Great Protector (13 page)

Richmond
met her gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips. "And now, my lady, I
shall proceed to win this competition in your honor."

She
grasped him before could turn away. "Richmond," she stammered,
swallowing when he refocused his blue eyes on her. "I.... thank you for
defending me against Tad. If you hadn't come along when you did...."

"I
was always there," he said softly. "You should know by now that I am
my lady's shadow."

Her
cheeks washed a lovely shade of pink and she smiled shyly. "I know that.
But, still, I am glad you were there to save me."

His
gaze lingered on her. "I will always be there to save you.
Always.
"

He
strolled away, leaving Arissa flushed. It was amazing how their relationship
had changed since his arrival yesterday. Warm looks and gentle gestures that
had meant nothing but companionable fondness in the past had suddenly taken on
a heat she could not describe. She had convinced herself earlier that all of it
was a figment of her over-active imagination, a young maiden's unattainable
wish. Now, she was not so sure.

"What
did you mean when you said he saved you from Tad?" Emma was suddenly
tugging on her sleeve.

Jolted
from her thoughts, Arissa turned to her friend. She remembered Emma's expressed
desire to meet Tad and silently cursed herself for having been so forgetful.
She should have thought of Emma when Tad had approached earlier, but she had been
so desperate to escape Richmond that she had completely overlooked the fact.

In
truth, she was glad she hadn't remembered. She did not think the sweet,
youthfully-pretty girl to be the conceited knight's ideal of beauty. She would
rather have Emma angry with her forgetfulness than for the young woman to have
experienced Tad's cruel rebuff.

"I....
Tad was a bit too eager to impress me, I believe, and Richmond cooled his
manner. 'Twas nothing, really." She’stened to change the subject before
Emma could press. "Do you know that he asked who the pretty young girl was
in the blue surcoat? Since Penelope is wearing yellow, I assumed he meant
you."

As
she hoped, Emma's face positively glowed. "He did? Oh, Riss, you must
introduce us!"

"What
about Gavan?" Arissa cocked an eyebrow.

Emma
waved her hand impatiently. "Gavan isn't here. I haven't seen the man in
months. When Richmond arrived without his second-in-command, I would assume I
must find my male companionship elsewhere."

Arissa
repressed a smile. For Emma to speak of her cherished knight so callously was
comical, indeed. And completely untrue.  But she played the game for her
friend's benefit.

"So
you have decided to forget about Gavan. 'Tis understandable, truly, considering
he’s been away so long that he’s probably forgotten about you," when
Emma's face flushed a dull red, Arissa struggled to suppress her wicked grin.
"As for Tad, my darling, he’s terribly shy. In fact, the only reason he
addressed me was because we had met earlier and he felt comfortable in my
company. Do not be disappointed if he does not show an immediate interest. Why,
I think...."

Regine
suddenly thrust herself forward, her blue eyes bright. "Riss, I am wearing
a blue surcoat, too. Mayhap he meant me!"

Arissa
gazed at her younger sister, noting that she too was wearing a blue dress. The
original lie to ease her friend's feelings was suddenly growing in unattractive
directions. Before she could respond, Emma was whirling on Regine.

"Of
course he did not mean you!" she snarled. "You are a child, Regine, a
mere child. A man of Tad de Rydal's station would not be interested in
you."

Regine
put her hands on her plump hips, meeting Emma's scowl. "Is that so? You
are no prize either, Emma Trevor. Why do you think Daniel chose Penelope over
you?"

Arissa
cleared her throat loudly, separating the combatants before the situation grew
ugly. "I am sure he meant Emma, Regine, simply for the fact that she
happens to be older and more...." she glanced at Emma's rounded breasts as
opposed to the two peas underneath Regine's bodice, ".... womanly."

Flushing
madly, Regine turned away as Emma grasped Arissa's arm eagerly. "When will
you introduce us, Riss? Did he say anything else about me?"

Arissa
was beginning to think her attempt to lighten Emma's mood had been a very bad
idea. She had meant well, truly, but she could see that Emma was not to be
satisfied with a tantalizing bit of un-truth. She struggled to contain her
friend's excitement.

"Nay,
Emma, he did not," she said firmly. "And I do not want you making a
spectacle out of yourself. If you are too eager, you shall chase him away. You
must be aloof and calm."

Emma
looked extremely disappointed. "Aloof and calm?"

Arissa
nodded confidently. "It is the only way."

"Aloof
and calm," Emma turned her blue gaze out toward the field of competitors.
From the look on her face, she appeared to be suffering from a sour stomach. 
With great reluctance, she sighed heavily. "Aloof and calm."

Arissa
nodded again, relieved that Emma was not going to rush Tad and make a fool of
herself, and returned her attention to the event at hand.

Two
marshals, indicated by the armbands they wore, were making sure that all of the
competitors listed were on hand. Daniel and Carlton were competing, as was virtually
every other able-bodied knight from the various visiting houses. Since the
competition was open to everyone, even a few peasants had decided to try their
hand, looking sadly out of place amongst the glorious knights.

But
hardly a soul cared. Peasant or noble, they were on equal turf when it came to
the archery contest and Arissa's excitement was growing. As she and her group
vied for a better view of the field, her mother and father came strolling upon
them, dressed to the teeth in their finest. Lady Maxine and Lady Livia followed
on their heels.

"Arissa,
my dear," her mother said sweetly. She was a warm and loving woman, if not
a bit dense. "Maxine has the ribbon you will be awarding."

Maxine
held out the exquisite piece of work, a blue ribbon embroidered with gold in
honor of the Lambourn colors. Arissa took the prize with great care.

"Come
along," her father took her arm. "We have a choice viewing area
reserved for us."

Choice
indeed. The roped-off area with two chairs was almost directly in line with the
straw targets, affording the entire group a birds-eye view of the event.
Lambourn soldiers kept the rabble away as the earl and his wife gained their
seats, watching with anticipation as the marshals positioned the first
collection of contestants.

Daniel,
Carlton and Tad were in the first group. Lady Maxine waved demurely to her
strong husband, who responded with a bold wink. Penelope merely gazed dreamily
at Daniel, who carried her favor tucked obviously in the crease of his
breastplate.  Emma and Regine spent their time eyeing Tad and each other. Only
Arissa was not focused on anyone in particular. She leaned toward her mother.

"Did
you know that Richmond is championing me in this event?" she asked.

Lady
Maude fanned herself daintily with a silken fan, painted with birds. "As
he should, dear. 'Tis only right that Henry's greatest knight champion the
honoree."

"He
shall win, too," Arissa glanced over her shoulder at Penelope and stuck
out her tongue. Penelope returned the gesture.

A
small horn blared, readying the competitors for the first round. All attention
was riveted to the field and the noise level dropped. Men finished their wagers
in the remaining few seconds before the match began.

Arissa's
pale green eyes were fixed on the field before her, mildly interested in spite
of the fact that Richmond was not in the group. As the field marshals began
laying down the rules, her gaze wandered the crowd of waiting contenders until
she came to rest on a tall, familiar figure.

Richmond
was not looking at her; his blue eyes were fixed on the field before him as
they should have been. Arissa began to toy with the ribbon, stroking its
carefully stitched edges as her glittering eyes beheld the object of her
adoration.

The
incident earlier that day returned to the forefront of her thoughts again.
Fluid, wicked emotions stirred and her limbs began to ache with the newness of
the desire that he had managed to spark. The fact that she had practically
seduced the man was of little concern; she was focused on the mere idea that he
had responded to her. She wondered if he would respond to her again. Given
another chance, she would most likely do the same thing again.

Where
Richmond was concerned, it was becoming increasingly difficult to control her
emotions. She remembered thinking yesterday to distance the man, to forget him.
Goals that were now impossible.  She had been a fool to ever think such a
thing.

She
was leaving for Whitby after the New Year and she vowed to know the feel of
Richmond's lips upon her own before that time, if only for a brief, glorious,
stolen moment.  She would live on that moment the rest of her life.

***

There
were hundreds of people observing the archery matches, milling about, wagering
and laughing. Two men in particular wandered through the crowd casually, their
seasoned eyes roving the people, the wenches, and the finely dressed men. They
were older men clad in peasant clothing, concealing their mail and weaponry
underneath.  Their gaze seemed particularly riveted to Arissa.

"Is
that her?" one man murmured to the other.

The
second man passed a casual glance in the direction of the earl's party.
"She looks nothing like Henry. God's Balls, she could be Welsh."

The
first man shook his head slowly. "She does not bear the features of a
Plantagenet. Is Owen sure with his information?"

The
second shrugged. "As sure as he can be. She’s where Owen's source said she
would be, in the heart of Berkshire's family, and she’s the correct age.
Fortunate that the earl saw fit to throw her a lavish party and we were able to
slip in with the other celebrants."

The
first man looked doubtful. "It doesn't matter. Any great house shelters
sickly travelers, which is what we are," he shook his head at the sight of
Arissa's black hair. "She must favor her mother. Where did Owen's source
come by his information?"

The
second man watched his feet as he walked. "It all began with a letter. A
former captain for King Richard, seeking vengeance against Henry for usurping
his cousin's throne," he adjusted his hood as the wind blew it away from
his face. "If the information regarding the girl's existence is correct
and we manage to abduct her, Owen is most eager to use her to his
advantage."

The
first man nodded slowly, his eyes still roving the crowd. Suddenly, he came to
a halt.

"Do
you know who that man is?" he nodded his head in the direction of a very
tall, very broad knight. When the second man indicated negatively, he
continued. "You have heard of Richmond le Bec, no doubt."

The
second man took another look at the massive man. "
That
is le Bec?
God's Balls, I thought he was dead by now."

The
first man took off walking again, followed closely by the second. They guided
themselves deep into the crowd, away from the competitors and away from
Richmond le Bec.

"He’s
Henry's most powerful knight next to Northumberland," the first man
hissed. "There must be a reason for his presence."

"There
is. Henry probably sent him to convey his best wishes to the girl."

The
first man shrugged. "Could be. But if Richmond le Bec is here as Henry's liaison,
'twill make an abduction more difficult. Undoubtedly, he will be protecting
her."

The
second man scratched his head, mulling over the possibilities. "We will
simply have to wait for an opportunity, I suppose. If one does not present
itself, then we shall return to Owen with the confirmation of his information.
There is nothing more we can do if Richmond le Bec is here as Henry's watch
dog."

The
first man drew in a long, thoughtful breath. "Keep her in your sights,
then. We will not want to miss our chance."

Re-adjusting
their costumes, they faded into the crowd.

CHAPTER
FIVE

Daniel,
Carlton and Tad survived their first round. Richmond competed with the second
group of contenders, easily making the cut. The afternoon progressed as two
more groups of first-round competitors came up for their turns, and the
marshals singled out the most accurate shots and set them aside with the others
who had endured the cut.

Arissa
bit her lip as Richmond came up in the second and third rounds, sailing arrows
as straight and true as God himself. Once, as he reloaded his bow in the second
elimination round, he had glanced over his shoulder and cast her an obvious
wink. Lady Maude caught the gesture and fanned herself furiously, thinking it
was meant for her. Arissa had almost laughed.