Lion Heart
Page 17
“He is required protection by the queen. And it has nothing to do with my penchants, Allan—I just tend to be in the same business as big, strong men, only they need to be twice as tall and twice as heavy to do what I can in half the time,” I snapped. “And if you’re coming along, I hope you’ll serve as much of a purpose as he does. Do you have any contacts in Bristol?”
“I have friends everywhere, my lady.”
“Well, then perhaps you’ll keep your ear to the ground and your mouth blessedly shut?” I said.
David chuckled.
Allan pouted. “You know that’s mostly through an extended network of people with ears to the ground, don’t you? I don’t like putting my ear to the ground.” He pouted further, brushing dust from his bright red cape. “In fact, I don’t much care for being dirty.”
“Allan, stop, for the love of God,” I asked him. “Just stop speaking for a while.”
David chuckled again at this, and I glared at him. He shrugged in return. “I didn’t comment when you called me required protection, did I?” he asked.
I sighed, but Allan weren’t speaking for the moment, so I rather thought I’d try to enjoy it.
I were surprised by how much I did enjoy it. I missed being outside, I missed being away from the city. The trees were in sap, and the smell were enough to get drunk on, to let my mind swirl back to Sherwood and Nottingham and kisses in the dark woods, the rough swipe of bark against my back, and the hot swipe of Rob’s hands on my front.
I shut my eyes. Forget him, forget him, forget him.
It didn’t seem near that easy.
Chapter 7
The three of us made Bristol three full days after leaving Eleanor. The port city seemed prospering and heaving, with Wales in sight across the narrow channel. It bristled the hair on my neck, having an enemy so close and my escape so near.
Escape.
It were quick work for Allan to find the next ship to Ireland that were leaving in three days’ time, and we went to an inn to stay for the in-between. Riding through the country hadn’t meant a lot of gentle nights, and all three of us were happy for a hot bath, even if it were expensive. I went first, and donned a set of men’s clothes over my hot, damp skin.
Tucking my growing hair up under a hat, I went down to the tavern without the boys. I just wanted time to myself, and they were growing happier with each other, even if I couldn’t much call their friendship fond.
I had every intention of sitting and eating, happy and warm in the tavern, but we were back at the ocean, and I could smell it, and Rob seemed just beyond me, mocking my thought of leaving him behind. I left the tavern and went for the water, trying to find him again. Trying to be with him in these salty half moments, trying to call up some piece of him that I could take with me.
I found the port and followed the water’s edge out along the city till it fell into big rocks with places to hide. Picking my way out over slippery black boulders in the gleam of the moon, I finally found one that weren’t too wet and had a place I could tuck into besides.
The heat were gone from my skin, but the damp were still there, and it made the night seem colder again by half. I shut my eyes and breathed it in and wished him to me.
His hand touched my face, and water welled up in my eyes but I didn’t open them, holding onto his shadow self as long as I could.
“Come back to me, Scar. I don’t understand why you won’t come to me.”
“To protect you,” I whispered. “Because I love you.”
“It’s not you that will hurt me. It’s Prince John. He’ll kill us all, Scar, just because he wants to.”
“Not if I’m not there. Not if I don’t provoke him.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Not if I kill him first,” I told Rob, overhot and fierce.
“Then what the hell are you doing in Bristol?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I’ll kill him,” I promised Rob. “Just stay here with me a while longer.”
“I’ll never leave you,” he told me, and I felt his arms on me. “As long as you love me, I’ll be here, hidden somewhere in your heart.”
The water slipped out, and I tried to imagine his arms tighter on me, holding me tight enough to be real, wondering if those words were meant to comfort me or haunt me. “I’ll never stop loving you, Rob. Never.”
“Then I’ll always be here,” he said, brushing a kiss into my hair.
I fell asleep like that, with the rock of the ocean waves, the cold of the night and fresh bite of the wind taking me away from myself. Wrapping me up with Robin like I could keep him there. When I woke up, I thought it were to a seagull cackling good morning, but it were someone laughing.
Turning slow to not be seen, I looked around. There were two women in the water, rucking in nets in the shallows.
“I’ll buy a pound of butter,” one said.
“Just a pound?” the other said. “I’ll buy the whole cow and have cream and butter and milk for years.”
“That’s awful work,” the first said. “All that cranking and squeezing and churning.”
“Then I’ll hire someone for it. A good little lass that could use the coin.”
The first clucked. “Heavens, I wouldn’t never have a little young thing running around my husband. No good, that one.”
They both laughed at this. “Well, if our husbands were any good, we wouldn’t have our butter cow, would we?”
“I have friends everywhere, my lady.”
“Well, then perhaps you’ll keep your ear to the ground and your mouth blessedly shut?” I said.
David chuckled.
Allan pouted. “You know that’s mostly through an extended network of people with ears to the ground, don’t you? I don’t like putting my ear to the ground.” He pouted further, brushing dust from his bright red cape. “In fact, I don’t much care for being dirty.”
“Allan, stop, for the love of God,” I asked him. “Just stop speaking for a while.”
David chuckled again at this, and I glared at him. He shrugged in return. “I didn’t comment when you called me required protection, did I?” he asked.
I sighed, but Allan weren’t speaking for the moment, so I rather thought I’d try to enjoy it.
I were surprised by how much I did enjoy it. I missed being outside, I missed being away from the city. The trees were in sap, and the smell were enough to get drunk on, to let my mind swirl back to Sherwood and Nottingham and kisses in the dark woods, the rough swipe of bark against my back, and the hot swipe of Rob’s hands on my front.
I shut my eyes. Forget him, forget him, forget him.
It didn’t seem near that easy.
Chapter 7
The three of us made Bristol three full days after leaving Eleanor. The port city seemed prospering and heaving, with Wales in sight across the narrow channel. It bristled the hair on my neck, having an enemy so close and my escape so near.
Escape.
It were quick work for Allan to find the next ship to Ireland that were leaving in three days’ time, and we went to an inn to stay for the in-between. Riding through the country hadn’t meant a lot of gentle nights, and all three of us were happy for a hot bath, even if it were expensive. I went first, and donned a set of men’s clothes over my hot, damp skin.
Tucking my growing hair up under a hat, I went down to the tavern without the boys. I just wanted time to myself, and they were growing happier with each other, even if I couldn’t much call their friendship fond.
I had every intention of sitting and eating, happy and warm in the tavern, but we were back at the ocean, and I could smell it, and Rob seemed just beyond me, mocking my thought of leaving him behind. I left the tavern and went for the water, trying to find him again. Trying to be with him in these salty half moments, trying to call up some piece of him that I could take with me.
I found the port and followed the water’s edge out along the city till it fell into big rocks with places to hide. Picking my way out over slippery black boulders in the gleam of the moon, I finally found one that weren’t too wet and had a place I could tuck into besides.
The heat were gone from my skin, but the damp were still there, and it made the night seem colder again by half. I shut my eyes and breathed it in and wished him to me.
His hand touched my face, and water welled up in my eyes but I didn’t open them, holding onto his shadow self as long as I could.
“Come back to me, Scar. I don’t understand why you won’t come to me.”
“To protect you,” I whispered. “Because I love you.”
“It’s not you that will hurt me. It’s Prince John. He’ll kill us all, Scar, just because he wants to.”
“Not if I’m not there. Not if I don’t provoke him.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Not if I kill him first,” I told Rob, overhot and fierce.
“Then what the hell are you doing in Bristol?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I’ll kill him,” I promised Rob. “Just stay here with me a while longer.”
“I’ll never leave you,” he told me, and I felt his arms on me. “As long as you love me, I’ll be here, hidden somewhere in your heart.”
The water slipped out, and I tried to imagine his arms tighter on me, holding me tight enough to be real, wondering if those words were meant to comfort me or haunt me. “I’ll never stop loving you, Rob. Never.”
“Then I’ll always be here,” he said, brushing a kiss into my hair.
I fell asleep like that, with the rock of the ocean waves, the cold of the night and fresh bite of the wind taking me away from myself. Wrapping me up with Robin like I could keep him there. When I woke up, I thought it were to a seagull cackling good morning, but it were someone laughing.
Turning slow to not be seen, I looked around. There were two women in the water, rucking in nets in the shallows.
“I’ll buy a pound of butter,” one said.
“Just a pound?” the other said. “I’ll buy the whole cow and have cream and butter and milk for years.”
“That’s awful work,” the first said. “All that cranking and squeezing and churning.”
“Then I’ll hire someone for it. A good little lass that could use the coin.”
The first clucked. “Heavens, I wouldn’t never have a little young thing running around my husband. No good, that one.”
They both laughed at this. “Well, if our husbands were any good, we wouldn’t have our butter cow, would we?”
