Chapter 14
“Raven? Are you in here?”
Jonathon awoke the next morning, hearing someone calling for Raven. It wasn’t until he saw Raven’s naked body pressed up next to him that he remembered what happened last night.
“Oh, hell,” he said, bolting up to a sitting position, quickly pulling on his trews. Brindy got up and stretched and yawned. Raven stirred in the bed.
“Raven?” Lark appeared at the door to the bedroom holding a lit candle in her hand. Copper, Raven’s apricot-colored dog was with her. “Oh, my!” exclaimed Lark, when she saw Jonathon get out of bed, half-dressed, and Raven still lying there under the covers.
“Lark?” came Raven’s sleepy voice from the bed. “What are you doing here?”
“Me? What are ye doin’ here?” asked Lark, looking back over her shoulder. “Yer father is lookin’ for ye. It’s already mornin’. When ye and Brindy weren’t there when I awoke, I thought ye might be with Jonathon. But I never thought ye’d be doin’ this!”
“Raven, get up,” said Jonathon, not bothering to use her title since they were more than familiar with each other now. He quickly pulled a tunic over his head and jammed his boots onto his feet. “Lady Lark, I’m sorry you had to see this.”
“I’m no’,” said Lark with a smile. Then her eyes opened wide and she shook her head. “I mean, I’m no’ sorry ye did it. Together. I mean–”
“Never mind, Cousin.” Raven sprang from bed, trying to pull her night rail over her head. “Father can’t see me like this. I need to hide. If he finds me in here in my night clothes, he’ll know what happened.”
“Here. I brought yer gown.” Lark put down the candle and pulled Raven’s gown out from a bag she carried over her shoulder.
“Raven? Where are you?” came Corbett’s bellow from just outside the blacksmith’s shop.
“Damn it,” spat Jonathon. “I knew this would happen.” He paced back and forth.
“Hurry, Raven,” said Lark, helping her dress. “Here, put the cloak back on and mayhap no one will notice yer messy hair.”
“Raven?” came Rook’s voice next. They were getting closer.
“That’s it.” Jonathon threw his hands in the air. “I’m going to tell them the truth and take my punishment like a man.” He started to leave the room, but Raven grabbed his arm and spun him around.
“You do that and I will never forgive you!” she spat.
“What? I don’t understand,” he said. “We both knew this might happen.”
“We knew, and it did, but that is no reason to act stupid!” She pushed him out the door. “Get over to the forge and crank it up. Fast.”
“But –”
“Do it,” she spat, and Jonathon didn’t argue.
“Raven, ye need to get out of the man’s bedchamber,” said Lark. “Oh, I’m so frightened for ye.”
“Don’t be,” she said, spying the bone on the ground and scooping it up. “This isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.”
“What?” asked Lark. “Are ye sayin’ ye –”
“Shush, Lark. Now, follow me and let me do all the talking.” Raven grabbed Lark by the arm and pulled her into the other room where Jonathon was working the bellows, bringing the flames to life.
“Oh, no. Hide the armor,” said Raven, not wanting her father to see it.
“Nay, it’s fine,” Jonathon told her, making no sense at all.
“Raven? Are you in here?” Rook pushed open the door to the blacksmith’s shop.
“Here, Brindy,” said Raven, throwing the bone on the ground. The dog sniffed it but did nothing to chew on it. Thankfully, Copper decided she wanted it, and lay down and gnawed on the bone instead.
“I found her,” Rook called over his shoulder, entering the shop, leaving the door wide open. The sun streamed in, lighting up the dark room.
“Raven?” Corbett walked in next with Devon at his side. “Where the hell were you? I came to your room this morning and Lark said she hadn’t seen you.”
Devon, Raven’s mother, walked in, keeping to the back of the room and not saying a word.
“I was here,” said Raven.
“Doing what?” asked her brother, sounding suspicious.
“Jonathon told me yesterday he had a bone for the dogs. Brindy was acting anxious and I thought it would calm him.”
“Really.” Corbett looked down to the dogs. “If you’re trying to calm Brindy, why is Copper chewing on it and Brindy is yawning?”
“Brindy already had his time with the bone, my lord,” said Jonathon, coming to her rescue.
“I see,” said Corbett, still looking at them oddly. “Armstrong, why is the forge going this early?”
“He was catching up on orders,” said Raven.
“Well, I said you are to stay with my daughter during the day, and only work in the forge at night.”
“Aye, my lord. I’m sorry,” said Jonathon.
“Carry on,” said Corbett, leaving with Rook.
“Whew, that was close,” remarked Lark.
“Shhh,” said Raven, looking around. “Mother?” she called out.
“I’m here, Raven.” Her mother walked out of Jonathon’s bedroom, and came up to her and handed her something.
Raven looked down to see it was her night rail. “Oh. So, you know.”
“What I know is that you will not be able to fool your father for much longer. I suggest you tell him soon that you’ve fallen for a man who isn’t a noble.” She glanced over to Jonathon, but he couldn’t meet her gaze.
“Will you tell Father for me?” asked Raven.
“It’s not my story to tell. I suggest you figure out what you’re going to do before you’re married off to a man you don’t love or want.”
“Father is so adamant about me marrying a noble,” said Raven. “I don’t want a noble. I want Jonathon.” She looked over to him but he kept busy stoking the flames of the forge.
“Your father is a proud man, Raven. He has worked hard to bring honor back to the family name. He won’t take this news easily.”
“He must understand what it’s like to fall in love with someone beneath one’s status,” said Raven. “After all, he fell in love with you when he thought you were only a servant.”
“Raven, I won’t tell you what to do because, for one, I believe in true love over status.
But just remember that whatever decision you make, you will have to live with the consequences for the rest of your life.
Whatever that might be.” With that, her mother left the forge, leaving the room in silence.
“I think I’ll leave now, too,” said Lark, hurrying out the door with the dogs following right behind her.
Raven glanced over at Jonathon, but he was still not looking at her. He purposely kept busy dousing the fire now that her father told him to do so.
“Jonathon? Say something to me. Please,” she begged.
He put down a poker and turned to face her. “I never wanted to be deceptive. I don’t like lying.”
“It’s not lying. We are just... keeping some things quiet. For now.”
“Don’t deny it, Raven. All you do is lie. And what happens when your mother reveals to your father just what went on between us? What position will that put us in?”
“She said she wouldn’t,” said Raven. “I believe her.”
“Well, what happens when in a few weeks you are forced to marry whichever noble wins the tournament?” he asked. “What will you do then?”
“I-I won’t let that happen.”
“What does that mean?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t stop it.”
“I have plans, Jonathon. You won’t have to worry. I promise.”
“Let’s hope so,” he said, heading to the door. “Because I won’t sacrifice my job, my reputation, and my family for a spontaneous decision to have one night of passion.”
“I’m ready,” called out Raven, sitting atop her horse behind Jonathon’s father’s shop in town. She was determined that today was the day she’d conquer the quintain. Time was running out. If she wanted to learn this joust and hopefully win the tournament, she needed to get better at it quickly.
She lowered the visor on the helm that Jonathon insisted she wear.
It wasn’t made for her. It was the helm of a man and too big for her and also too heavy.
It kept slipping and it took all her concentration to keep her chin up so she could see where she was going.
Still, she felt good about this. The lance in her grip didn’t seem as heavy and cumbersome as always.
Perhaps she had a newfound strength after making love with Jonathon.
Or mayhap all this practice was giving her muscles.
After all, swinging the hammer in the forge gave Jonathon those bulging muscles in his arms that she adored.
“Go,” shouted Jonathon from the other end of the practice field.
Kicking her feet into the sides of her horse, Raven raced across the field toward the quintain.
“Pick up the tip of the lance. Raise it higher,” he shouted. “Focus, focus.”
“Faster, faster,” yelled Avery. “You need more speed.”
“I’m trying,” she called back, aiming for the target on the quintain, hitting it and already cringing, ready to feel the air knocked out of her as soon as the sandbag walloped her in the back.
To her surprise, she rode right by, hearing the squeaking of the swivel arm, but wasn’t hit from behind.
She turned her horse to see the sandbag slowly swinging back and forth.
“I did it? I did it!” she screamed, excited that she’d finally conquered the struggle with the quintain. “Did you see that, Jonathon? I did it, didn’t I?” She threw the lance down.
“Aye,” he said, walking over to meet her. Avery rushed over and picked up the lance. “You did it,” said Jonathon, sounding less than enthusiastic.
“I finally beat the quintain.” She ripped off her helm.
“Yes, you did. So you’re done. Let’s prepare to go back to the castle. I have a lot of work to do.”
“Nay, wait. I want to try it a few more times to make sure it wasn’t just dumb luck.”
“All right,” he said with a nod. “Two or three times should suffice. Then we’re finished with the joust.”
“Finished? Nay, I’m not. I’ve only just started.”
“What do you mean?”
“I need to try it in competition. Against a man. For real,” she said.
“No, you don’t. This is good enough, Raven.”
“No, it’s not. I am going to learn to joust against someone. You need to fight me, Jonathon.”
“What?” His head jerked back in surprise. “Nay. I’m not going to joust against you.”
“Why not?” she asked. “I need to practice against a real person. Since I will be rejected back at the castle, you’re going to have to do it. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.” She turned and rode back to the start.
“Nay!” he called after her. “I don’t have your armor finished yet.”
“I can’t wait for it. I’m running out of time and I need to learn the joust right now.”
“Damn, she’s stubborn,” Jonathon said to his brother. “I thought that would be enough to suffice her, but no, she wants to battle against a live person. What the hell is the matter with her? And what is her all-fired hurry?”
Avery shook his head. “The real question is what’s the matter with you for allowing her to even do this?”
“I’m only trying to make her happy. Plus, her father wants me to keep her distracted so she doesn’t scare away all the knights who are starting to arrive for the tournament.”
“They’re arriving already?” asked Avery. “The tournament isn’t for another two weeks yet.”
“I know. However, I believe they arrive early to get a good spot to pitch their tents, and also to get used to the tiltyard and practice areas before the tournament starts.”
“I’ll bet they’ll come early to eye up Lady Raven, too,” said Avery, getting a scowl from Jonathon in return. “I mean, to see what the prize is, to know if it’s—if she’s worth fighting for.”
“She is, believe me,” said Jonathon in a low voice.
“Brother, she thinks she’s really good at the quintain now because she doesn’t know we rigged it. How are you going to make her think she’s mastered the joust so she’ll stop this nonsense?”
“I just have to fool her once again, although I hate to do it. I’ll let her knock me off my horse a few times.
That should satisfy her and mayhap she’ll forget all about this silly notion of jousting.
I need to make it look believable since everyone knows a girl could never beat a man at the joust.”
“Even if it works, you’d better hope she never finds out you’re throwing the competition.”
Jonathon’s head hurt and his gut twisted. He didn’t like Raven telling lies, and now he was being no better than she. When would all this deception end? “I don’t like all these secrets and all this deceit,” said Jonathon. “I feel like going to her father and telling him what transpired between us.”
“You do that and you’re a dead man, you do know that,” said Avery. “Plus, it won’t reflect well on the rest of the family either.”
“If I say nothing, it’ll kill me to sit back and watch her marry a noble instead of me.”
“Then ask her father for her hand in marriage.”
“I can’t. He’s trusted me to be her personal guard. I don’t want to disappoint him.”
“If you just let Raven marry someone else, you’ll disappoint her, won’t you?”
“Yes, I believe I will. What am I supposed to do? I’m not a noble, dammit. I couldn’t marry her even if I begged Lord Corbett on my knees. Any way I turn, I’m doomed, I tell you. I don’t like this one bit.”
“Mayhap Raven can help where that’s concerned.”
“I doubt it. Noblewomen don’t have a say as to whom they marry. That is determined for them by their fathers.”
“Well, it seems to me, her husband is being chosen by fate, not her father. After all, even Lord Corbett doesn’t know which man she’ll marry until a winner of the tournament is determined.”
“Aye, you’re right,” said Jonathon, just the thought of all this making him feel like he was going to retch.
One of the lucky sots entering the tournament would get Raven for his wife.
Only nobles were allowed to participate in the tournament, so he didn’t even have a chance to compete for her hand in marriage.
Nay, he was not that lucky. He had no chance in hell of ever becoming Lady Raven’s husband.