Chapter Two
Blue. Sir William’s eyes were blue. Not the pale, icy glacier color of Sir Guy’s, but a deep, vibrant blue like the depths of a clear, Welsh loch on a sunny day. Isobel could almost feel herself drowning in the intensity of William’s gaze as he studied her.
Since Burke, annoying man that he was, refused to leave her alone with the knight, she was going to have to take care in conversing. Which might be just as well, since her first thought on learning his identity was to blurt out that she needed to escape and beg William to take her with him to Barnsdale. He would surely look askance at such an odd request from someone he didn’t know. He might even question her wits at such a peculiar favor, given that Sir Guy was well-established in the area, if not particularly well-liked. Most women would simply accept their fate, and some might even be delighted to have wealth and rank in exchange for acting like a docile and demure wife.
But then, Isobel had never been known to be docile and demure. Even her father, whom she knew had been secretly proud of her archery skills, lamented that the ability to roam the hillsides in search of game wasn’t something English gentlemen were looking for in a wife. Her mother tried to steer her interest toward more ladylike endeavors such as embroidery and watercolors. And once, singing. The bailey dogs had set up such a discordant cacophony at her attempt that neither of her parents had mentioned it again.
Nor was Isobel known to keep her opinions to herself which discouraged any potential suitors who might have been willing to overlook her lack of female graces. Which had suited Isobel just fine since she hadn’t met one that could fire an arrow straighter than she could. She had planned to be the groundskeeper at her father’s holding and live in peace.
But that was before her parents’ accident and before her cousin had taken her in with the thought of being rid of her as quickly as possible through marriage.
Isobel eyed the young knight propped up against the headboard. If she could only persuade him to take her to Barnsdale, she would find a way to support herself somehow. But she would have to tread carefully to make that happen.
“The physician said with the hard knock you received you should rest for several days.” She paused, thinking how to phrase the next question, which was extremely important. “Should we send word to Barnsdale? Do you have family…a wife, perhaps?...that will worry?”
William quirked up a corner of his mouth. “I am not married.”
Isobel felt her face warm. Perhaps the question had been a bit too obvious, but she had to know so she could plan her escape strategy. A wife would likely not welcome another woman accompanying her husband home. “Then you can stay for several days.”
“If your cousin will allow it.”
“I am sure he will.” Roger would not turn away the nephew of an earl. The few weeks she had been in England, Isobel had quickly learned that title and rank were of utmost importance.
Almost as if she had conjured him, the door opened and Roger stepped inside.
“I thought I would come check on the patient.” He turned to William. “I am glad to see you awake.”
Isobel quickly made the introductions, finishing with, “So I have invited Sir William to spend a few days with us until the physician is sure there will be no complications.”
“That is, if you do not object, Lord de Lacy,” William said. “I would not want to impose.”
Isobel wished he would stop saying that. She didn’t want her cousin thinking William would leave as soon as he was up and about. She needed him to stay until he agreed to take her with him. “My cousin told me when I arrived that the castle always hosts guests for Yule.” She turned to Roger. “It would not be an imposition to have another guest, would it?”
He gave her a thoughtful look and Isobel could have bitten her tongue. If her cousin thought she had taken a personal interest in Sir William, he might refuse to avoid angering Sir Guy. “Yule is the time for good will and generosity, is it not?”
“It is.” Roger turned to William. “You are welcome to stay with us until you are well.”
“Since Sir William’s uncle is on Crusade and he has no immediate family, perhaps he could stay until the Solstice celebration?” Isobel asked. When her cousin narrowed his gaze at her, she quickly added, “That would definitely be enough time to make sure Sir William is completely healed.”
Roger raised one brow, but then slowly nodded. “Sir William, if you desire to spend the holiday here, you are welcome.”
“I am most appreciative,” William answered. “Thank you.”
“I am glad that is settled.” Isobel smiled. “There is lots going on, including a caravan of gypsies that is camped outside Nottingham for the Yuletide Faire. I always enjoyed visiting them when they passed through my village in Wales.” She paused for breath. “In addition, Lord de Lacy has a tournament scheduled. Archery, swordsmanship, and a joust on the eleventh day, if you feel up to it.” William gave her an intense look and Isobel wondered if he’d taken the statement as a challenge to his manhood. She hadn’t meant that. He was one of the most virile males she’d met, a fact she would have to hide. “I have been told that competitors come from all over northern England come to vie for prize purses.”
“Perhaps I can win one of those purses, since my coin was stolen.”
“You are welcome to try,” Roger said, “but be warned, there will be a number of challengers.”
“Every knight loves a challenge.” William glanced toward Isobel, then turned back to Roger. “I will need to leave for Barnsdale the day after the Solstice, but I should hate to return empty-handed.”
Sir William would not be returning empty-handed if Isobel had anything to do with it. She would be going with him. But she was going to have to be careful. Her cousin might already suspect she had a personal interest in Sir William. It would not do to arouse any more suspicions from him…or from Sir Guy. If she were going to successfully escape, neither of them could think she was anything but acquiescent regarding the wedding plans. The thought galled her, but it was necessary to keep up some sort of pretense. The harder part might be convincing Sir William to take part in her scheme.
Roger gestured toward her and Isobel stood obediently to leave. She might as well start playing the part of subservience, she thought as she walked to the door. It would only be until the Yuletide Solstice.
She now had ten days to accomplish her mission.
• ♥ •
By the next morning, William had had enough of lying abed. His uncle would have cuffed him twice for acting as though a bump on the head was reason to act like an ailing sot. Truth be told, he had rather enjoyed Isobel de Lacy’s ministrations last eve when she’d brought him pheasant stew and fresh bread…under the watchful eye of the soldier Burke, who apparently was Roger de Lacy’s second-in-command.
But lying abed for another day was out of the question. Besides being incredibly bored—a maid had brought his porridge up this morn—William had a job to do. If he were to find out whether the de Lacy household had anything to do with the alleged plot to overthrow the king, he wouldn’t find out stuck in a bedchamber. He just had to remember that he wasn’t quite well enough to be sent on his way.
As he descended the stairs to the ground floor, William heard voices coming somewhere near the front entrance. One of them was Isobel’s and he recognized another as her cousin’s. The other two sounded vaguely familiar…
And William realized why, as he stopped short in the doorway.
The Sheriff of Nottingham and Gisborne were speaking to de Lacy. The twin devils themselves. William was about to step back when de Lacy spotted him.
“Here is our guest right now,” he said to the sheriff. “You can ask your questions directly.”
“That is, if Sir William is up to it. That bruise has turned a nasty color,” Isobel said, as she turned to him. “Perhaps you should rest.”
“The man looks hearty enough.” Gisborne assessed him coolly. “But if he is too weak to stand—”
“I can stand.” William held his gaze levelly.
“Nonetheless,” Roger cut in, “we might as well all sit.”
The room across from the Great Hall that de Lacy ushered them into served as something of a parlor and receiving room. A couch sat against the wall opposite the door, a wingchair on either side of it. A number of other smaller armchairs were arranged in a semi-circle. William took one of them while de Lacy and the sheriff claimed the two winged ones. Isobel was about to settle herself into a chair close to his when Gisborne cleared his throat.
“You will sit here,” he said, and motioned to a spot beside him on the couch.
Two bright spots appeared on Isobel’s cheeks. William thought he caught a glimpse of green fire in her eyes before she lowered her lashes. For a moment he thought she would refuse, but she didn’t. Instead, she did as she was bid. He frowned and then switched his attention to the sheriff. “You have questions for me?”
“Yes. The physician told me yesterday that you had been accosted in the woods?”
“That is correct,” William answered, wondering why the physician would need to run to the sheriff with the tale.
“How many men attacked you? Can you describe them?”
“I really could not say. I know there were several, but they attacked from behind.”
“Sounds like that damn outlaw, Hood,” Gisborne said. “The bastard thinks he owns Sherwood Forest.”
“There is a lady present,” William said, trying to hide his dislike for Gisborne and then went on before the man could respond. “As for Robin Hood, I am not sure what good a horse would do him. My understanding is that his men actually live in the forest.” He shrugged dismissively. “But then, I am not from the area.”
Gisborne narrowed his eyes. “Just what were you doing travelling alone?”
William was aware he needed to answer carefully, especially since the man asking the question was his intended target. “I was just passing through.”
Gisborne looked down his nose at William. “Without a squire?”
“I had no need of one since I was not wearing armor.” William lifted a shoulder. “I am quite capable of getting dressed myself.”
“It really was not wise to travel alone with Hood still loose,” the sheriff said. “I would think a knight would be aware of that.”
“As I said, I am not from the area, so I had no idea Sherwood Forest was so dangerous.” William noted the tight set to the sheriff’s jaw at the insinuation that his territory was not safe and decided to goad him a bit more. “I daresay, once King Richard returns, these roads will be safe for travel.”
This time, both the sheriff and Gisborne pressed their lips into a tight line, but neither had a retort. William overtly watched de Lacy to see if his reaction was the same, but he was frowning.
“The king may be away for another year or two,” Roger said.
William caught himself beginning to frown, too. Was that any kind of admission that perhaps de Lacy would prefer to have someone else on the throne? It was hard to say. Perhaps another piece of bait should be thrown out?
“Since Saladin was defeated at both Acre and Jaffa, my uncle expects it only a short time to take Jerusalem, and then King Richard will return.”
“It has not happened yet,” Roger replied, “and I must admit, I am looking forward to that battle myself.”
“I really do not understand why men want to go off to war,” Isobel said.
“Women do not need to be concerned with the outcomes of war,” Gisborne said.
A small muscle twitched in Isobel’s jaw. “I just do not want my cousin to be killed.”
“Do not worry about that,” Roger said. “Besides, you will be well-protected while I am on Crusade. I am leaving you in excellent hands.”
“You can rest assured of that, my lord.” Gisborne grinned and reached over to pat Isobel’s knee in a much too familiar manner. “My hands are indeed excellent.”
William had a distinct urge to break every one of the man’s fingers.
• ♥ •
Isobel could still feel Sir Guy’s inappropriate touch hours later. The thought made her skin crawl, and she hadn’t been able to eat much of the midday meal. The sheriff left, but Sir Guy had stayed. Isobel suspected it was more for free food than conversation with her. In fact, the whole of his conversation had been directed at Roger, the two of them discussing the growing danger of the outlaws in the forest and what measures the sheriff was planning to take to get rid of them. Sir William had remained quiet throughout the meal. Since he was a stranger, that probably wasn’t unusual, but Isobel worried that he might need to rest and, being male, wouldn’t admit to such.
“Are you sure you do not wish to rest?” she asked William when Sir Guy finally left and she was getting ready to go out and gather more holly. William had donned his red cape and met her at the kitchen door.
“I was responsible for your search to be cancelled yesterday. The least I can do is help you now. Besides…” William winked, “…those outlaws might be lurking about.”
Isobel smiled. “I suspect not, but Sir Guy certainly filled my cousin’s head with the possibility. Burke and several other soldiers are waiting outside to accompany the maids and me.”
William frowned. “Then I will just add my services to theirs.”
“That would be most welcome,” Isobel said, trying to ignore the tight fit of his breeches over muscular thighs. Sir Guy’s were skinny as a bird’s. Forcing her attention away from such thoughts, she gave an inward sigh. While she wouldn’t be able to tell Sir William about her dilemma outright, perhaps the maids would flirt with the soldiers enough that she could drop a hint or two.
“Tell me about your uncle’s place,” she said as they walked along. “I expect an earl’s castle is much bigger than this one?”
“A little bit,” William answered. “Just a typical holding.”
“Is it a Norman structure then? A fortress with a moat and everything?”
William shook his head. “No moat. The castle is squared, with a thick curtain wall and turrets at each corner. The donjon is in the middle of the inner bailey, much like your cousin’s.”
“I suppose it is well fortified since your uncle is away?” If the castle lacked manpower, she might not be safe if Sir Guy were to pursue her. Not that she expected to remain there permanently.
“Well enough.” William gave her a studied look. “Why do you ask?”
Isobel blinked, wondering why he had suddenly alerted like a wolfhound picking up a scent. “Just curious. What is the surrounding countryside like? Are there villages or towns?” Hopefully, there was someplace where she could safely retreat and not be discovered.
William studied her a moment longer before he replied. “The area is similar to this. Dense forest, good game. The village of Hampole is close by.”
“How many people live there?” The question got her another intense look. Surely, there couldn’t be that much competition between nobles that the William would need to be defensive of the size of his uncle’s castle or its surroundings. “I am not asking for an exact account, of course.”
“I suppose around fifty, if you count the children.”
That wasn’t large enough to hide should Sir Guy enlist the sheriff’s help in searching for her. Every one of those people would be interrogated and possibly tortured, if the rumors of the sheriff’s methods were true. “Is that the only village?”
“Within comfortable walking distance, yes.”
Isobel wanted to ask what the closest city, or at least large town, was but she became aware of Burke looking repeatedly in her direction. It wouldn’t do if he thought she was conversing too privately with Sir William. Burke had already made clear that he intended no hint of scandal to get back to Sir Guy. Isobel grimaced. She would have to leave off her questioning until another time.
“I fear I am being amiss in my duties to supervise the maids,” she said, hoping to heavens the girls had been looking for holly. “We need some pine boughs cut, as well. If you will excuse me to see to it?”
Sir William bowed. “Of course, my lady.”
Isobel felt his watchful eyes on her as she walked away, but she dared not turn back to look. The last thing she needed was for Burke to decide to keep surveillance on her.
It was near dusk when they returned to the castle, the maids’ aprons full of holly sprigs and the soldiers carrying armfuls of pine boughs. William had lent his cape to gather cones which only made Isobel realize how his shirt clung to his broad shoulders. He had kept close to her—a bigger distraction that Isobel had thought it would be—but she hadn’t had a chance to ask any more questions.
The trestle tables had already been set out for the evening meal and the soldiers were coming in, so Isobel’s group placed their gatherings in a corner of the Great Hall. The decorating would have to wait until the morrow when the light was better.
As she approached the dais to take her seat, Isobel noticed that Roger had placed Sir William several chairs away. She hoped Burke hadn’t said something to her cousin about the private conversation earlier. She desperately needed to have Sir William accessible if she were going to persuade him to help.
Another day had slipped by, with only nine remaining.