Chapter 10 #2
“By all means, work there whenever you need to,” said Corbett. “When Raven is feeling better, you can take her along with you on your trips to town. I’m sure she’d like to know what goes on at a forge.”
“I think she already does, but I will do so next time I see her,” he answered, not able to stop thinking about his intimate time with Raven last night at the forge. “By your leave, my lords?”
“Godspeed,” said Corbett, sending Jonathon on his way.
“Brother, where are you off to, and why are you not sitting at the dais?” asked Avery, meeting him at the door.
“I’m not welcome there anymore,” said Jonathon. “I think Lady Raven is up to her tricks, and I don’t like it.”
“Where is she?” Avery scanned the room. “I don’t see her.”
“She’s supposedly in her chamber with a headache, but I have a feeling that’s not where she is at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just keep an eye open for her. I’m going home for a while but will be back later today.”
Jonathon made his way out to the stable to get his horse. The stablemaster greeted him.
“Jonathon? Did you want me to saddle your horse?” he asked.
“I’ll get it, Jacob, but thank you.” Jonathon started saddling his horse, looking over to the stall where Raven’s horse was kept. He wasn’t surprised to see it missing.
“Where is Lady Raven’s horse?” he asked.
“The page took it earlier,” answered the man. “He said Lady Raven wanted him to exercise the horse since she wasn’t feeling well today.”
“Did she, now.” Jonathon hoisted himself into the saddle.
“The odd part is, he also took a horse and cart out right afterwards.”
“Yes, that’s strange.” Jonathon turned back. “Jacob, have you heard any of the nobles complaining about me at all?”
“Nay,” answered the man, with a shake of his head. “Not really. Everyone seems to like you.”
“So, there’s no gossip stirring around me?” he asked.
“Not as far as I know, but I’m usually stuck in here and I don’t hear everything that is going on.”
“I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“Well, the nobles might not have been happy about a commoner like you getting such special attention at first. But once Lords Corbett and Blake accepted you and even sparred with you, they realized you’re not so bad. I really don’t think you need to worry.”
“Thank you,” he said, turning and riding out the gate.
Jonathon was on his way back home when he decided to make a stop before heading to town.
He liked to sit and think by the creek in the woods.
It helped him to clear his mind. Mayhap a few minutes by himself out in the fresh air would help him get his head on straight about everything that had happened.
He made his way to the creek, hearing voices up ahead. Veering off the path, he followed the sound, stopping his horse when he saw Raven atop her horse, holding a lance. There was a horse and cart there as well. Lark and the squire named Albert were with her.
Raven kicked her heels into her horse, heading right for a quintain that was set up in the woods. She managed to hit the arm on the quintain and it spun around, but she was too slow. The sandbag on the other end hit her in the back, knocking her from her horse and to the ground.
“Ooomph,” she mumbled as she hit the dirt.
“Not a bad attempt, but you need to be faster,” Jonathon called out, riding to the group.
“Jonathon?” Raven’s head came up, but she was still lying on the ground.
“Raven, are ye all right?” Lark hurried over to her while the page ran after the horse.
“Your father said you were in your chamber, not feeling well. You don’t look ill to me,” he said, dismounting and hurrying over to help her up. “Was that just a story you concocted to throw me off your trail?”
Without asking, he put his hands under her shoulders and pulled her to her feet.
“I don’t need your help,” she told him. “And everything isn’t always about you, Jonathon Armstrong.”
“Actually, I think you do need me.” He started to brush the dirt off her clothes. She wore trews and a tunic today instead of a gown.
“Don’t touch me.” She pushed his hand away and stepped back.
Jonathon held his palms up in the air. “Excuse me, my lady. I was just trying to help.”
“Raven, I told ye we shouldna have come here,” said Lark, looking over at Jonathon from the sides of her eyes. “He’s goin’ to tell yer brother or yer father now.”
“Nay, he won’t,” said Raven.
“So sure of yourself, are you?” asked Jonathon.
“You won’t say anything, because if you do, I’ll tell my father about–” she stopped for a moment, looking over to the page to make sure he was out of earshot. “I’ll tell him about the kiss.”
“Go ahead,” he challenged her, more or less throwing down the gauntlet. “I doubt you’ll tell him, because once he hears you lied about being ill and instead sneaked off to the woods, he’ll never believe a word you say.”
“He already doesn’t,” she said, sounding so sad. “Well, I guess I’ll never learn to joust now.”
“Why do you even want to learn? It makes no sense,” said Jonathon.
“She wants to do it so she can–”
“Lark, that’s enough,” Raven stopped her cousin from telling him more, making him very curious now.
“We should go back to the castle, Raven,” said Lark, looking very nervous.
“I’m not going back yet. I still need to practice,” said Raven.
“I know how to joust,” said Jonathon, surprising her.
“You?” She laughed. “What do you know about the joust?”
“More than you, my lady.”
“I doubt it.”
“Let me show you.” He picked up the lance that she dropped and quickly mounted his horse. “You’ve got to give it a quick jab. Don’t let the contact linger. And keep moving until you are out of reach of the swivel arm. Like this,” he said, riding fast toward the quintain.
Raven watched in awe as Jonathon hit the quintain and rode on past so quickly that the sandbag on the opposite side of the swivel arm missed him completely.
“That was great,” said Lark.
“It was perfect,” agreed Albert, bringing Raven’s horse back to her. “He’s really good at it, my lady. For a commoner, I mean.”
“Yes. He is, isn’t he?” Her eyes were fastened to him. She also had an idea of how she could use this to her advantage.
“That’s how you do it, my lady.” Jonathon rode back to her with the lance in his hand.
“Can you teach me to joust?” she blurted out, not even taking the time to compliment him.
“You are serious about learning to do this, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Now, why would you want to take up such a dangerous sport? One that is only for men?”
“Don’t ask questions. Answer mine instead. Can you teach me?”
Jonathon looked over to Lark and Albert. “I’ll help you load the equipment back into the cart. You’d better get these things back to the castle before they’re missed.”
“Nay,” protested Raven. “I brought those things here so I can practice.”
“Not now,” he told her, taking apart the quintain while Lark and Albert collected the lances.
“Put that back, right now,” she commanded.
“Raven, I think Jonathon is right,” said Lark. “We should get these things back to the castle before anyone notices them missing.”
“Nay. I planned on practicing the quintain today.”
Jonathon ignored her and loaded the quintain into the back of the wagon with Albert helping.
“Lady Lark, if anyone is looking for your cousin, please tell them she is with me today,” said Jonathon, helping Lark to the wagon seat.
“I’m going to be spending the day in town back at my father’s forge.
Lord Corbett already knows that. Just let him know Lady Raven is safe with me and under my protection. We will return later.”
“Aye, I’ll tell them,” said Lark. “Albert, can we go now?”
“I’m ready.” Albert joined Lark, taking the reins of the horse to drive the wagon.
“My father won’t like that I’m in town,” stated Raven.
“It was his idea for me to take you with me.”
“Goodbye, Raven,” said Lark, waving as they rode away.
Once they left, Raven asked Jonathon a question. “How do you know how to joust?”
“I learned a long time ago and have been doing it for years. As a bonus of hiring out my sword to so many different lords, I was allowed to practice with weapons against the knights and other soldiers on occasion.”
He helped her mount her horse.
“Swordplay I can see, but only knights or nobles are allowed to joust, so how could you have learned to do it?” asked Raven.
“It doesn’t matter.” He rode with Raven as they headed for town.
“I had no idea you were skilled in so many different things,” said Raven. “Now, tell me. Can you teach me to joust or not?”
“I could, but I won’t.”
“Why not?” she asked. “I really want to learn.”
“I don’t think your father or your brother would agree with it.”
“They don’t agree to anything I want to do.” Totally frustrated, she rode in silence for a short time before Jonathon started to question her.
“Tell me the real reason you want to joust, and just mayhap I’ll reconsider.”
“Really?” she turned to face him, suddenly feeling hope again. Mayhap her plan would work after all. However, she didn’t want to tell him why she really wanted to learn to joust. If he knew the truth, he’d try to stop her from doing it. She would have to answer in a roundabout way.
“I know once I’m married, I’ll have to lay down my sword and I will never be allowed to try the things that interest me in life again.”
“So, you’re saying you want to get your wild ways out of your system before you are forced to act like a lady?”
“I’m saying, no man would ever let his wife try the joust, let alone use a sword, even though I am highly skilled in using weapons.”
“So I’ve found out,” he said with a nod, looking over at her and smiling.
“I told you why I want to learn, so will you teach me then?”
“Well... all right. I’ll teach you the joust, even though I know I’m going to end up regretting it.”
“Oh, thank you!” she shouted, so excited by this that she felt like throwing herself into his arms and kissing him, even though she was on a horse.
“All I ask is that you don’t play games with me, my lady. If so, we both know it will only end badly.”
“Games? What do you mean?”
“I think you know exactly what I mean.”
There was no doubt he was talking about their intimate time together in the forge, and not the joust. He thought she was playing with him, but actually, it was so much more than that.
Raven wanted to tell him he was wrong. She wanted him to know the kisses between them were real.
She also wanted to tell him how good it felt to be pressed up against him and to be held in his strong arms. Sadly, she realized it would do no good to mention this to him.
It would only make things between them more awkward.
He was already taking a huge risk by agreeing to teach her to joust. If he knew why she really wanted to learn, he would most likely try to talk her out of her plan.
And if he knew how infatuated she was with him, he would probably run the other way.
Mayhap it was better to leave her feelings out of this and keep the truth between them unsaid.
Her heart about broke as she rode with him to town, because she knew he was right in calling it a game.
After all, people like her weren’t allowed to have feelings for someone like him.
If there was a way to change that, she would, but there wasn’t.
Jonathon Armstrong was the first man she ever actually had romantic feelings for, but it would end right there.
Unfortunately, these feelings were all wrong between them, and certainly not allowed.