A Knight in Central Park

chapterFifteen

How rare and wonderful is that flash of a moment when we realize we have discovered a friend.

—William Rotsler

For most of the day they rode over long stretches of deciduous woodland. Every few moments, Joe stopped and listened. Leaves crunched and tree branches rustled. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Through most of the night, he’d heard the same thing: crackling brush and whispering trees. His paranoia either stemmed from lack of sleep or maybe it was a symptom of traveling through time.

Although Alexandra was well ahead of him, she, too, came to a stop. “We are going to have to quicken our pace,” she said over her shoulder, “if we plan to be outside of London within a sennight.” Repressing a sigh, she added, “If we were being followed, I do believe they would have shown themselves by now.”

“You didn’t hear anything?”

“Nay.”

Miraculously, Precious obeyed when Joe steered the animal a few yards back over the already trodden trail. He looked at his hands and noticed the dirt caked under his fingernails. He scratched the back of his neck, then used his switch to reach the itchy spots on his back. “I need a bath,” he said as soon as he caught up to Alexandra.

“Surely you jest.”

“Look at my fingernails.” He held up his hands. “And these fleas,” he said, twisting within the saddle, “they’re driving me nuts.”

Alexandra simply ignored him.

He stopped driving his heels into the horse, which is exactly when Precious decided it was time to set off again. “Damn horse.”

Alexandra unfolded the parchment in her hands. “If this map be well made, then there is a river not too far from here. We’ll stop there to eat and freshen up.”

She put the map away, then clicked her tongue to get her horse moving. Joe did the same, but Precious was determined to eat a clump of weed on the side of the path. “Precious is tired,” he said to Alexandra. “Her legs hurt and she is a hungry ol’ gal.”

“She said as much, did she?”

“More than once.”

“Her mind is not to be changed?”

He leaned low, had a quick conversation with the horse, then sat up and said, “Absolutely not. She thinks the lake through those trees will be perfect for bathing.”

“Precious has taken a liking to you?”

“Precious adores me, which would suggest you were wrong when you said no lady in her right mind would ever fall for a guy like me.”

Alexandra pulled on the reins and returned to his side. “There is one problem.”

He arched a brow. “Competition perhaps?”

“Nay,” she said with a quick laugh. “Precious is a male.”

“If you think I’m falling for that, then you must really think I’m...” He slid from the horse’s back and bent over to take a look. “Well, I’ll be.” With all the bags and saddle packs, he hadn’t noticed before.

By the time Joe straightened, Alexandra had tied her horse to a tree and was busily retrieving utensils from the saddlebag. Memories of last night had kept his mood light, but Alexandra seemed a million miles away. Was she angry with him? Did she already regret their night of passion?

He walked stiffly to a willowy elm and tied the reins to a low branch so Precious could graze on clumps of grass. He’d been a fool to let desire get the better of him last night, although their time together had been more than memorable. What Alexandra lacked in experience, she made up in creativity. But that wasn’t the point, or the problem. Like most women, she probably wanted to talk about what happened between them. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but then clamped his mouth shut. As much as he enjoyed being with Alexandra, nothing had changed between them. He’d warned her.

He grabbed his briefcase from the saddlebag and headed for the lake. “Are you coming?”

She shook her head. “I’ll stay here with the horses and fix us something to eat whilst you are gone.”

“Have it your way,” he said before heading off.





Alexandra watched him walk away. He seemed different from the stiff brooding man she met less than a sennight ago. Sir Joe had known their lovemaking might well make things more difficult. He had warned her. To lose her virginity to a man she valued, a man whose flaws only added to his allure, made her want him all the more. She thought making love to Sir Joe would fulfill her within, make his eventual leaving less painful.

But now she knew differently. Sir Joe was right. Last night changed everything.

As Alexandra pulled the tin plates from her bag, she spotted the bow and arrow attached to the saddle. Smoothing her fingers over the tip of the bow, she pulled it from its sheath, examining the craftsmanship. She made the bow herself, and she was well pleased with its accuracy. Plucking an arrow from the leather pouch, she held it firmly in place and pulled back on the bowstring, feeling its tautness as she aimed for the trunk of an oak. She fired, releasing the string with one swift movement of her fingers. The thin birch shaft sailed through the air, hitting squarely her intended target. Smiling, she retrieved the shaft and placed her weapon aside. After rubbing down the horses and readying a simple meal that she left wrapped within the saddlebag, she set off for the lake.

Finding a seat on the grassy edge, half hidden behind a patch of shrubs, Alexandra spotted Sir Joe as he broke through the surface and shook water from his hair. How dreadful it would be to lose her heart to a man who was determined to leave her, she thought. Perhaps if she remembered his flaws ’twould help her to keep a tight rein on any affection she felt for him. She plucked a wildflower from its roots and held it to her nose, breathing in its scent as she realized she couldn’t stop herself from feeling whatever her heart felt. If she lost her heart to Sir Joe, she decided firmly, then so be it. She could fair handle a broken heart. She’d done it before when her mother had died, then again when her father failed to return home.

Feeling much improved, she leaned forward and peeked through the shrubbery to see if she could spot him. Her gaze roamed over the smooth expanse of water. He was nowhere to be seen. Her stomach lurched with worry that he might have drowned. She shot to her feet, shielding her eyes from the sun’s rays as she scanned the lake.

“If you’re going to sit there and spy on me, you might as well join me.”

Startled, Alexandra laid a hand to her chest, squinting into the sun until she spotted him in the shallow waters, his head and shoulders rising until she could see a feathering of dark hair across a well-defined chest. Her cheeks heated as if she’d only just met the man. “I-I only came to tell you that I have prepared a bite to eat and th-that we should be setting off.” Sweet Mother of God, she thought, as her eyes roamed over him. He was built like a master builder, not like a professor.

“You can’t miss out on a swim first,” he called out. “Not on a day like this.”

She shook her head. “I shan’t get my clothes wet.”

“Alexandra, is something wrong?”

She shook her head again.

“Then why are you hiding over there in the bushes?”

She chewed on her lip.

“It’s about last night, isn’t it?” He swept his hair back, his muscles tightening as he did so. “You’ve been quiet all day. Why don’t you say whatever is on your mind and get it off your chest.”

“Such odd expressions people have garnered over the years.”

He laughed. “Join me, Alexandra. The water’s not getting any warmer.”

She glanced at the water, at Sir Joe, then at the flower crushed in her grasp. She threw the blossom to the ground. “Be adventurous,” she whispered. Her mother used to say a woman needed to be adventurous. She pulled her tunic over her head, delighted by the shivers coursing up her arms and down her spine. She felt rebellious and wild as she tossed her garments to a shrub and ran to a mulberry tree closer to the edge of the water. Although her chemise still provided some cover, she felt as naked as the day she was born.

Sir Joe watched her, his eyes sparkling. It filled her with joy to see him appearing so at ease.

“Come on!” he called, “I’m counting to five and then I’m coming after you.”

She found herself panicking and then giggling like a simpleton as he yelled, “One...two...three...”

Without another thought, she ran down the slope of grass blanketed with dandelions, squeezed her eyes shut, and jumped in. The shocking coldness of the water made her gasp. She scrambled into deeper waters so as to cover herself before he said, “five“.

He swam toward her, making the water ripple, then popped up next to her and shook water from his hair. He gave her a fleeting kiss on the lips, then looked toward the horizon and said, “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

Following his gaze, she took in the blue sky blotted with frothy white clouds.

“I’m beginning to feel as if I’ve been living in a cave for most of my life.”

She smiled in understanding. “There,” she said, pointing to a large billowing cloud hovering above. “’Tis a lion cloud, see its sharp teeth? I believe the beast is roaring.”

His eyes squinted against the sun’s rays. “I don’t see it.”

“’Tis a shame,” she said, still looking upward.

“Why?”

“Because so many people in your time seem to have their eyes wide open and yet they are blind.”

“Blind to the sights and sounds before them?” he asked.

“Blind to immortality,” she said. “In the end, life is but a blink of an eye. Short, but long enough to give us a glimpse of all the possibilities.” She peered into his eyes. “Every day, and every moment should be appreciated.”

“Every second,” he added, his fingertips brushing over her shoulder.

“Aye,” she said, his touch causing goose bumps to crawl up her arms. “Shelly believes it is easier said than done, but I disagree.”

“What is easier said than done?”

“Appreciating the things around you. For instance, when you look at a flower, is it not simple to see its beauty? Until I visited your world I never saw so many people looking into the face of happiness and yet failing to see it at all. What stops so many from seeing it, I wonder?”

“Maybe they don’t know they’re looking into the face of happiness because they have never seen it before.”

As the lion cloud blended in with the others, Alexandra pondered his words, wondering if he spoke of himself. Mostly he seemed confident and secure, but at times it appeared he wore a mask, as if he were hiding his true feelings from the world.

“What is it?” she asked Sir Joe when he grew quiet. “Verily you look perplexed.”

“Why me, Alexandra?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

He loomed over her, his broad shoulders shadowing her from the sun. A tingling sensation swept over her, starting low and working its way rapidly upward.

“Why did you choose me?” he asked again.

“Because the instant I looked into your eyes, I thought you looked empty and lost. I knew then, in my heart, that you were the man who would return to help me and my family.”

“Empty, huh?”

“Aye,” she said, her gaze pulling away from dark eyes that were no longer empty, but now filled with an awareness that made her knees weaken. “If I could send you back, I would,” she said, not wanting him to know he had been right about last night. That she was no longer sure she could handle this shared intimacy between them only to have him leave her in the end. She didn’t want him to know how close to the precipice she dangled, how close she was to throwing her pride to the wind and falling to her knees and pleading with him to stay with her forever. She did not want him to know she could hardly breathe when he touched her as he was doing now, drawing his fingers to her face, tipping her chin upward until she had no choice but to gaze into his eyes.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

“You jest.”

“I’ve never been more serious.”

Water dripped from his shoulders and down his chest. She refused to let her gaze follow the droplets. A hawk flew overhead and a breeze swept across the lake, whispering in her ear. Shivers coursed over her, her insides fluttering like butterfly wings let loose as his lips descended upon hers. She settled a hand on his chest, reveled in the solid feel of him beneath her fingers, wondering if touching him would always feel like the first time.

’Twas a kiss like no other, tender at first, and then erupting into an eager, impatient need that ignited the smoldering sparks within. She was on fire. Naught could ruin this moment.

“Alexandra! Is that you?”

Except for that.

Alexandra tore her mouth from his and jerked about, her mouth falling open the moment she spotted Garrett, Susan, and Rebecca standing at the lake’s edge, watching her with all their wide-eyed innocence.

“Go away!” she cried. “Go to where the horses are tied and wait for me there.”

Garrett gave her a disapproving frown before Susan nudged her brother and sister along. As the children disappeared through the high grass and shrubs, Sir Joe looked hopeful as he said, “Maybe they have news of your sister.”

She nodded, then watched Sir Joe swim away until he reached the edge of the lake, leaving in his wake, ripples of disappointment. What were her siblings doing here? How could they have found her unless...unless they had been following them all along?

By the time Alexandra dressed and reached the campsite, she could hear their bickering. Sir Joe was fiddling with the items inside his leather case. His hair was wet and combed away from his face. Two days of growth shadowed his jaw.

Garrett appeared uninterested in her return as he whittled a piece of wood. Her brother’s hair looked like a bird’s nest after a storm, his tunic dark with dirt and soot.

Rebecca left Susan’s side, ran to Alexandra, and held tightly to her legs.

Alexandra frowned. “Susan, what is going on here?”

Susan’s nose was red as if she’d been crying. “I tried to stop Garrett from following you and the Black Knight, but he would not take heed.” She spread her arms wide. “Verily I could not let my only brother go off into the wilderness alone, could I?”

“So you thought it best to bring Rebecca along, too?”

“Rebecca is my shadow. She knew what I was up to. She would have woken the dead with her crying had I tried to leave her behind. What was I to do?”

Alexandra grimaced as she moved toward Garrett, her little sister still wrapped about her legs. Her brother’s face was stained dark and his nutmeg colored hair stuck out like a porcupine. “What in God’s name has happened to you?”

“He wished to blend in with the night,” Susan answered for him. “In fact, he blended so well I could hardly keep an eye on him after the sun went down.”

“Go and wash yourself,” Joe said, surprising everyone with his sudden demand. “Now,” he repeated. “Before you scare your little sister.”

“You cannot tell me what to do,” Garrett said, straightening to his full height. “And the only person my appearance might frighten would be a milk-livered idle-headed sheep like you.”

Alexandra paled. “Garrett! That is enough. What is wrong with you?” She unhooked Rebecca’s arms from around her legs so she could usher her brother away from Sir Joe.

“I do not trust that man,” Garrett told her. “He is a clod-headed, onion-breathing old man.”

“That kid should be muzzled,” Joe said as he grabbed hold of his briefcase and took a seat on a fallen tree branch.

Alexandra did her best to keep Garrett quiet as she gathered a tin of soap and a cloth for Garrett to bathe with. She saw Rebecca move closer to Sir Joe, inch by inch, mesmerized by the eyeglasses he slid over his nose, and then by what he was doing as he scribbled notes onto his stack of parchment. His leather satchel lay open at his feet and Rebecca kept glancing at its contents until finally she reached down and pulled out a small container. Sir Joe swept the object from her small hand, explaining modern medicine and how she was not to go through his things. Then he turned back to his writing, ignoring Rebecca as he wrote.

One minute he was serious, then charming, then aloof.

How was it that Sir Joe could appear suddenly so distant and unaffected by their kiss in the lake? ’Twas almost as if the peaceful moment had never been. She shoved the tin Garrett’s way. “Wash yourself.”

Alexandra felt her ire rising as she glanced about, noting that the children had eaten the meal she’d prepared earlier. “I will start dinner,” she announced. “And then we will set up camp for the night.”

“And first thing in the morning,” Joe said, looking up from his parchment and over the rims of his eyeglasses, “we will return the little ones to the village.”

“I am afraid there is not enough time,” Alexandra said.

“We’ll have to make time.”

“Nay. We must stay on schedule. We have already taken too long to get this far. I kept the pace slow in hopes of giving you time to adjust.”

His thick brows shot upward. “I didn’t need time to adjust. Talk to Precious if you have a problem with the pacing.”

Alexandra gestured toward the horses. “I do not recall Precious lollygagging all day in the lake.”

Giggles erupted from the children.

“It certainly appeared to me that you were enjoying your swim as well,” Sir Joe noted with a smile.

“’Twas not bad,” Alexandra said in a measured tone, feeling angrier than warranted, determined not to let him get the best of her, “but I fair say I have had better.”

“Is that so?”

“Aye,” she said curtly. “’Tis so.”

“What about them?” He gestured toward the children. “If you think I’m going to travel for the next few weeks with a bunch of kids then you’re—”

Her eyes pierced his, daring him to continue.

“—nuttier than a fruitcake.” He threw his papers to the side. “I’m not doing it. Kids drive me nuts. They give me hives. I’m practically allergic to them. Sorry,” he added, glancing Susan’s way, “nothing against you personally, it’s just the way it is. I didn’t ask to come here. It was your sister’s idea.”

Alexandra could not believe what she was hearing. Not being overly fond of children was one thing, but stating it outright for the children to hear, was too much for her to bear. She brushed her skirts off in frustration. And then she noticed something within Sir Joe’s eyes, something she had failed to notice before.

Sir Joe was cracking his knuckles...Sir Joe was afraid.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, wagging a finger in her direction. “That angry glare of yours is not going to work. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“He is not a knight at all,” Garrett reminded her as he returned from a hasty trip to the lake.

“For Christ’s sake,” Joe said to Garrett. “Why don’t you tell us something we don’t already know?”

Susan gasped.

Rebecca merely stared at him in utter horror as if he’d grown horns and a spiked tail.

Those two things alone would not have alerted him to any unforeseen danger, but the fact that all three kids and Alexandra were suddenly staring at him in wide-eyed horror, caused chills to run up his spine. It was as if he’d turned into a monster before their eyes. He realized he shouldn’t have used God’s name in vain, but come on, give a man a break, he thought.

Rebecca ran to Alexandra’s side.

Even Garrett’s face turned deathly pale.

He rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you all over reacting just a bit?”

“Don’t move,” Alexandra said, taking a cautious step backwards, and then another. “If I can reach my things by the tree mayhap...”

“What’s going on?” Sir Joe asked, thoroughly baffled by everyone’s behavior.

Alexandra put a finger to her lips, silencing him, the panic in her eyes prompting him to obey as she continued her backward journey toward her things.

Susan stood as stiff as a pole, Rebecca’s face well hidden within her skirts.

“’Tis the poisonous snake hanging above your head that holds our attention,” Garrett offered matter-of-factly. “One small bite and you are finished. ’Tis a shame.”

Joe didn’t move. Although he didn’t trust Garrett, he could sense by the kid’s glee alone that the boy was telling the truth. No wonder Rebecca had run.

Alexandra had reached her destination and was now bent over near the base of the tree. When she turned back around she did not hesitate to position a very sharp, dangerous looking arrow on her bow. She settled the hard wood of the bow on her shoulder, pointing the sharp tip of the arrow in the general area of his face. Right between his eyes.

Perspiration gathered on his forehead.

“Do not fret,” Susan told Sir Joe, feigning a cheerful demeanor as if her sister shot arrows at people’s faces on a regular basis. “My sister is an experienced marksman.”

Joe didn’t dare acknowledge Susan’s words, although he took a small bit of comfort in hearing them.

“She has only missed...” Garrett began counting, using both hands. “Six, mayhap seven times in her life.”

If he lived to see another day, Joe vowed he’d get the kid for this. The eerie hiss of the snake sounded above his ear.

Alexandra eyed her target.

Rebecca and Susan hid their eyes as if there was indeed that small chance Alexandra might miss.

As soon as Alexandra pulled back on the taut string, Joe leapt off of the log, rolling over dirt and leaves. The arrow hit the tree with a twang.

Joe clutched at his chest, sure that he was having a heart attack. Spitting leaves and dirt from his mouth, he tried to calm his racing heart, but then he froze as the biggest snake he’d ever seen, slithered past him, right under his nose.

He didn’t move, hardly breathed. The reptile was a monstrosity. After the snake disappeared into the woods, he looked back toward Alexandra. She merely cocked a brow and shrugged as if she hadn’t nearly killed him. Turning about, she propped her weapon against the tree.

Joe glanced at the arrow protruding from the tree and saw that she’d missed her mark by a good four inches. And not upward, but downward. Joe came to his feet, went to the tree and pulled the arrow from its trunk. “This could have been my bloody head,” he said with more shock than anger.

“If you had not moved so abruptly,” Alexandra said, “I would have squarely hit my target. Besides, you are alive and breathing,” she said as if he couldn’t figure that much out for himself.

“Garrett,” Alexandra called as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred, “mayhap you could look about, see if these woodlands are good for hunting.”

Garrett snorted. “What about him? Can he not do anything useful?”

“I don’t hunt,” Joe said.

“My father used to say, if you cannot kill it, then you shan’t eat it.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Alexandra sighed.

Susan went about peeling potatoes she’d found in their bags.

Rebecca sniffled.

Joe’s head throbbed as he grabbed a thin woolen blanket and headed for his so-called bed.

A coyote howled in the distance.

The frogs croaked long into the night, through dinner and beyond, outlasting Susan and Garrett’s constant bickering.