Chapter 9
“ L uke, I am going on a hunting expedition today and I want you to join me.” Hunter decided he needed to spend more time with his nephew if the boy was ever going to start listening to him.
“Why?” Luke played with Inky atop the bed in their chamber. “Isn’t it bad enough I have to wear these silly clothes?” William had dropped off clothes for both of them yesterday and Hunter had to fight with Luke to even put them on this morning.
“These are the clothes of nobles. You should be happy to wear them since you always said you wanted to be a knight.”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Luke told him. “I want to be a stableboy instead.”
“Fred again, huh?” Hunter pulled his new tunic over his head. It seemed to fit well but wasn’t as comfortable as his old clothes. He couldn’t blame the boy for not wanting to change the way they dressed.
“If I wear these clothes around Fred, he is going to feel poor.” Luke sounded as if he actually cared about his friend’s feelings. This was something new since Luke had never acted this way before.
“Fred is a stableboy, Luke. He’s not supposed to feel rich.” Hunter sat on the bed and pulled up the new breeches that William had made him. They fit like a glove and that impressed him. Regina’s uncle truly was a master at his skill.
“Well, I’m not supposed to be rich either so why do I have to dress this way?”
“You are posing as a noble. Fred doesn’t know you really aren’t so you need to keep up appearances.”
“Nay, he doesn’t.” Luke got off the bed holding the cat. He’d been feeding it so much that the cat was getting a fat belly.
“What does that mean?” asked Hunter.
“I told Fred I’m a thief-taker just like you.”
“You did what?” In anger, Hunter jumped up, managing to scare the cat. Inky jumped out of Luke’s arms and bolted across the room. The door opened just then and the cat slipped out, disappearing down the corridor.
“Inky got away! I need to catch him.” Luke rushed out the door, knocking into William who was entering with his sewing basket under his arm.
“My lord? I knocked but I guess you didn’t hear me. I came for a final fitting,” said William.
“My clothes fit fine, William, thank you. Your services won’t be needed today.”
William looked out the door and then entered the room, closing the door behind him. “May I have a word with you in private, my lord?”
“Yes, of course.” Hunter bent down and put on his boots. He thought it was odd that William called him a lord when he knew damned well that Hunter wasn’t noble. He supposed it was because William was keeping up the guise and he was thankful that the man was going along with it. “What’s on your mind, William?”
“I wouldn’t even mention it, but since Robin is having trouble with thieves lately, I feel it is my duty to do so.”
“Mention what? What are you talking about?” Hunter walked across the room to a small table that held some of his personal things.
“It’s about that cat that Luke has, my lord. I got a better look at her just now and I am sure she is the same one that disappeared from my shop.”
Hunter looked up, not knowing what to say. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes. I’m sure of it.”
“I see.” Hunter reached down to the table and picked up his boar-bristle brush. “Well, mayhap she got out and wandered away and Luke found her.” Hunter ran the brush through his tangled long hair.
“Aye, I supposed you’re right,” William answered with his head down.
Hunter looked over at William and slowly put down the brush. “You think my nephew is a thief, don’t you?”
“Nay, my lord, I didn’t say that.” William’s eyes opened wide and he shook his head. “However, there is something else I think you should know.”
“What’s that?”
William squirmed, seeming really uncomfortable. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure it is nothing.”
“It sounds important, William. I think you should tell me.”
“If you insist.” He still squirmed, moving his sewing basket from one arm to the other.
“I insist. Now please, tell me. What has taken your concern?”
William ran a hand over his basket and let out a deep sigh before continuing. “Right before my cat disappeared, my daughter said two boys were hanging out in front of the shop in a suspicious manner.”
“Really.” Hunter didn’t want to hear this. “William, if my nephew has done anything wrong, I swear I will punish him and correct the situation. If he has your cat, as you say, I will make sure she is returned to you.”
“Nay, nay.” William raised his hand in the air. “I don’t want the cat back. I can get another. I just noticed that your relations with your nephew seem a little…shall I say, rocky?”
Hunter blew out a deep breath and collapsed atop the bed. “Mayhap stormy is a better word to describe it. It is like I don’t even know who the boy is anymore. Please tell me that raising a child gets easier because this isn’t going well at all.”
“I can’t say it does, unfortunately. Then again, Bernadette and I had girls, not a boy. I’m sure it is much different.”
“William, you are easy to talk to. I feel comfortable around you.”
“Thank you,” said the man, slowly lowering himself atop a chair. “Does that mean there is something you need to discuss but can’t find the right person to talk to about it?”
“You are a wise man as well,” said Hunter with a smile, sitting up on the bed. “It’s about Lady Regina.”
“Ah, I thought so.” The man put his sewing basket on his lap and chuckled. “You have feelings for her but you can’t tell Robin because you are a commoner and she is his brother. Is that right?”
“Damn, you are good at this. How did you know that?”
“I grew up in a much different lifestyle than Robin, you realize. It was more like yours I’d guess. I may be good at my craft, but I don’t have book knowledge. I learned all that I know on the streets.”
“Is it hard having a brother who is now a noble?”
“We’re not really brothers,” he said. “But the answer is no. I felt as if Madoc were my true brother even though he wasn’t. I know it is proper to treat nobles differently, but honestly, they are no different from commoners in my opinion. They just have a title attached to their name.”
“Not to mention a lot of wealth and status.”
“Have you told Regina your feelings for her?”
“I have.”
“How did she react?”
“Lady Regina is…complicated.”
“She is, indeed!”
Hunter and William both chuckled.
“I didn’t think she cared for me at first,” admitted Hunter. “Then things changed recently and now I think that mayhap she does. I might just be fooling myself though. We don’t belong together, and I know it. I am sure nothing will ever come of any feelings that we have for each other.”
“Don’t give up hope, Hunter. If you want something…or someone bad enough, there is always a way to get what you want.”
“That’s just it. I’m not really sure where I want our relationship to go.” Now Hunter was the one fidgeting and feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t know William well but was opening up to him about his personal feelings. Mayhap he shouldn’t be talking to him. After all, William was Madoc’s brother and Madoc was Regina’s father. His mind became even more confused.
“So, are you saying you don’t want to get married and settle down and have a family someday?” asked William.
“Nay, I’m not saying that at all. I am just saying that I’m not sure I’d be any good at it. I don’t have any admirable skills like you do with sewing or like Regina does with falconry. How could she ever be proud of me?”
“Leave that up to her to decide,” was William’s wise advice. “Don’t you have some kind of skill you are proud of? I mean, you are a thief-taker, right?”
“Phiff,” he said, blowing air from his mouth. “I don’t think any woman, noble or not, would brag about her husband being nothing more than a blasted bounty hunter.”
“Then what did you do before you were a thief-taker?” asked William. “Mayhap that is what you should focus on.”
“Nay. Never.”
“What do you mean?”
“As a boy, the same age as Luke, I traveled with my father. As mercenaries.”
“Oh.” William made a face. “I see what you mean. But at least you are a fighting man. That is a skill well admired.”
“Mayhap if you’re a knight, which I’ll never be. Otherwise, I’m just considered a killer. I have been born lowly and some things are just out of my reach, I’m afraid.”
“Find the thief,” said William. “You do that and you will make a lot of nobles happy, and shine in Regina’s eyes as well. Do what you’re good at, and let the rest fall in place as it will.”
“Oh, I will find the thief, I promise you that. It is only a matter of time.” Hunter had faith in his abilities and this didn’t worry him at all. “However, I must admit that I am not really in a big hurry to do so.”
“You’re not?” William seemed confused. “I don’t understand. Why not?”
“Because, William, as soon as I find and deliver the thief, I will have to leave Shrewsbury Castle and go back to my old life. My life, that is, without Lady Regina.”
Regina sat atop her horse with Hera on her arm, waiting for Hunter outside the stable. The hunting party which consisted of Robin, his squire, and two huntsmen were all packed and ready to leave. Abe, the kennelgroom was also there with two of the hunting dogs on leads.
“Are we ready to go?” Robin asked her, giving his wife Sage a hug and kiss goodbye.
“We are still waiting for Hunter and Luke,” she told him. “Oh, here comes Hunter now.”
Hunter arrived and the stable groom, Al brought his horse as well as Luke’s to him.
“Lord Hunter,” said Regina from atop her horse. “I’d like you to meet Lord Robin’s squire, Baldwin. Also the kennelgroom, Abe, and two of our huntsmen, Gregory and Paul.”
“Hello, happy to meet you,” said Hunter with a quick nod. “I am sorry I am late but I’ve been looking for my nephew, Luke. Have any of you seen him?”
Regina looked up to see Luke hobbling toward him from the keep. “There he is,” she said with a nod.
“Luke, hurry up,” growled Hunter. “You are making everyone wait.”
“I can’t go on the hunt today,” said the boy. “I fell down the stairs to the battlements and hurt my leg.” Luke bent down and rubbed his leg.
“Oh, you poor thing,” said Sage, hurrying over to him. “Let me see it. I am a healer.”
When Luke showed her his leg, Regina noticed that the boy was wearing boots that were several sizes too big for him. “Mayhap he tripped because his boots are too big,” she pointed out.
Hunter looked down at the boy’s feet. “Luke? Where did you get those boots? And what the hell were you doing up on the battlements? You don’t belong up there.” Hunter’s tone was filled with anger making Regina sure that he was about to reprimand the boy.
“Hunter, Hera is getting restless and it is time to go,” she called out, not wanting a confrontation right before they left. Especially not in front of everyone.
“Get on your horse, Luke. Now,” commanded Hunter, mounting his steed.
“Oh, nay, he can’t mount a horse let alone go anywhere,” said Sage, inspecting his leg. “His knee is scraped and bleeding and also bruised. His ankle is also starting to swell. Leave him here with me and I will apply a healing salve to it. He should be fine by the time you return.”
“Yes, I need to stay here, Hunter,” said the boy, getting a look that could kill from Hunter.
“We’ll discuss this when I return,” Hunter told him. “Now, stay out of trouble, and I mean it.”
“I’ll watch over him,” offered Sage, being the kind woman and excellent mother that she was. Sage was used to being around children since her parents had died when she was young and it had been up to her to raise her siblings.
Fred appeared from the stables with Inky in his arms. He put the cat down on the ground and she ran over to Luke, rubbing against his leg. Luke sat right down on the ground and put the cat on his lap.
Hunter rode over to Regina. “Where is Roger?” he asked. “I thought he was going to bring Cloud along on the hunt too.”
“It was Lightning we planned to bring,” she corrected him. “Unfortunately, that plan has changed.”
“Really? Why?”
“Roger is ill today,” she told him. “He stayed in the village this morning with his family. It seems he must have eaten something that didn’t agree with him yesterday.”
“I see. So, who is going to watch over the other birds then?” asked Hunter.
Regina looked up to see Cassian standing in the doorway of the mews watching them. “Cassian will be here to look after them,” she said, getting a bad feeling about leaving the care of the birds to the man.
“You don’t sound as if you like that idea,” commented Hunter.
Regina let out a deep breath and looked over to Hera on her arm. “I wish I could bring all my birds with me today, but since I cannot, I suggest we leave for the hunt.”
One of the huntsmen blew a horn to announce their departure. Robin led the way with his squire and the huntsmen rode right behind him. The kennelgroom was on foot, with the hounds pulling him as he held onto their leads.
“Is the kennelgroom going to run the whole way?” asked Hunter in disbelief, feeling sorry for the poor man. He almost wanted to offer Abe a ride atop his horse.
“Yes, he will run. He needs to do so, in order to control the dogs,” explained Regina. “Don’t worry about Abe. We don’t ride very fast. He’ll be able to keep up with us.”
“If you say so.” Hunter looked at the land, liking the feeling of being in nature. The sky was so blue and wide. The trees were turning green quickly, and even some of the flowers were already blooming, filling the air with a sweet scent. The castle was nice, but it felt so confining and crowded to him. He wasn’t used to always being around so many people. Part of him longed to get back to his home in the woods. “I’m sorry about that scene with Luke earlier.” Hunter rode up beside Regina. “I will reprimand the boy and get to the bottom of things when we return.”
“He does seem to be a handful,” said Regina, reaching over to give Hera a treat as they rode.
“I thought William could give me some pointers on parenting, but since he has girls, he wasn’t much help.” Hunter wasn’t sure why he told this information to Regina because it probably only made him seem weak. But he was searching for things to talk about because he liked being with Regina and wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before he had to leave.
“You saw my Uncle William?” she asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes,” he answered. “William stopped by my chamber this morning to make sure my clothes fit right and we talked.”
“What else did you talk about?” she asked curiously.
“Just…things,” he said, quickly looking the other way.
Regina smiled. She had a feeling Hunter had been talking about her to William and she couldn’t say it displeased her. Now, she only wished she knew exactly what had been said.