“Forget that pale young thing. You and me can give ’em a day to remember.”
Katherine didn’t resist as Reynold drew her against his side.
“Enough, woman!” he commanded in a hard voice. “If you cannot speak politely to my wife, then hold your tongue.”
The woman seemed to hiss at them as she straightened from her slouch. “Yer tongue may know some fancy tricks, I can’t be doubtin’, but ’tis yer speech that’s got me thinkin’. Ye don’t sound like one of us.”
“I am happy to hear that.”
Katherine winced, wishing he wouldn’t have spoken so abruptly. The tension was palpable now, and the low, angry murmurs made her uneasy. She closed her eyes and prayed the rain would let up soon.
The clouds rolled back to reveal the half moon just after sunset. Katherine was so tense she thought she’d jump out of her skin at every coughfrom their companions across the hut. The group watched in sullen silence as Reynold lit a fire from dry bits of wood.
When he sat down beside her, Katherine spoke in a whisper. “Reynold, I need to go outside. I will return in but a moment.”
He caught her arm as she rose. “I shall come with you.”
“No! No, please, I am nervous enough. Just stay and watch them. I do not wish to be surprised.”
“I can guard you best out there,” he insisted, getting to his knees.
Katherine pushed him back. “Give me this moment of privacy—please!”
He hesitated, then slowly sank back down. As Katherine straightened, the group along the far wall broke into noisy laughter.
“She don’t want ye, man, can’t ye see,” the woman said loudly.
They elbowed each other and guffawed. Katherine sent a worried gaze to Reynold and slipped quickly out the door.
After taking care of her needs, she leaned against a tree in the overgrown yard behind the hut, breathing in the moist, cool air, happy to be alone with her thoughts. She wished she could ask Reynold how far they still were from Nottingham, but their companions made speaking impossible. Katherine felt that her mind and heart were warring within her, one urging that she warn the king with all haste, the other wanting to linger on thisjourney and savor these stirrings she’d never felt before.
Her peace was suddenly shattered by the sound of rustling grasses nearby. The yard was so overgrown that an animal—or a man—could easily surprise her.
Katherine silently ran the opposite way, around the sagging walls of the hut to the front entrance. As she slowed down to catch her breath, she heard the peasant woman’s unpleasant laugh.
“She’s not coming back, ye know,” the woman said.
Katherine heard a thud and a moan. She flattened herself against the wall, heart pounding.
“I sent Jack out to find her. He likes a good hump in the grass.”
Biting her lips against a moan of terror, she gazed wildly about the overgrown village, where the wind whistled and the leaves whispered their menace. Someone was looking for her.
Chapter 9
T he silence frightened Katherine more than anything. A man was looking for her, and Reynold was ominously quiet. What had they done to him? Holding her breath, she leaned over to take a quick peek inside and straightened with a smothered gasp. By the firelight she’d seen the villagers grouped around a body on the floor.
Her breath came in frightening pants that threatened her with dizziness. Reynold couldn’t be dead—they were speaking to him as if they expected an answer. But he wasn’t answering. Two tears slid down her cheeks before she remembered that there was a man out here somewhere. If she let herself be captured, she couldn’t help Reynold.
Katherine sunk down to her hands and knees, slowly crawling back the way she’d come. The man hunting her wouldn’t expect that, would he? The wet grass swished about her body, stinging her several times in the eyes and face, but she keptmoving, stopping every few minutes to listen. She hit her hand on a piece of firewood
Katherine didn’t resist as Reynold drew her against his side.
“Enough, woman!” he commanded in a hard voice. “If you cannot speak politely to my wife, then hold your tongue.”
The woman seemed to hiss at them as she straightened from her slouch. “Yer tongue may know some fancy tricks, I can’t be doubtin’, but ’tis yer speech that’s got me thinkin’. Ye don’t sound like one of us.”
“I am happy to hear that.”
Katherine winced, wishing he wouldn’t have spoken so abruptly. The tension was palpable now, and the low, angry murmurs made her uneasy. She closed her eyes and prayed the rain would let up soon.
The clouds rolled back to reveal the half moon just after sunset. Katherine was so tense she thought she’d jump out of her skin at every coughfrom their companions across the hut. The group watched in sullen silence as Reynold lit a fire from dry bits of wood.
When he sat down beside her, Katherine spoke in a whisper. “Reynold, I need to go outside. I will return in but a moment.”
He caught her arm as she rose. “I shall come with you.”
“No! No, please, I am nervous enough. Just stay and watch them. I do not wish to be surprised.”
“I can guard you best out there,” he insisted, getting to his knees.
Katherine pushed him back. “Give me this moment of privacy—please!”
He hesitated, then slowly sank back down. As Katherine straightened, the group along the far wall broke into noisy laughter.
“She don’t want ye, man, can’t ye see,” the woman said loudly.
They elbowed each other and guffawed. Katherine sent a worried gaze to Reynold and slipped quickly out the door.
After taking care of her needs, she leaned against a tree in the overgrown yard behind the hut, breathing in the moist, cool air, happy to be alone with her thoughts. She wished she could ask Reynold how far they still were from Nottingham, but their companions made speaking impossible. Katherine felt that her mind and heart were warring within her, one urging that she warn the king with all haste, the other wanting to linger on thisjourney and savor these stirrings she’d never felt before.
Her peace was suddenly shattered by the sound of rustling grasses nearby. The yard was so overgrown that an animal—or a man—could easily surprise her.
Katherine silently ran the opposite way, around the sagging walls of the hut to the front entrance. As she slowed down to catch her breath, she heard the peasant woman’s unpleasant laugh.
“She’s not coming back, ye know,” the woman said.
Katherine heard a thud and a moan. She flattened herself against the wall, heart pounding.
“I sent Jack out to find her. He likes a good hump in the grass.”
Biting her lips against a moan of terror, she gazed wildly about the overgrown village, where the wind whistled and the leaves whispered their menace. Someone was looking for her.
Chapter 9
T he silence frightened Katherine more than anything. A man was looking for her, and Reynold was ominously quiet. What had they done to him? Holding her breath, she leaned over to take a quick peek inside and straightened with a smothered gasp. By the firelight she’d seen the villagers grouped around a body on the floor.
Her breath came in frightening pants that threatened her with dizziness. Reynold couldn’t be dead—they were speaking to him as if they expected an answer. But he wasn’t answering. Two tears slid down her cheeks before she remembered that there was a man out here somewhere. If she let herself be captured, she couldn’t help Reynold.
Katherine sunk down to her hands and knees, slowly crawling back the way she’d come. The man hunting her wouldn’t expect that, would he? The wet grass swished about her body, stinging her several times in the eyes and face, but she keptmoving, stopping every few minutes to listen. She hit her hand on a piece of firewood
Similar Books
