Chapter 6
Jonathon reached up to help Raven from her horse once they’d stopped in front of his shop in town a little while later.
She didn’t need or want his help, but something made her accept it.
Perhaps it was because she wanted to feel his hands on her waist again.
Or mayhap it was because she was hoping he’d realize she was wearing rose water and comment on it. He didn’t.
“Watch out for the puddles,” Jonathon told her, releasing her quickly and not taking an extra moment to sniff her which made her a bit disappointed.
“The streets in town are full of ruts and mud. They are not fit for a lady.” He tied up the horses to the hitching post in front of the shop.
Hanging out from over the door to the shop was a metal shield with two swords crossed behind it.
This symbolized that an armorer worked here.
Only the nobles, clergy, and a small number of the tradesmen or merchants could read and write.
Most of the commoners, the servants, and serfs didn’t have these skills.
Therefore, in front of each shop hung a sign depicting what service was offered inside.
The butcher had a wooden sign with a cleaver and a pig painted on it.
The tavern’s sign was a wine cask and a tankard, stating that this place had both wine and ale.
The chandler had a sign with a candle on it, and the cordwainer’s sign was cut into the shape of a shoe.
There were wooden walkways in front of the stores, which were connected all in a row.
The streets of the town were in horrendous condition.
Besides mud and ruts, people threw their scraps and waste right into the road.
They even emptied their chamber pots out the second story windows.
It paid to look up while walking past the buildings, or one might get a terrible surprise.
The stench of the town was even worse than the smell of the gongpit at the castle on a hot summer’s day.
This is one of the reasons that Raven never came here.
The worst stench by far had to be by the tanners.
Also, the fishmonger’s place where guts from their catches were flung outside for the stray cats and pigs to feast on.
She didn’t want Jonathon to know how she really felt about coming here. Raven was still feeling bad for the way she’d talked to him earlier, so instead she said nothing about the stench. Now she was glad she dabbed on extra rose water before leaving the castle.
“I’m not afraid of a little mud.” She took one step and stopped as her foot sank into a mixture of mud and clay, mixed with who-knows-what. “God’s feet!” she exclaimed, no longer able to stay silent. She’d just ruined her favorite pair of shoes.
“It’s not God’s feet that are in trouble,” he said, looking down. “I did warn you. Hold on tightly, my lady,” he told her from behind. Before she had a chance to ask what he meant, he swept her up into his arms and trudged through the mud, carrying her to the door.
Raven’s arms clasped around his neck since she didn’t want to fall.
It was embarrassing to say the least, but still, part of her really didn’t mind.
Instead, she was entranced by the scent of woodsmoke on Jonathon’s clothes and the way his arms felt wrapped around her.
She let one of her hands slide down to his upper arm, surprised to feel his big muscles that were rock hard.
Swinging a hammer at the forge all day long seemed to have given him a very toned body.
Thankfully, he no longer wore the clothes of a guard. He’d changed back into his own clothes before leaving the castle, telling her he couldn’t be dressed like that in his own town, and she agreed.
Jonathon carried her up a few stairs to a wooden walkway that attached his family’s shop to the others all in a row.
She liked the feel of being in his arms and might have taken a moment to enjoy it if she hadn’t looked over his shoulder and saw all the townspeople staring at them. Suddenly, she felt on edge again.
“Put me down,” she commanded, trying to squirm out of his hold.
“Easy, my lady,” he said in a low voice, gently putting her feet on the wooden walkway. She felt the warmth of his hold dissipate quickly.
“Well, what do you think? Do you like it? Are you ready for more?”
“What?” she gasped, thinking he was speaking of being in his arms. She felt her face redden.
How did he know? Raven did like it, and secretly wanted him to carry her again, but without everyone watching.
She was now under the perusal of every commoner in town, and she didn’t like it.
“How can you think a titled woman is going to like being in a commoner’s arms?
And how can you have the audacity of asking a noblewoman if she likes it and wants more? ”
He looked at her oddly and slowly shook his head. One side of his mouth flipped upward into a cocky grin. “I was speaking about the shop,” he told her. “However, I can see that is not where your mind is at the moment.”
“Oh,” she said, suddenly feeling very foolish.
She looked down and busied herself brushing off her gown, rather than have to look directly at him at a time like this.
She could feel the eyes of all the townsfolk drilling into her and felt the need to get indoors quickly.
“Yes, I’d like to see more. Of the shop, that is.
” She led the way, not waiting for him to invite her inside.
Pushing open the door, she barged in, only to stop in her tracks.
Seven people inside the building all looked up and stopped what they were doing.
Once again everyone stared at her. Would this ever end?
One of the men was inside an adjoining room that had the forge in it, but he put down his hammer when he saw them.
“Lady Raven, I’d like to introduce you to my family,” said Jonathon, entering the shop and walking up next to her. She didn’t move. He put his hand on her elbow, directing her forward.
“Jonathon, what’s this all about?” asked the older man, stepping out from behind the counter. He limped over to them, nodding.
“Lady Raven, this is my father, Crispin Armstrong, and my mother, Avice,” he said, introducing her to an older woman standing across the room as well. A young girl and a young boy were with her. They put down their things and hurried over to join them.
“Hello,” Raven squeaked out, feeling very uncomfortable meeting Jonathon’s family. Or all of them at once, anyway.
“Are you a noble from the castle?” asked the young boy.
“Yes, she is,” Jonathon answered for her. “Raven, this is my youngest brother, Heathcliff. He’s twelve.”
“Do you have any brothers my age?” asked Heathcliff.
“Heathcliff, that’s not an appropriate thing to ask her,” said Jonathon in a low voice.
“Nay, it’s fine,” Raven answered. “I have two younger brothers, but they are sixteen and eighteen,” she told him. “They don’t live at the castle because they are being fostered by other lords. My twin brother, Rook, lives at the castle though.”
“I’ve met him,” said Heathcliff. “Did you know my friends call me Cliff?” asked the boy, staring at her.
“I do now,” she answered. “Are you an apprentice? Because there is a boy about your age at the castle who was apprentice to the former blacksmith. His name is Gerold, and he’s nine.”
“Really? Mayhap I can meet him someday. Can I, Jonathon?” asked the boy eagerly.
“We’ll talk about that later,” said Jonathon, introducing her to his fourteen-year-old sister, Estrilda, and then his eighteen-year-old sister, Hildeth.
“Hello,” said Raven with a nod, not sure she wasn’t going to swoon. It was very hot in the forge and she found it hard to breathe, let alone meet Jonathon’s entire family at once.
“This is my sister Hildeth’s new husband, Leith,” Jonathon said, introducing her to the man in the main part of the shop. “Leith is the town’s baker, so they live at his place now.”
“Hildeth has been a big help at the bakery,” said Leith. “She can bake things that I’ve never even imagined trying. Because of her, my business has grown just since we’ve married.”
“Thank you, Leith,” said Hildeth, and the two lovingly smiled at each other like no one else was in the room.
“That’s nice,” said Raven, not knowing what else to say. It wasn’t as if hearing about baking bread and pastries interested her in the least.
“Don’t forget about me, Brother.” Another man walked out of the forge area wiping his hands with a cloth. He was bare-chested but wore a leather apron that covered most of the front of him.
“Oh, my.” Raven turned away, feeling embarrassed since the man was without a shirt.
“God’s eyes, Avery, cover up,” spat Jonathon, taking a cloak from a hook and tossing it to him. “You are in the presence of a lady.” Jonathon turned to speak to Raven. “This is my brother Avery. He’ll be living at the castle forge with me.”
“What?” Avery looked up as he hurriedly donned the cloak. “I will?” he asked.
“Aye,” said Jonathon. “Did I forget to mention that? While I’m at the castle, I am the temporary smith, as well as Lady Raven’s personal guard.”
“Can I be her personal guard too?” asked Avery, with a chuckle and a big smile.
“I don’t need a personal guard, and although your brother thinks he’s mine, he’s really not,” said Raven with a stiff upper lip. “Now, I think we should be getting back to the castle.”
“We just got here, my lady,” said Jonathon. “I thought you wanted to compare the size of my shop to the one at the castle.”
“Did she, now,” mumbled Avery. “Well, I hope you’re not disappointed, at the size of Jonathon’s... shop.”
“Avery, get back to work,” said Jonathon’s father. “We have orders to fill.”
“My lady, I notice mud on your shoe,” said Jonathon’s mother. “Please, let me and my daughters clean it for you. I have a nice chair for you to use, right over here while we do it.”
“Well, I don’t know.” Raven looked over to Jonathon.