Lion Heart
Page 52
Rob gathered me up, his body warm in the cold water, and I felt like I could breathe again. His breath rushed over me, harsh, his eyes closed tight, trying to ward off the things I were telling him. “I will never make you set foot in that room again,” he whispered.
“I got my knife,” I continued, talking to the crook of his neck.
He hugged me tighter, kicking for the both of us, and his hands held me up, curled on my back. “You did?” he asked.
I nodded. “And I managed to call for Winchester. And he kept Gisbourne away from me.”
Rob took my chin from his shoulder. “You mean—he didn’t—”
There were bare enough time to shake my head once before Rob kissed me, soft and gentle, so distracting sweet that we both stopped kicking, and our heads slipped under the water, such cold on my skin and such heat on my lips.
Rob pulled back, kicking hard to bring us up, holding me against him. He held me tight, kissing my shoulder as he hugged me. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You knew I’d be too angry—I would have killed him. I’m sorry I wasn’t in a state to protect you. I’m sorry you had to call for Winchester, and not me.”
I shivered. “I thought you’d be angry.”
“At myself, love.” He kissed my shoulder again. “At myself.”
Sighing against him, I looked round, realizing it were growing darker. “Sun’s going down,” I whispered to him.
“One hundred fifty-six,” he said absent-like, letting one arm loose of me to start to swim toward shore.
“What?” I said, tugging on his hand.
He looked at me and grinned. “One hundred fifty-six.”
I’ll wait. Every sunset, every day. I’ll count them all until you’re mine. My perfect wife. My only wife.
“The numbers. The letters—you were counting the sunsets,” I said as I realized.
His grin grew broader, wider, fuller, like he were pulling stars down from Heaven and tucking them into his smile. “You got the letters.”
“Only recently,” I whispered. “I haven’t . . . I haven’t read them yet. I saw the numbers, but I didn’t know.”
And then he kissed me, and stars flooded through me, glittering and dancing and heating me with their fire as he pulled me to shore. He pulled me up onto the rock, and he kissed me until it were dark.
Chapter 21
When we got back to the castle, I went to Bess’s room. She let me hold the baby, and said she were feeling much better, and when I asked her, quiet, how one goes about planning a wedding in secret and in a few days’ time, she shrieked and covered her mouth, laughing with me.
The next morning the work started in earnest. I were out of clean clothes and Rob gave me some of his to wear. There were something about wearing his clothes that felt even closer between us, and I smiled again with my secret that he weren’t much aware of yet—I would marry him. I were ready to marry him.
We rode out to the forest, Rob and I sharing a horse and snugged close together on it, his hand spanning my waist and keeping me to him.
I covered his hand and threaded my fingers through his. I always wanted to be close to him.
Most of the shire were there already by the time we arrived, but many more people were drifting in on the roads. We met in Edwinstowe at the heart of the forest, and Rob and Much stood together and started doling out tasks.
Many of the women and children were sent to the places where peat grew, thick layers of rich-smelling moss that would burn in a fire for near as long as a wooden beam. It could be cut out of embankments and sold in bricks. Peat were expensive stuff, and always sold well at market. It weren’t heavy or dangerous to pull it out either, so the women and little ones were good for it.
The biggest men were sent to pull down a few trees, away from the rest of us in case they happened to fall wrong. Godfrey went off with them.
And then there were the hunters. Rob nodded to me with a grin for this, and I smiled back. The Clarke boys cleaved quick to me, and even Missy Morgan ran over to me, eager to hunt with me. I laughed. “We have to split up,” I told them. “Teams of two, a good shot and someone to carry the animals.”
“I’m better at skinning them,” Missy said.
I smiled. “That can be a separate job too.”
Rob slid his arm around me. “Hunt with me?”
Putting my hands on his chest, I pushed him off a bit with a teasing grin. “That’s not a good idea.”
“You’re a better spot and I’m a better shot, and you can practice your shooting,” he said. “Besides, I think it’s fairly well known we’re an unbeatable team,” he said, darting in for a quick kiss.
“Kissing doesn’t count as hunting,” Will Clarke said. We turned to him, and he were frowning serious.
“Exactly,” I said, trying not to grin as I pushed Rob off.
“Rob!” Much yelled. “Scar! Try setting a good example, please?”
Will were still in front of me. “Why don’t you and your brothers go with Missy, Will?”
He turned to Missy and his face turned redder than the ribbons I liked. “Fine,” he grunted.
The peat and wood were loaded up on carts to be taken to market, but the meat were sold off to butchers in the neighboring towns who could resell it on their own. The hunters all ended a bit early, and the little ones took some of the meat back to the castle. Rob and I took the rest to sell, getting back to the castle as everyone were eating, tired but looking less frightened than they had in a long while.
“I got my knife,” I continued, talking to the crook of his neck.
He hugged me tighter, kicking for the both of us, and his hands held me up, curled on my back. “You did?” he asked.
I nodded. “And I managed to call for Winchester. And he kept Gisbourne away from me.”
Rob took my chin from his shoulder. “You mean—he didn’t—”
There were bare enough time to shake my head once before Rob kissed me, soft and gentle, so distracting sweet that we both stopped kicking, and our heads slipped under the water, such cold on my skin and such heat on my lips.
Rob pulled back, kicking hard to bring us up, holding me against him. He held me tight, kissing my shoulder as he hugged me. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You knew I’d be too angry—I would have killed him. I’m sorry I wasn’t in a state to protect you. I’m sorry you had to call for Winchester, and not me.”
I shivered. “I thought you’d be angry.”
“At myself, love.” He kissed my shoulder again. “At myself.”
Sighing against him, I looked round, realizing it were growing darker. “Sun’s going down,” I whispered to him.
“One hundred fifty-six,” he said absent-like, letting one arm loose of me to start to swim toward shore.
“What?” I said, tugging on his hand.
He looked at me and grinned. “One hundred fifty-six.”
I’ll wait. Every sunset, every day. I’ll count them all until you’re mine. My perfect wife. My only wife.
“The numbers. The letters—you were counting the sunsets,” I said as I realized.
His grin grew broader, wider, fuller, like he were pulling stars down from Heaven and tucking them into his smile. “You got the letters.”
“Only recently,” I whispered. “I haven’t . . . I haven’t read them yet. I saw the numbers, but I didn’t know.”
And then he kissed me, and stars flooded through me, glittering and dancing and heating me with their fire as he pulled me to shore. He pulled me up onto the rock, and he kissed me until it were dark.
Chapter 21
When we got back to the castle, I went to Bess’s room. She let me hold the baby, and said she were feeling much better, and when I asked her, quiet, how one goes about planning a wedding in secret and in a few days’ time, she shrieked and covered her mouth, laughing with me.
The next morning the work started in earnest. I were out of clean clothes and Rob gave me some of his to wear. There were something about wearing his clothes that felt even closer between us, and I smiled again with my secret that he weren’t much aware of yet—I would marry him. I were ready to marry him.
We rode out to the forest, Rob and I sharing a horse and snugged close together on it, his hand spanning my waist and keeping me to him.
I covered his hand and threaded my fingers through his. I always wanted to be close to him.
Most of the shire were there already by the time we arrived, but many more people were drifting in on the roads. We met in Edwinstowe at the heart of the forest, and Rob and Much stood together and started doling out tasks.
Many of the women and children were sent to the places where peat grew, thick layers of rich-smelling moss that would burn in a fire for near as long as a wooden beam. It could be cut out of embankments and sold in bricks. Peat were expensive stuff, and always sold well at market. It weren’t heavy or dangerous to pull it out either, so the women and little ones were good for it.
The biggest men were sent to pull down a few trees, away from the rest of us in case they happened to fall wrong. Godfrey went off with them.
And then there were the hunters. Rob nodded to me with a grin for this, and I smiled back. The Clarke boys cleaved quick to me, and even Missy Morgan ran over to me, eager to hunt with me. I laughed. “We have to split up,” I told them. “Teams of two, a good shot and someone to carry the animals.”
“I’m better at skinning them,” Missy said.
I smiled. “That can be a separate job too.”
Rob slid his arm around me. “Hunt with me?”
Putting my hands on his chest, I pushed him off a bit with a teasing grin. “That’s not a good idea.”
“You’re a better spot and I’m a better shot, and you can practice your shooting,” he said. “Besides, I think it’s fairly well known we’re an unbeatable team,” he said, darting in for a quick kiss.
“Kissing doesn’t count as hunting,” Will Clarke said. We turned to him, and he were frowning serious.
“Exactly,” I said, trying not to grin as I pushed Rob off.
“Rob!” Much yelled. “Scar! Try setting a good example, please?”
Will were still in front of me. “Why don’t you and your brothers go with Missy, Will?”
He turned to Missy and his face turned redder than the ribbons I liked. “Fine,” he grunted.
The peat and wood were loaded up on carts to be taken to market, but the meat were sold off to butchers in the neighboring towns who could resell it on their own. The hunters all ended a bit early, and the little ones took some of the meat back to the castle. Rob and I took the rest to sell, getting back to the castle as everyone were eating, tired but looking less frightened than they had in a long while.
