“Which is the only way he’d try such a thing,” Rob said, cutting the pork hard. “Coward.”
“I had to tell Eleanor,” I told him. He nodded. “It took a few days to send word to her, but she met me at Winchester—”
“Winchester?” he asked. “You were with de Quincy?”
I nodded. “He did me a great service, sheltering me until the queen came.”
He frowned. “Go on.”
My eyes dropped. “From there, I went to Bristol,” I said soft.
“Bristol?”
I nodded.
“What was in Bristol?”
I looked up at him, swallowing hard. “A ship. Bound for Ireland.”
He stopped cutting, looking at the food.
My mouth were dry. “I thought—I thought maybe running from Prince John would keep you safe. Would keep me safe,” I said, and he looked at me, his eyes hot and full of things I didn’t know to name. “I thought I could leave, Rob, I thought I could forget you, and forget the person I’ve become because of you. I thought—I thought so many things.”
His throat worked.
There were water filling in my eyes. “I couldn’t,” I told him. “I heard Eleanor were in trouble—was in trouble—and I knew I couldn’t leave. Leaving doesn’t keep you safe. Leaving doesn’t do anything but keep us apart,” I told him. “I know that—” I kept on, but he stopped me, tugging me into his arms. Slow and careful, he pushed the hair off my face and tipped my mouth up to kiss him.
I closed my eyes and the water fell, but it didn’t matter, not when I were hidden in Rob’s love.
“My lord Sheriff, step away,” I heard, and Rob’s mouth left mine so that we could both turn and see David, his sword half-drawn.
Rob glared at him. “Sir?” he asked.
“David, what are you doing?” I demanded.
“My lady, I cannot allow him to dishonor you in such a way! The queen mother—the king!—would demand my life for less.”
There were giggles around us, but David were fair serious.
“He may already demand your life for keeping his daughter captive,” Rob snapped.
David’s face went pale, but he didn’t move or relent.
“She is—” he started, and my eyes went wide. “A lady of the court,” he finished, nodding a touch to me. “The daughter of a king. You will not put your hands on her in such a manner.”
Rob let me go, but he were still glaring at David. “She’s my betrothed, sir.”
“I am?” I asked.
“Then you should be more mindful of her reputation.”
Rob crossed his arms.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, what reputation do I have left?” I asked them. “I fell to my knees in the house of God covered with the blood of several men, and yet I’m not meant to kiss the man I have always loved?” I demanded.
Rob looked at me. “When did that happen?” he asked, turning to me—but still keeping his big, strong arms that I very much liked crossed round me crossed over his chest.
David sheathed his sword in full. “When the queen mother was attacked,” he said. “My lady defended her valiantly.”
And then I found I were Lady Huntingdon, I tried in my head. It were the most important thing to tell him.
“Was that part of Prince John’s plot against Richard—to steal the ransom money? I can’t believe he’d attack his own mother—though I suppose that would put suspicion off him.”
I shook my head. “No—they were vagabonds seizing an opportunity. Well, I believe so, at least. I believe Prince John will steal the money, but he’ll wait until it has all been gathered. He can’t do much without a very expensive army.”
Rob glanced at me. “And the nobles. His only power is that which they grant him.”
My mouth opened to tell him I were one of those nobles, more than he knew, but I said, “And then we made our way up here. And he—he found me in Oxford,” I told him soft, looking round to make sure there weren’t others listening to me.
“Prince John?” he asked, leaning to me.
I nodded.
His hand gripped the cutting knife. “What did he do?”
I shook my head, putting my hand on his. “Nothing, Rob.”
Rob looked at David. “He wanted to hurt her,” David said grave. “But no one would watch him do it. And she herself turned him away.”
The tears were in my eyes again. “Which is why he came here,” I whispered. “He must have left me and come straight to do this. To kill you. To kill our people.”
He looked full at me. “He didn’t get me, Scarlet. And this wasn’t something he did because of you. He did it because he’s a vindictive, evil man. It wasn’t something you could have stopped, my love. Not ever.”
My shoulders raised up. “Your turn,” I told him. “Tell me what’s happened here since I left.”
He nodded, but looked at the food. “Come,” he said. “Let’s get everyone fed, and maybe we can steal a moment to speak.” He glanced at David. “Alone.”
David frowned.
CHAPTER