13. Laurel
LAUREL
So much for my dress.
During the scuffle with Leopold, the gown had ripped in several places.
The seams along the shoulders, back, and sides beneath my arms had all burst, and my corset was now visible wherever the fabric had split.
I turned slightly in front of the small looking glass near the wall and sighed at the damage.
Aalis was going to be horrified. I would have to find some way to repair or replace it, and either option would likely cost more than a month’s wages.
I was just about to undress and begin removing all the makeup Aalis had caked onto my face when Baron stormed into the servants’ quarters.
“Isabella!” he barked.
Several girls were named Isabella, most of whom had been falling asleep after a long night of dancing.
All of them squeaked in fright and scrambled forward, staring at the floor as if the stones beneath their feet had suddenly become fascinating.
Blankets slipped from shoulders, hair tumbled loose from braids, and one girl tripped over the edge of her own mattress in her haste to obey.
“Not you,” Baron said, cupping one girl’s chin and lifting her face before releasing her with a sharp motion. “Or you. Or you.”
He moved down the line, his expression dark enough to make each girl shrink back when his attention passed over her. “A plague on you all. Where’s the Isabella with red hair?”
I stepped into the main walkway between the mattresses. “I’m here.”
Baron’s gaze snapped to me. “Come with me. You’re needed for questioning.”
He really did look aggressive and mean. He was still clad head to toe in that black leather, and the shadows along his unshaven jaw made his face look even harsher than usual.
His dark hair was disheveled from the long day, his arms and chest strained against his clothing, and one hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
Every servant behind him looked beyond petrified of the intimidating, hulking man who had just stormed into the room and demanded me by name.
Baron reached forward, closed his fingers firmly around my upper arm, and marched me out of the servants’ quarters.
As I passed, I saw Aalis just returning and staring at me with her mouth open in a silent O.
The servant girls probably would not have been surprised if I never returned.
Forget being detained for questioning, Baron was making this look like an execution.
I kept my expression as one of terrified obedience. Baron wrenched open the door to the corridor beyond, propelled me through with enough force to appear properly menacing, then stomped down the hallway. “Follow me,” he barked.
Several soldiers posted along our path glanced over nervously. One young guard gave me a sympathetic look as I passed, as though he had already decided I was doomed. I lowered my eyes at once and scurried along obediently.
We trooped down corridor after corridor without a word, with me doing my best to look frightened and embarrassed for the interested maids and guards who stared after us.
The castle was quieter at this hour, but not totally asleep.
Torches burned low along the stone walls, and every footstep echoed in the narrow passageways.
Now and then, a servant carrying linens or a tray of empty cups pressed themselves against the wall to let Baron pass.
Finally, we arrived at one of the doors in the barracks. Baron opened it and waved me in. I stepped into the chamber, and he pulled the heavy door shut behind us. We were in his personal quarters.
Once we were alone, he rounded on me and ran a hand through his hair. “You really love making my job difficult, don’t you?”
I beamed. “Who, me?”
“Yes, you. Leopold just filed a report.”
I pretended to gasp in amazement. “Leopold filed a report? Whatever for?”
Baron rolled his eyes, but a chuckle escaped him. “As if you don’t know.”
“Jealous?” I asked.
His eyebrows pulled together slightly. “If you saw a woman throwing herself at me the way Leopold did with you today, wouldn’t you be jealous?”
I laughed and lied, “Not at all. I would just tell her to be prepared for your thunderous snores and prodigious appetite.”
Baron’s mouth twitched. “Right. I knew this was coming. I was watching you two all evening.”
I moved closer and leaned against him, resting my hands lightly against the front of his leather vest. “Why, Sheriff, why would you care about watching a lowly servant girl and her date?”
Baron could not suppress his smile this time. He wrapped his arms around me, and for the first time all evening, I relaxed. “Maybe that servant girl needs to be looked after so she doesn’t go around attacking nobility, and the sheriff knows it, so he has to pay extra attention to her.”
“She sounds like a handful,” I said.
“She is.”
I grinned up at Baron. “So are you going to give this troublesome servant girl the extra attention she needs? You wouldn’t want to flaunt a date in front of her and have her be jealous, now would you?”
“Oh, did I do that?”
“You did.”
Baron tightened his hold on me. “Then it serves you right. Do you have any idea how much you tormented me today?”
“I have a rough idea.” I ran my fingers up his shirt so I could trace the stubble along his jawline.
“And speaking of tormenting,” I went on.
“I need some money. I tore this dress and have to replace it. Luckily for me, I know the sheriff personally, and he’s becoming very wealthy now that he has his new, higher wages.
Do you think he’d be able to help a poor, struggling servant girl? ”
Baron snorted. “I don’t know. Isn’t Leopold rich? Maybe you should ask him. It seemed like he was more than happy to help you out today.”
“I don’t think he’d be so keen on that anymore, even though it was his fault the dress was torn in the first place. I could hardly move in this stupid thing when it was still together.”
Baron’s gaze dropped briefly to the torn seams along my sides, and his humor faded as his fingers picked at some of the scraps of fabric hanging down. His jaw tightened before he looked back at my face. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.” I softened my voice, because for all his teasing, there was real concern beneath the question. “He tried, but he failed. I broke his nose, actually.”
Baron nodded once, but the hard look did not leave his eyes. “Good.”
“Good that he failed, or good that I broke his nose?”
His mouth curved again. “Both. If you hadn’t broken his nose, I’d have broken every bone in his body.”
I laughed softly. “You should’ve seen him. He kept acting as though I were the unreasonable one.”
“I did see what he looked like afterward,” Baron said, smug satisfaction in his voice.
“He deserved it.”
“I have no doubt.” Baron stroked his thumb once along the torn edge of my sleeve, careful not to pull the fabric farther apart.
“But you know, as the sheriff, I can’t just go giving out money to every criminal who breaks the law, no matter how pretty she is.
It would be bad for my reputation. Fortunately for you, Leopold wants to keep your little incident hushed up so no one knows a girl got the best of him.
Want to fill me in on the details of what happened? ”
I told him my version. Baron listened without interrupting, though his scowl deepened when I described what Leopold had tried to pull. By the time I reached the part where Leopold followed me into the corridor, Baron’s hand had curled into a fist at his side.
“But really,” I finished, “he was so drunk by the end of the evening that a six-year-old could have gotten the best of him in a fight. I doubt he will remember anything accurately tomorrow.”
“You certainly left quite a few impressions on him that he will not soon forget,” Baron said. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You’re a terrifying woman.”
I laughed and pushed playfully against his chest. “I’ve got nothing on you. When you walked out onto the field today, you looked so scary. Everyone was talking about that intimidating new sheriff.”
“And what do you think?” he asked, threading his fingers through my hair and holding the back of my head. “Am I scary?” He lowered his face and pressed his lips against mine.
I leaned into him at once and kissed him back. I drew back just long enough to mutter, “So scary,” before melting against him and letting him deepen the kiss.
It had been too long since we had any time alone together. All evening, we had been forced to pretend we were strangers. The whole day had been one long performance, and I was tired of pretending. When Baron drew back, he stayed close enough that his forehead touched mine.
“I changed my mind,” I said. “I don’t think you’re scary at all. You’re just a big puppy dog.”
His eyebrows rose. “A puppy dog?”
“A very large, very grumpy one.”
His lips grazed my jaw. “I should arrest you for that.”
“Are you going to arrest me for embarrassing the future Duke of Austria, too?”
“I’m supposed to,” Baron said, brushing a loose strand of hair away from my cheek. “Or else reprimand you severely. Perhaps I’ll yell at you somewhere a lot of people can hear.”
“No, let’s have you publicly humiliate me by putting me in the stocks while the duke leaves. That would be brilliant. Besides, I’ve always wanted to try that.”
Baron stared at me for a moment. “You want to try the stocks?”
“Only briefly. For professional reasons.”
He shook his head, but he was smiling again.
I snickered. It was hysterical to be undercover here with Baron.
No one else knew we knew each other, so the whole thing felt like a grand joke that he and I were playing on everyone else in the castle.
I could only imagine all the gossip that must be flying around the servants’ quarters right now about why I had been hauled off for questioning by the terrifying Sheriff of Nottingham.
Baron’s smile softened as he looked at me. “You really do look beautiful today.” This time, there was no teasing in his voice. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and his other hand crept around to the small of my back. “I understand why Leopold was trying so hard.”
I flicked a small piece of dust off his shoulder. “It was all Aalis’s work, not mine. This isn’t even my dress, if you can call it a dress anymore. It is more like shredded rags now.”
His hold on me tightened. “You’re beautiful no matter what you wear. I’m glad you were able to handle Leopold, but any time you need me to, I’ll gladly destroy any man who looks at you wrong.”
“You’re better at seducing me than Leopold in every way,” I told him, and stood on tiptoe so I could kiss him again.
After a minute, I broke the embrace and moved toward the door.
“I need to go. I’m due to meet James tonight and tomorrow, and I’ll tell all the servants that you threatened me to within an inch of my life and that they’re right to be terrified of you.
In the morning, put me in the stocks. That will send Mr. Handsy off with a good impression of your ability to crack down on hardened criminals like me. ”
“Wait, didn’t you say you needed money?” Baron reached into his pocket, then frowned and checked his other pocket.
“Not anymore,” I said cheerfully. I held up his coin purse and jingled the contents slightly. Baron stared at it, then looked back at me. I smiled. “You may want to stop getting distracted when beautiful girls kiss you.”
I winked and slipped out the door.