Chapter Six
“There is no need for you to accompany my cousin’s men on their hunt for a boar,” Isobel told William the next morning as he joined the men already gathered in the bailey. “You had another rather nasty knock to your head yesterday. You should rest.”
William wasn’t sure he was amused by her concern or annoyed by it. “Do you think me so pathetic I cannot sustain a fall from a horse?”
“That is not what I meant. I can see you are hale and vir…” She colored a little. “I do not think you are pathetic at all.”
Now he was definitely amused and, surprisingly, somewhat aroused. Did Isobel think him virile? Is that the word she almost said? His cock stirred at the thought. Ever since the evening they’d brought the Yule log in and she had asked him to take her to Barnsdale, he’d had a hard time not thinking of taking her to his bed, as well. Her body might be slight, but the soft mounds of her breasts would fit nicely into the palms of his hands. William had never seen a need to have his hands full with more than that and, in his experience, it seemed the nipples of smaller-breasted women were more sensitive…and that sensitivity quickly grew to passionate response.
William smiled at her. “Since we will be on foot today, there is no danger from my falling off another horse.”
“I am sorry you did not win the grand prize. I knew you wanted the horse.” Isobel said. “Maybe if Roger had let you practice with the stallion before—”
“It was not the horse’s fault that I flew off,” William said. “I lost my balance.” What he didn’t say was that the stallion had spooked because a snake had slithered in front of it. The reptile had come flying across the low barrier between the two lists, and William would have sworn Gisborne tossed it. That was probably what he had been fumbling with under his gorget when he paused at his end of the list yesterday. The snake didn’t have to be poisonous. The sudden movement would be enough to make a high-spirited horse shy. “No one had enough points to win the animal, but I did earn enough coin to purchase a gelding from your cousin. That will suffice.”
Isobel glanced around, then moved closer to him and lowered her voice. “Will he support two of us? I really need to get away from here.”
A light, flowery scent from her hair drifted to him and he wondered if she’d washed it in rosewater…which also made him wonder if she bathed in rosewater as well. The thought of warm water cascading over her naked, silken skin caused his cock to swell once more. He could join her in the hip bath. It would be a tight fit, but he could wrap those slender, ivory legs around his waist, opening her very core to him while he held her pressed tight against his chest and entered her. They would—
Hellfire. What was wrong with him? Isobel was asking for his help, not to have her maidenhead taken. Had he lost all sense of chivalry? Maybe the fall from the stallion had been worse than he thought since he couldn’t seem to keep his lecherous thoughts from preoccupying him. The first thing on his mind this morning had been where to find mistletoe on the hunt, so he could steal a kiss tonight.
“I think—”
“Are you ready?” Roger approached him along with Gisborne.
Isobel stepped back as William held up his quiver of arrows. He wished he’d had a chance to discuss what she planned to do, but now was not the time. “Ready.”
“We will break into groups of five,” her cousin said. “Sir Guy and Sir William will go with me.”
William glanced at Gisborne who all but sneered at him. The man would bear watching today.
Gisborne picked up Isobel’s hand before she could protest and planted a kiss on it. “Do you not want to wish me good luck, my dear?”
William thought her face paled, but she nodded, using the pretense of a curtsy to withdraw her hand. “Of course, my lord. May the hunt be successful.”
Gisborne gave William a triumphant look. “It will be. Never fear.”
De Lacy led the group of nearly thirty men out the castle gates and across the field toward the forest. As they entered, William attuned his ears for the harsh sound of snuffling boar, or the lighter sound of a frightened deer hopping gracefully away. He kept his eyes peeled for the possible sight of any of Robin Hood’s men, although he didn’t think any of them would show themselves. That didn’t mean they didn’t watch, though.
De Lacy’s men spread out. As the day continued, William heard an occasional shout from afar as a boar was sighted. Hopefully, the others were bringing them to ground, since the small group he was with had not seen any.
It was late afternoon by the time William sighted several clumps of mistletoe growing on the bark of an oak by the side of a small glade. He walked over, plucked a bunch off, and had just put it in the leather pouch he carried when he heard twigs snapping and the angry grunt of a boar. He nocked an arrow to his bow and crouched down just as an arrow whistled over his head and lodged in the trunk above him. Another one swiftly followed, the second one breaking the shaft off of the first one.
The boar charged into the clearing. William drew and released in one fluid motion, striking the animal squarely between the eyes. Momentum kept it coming, even as it swayed unsteadily on its feet. William let another arrow fly to put the animal out of its misery. By the time the other men in his party broke through the brush, the boar was dead.
“Good work!” de Lacy said as he bent over it. “You will get the first serving tonight.”
William grinned. “I will hold you to that.”
Several of the men loaded the carcass onto a leather hide anchored to two poles for easier carrying. Gisborne had an angry look on his face as he followed them.
William lingered, allowing them to get ahead and then he went back to the tree where he’d taken the mistletoe. The broken shaft of the arrow that would have struck his head had he not heard the boar had no markings, and the cockfeather was white. It was an arrow that could have been purchased anywhere. Was it Gisborne’s? Had the man tried to kill him? The man had been out-of-sight most of the afternoon. William pulled the arrow out and put it and the broken shaft in his pouch.
The second arrow had been shot so quickly, William knew it had been meant to deflect the first one. As he removed the second one from the wood, he smiled. He knew of only one man who was that accurate with a bow.
It seemed someone had been watching him after all.
Isobel’s uneasiness increased as the sun began to sink below the horizon late on that wintry afternoon. Her cousin and William’s group had not yet come back to the castle. The other hunting parties had returned much earlier. Ever since she’d returned from the faire, she had been on edge. One of the gypsies reading the cards had told her that her future was going to change dramatically, but couldn’t explain how. The outcome remained hidden, she’d said.
When Isobel heard her cousin announcing that Sir Guy was going to be in the same hunting group as William, she had not liked the idea, but perhaps Roger hoped to appease the animosity that was brewing between the two of them. Or perhaps it was simply a matter of protocol that made her cousin invite both of them to hunt with him. William was a recovering guest and Sir Guy, in spite of her intentions, was her betrothed. At least for the moment.
More than likely, that was truly the cause of her uneasiness today. Nothing had been resolved this morning when she’d asked William if his horse would support both of them. They’d been interrupted by Sir Guy and Roger before William had time to respond.
The Solstice was tomorrow. Her cousin planned for her nuptials to take place at noon the day after while all the guests were still here. Surely, William would honor her request to take her away. He had already said he was leaving that day. If they left at dawn, they could be nearly halfway to Barnsdale by the time Sir Guy realized his intended bride was missing. She planned to leave a note that she’d gone with the gypsies with the intention of returning to Wales. It was a red herring at best, but if Sir Guy traced them down first, she could be safely away from Barnsdale before he sent men looking for her there.
But first, she needed to know that William would help her.
Isobel felt immense relief thirty minutes later when her cousin and William returned. They’d brought in a boar, and from Sir Guy’s surly expression, she decided he was not the one who’d shot it. Her guess was right when Roger announced that William had been the one to bring it down while it was charging. That made Sir Guy’s countenance grow even more grim. Isobel tried to ignore him, but he grabbed her wrist as she moved to congratulate William.
“Are you not going to welcome a tired hunter home?” Gisborne growled.
She itched to pull her hand away, but remembered she had to hide her true feelings in order not to give her plan away. “How remiss of me, my lord. Did you enjoy the day?”
“I did not.” He narrowed his eyes. “I will not have you running to that bastard to congratulate him.”
Isobel managed to bite back a retort just in time. She couldn’t afford to make Sir Guy jealous. It was crucial that he didn’t suspect anything. Had she already shown her hand? Dear Bridgid. She hoped not. “Yes, my lord.”
“That is better.” Gisborne dropped her hand. “I do not want to see you talking to him again.”
Isobel smiled sweetly although inwardly she was seething. “As you wish, my lord.”
William glanced her way and she wasn’t sure if he’d overheard the interchange or not. His face was neutral as he turned to leave the front hall. Isobel carefully schooled her expression as well. She dare not give anything more away. It was going to be hard enough to make contact with William if Sir Guy was watching her like a hawk over dinner.
As it turned out, it was not a problem. William did not make an appearance at the evening meal. Isobel tried not to let worry show as she tried to look as though she were paying attention to what Sir Guy, seated to her left, and her cousin, seated across from her, were conversing about. Thankfully, neither of them was interested in her opinion, so all she had to do was smile numbly and murmur an occasional assent.
Where was William? She had only one day left to finalize her escape. If it were going to be finalized. Maybe all she had been praying for only amounted to wishful thinking. William had not agreed to anything. Would he?
If he didn’t, she might actually have to pursue the gypsy caravan. She wasn’t even sure if they would offer protection. They were an independent people, but they were also persecuted by those who didn’t trust wanderers. They might not be willing to risk arrest by the Sheriff of Nottingham if they were actually caught with her in one of their wagons. Isobel bit her lip. She couldn’t put the group at risk for that.
Where was William?
The dinner seem to drag on interminably, although it was probably only her frayed nerves that made it seem so. As soon as she possibly could, she feigned fatigue and asked to be excused. Sir Guy hardly spared her a glance and her cousin waved his hand in dismissal.
Isobel forced herself to walk at an even pace as she exited the Great Hall. As soon as she got to her chamber, she was going to slip into her boy’s breeches and tunic and then sneak down the servants’ stairs to the room on the first floor that William still occupied. She had to have his answer. Tonight.
So intent was she on her thoughts, she was not aware of him standing at the end of the third floor hall until he emerged silently from its dark recess. Isobel stared at him a moment, wondering if her imagination was playing tricks on her or if she had actually conjured him. “What…what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.” William smiled. “I heard Gisborne say you were not to speak to me, so I thought this was easier.”
Isobel nodded and glanced around, but they were alone. The other ladies who were guests on this floor were still at dinner. She opened her chamber door. “Perhaps you should come inside.”
His green eyes darkened to forest shade, but he shook his head. “I would be too tempted to take advantage of you if I did that.”
Isobel tilted her head. “I would not mind. If you will only help me—”
“No.” He shook his head again, more vigorously this time.
Her heart sank to the pits of her stomach. “You will not help me escape?”
“No. I…” He shook his head. “I did not mean that. I meant yes, of course I will help you get away from that conniving fool.”
Isobel’s relief was practically palatable. William was going to help her! “Then why do you not want to come in?”
“Because I do not ever want you to think you owe me payment for something that I am honor bound to do. As a knight, it is my duty to protect ladies. A woman should never have to offer her body in payment for anything.”
Isobel felt her face heat with embarrassment. He was only helping her out of a sense of responsibility. Just because she was attracted to him didn’t mean he felt the same. She forced a small smile. “I understand that I cannot compare with the ladies who are here, so I shall find some other way to repay you, then.”
William stared at her. “What do you mean, you cannot compete?”
She gave a little shrug. “I lack the skills most women acquire. I do not even know how to flirt—”
“Thank God for that,” William said vehemently. “I have never trusted a woman who does.”
“You do trust me then?”
“I do. I was not sure at first, with all your questions, but the last few days have shown me you do not care to marry Gisborne. But,” William hesitated and then went on. “Do not ever consider yourself unattractive. You have no idea how enticing you are.”
Isobel frowned. “I am?”
William smiled. “You are.” He reached inside the leather vest he wore and pulled out a battered clump of mistletoe. “I was going to hang this somewhere in the banquet hall tomorrow night, but it got smashed in my pouch this afternoon.”
Isobel looked at it, her frown changing into a smile as she raised on tiptoes and put her arms around his neck. “I do not think you will need that, Sir William.”
He gave her a long, intense look before he cast the mistletoe aside and then he bent down to cover her lips with his.