A look of desperation crossed her features. “I cannot take my vows before God, not when I love you. I do not want to….”
He shushed her quietly, leaning on his elbow as he touched her beautiful face. “You will not have to stay there any longer than necessary. If my petition meets with rejection, I shall simply abduct you and we shall flee to France. I have relatives in Normandy, and we can be married.”
She swallowed. “You would give up everything you’ve worked for? Richmond, your reputation is flawless. To end a brilliant career by abducting a novice nun and fleeing the country is certainly no way to cap off your success.”
He stroked her hair. “I have waited my entire life for you, Lady Arissa. My success, my reputation, means nothing without you.”
She seemed to be particularly emotional this day, with good reason. She cradled his face, touching him as she had longed to touch him for years. “I am so unworthy of you,” she whispered. “You are a great man, and I am a foolish girl with grand dreams. I simply cannot believe that you would make such a monumental declaration so easily.”
He leaned down, kissing her tenderly, as tenderly as he had always wanted to kiss her. “This is not a hasty decision. All I know is that I love you, and I will do what is necessary. But not a word to anyone, Riss. This must be between us for now. If your father found out….”
She nodded rapidly. “His rage would know no limits. My father’s temper and I are well acquainted.”
Somewhere, voices began floating into the small solar and Richmond leapt to his knees, his ears piqued. When the voices drew closer, he pulled Arissa to her feet and sat her in a chair. With a quick kiss to the top of her head, he barely had time to move a respectable distance away before William and Maude were entering the well-appointed room.
William’s eyes were wide on his daughter. He passed an inquisitive glance at Richmond as he moved towards her. “I trust Richmond has straightened you out, young lady?”
Arissa nearly choked; Sweet St. Jude, what monumental implications his simple statement encompassed! Swallowing hard, she cleared her throat very lady-like. “He has, my lord. I apologize for my display of bad manners.”
William drew in a long breath, offering his daughter a single nod. “Well and good. I would hope that you would apologize to Sir Tad, as well. Your words offended him deeply.”
Arissa nodded submissively, looking to her hands. “I shall apologize if that is your wish, father,” she said softly. “But I do not wish to be alone with him. I…. I do not trust him.”
William cocked an eyebrow and opened his mouth to question her when Richmond stepped in. “Tad de Rydal was less than courteous with her earlier, William, which explains her attitude towards him. And I hardly blame her.”
William frowned. “Define his actions, Richmond.”
Richmond shrugged, crossing his arms. “He was rather bold with his language and his actions. When I intervened, he challenged me.”
William’s eyes widened. “Why did you not tell me of this earlier? How dare he call you out in the midst of a social occasion!”
“It was of little consequence. A humiliating lessoned learned and he was sent on his way.”
William turned to his daughter. “What did he say that was so terribly bold, Arissa? And, more importantly, did he try to harm you?”
Arissa swallowed hard, glancing at Richmond before she spoke.
“He…. he called you an idiot for pledging me to the church. When I attempted to defend you, he grabbed my arm and told me a woman of my beauty was made for a man’s pleasure.”
William was outraged and Richmond’s expression bordered on pure hostility. Although Richmond had been lingering in the shadows monitoring the situation, the muffled conversation between Tad and Arissa had been unclear to him; he had intervened not as a result of the words spoken but as a direct reaction to Tad’s movements. Had he known the extent of the young knight’s statements, he would have interceded far sooner.
A fierce sense of jealousy filled his veins. How dare the bastard direct such harsh words at a woman as fragile and sweet as Arissa. His Arissa. Damnation, he had been aware of her feelings all of ten minutes and already he was acting the protective husband.
As Maude moved to comfort her daughter, William turned to Richmond.
“I want him out,” he growled. “I do not care what it takes – I shall leave the details to you. But avoid insulting Ovid if you can. He’s a powerful baron and I shall not have the man going to war against me.”
Richmond cocked an eyebrow. “As you and I have agreed, I am not the diplomatic sort. When I throw de Rydal from this keep, I will not stop to ask him if I have been offensive in manner. Mayhap you should speak with the father while I deal with the son. If Ovid understands Tad’s offense as you explain it, he will most likely allow me to complete my duty as I see fit.”
William nodded shortly. “Agreed,” he turned to his daughter once more. “I am sorry, Riss. I had no idea that he had been so terribly brutal with you.”
Her gaze moved to Richmond, feeling more love and pride than she ever thought possible. “Richmond saved me, father. Tad never truly had a chance.”
Richmond heard the words, saw the expression. Never in his life had he felt so fulfilled, as if discovering Arissa’s feelings had suddenly made him a whole, undivided man. It was all he could do not to match her dreamy gaze.
William grunted as he moved from the solar, intent on dealing with his unruly guests. Maude remained with Arissa as Richmond moved to follow William. A lingering gaze passed between them, expressions filled with a thousand words of thanks for what had occurred between them this day.
Richmond allowed his gaze to rest on her beautiful face longer than he should have, his promises to her rolling over and over in his mind. He had promised to marry her, no matter what the cost. And he would. The fact that she was a princess far beyond his reach no longer seemed to matter anymore; she loved him, and he loved her. Lowly knight or no, he would have her.
At the moment, however, he was forced away from his thoughts to the task at hand. Richmond tore his gaze away from Arissa, bowing silently to her mother as he excused himself.
Wrapped in her mother’s arms, Arissa stared at the open doorway long after Richmond had vacated the room. Still, she could scarcely believe what had transpired between them. It was still difficult to grasp, even as she continued to taste him upon her lips.
She wondered when she would awaken from her most vivid, wondrous dream yet.
CHAPTER SIX
“I thought you said Tad was leaving,” Emma shielded her blue eyes against the afternoon sun. “He’s on the field with the others.”
Arissa’s gaze lingered on the sun-lit field. The Stick and Ball game was about to begin and the two teams were catching a bit of practice before the match commenced.
The men clutched angled sticks in their hands, broad and thin and designed to precisely smack the object of the game, a small leather ball. The entire purpose of the event was to move the ball through the opponent’s team to their protected end of the field. When the opposition was conquered, a score was made.
It was a brutal game with few rules of conduct, making for an exciting and bloody match. It was extremely popular with the men-at-arms and the peasants, but on a few occasions the knights and nobles would compete simply to appease their own lust for sport. As Arissa and The Horde gazed upon the field, Bartholomew and Daniel took the field for the earl’s team.
“Richmond was supposed to escort him from Lambourn,” Arissa replied to Emma’s question, belatedly. “Truthfully, I have no idea why he’s still here.”
Emma sighed. “How awful that he insulted your father to his face. I wonder what possessed him?”
Arissa kept her gaze averted, lest Emma see her guilt. Another small lie to appease her friend’s fragile feelings, the omission of certain facts that had constituted her explanation regarding Tad’s departure. Certainly she couldn’t know of the coarse statem
ents Tad had made, the guttural remarks that had sent her father and Richmond into a rage. It would have broken Emma’s heart.
“I do not know, truly,” Arissa said, hoping to change the subject. “Goodness, I did not think Bart enjoyed Stick and Ball anymore. I have not seen him play since we were children.”
“Look, Riss,” Penelope tugged her arm, diverting Emma’s attention as well. “Isn’t that Richmond taking the field?”
Arissa stiffened, catching sight of a very tall, armorless man as broad as a tree. Her mouth opened in surprise. “He cannot play this game!” she suddenly leapt to her feet. “What in the world is he doing?”
Emma and Penelope rose beside her. “Why can’t he play? He’s played many a time before,” Penelope said.
Arissa thought a moment before replying. In her opinion, he couldn’t play because he might become injured and she would surely die if anything happened to him. Especially now that their relationship had passed to heights she had never believed possible. But she refrained from mentioning the truth, a secret far too precious to divulge.
“Because…. well, he simply cannot.” She gathered her skirts. “I must talk to him.”
Penelope and Emma watched her trudge toward the field. Emma leaned toward her friend. “She’s afraid he will injure himself.”
Penelope nodded. “Poor Riss. In love with a man she can never have.”
Emma nodded slowly. “I wonder if she will forget about him after she joins the convent.”
Penelope cast her a long glance. “Would you?”
Emma met her gaze before returning her attention to the field. “Poor Riss,” she repeated.
Arissa marched to the edge of the turf, sending a soldier running for Richmond. He was in the center of the field, whacking the life out of the small leather ball. When the soldier approached him and uttered a few words, his head snapped to Arissa with dizzying speed. Immediately, he relinquished the ball to another player.
He jogged towards her, clad in a simple tunic, hose and knee-high leather boots. It was extremely rare to see him out of armor at any given moment, but to be without protection in a public forum was nearly unheard of.
Arissa watched him approach, thinking him to be far more glorious without his armor; his shoulders were exceedingly broad and his waist narrow. When she remembered the feel of his lips against hers, the tenderness in his magnificent touch, her cheeks flushed anew. She could still scarcely believe it.
And neither could he. Although Richmond was trying to maintain a neutral expression as he approached her, it was extremely difficult. He hadn’t seen her for over an hour and was desperate to taste her again. Her soft expression told him of her very similar thoughts, weakening his control further.
“Is something amiss, my lady?”
She gestured at the stick in his hand. “What do you think you are doing?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “That should be fairly obvious.”
She frowned. “I do not want you to play. ’Tis a rough sport and you might…. well, you should leave the playing to the soldiers.”
A shadow of a smile played on his lips. “What you mean to say is that I am too old and might injure myself.”
“I did not say that. But I certainly do not want you to hurt yourself.”
The smile escaped and his mouth curved. “Riss, I have been playing this game for years. Moreover, you have watched me play this game for years,” he took a step closer, leaning casually on his stick. “Kitten, if you start showing an over amount of concern for my welfare, people might become suspicious.”
She gazed up at him, suddenly uncertain. She refrained from glancing about to see who might be watching them. “I did not mean to….oh, Richmond, I do not want you to play this silly game. It is too rough!”
He scratched his chin nonchalantly. “Your concern is touching, Riss, truly. But you worry overmuch. Now, return to Penelope and Emma and if I discover you have told them of our…. uh, conversation this afternoon, I shall blister your lovely bottom. Is that clear?”
She pursed her lips wryly. “If you can catch me, my lord.”
He cocked a serious eyebrow. “What happened between us is not fodder for gossips, Riss. You shall never know how serious it is.”
She relented somewhat, her features softening. “I do indeed realize how serious it is. They shall not hear a word from my lips.”
His eyes glittered. “And delicious lips they are. I should know.”
Tad suddenly ran past, cracking the leather ball so hard that the sound made Arissa wince. Her gaze as well as Richmond’s followed the young knight.
“Why is he still here?” she asked quietly.
Richmond sighed, toying with his stick. “Your father spoke with Lord de Rydal and it was decided that Tad would take his leave discreetly after the Stick and Ball game rather than to be abruptly hustled from Lambourn. Lord de Rydal was concerned that Tad not appear as an unwelcome element whom your father is eager to be rid of, instead, allowing the knight to leave with the majority of his pride intact.”
She watched Tad handle himself aggressively on the field; he was a large man and quite strong. Bartholomew tried to intercept the ball and was sent to the ground.
“Watch yourself, my love,” she murmured, turning her attention to Richmond once more. “I am afraid of what he might attempt.”
Richmond clutched his stick, slinging it over his shoulder. “Have no fear. I have had experience with the Tads of this world.”
Slanting him a frustrated glance at his careless attitude, Arissa turned away and prepared to rejoin her friends. He called to her softly.
“Are you to reward the winner of this match?”
She shook her head. “We haven’t enough ribbons for the entire team.”
His expression did not change, but his eyes roared with intensity. “I was not speaking of ribbons. And I most certainly was not speaking of the entire team.”
She blushed madly, as giddy excitement filled her. “In that case, I shall reward the winner. Whatever he desires.”
The corners of his mouth tugged. With a bold wink, he turned and strolled across the field to where his team was in the final throes of practice.
Arissa returned to Penelope and Emma. Regine, her hands full of food, had joined the group. Her mouth loaded with custard, she kept up a running conversation regarding Tad and his talents. Emma, her face red, listened silently as Arissa took position next to Penelope.
“Daniel’s already fallen twice,” Penelope lamented. “I wish he would not play.”
Arissa sighed, watching as the marshals separated the teams and sent them to opposite sides of the field. Her father’s team was represented by Richmond, her brother, Daniel, and nine other soldiers from Lambourn and Richmond’s personal corp. The opposing team was comprised of soldiers and knights from visiting households.
Lady Maxine and Carlton joined The Horde as the match was readied. William stood near the edges of the turf with several other nobles, including Ovid de Rydal, no doubt issuing gentlemanly wagers before the game began. Just as the marshals were leaving the field, Lady Maude and Lady Livia strolled up on Arissa’s group.
“Arissa, dear, do you think it wise to observe this sport?” her mother said gently.
Arissa turned to her mother, a plump woman who had once been exceedingly lovely. Once, when she had been Regine’s age, she had overheard her father telling Richmond that the only reason he had married Maude was because she had been so lovely to behold. The woman had the intellect equal to that of a door.
“Why not, Mother? I have watched before, numerous times.”
Lady Maude glanced to the field. “’Tis simply that you are to join the cloister next month, and watching a sport based upon such brutality might…. well, it might….”
Lady Livia finished her sentence, as was usual. Oft times, Maude had difficulty finishing a line of thought. “It might adversely affect you, my lady. Now that you have come of age, your emotions have matured and it mi
ght upset your delicate balance.”
Regine leaned against her sister’s ear. “It might make you lusty.”
Arissa choked on her next breath, coughing indelicately into her hand in a desperate attempt to keep from laughing. Unfortunately, she knew Regine was right; her mother thought that viewing a host of thinly-clad men might stir her innocent juices, feelings a virgin bound for the cloister should not experience. But Arissa had spectated numerous Stick and Ball games and was surprised that her mother would wait until now to voice her concerns.
Arissa took a deep breath, swallowing the last of her cough. “I understand your concern, Mother, but I would have you understand mine. This will most likely be the last Stick and Ball game I ever witness, and I should like to enjoy it if I may. Does this displease you?”
Maude and Livia looked to one another. When Livia shrugged faintly, Maude returned her attention to her daughter.
“Nay, dear, it does not. But control yourself as a well-bred young lady should.”
Arissa smiled, kissing her mother on the cheek. Even if the woman was dull, she was loving and sweet. “Does this mean you will not allow me to play?”
Maude looked shocked for a brief moment; when the younger girls began to giggle, she realized Arissa was jesting and her stunned expression relaxed into a smile. “You naughty child, take your seat and I shall not hear another word from you.”
Snickering, Arissa perched herself on a collapsible stool. Her mother, convinced that Stick and Ball was a ruthless sport offensive to a refined woman’s taste, offered her farewell to the group and retreated to the castle with Lady Livia on her heels.
But the fact that Maude publicly condemned the unruly game did not prevent her from finding a convenient window by which to watch the bloody spectacle. She would rather die than admit her fondness for a game where loosely-clad men engaged in bone-jarring combat. Half-naked, sweaty males warmed her aging blood.
The game got off to a rapid start. A no-holds-barred melee, the sounds of sticks against leather and sticks against flesh filled the air. The two teams were blended together so tightly that it was difficult to make out any particular individual until the crowd broke in chase of the loose ball.
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