“Oh, Gilles, she’s early. This does complicate matters.” Lady Aubrianne paced a few steps before coming to a decision. “You return to the stable. If one of us does not go back this evening, Baldric will be sure to send out his guards.”
“I could always stay, my lady. You could hop right up on Tullian and ride straight back the way you came.” But Gilles knew that once she saw Rina’s condition, she would be as immovable as the henge. He smiled—there was one way: he could hit her over the head, tie her to the saddle, and slap Tullian on the rump after pointing him in the direction of home. “I don’t like it, my lady, leaving you here alone. I know you can protect yourself, but…”
“We’ve never found tracks in this area, Gilles,” she reminded him. “You can take the mares, and I’ll find a good spot to hole up with Rina. I can remain hidden if necessary, you know that.”
“All right, but I’m not leaving until we have your camp settled. And, I am sending Will.”
Gilles thought about the plan he and the others had discussed. Perhaps it was for the best that Lady Aubrianne and his son would be away from the castle for a few days. Feigning reluctance, Gilles agreed to leave.
“Let’s give the mares an hour to graze,” he suggested. “While we’re waiting, we can practice quarterstaff. I’ll leave you my bow and quiver, and you have your dagger. You will at least have some weapons to protect yourself, though I doubt you’ll need them.”
• • •
Lark raced through the fields on Rabbit. His horse’s strides lengthened to eat up the distance to Lady Aubrianne. Of all the reckless behavior, he thought angrily. He found the second stream and half expected to see the mares when the water rounded back upon itself. Only their tracks remained, trailing deeper into the wooded hills.
Then he heard a familiar sound on the breeze. He reined in Rabbit and listened to the uneven clacking. After dismounting, he slipped silently through the trees, his uneasiness growing upon recognizing the cracking of quarterstaffs.
• • •
Gilles and Anna had fought together so many times that their sparring resembled a dance. They advanced and reversed, butted and guarded, each knowing the other’s moves as if they were their own. Still, Anna thought, the practice was good for her. It strengthened her even as it fed her soul.
Gilles almost succeeded in surprising her with a move he seldom used. Almost. Switching his staff from one hand to the other, he attacked. Anna ducked as his rod whistled through the air above her head. She jumped over his return swing, a blow aimed below her knees. Turning to counter the blow, she was distracted by a movement near the edge of the clearing. She barely managed to block a butt to her ribs. Gilles cocked an eyebrow at her.
She engaged him again by moving to the right; the position allowed her a better view of the tree line. There it was again, only this time, a glint of metal.
She raised her staff, leaving her torso unprotected. All of her concentration was focused on the hurtling object aimed at her friend. She lifted her hawthorn stick up and under Gilles’s arm, just in time to catch a nasty dagger before it embedded itself in his shoulder.
Not until she was staring at the quivering blade lodged in her staff did she notice the pain radiating through her side. While she’d been protecting him, Gilles had landed a heavy blow to her ribs. He immediately backed off, followed her gaze, and realized their peril.
“Come forward, coward,” he shouted to the woods, pushing her behind him. “Come forward, and I’ll show you that a man does not throw knives whilst hiding behind trees.”
Anna tried to catch her breath as a figure stepped into the clearing, a good twenty paces from the dagger’s origin.
“What in the world do you think you are doing?” she panted. “You could have killed him. If I hadn’t seen you…”
“The throw was not intended to kill,” Larkin answered easily.
Gilles, having pulled his dagger from his belt, continued to shield her. Anna put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed hard enough to capture his attention. “Gilles, stop.” When he made no move to heed her, she urged, “It’s all right. Put it away.”
“Not quite yet, my lady,” he replied, never once taking his eyes from Larkin.
“I take it, Lady Aubrianne, that he is another loyal friend of yours?”
“Larkin, this is Gilles, Stolweg’s stable master. Gilles, this is Larkin of the Royal Guard,” she managed in one breath, the words rushing out while she held her side.
Gilles lowered his dagger but did not return it to its scabbard. Keeping his eye on the armed man, Lark wondered aloud, “Why is it every time I meet one of your friends, they think me set on doing you harm? Is this some special Stolweg tradition?”
Ignoring him, Lady Aubrianne picked up her quarterstaff, pulled out the knife, then tossed it deftly to him, hilt first. “I see that Baldric was hasty in sending me to your rescue,” Lark added. “You seem to have your own army of protectors.”
“You have it wrong,” Gilles fired back, finally sheathing his blade. “It is Lady Aubrianne who protects us. I’ll gather the mares, m’lady,” he said, glancing at the deepening sky. “There’ll be just enough time to make camp.”
“Whose camp?” Lark asked. “I’m here to escort Lady Aubrianne back to the keep.”
Gilles chuckled. “You can try,” he said, and walked off to corral the horses.
“What does he mean, I can try?” Lark demanded.
“I’m not going back tonight. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. I can’t. Rina’s about to foal.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “And Gilles, he was going to leave you here? Alone?”
• • •
Anna was unused to anyone questioning her methods when it came to the horses. Even Roger had challenged her only a few times. “Really, Larkin,” she said impatiently, “it’s only for a few hours. As soon as you both return to the keep, Gilles will send his son. I’ll stay with Rina.”
“That was quite a trick you pulled, catching my knife like that.” He managed to completely ignore her order. “You’ll have to tell me later how a horse-breeding girl from Chevring learned such a skill.”
Anna scowled at him. “What do you mean later?”
His grin stretched from ear to ear, and her heart skipped a beat. She could not imagine that he shared this beatific smile often, and she would gladly pay a king’s ransom to see it again. The way she was thinking, Anna wasn’t sure Gilles hadn’t managed to land a blow to her head. She tried to focus on what Larkin was saying, but her eyes kept returning to his mouth, hoping to catch more. He only obliged her with his habitual smirk.
She was a moment too late realizing that he’d asked her a question. Apparently, he’d repeated it twice. “Lady Aubrianne, are you all right? The blow Gilles landed was a heavy one. Do you need to sit?”
Her face flushed crimson. “It’s nothing,” she answered angrily. “I’ve taken harder hits before.” Realizing what she had just admitted, she glanced up at him. That had erased his smirk.
“You’re not going back tonight?” he asked flatly. She shook her head. “Fine,” he stated.
“Well, I must say that’s a relief,” she admitted. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome, m’lady.”
“If you help with the mares,” she suggested, “you’ll be able to leave that much sooner.”
“I’m afraid you don’t understand, Lady Aubrianne. I won’t be returning to the keep either.” And he walked away to help Gilles with the horses.
Anna’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t considered this possibility. Well, he could just keep his distance if he knew what was good for him. Gilles approached and, not caring a whit that Larkin could hear, asked bluntly, “Do you trust him, m’lady? Say yes, and I’ll go with an easy heart.”
Larkin lifted an eyebrow in interest. “We can trust him,” she replied without hesitation. “I’ll help you get the mares past the streams. Larkin, you should fetch Rabbit.”
At least he was savv
y enough to know she wanted a private word with Gilles, because he didn’t argue with her. “Keep Will at Stolweg, Gilles,” Anna said. “You’ll need his help.”
“Are you sure, m’lady?” Gilles asked.
“I am. Tell Lord Roger why I can’t make it back. And, Gilles, it would be best if you explained in the presence of Lord Baldric. My staying here will only exacerbate Lord Roger’s bad humor.”
“Can we trust Lord Baldric?”
“I think so. When the time comes, we’ll make it clear that we are aligned with King Godwin. Safe journey, Gilles,” she said fondly, and he was off.
She returned to the clearing and found Larkin already mounted. Rina was behind him, her lead secured to Rabbit’s saddle. Anna mounted Tullian, and Lark followed her to a small brook flowing south. She kept the horses to the streambed; any hoofprints would be impossible to see under the flowing water and ever shifting pebbles. Finally, Anna turned and followed a small rivulet of spring runoff. On either side, the banks rose sharply, eventually becoming solid rock.
Anna remembered the day she had found what lay ahead. The creek ended at a wide, flat boulder. The rock must have sheared away from the canyon wall, cutting off the stream. A beautiful surprise was about to unfold before Larkin.
“We can leave Rina for the moment,” she said, and nudged Tullian forward. He lifted one great hoof and then the other onto the stone slab before making a small leap and landing neatly on the other side. She could hear Rabbit behind her and turned to see Larkin’s reaction to the hidden canyon. It was perhaps twenty paces wide and three times that distance in length. Straight ahead, a sheer rock face rose magnificently. Both sides of the canyon were made up of tree-covered hills so steep that they were impossible to climb either down or up without ropes.
Lark blew out a long breath in appreciation. “How did you find this place? It looks as though neither horse nor human has ever been here.”
“I’ve scouted out several secure spots for the mares. We’ve not had a chance to use this site. Rina should be able to make it over, if I lead her.”
Lark swung down and held Anna’s elbow to support her as she climbed atop the boulder. His touch had been meant to steady, but her balance abandoned her. He jumped to the other side and reached up, his fingers circling her waist. Anna was forced to put her hands on his shoulders lest she pitch forward. She barely felt her feet touch the ground and blushed when he held her a moment too long. Hastily pulling away, she moved to check on Rina.
Lark came up behind her so silently that she started like a skittish filly when he spoke. “You lead, Aubrianne.”
Rina went over easily, as easily as an eighteen-hand mare that happened to be a day away from foaling could. But contrary to her enormous girth, Rina was as nimble as ever. She pranced haughtily away to a thick patch of grass.
Anna was still embarrassed by her reaction to Lark’s touch. To show him that she was once again in control of her faculties, when he offered his hand to help her down, she took it graciously. “Let me show you around,” she offered, and as she started forward, she realized he had never released her hand. His fingers tightened possessively, and he continued smiling at her as before. Unnerved, she walked away a little too fast. He didn’t actually yank her to his side, but that was where she found herself.
“Fine.” She sighed irritably. “Shall we?” He nodded, and they walked hand-in-hand along the course of the brook.
“There’s a pool, hidden under that willow tree near the cliff,” she explained, and then pointed to a place where the sheer wall hollowed out at the ground. “We can build a fire there.” He agreed, offering to gather wood.
“There’s no need. I’ve already done it. Months ago, in fact.”
“Aren’t you tired of being so self-sufficient?” he asked her.
His question was meant in jest, Anna knew, but she couldn’t stop the coldness that gripped her heart. There was no one else upon whom she could depend, save herself.
• • •
The camp was quickly made, and the fire was built. He placed his bedroll opposite hers. With nothing left to do, an awkward silence pressed down around them. Lark reached into his bag and pulled out a small bundle of fabric. “Are you hungry?”
“No, not yet. You go ahead.”
“I’m not either.” The quiet stretched. “I interrupted your sparring,” he said.
“We were almost finished anyway.”
“You’re pretty good, you know,” Lark told her. “But you should try practicing with other partners once in a while. The change would sharpen some of your lazier moves.”
“Lazier moves? Is that right?” she challenged, her eyes flashing with anger.
Lark ignored the warning. “Don’t get me wrong, Lady Aubrianne. I only mean to say that it appeared too easy. When you practice with the same person, you learn their moves as though they’re your own. It’s a disadvantage if you find that you have to defend yourself. All at once, your opponent is not behaving as you expect, and it throws you off your balance.”
“You didn’t seem to think it was a practice bout when you threw your knife,” Anna retorted.
When he chuckled and shook his head, she was held captive by the loose black curls falling forward onto his forehead. Her fingers itched to smooth them back into place.
“You’re right about that,” he admitted. “I didn’t know who Gilles was and wasn’t about to take a chance where your safety was concerned. I didn’t aim to kill, only wound.”
“Why do you care so much about my safety?”
“Duty, perhaps,” he replied, studying her.
• • •
Anna was perplexed. She’d been married three years and until this day, had never felt such intimacy with a man. She didn’t know what she would have done if he had gazed into her eyes. Her heart, walled up for so long, was now lodged firmly in her throat. She swallowed hard, forcing her emotions back down.
When he noticed that her clasped hands were trembling, he cupped them in his own. “As I said before, Lady Aubrianne, I apologize for interrupting your match with Gilles. If you are up for it, I would be a happy substitute. But be warned, it will not be so easy with me.”
She decided to take the bait, knowing he was offering her an escape from the awkward moment. “I daresay, Larkin, you are very sure of yourself. Grab the staffs; it’s time to show you some humility.”
“If you think you are the one to do it, I look forward to being conquered,” he teased. He opened his mouth to say more, as if regretting the flirtatious note in his voice.
But Anna grinned. “Tell me that again when you are lying flat on your back and I’m smiling down at you.” He raised his brow a fraction at the unintended innuendo, and she blushed.
Chuckling again, Lark fetched the staffs, leaving her with a ghost of a smile upon her lips.
Chapter Thirty-Four—The Wager
Anna sauntered to where Larkin waited with the quarterstaffs. He had chosen an ash stave for himself and offered Anna the hawthorn stave she had used earlier. They immediately engaged each other.
“Go easy on me, Lady Aubrianne,” he teased. “It’s been some time since I handled a staff in the presence of a lady.” His grin spread as he gracefully twirled his pole. Still warm from their earlier repartee, Anna felt her blush deepen.
She answered him with a deadly swing of her quarterstaff. He easily deflected it. They went back and forth, and Anna realized that he had yet to make an offensive move. She’d been doing all the work while he’d been saving his strength. She backed off, waiting for him to advance.
He flicked out with his staff, and she blocked the blow with nary an effort. But before she could parry with one of her own, his staff twirled and twisted her hawthorn rod from her grasp. Unbelievably, it went sailing through the air. He’d been right, she thought, sighing. She’d become complacent.
Lark stepped back and arched an eyebrow at her.
“I see your point,” she said for him. “I want a rem
atch.”
“I don’t know, Lady Aubrianne,” he drawled. “I don’t see the purpose.”
“Worried that it won’t be so easy the next time around?” she asked, trying to inveigle him.
“I’ve made my point, and you’ve learned your lesson,” he lectured.
“Mayhap you are fearful of losing to a woman,” she goaded him.
He ignored her gibe. “Truth be told, there’s nothing in it for me,” he admitted, as his gaze drifted to hers. “Now, if there were some incentive, a wager perhaps, I might reconsider.”
“Whatever you want,” she agreed. He might defeat her, she thought, but she would not twice lose her stave. She took a moment to analyze him, as any combatant would when facing an opponent. He was tall, but then so was she. And agile as a cat, but she presented a smaller target.
“Don’t you want to know the terms first?” Larkin asked with a smug expression.
She contemplated what prize he might ask and was surprised to discover that it didn’t matter. He was so cocky, so disarming. She would discover and use his weakness. And she would win. “Wager away.”
“Suit yourself. If I win, you owe me a kiss.”
“Then you’d best prepare yourself, Larkin.”
His smile widened. “You are that good at it, then?” he asked, twisting her words as he had twisted her staff.
Anna returned his smile in equal measure, rounding on him, advancing. “I meant that you should prepare yourself for a lonely night. Your lips will have no company this eve.”
She was actually flirting, she realized. She had never flirted before. No, that wasn’t true. She had flirted once, long ago with Roger, before their wedding night. She shuddered thinking about how often he’d used her words against her: Your request is my pleasure. Too bad for Larkin that she conjured Roger’s image in her mind. She would use her rage to his detriment.
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