’ll wait until it has all been gathered. He can’t do much without a very expensive army.”
“What?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Come on.”
We brought food, and several women went back into the castle to cook more food. I tried cutting salted pork, but it were clumsy and awful with my hands wrapped up. Hissing in frustration, I froze when familiar arms came around me and covered my hands. “Want me to do that?”
I shut my eyes, leaning my head against his for a breath.
Rob’s head leaned against mine. “We need to talk, Scarlet.”
With a sigh, I nodded. “I know.”
“Let me,” he said, nudging me aside.
I moved, leaning my hip on the table to look at him still. I crossed my arms. “I bare know where to start, Rob.”
“Start where you left,” he said, lifting his eyes to mine. “When I saw you last.”
I drew a breath. “Prince John sent my carriage away from the others. He hid me, imprisoning me in castle dungeons. I never knew where I was.” I stopped, the word feeling strange on my tongue, here with Rob, where I thought my hen-picked way of talking were the real part of me.
His eyebrows lifted. “You’re talking different.”
I tightened my arms round myself. “It wasn’t like I didn’t know how to talk before. Eleanor made me practice—but that’s a later part.”
He nodded, waiting for me to continue.
“He moved me round, and then one night he told my guards to kill me. One tried, and David killed him to save me.”
“David was one of your captors,” he said dark.
I nodded. “But before he tried to kill me, Prince John said Richard wasn’t coming back.”
“Which is the only way he’d try such a thing,” Rob said, cutting the pork hard. “Coward.”
“I had to tell Eleanor,” I told him. He nodded. “It took a few days to send word to her, but she met me at Winchester—”
“Winchester?” he asked. “You were with de Quincy?”
I nodded. “He did me a great service, sheltering me until the queen came.”
He frowned. “Go on.”
My eyes dropped. “From there, I went to Bristol,” I said soft.
“Bristol?”
I nodded.
“What was in Bristol?”
I looked up at him, swallowing hard. “A ship. Bound for Ireland.”
He stopped cutting, looking at the food.
My mouth were dry. “I thought—I thought maybe running from Prince John would keep you safe. Would keep me safe,” I said, and he looked at me, his eyes hot and full of things I didn’t know to name. “I thought I could leave, Rob, I thought I could forget you, and forget the person I’ve become because of you. I thought—I thought so many things.”
His throat worked.
There were water filling in my eyes. “I couldn’t,” I told him. “I heard Eleanor were in trouble—was in trouble—and I knew I couldn’t leave. Leaving doesn’t keep you safe. Leaving doesn’t do anything but keep us apart,” I told him. “I know that—” I kept on, but he stopped me, tugging me into his arms. Slow and careful, he pushed the hair off my face and tipped my mouth up to kiss him.
I closed my eyes and the water fell, but it didn’t matter, not when I were hidden in Rob’s love.
“My lord Sheriff, step away,” I heard, and Rob’s mouth left mine so that we could both turn and see David, his sword half-drawn.
Rob glared at him. “Sir?” he asked.
“David, what are you doing?” I demanded.
“My lady, I cannot allow him to dishonor you in such a way! The queen mother—the king!—would demand my life for less.”
There were giggles around us, but David were fair serious.
“He may already demand your life for keeping his daughter captive,” Rob snapped.
David’s face went pale, but he didn’t move or relent.
“She is—” he started, and my eyes went wide. “A lady of the court,” he finished, nodding a touch to me. “The daughter of a king. You will not put your hands on her in such a manner.”
Rob let me go, but he were still glaring at David. “She’s my betrothed, sir.”
“I am?” I asked.
“Then you should be more mindful of her reputation.”
Rob crossed his arms.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, what reputation do I have left?” I asked them. “I fell to my knees in the house of God covered with the blood of several men, and yet I’m not meant to kiss the man I have always loved?” I demanded.
Rob looked at me. “When did that happen?” he asked, turning to me—but still keeping his big, strong arms that I very much liked crossed round me crossed over his chest.
David sheathed his sword in full. “When the queen mother was attacked,” he said. “My lady defended her valiantly.”
And then I found I were Lady Huntingdon, I tried in my head. It were the most important thing to tell him.
“Was that part of Prince John’s plot against Richard—to steal the ransom money? I can’t believe he’d attack his own mother—though I suppose that would put suspicion off him.”
I shook my head. “No—they were vagabonds seizing an opportunity. Well, I believe so, at least. I believe Prince John will steal the money, but he’ll wait until it has all been gathered. He can’t do much without a very expensive army.”
