9. Laurel
LAUREL
“Ready, Izzy?” Aalis wriggled with barely contained excitement. “It’s finally time!”
Of course. The stupid tournament.
From what I’d heard, it would be nothing like Father’s annual tournaments back in Sherwood Forest. If I was allowed to participate in the games, it would be a different story.
But from what Aalis had described during the many nights she lay awake, endlessly chattering away from the bedroll next to mine, girls would cinch themselves up in suffocating corsets, hoping to be noticed by the contenders and invited to the ball that evening.
I had no intention whatsoever of displaying myself like a peacock on parade when my time could be spent snooping around to find out information on where King Richard was being held.
There had been whispers of secret tunnels and passageways leading out of the castle.
I could use the time during the tournament to slip away and investigate.
I might even manage to sneak into Prince John’s empty quarters while everyone else was distracted.
“Aalis,” I groaned, rubbing my temples, “I really don’t want to go. Aren’t there chores we need to finish?”
She stared at me as if I’d just grown a third eyeball. “How can you even think of work right now? There will be so many men, probably even without shirts on. We have to go!”
Honestly. “I have someone back home I’m interested in,” I lied smoothly.
“Oh, please!” Aalis scoffed. “Prince John invited everyone. There will even be royalty from all over and there’s a new Sheriff of Nottingham. He’ll be attending too. Trina saw him today and said that he’s very handsome! As far as I know, he’s young and single.”
Wonderful. Just what I wanted—girls throwing themselves at Baron right in front of me.
“No.”
“But Isabella!” She grabbed my arm, a note of desperation creeping into her voice. “You’re my best friend. You have to come with me. I can’t go alone! Prince John will be there, and the Duke of Austria, and his son, and—”
“Wait,” I cut in sharply. “Who was that last one?”
She blinked. “Prince John?”
“You said the Duke of Austria?” My nerves jangled. In that letter we’d found, the Duke of Austria was the man who had captured Richard. Of course Prince John would invite him to a big tournament.
“Oh! Yes—Leopold the Fifth,” Aalis chirped. “And his son, Leopold the Sixth. I don’t really know anything about them, though, except that they are rich and titled.”
This was it. The opportunity I’d been waiting for. There was no need to go rummaging in the hopes of finding clues when the source of the information would be right in front of me.
“I changed my mind,” I said quickly. “I’ll go. You convinced me.”
Aalis squealed and clapped her hands. “Oh, Izzy! This will be so much fun! Agnes has trunks of old dresses from rich ladies at court. We’ll help each other get ready and do our hair and everything!”
“I don’t know how to do any of that,” I confessed. “If you’re hoping I can style your hair, you’ll be disappointed.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure, sure. You’re pretty enough already that you probably don’t ever bother with dressing up and doing your hair. You could wear a potato sack and look glorious.” She beamed. “But we’ll make you even more beautiful. This will be a day to remember!”
I barely recognized the girl staring back at me from the lone mirror in the servants’ quarters.
Every day since coming here I was unarmed save for the small dagger strapped to my thigh, but now I utterly felt ridiculous and even my knife was inaccessible.
Aalis had laced me into a corset so tight that my waist shrank to be unnaturally slim and it took a great deal of convincing to get Aalis to relax the strings enough so I could breathe more deeply.
I didn’t want to be oxygen-deprived while hunting for information.
I looked back at my clothing and tilted my head. Impractical didn’t begin to describe this.
Even after Aalis had relaxed the corset strings, my bodice still strained with every breath.
My sleeves pinned my arms close, preventing me from lifting them above my head.
My shoes, narrow and pointed, crushed my toes so running would be next to impossible.
Even reaching my dagger would tear the gown apart.
And then there was my face.
Aalis had worked every snarl from my hair, painted my lips and cheeks, and darkened my eyes.
I looked much too conspicuous. I’d been right—I’d be more like a peacock on parade.
I had hoped to quietly slip in and out of the crowd.
True, looking so unlike my normal self, my identity would stay safe, but still…
I felt like no matter where I went, a spotlight would be following me, and that unnerved me more than anything else.
Aalis covered her mouth. “Oh, Izzy. You’re beautiful.”
“I can’t breathe.”
“Who cares?” she laughed. “You look stunning. Everyone will want to dance with you.”
Stunning was one word for it. Torture also came to mind.
“We have to dance too?” I groaned.
Aalis fixed me with a stern look. “No, we get to dance.” She pressed her hands to her heart. “I hope Conrad asks me to go with him.”
“Conrad?”
“The one with the stormy eyes and rippling muscles,” she sighed. “Conrad, who’s in love with me but is too shy to say.”
“The stable boy?”
“Yes.” Her face softened into an expression so sappy that I couldn’t help but smile. Aalis’s eyes shone. “He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”
“Sure,” I said politely.
She narrowed her eyes suddenly and her smile vanished. “Don’t you dare try to steal him from me after all I did to help you get ready. You can have any other man there, but not Conrad.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. He’s not my type, anyway.”
“Oh?” Her smile snapped back. “Who is your type?”
I thought of Leopold and of all the information he would be able to give me. “Rich and titled.”
She giggled. “With your face and figure, you’ll have your pick.”
May the saints help me. I was about to make a fool of myself and pretend to enjoy it.
The morning was already warm, sunlight glinting off the knights’ armor as Aalis linked her arm through mine and pulled me toward the tournament grounds. Ropes marked off the spectator areas and horses stamped and snorted as competitors adjusted their gear.
Minstrels strolled through the crowd. If one passed a couple, he would strum a love song and give them an exaggerated wink. When entertaining larger groups, the ballads were jaunty and comical, full of clever rhymes that made people clap along or groan loudly at the worst lines.
Heads turned as Aalis and I passed, and I hated the feeling that everyone was watching me. It would be so much more comfortable to slip into the shadows.
“Smile,” Aalis hissed. “You look like you’re about to kill someone. Remember, the goal today is to be asked to accompany someone to the dance tonight.”
I wanted to grumble a response, but instead did as she instructed and I forced the corners of my mouth upward. If this was what maintaining my undercover identity entailed, I needed to play it well.
“There!” Aalis said, clutching at me. “He’s coming!”
Conrad the stable boy approached with a rangy stride that reminded me of deer in the forest. He was sandy-haired, freckled, and had a good-natured air about him.
“Hello, Conrad,” Aalis said sweetly. “It’s a beautiful day!”
“It is,” agreed Conrad, then he and Aalis both took a great deal of time to study their shoes. I looked from one to the other. For supposedly being madly in love with each other, they certainly weren’t showing it.
“Are you going to the dance tonight, Conrad?” I asked loudly. He jumped and looked puzzled, as though he couldn’t figure out if I had spoken, or Aalis.
“Erm, yes. Yes, I am.” Conrad’s voice was a little raspy. “You?”
“Aalis wants to,” I said, and Aalis’s face grew so red that I wondered if she was about to erupt into flames, then I looked at Conrad and realized I could barely see his freckles anymore from how flushed he’d become.
“This is my friend Isabella,” Aalis finally choked out. “Isabella, I think you know Conrad?”
“Not really. But it is nice to meet you.” I smiled at him, but he avoided my gaze as he held out his hand. His handshake felt like a limp fish. Why Aalis was head over heels in love with this boy, I couldn’t tell.
I turned. “Aalis, I need to go see Agnes and ask about my shift tomorrow. It will only take a minute. I’ll find you later, okay?”
“Okay.” Aalis smiled her appreciation and turned back to Conrad to stumble through a bit more conversation.
As I wandered, I could feel the weight of stares coming my way and more than once, I was sure someone would leap out and announce that I was here illegally.
Everyone from farmers to nobility were here—why should anyone recognize me or care that I was in attendance?
Anyone coming to watch the tournament would be here for entertainment, not to scrutinize others.
But even though I reassured myself constantly, I could still feel the blood pounding in my veins.
If only I could wrap myself into a cloak and slide into the shadows of a shady tavern, that would be much more comfortable than being here.
Over at a long table groaning under pitchers of drinks, Agnes was pouring water into mugs as quickly as she could, but not fast enough to keep up with the swarm of people already picking up drinks.
Without waiting for her to ask me to help, I picked up a pitcher and began working beside her.
“Miss, you don’t need to—” Agnes broke off as she turned to squint at me. Flour dusted one side of her cheek, and her sleeves were pushed to her elbows as she worked. “Isabella, is that you? Why, I barely recognized you!”
“I barely recognize myself.” I smoothed a hand down the front of my dress, still not entirely used to the fine fabric beneath my fingers. “Aalis helped me get ready.”