Chapter 12
In the days that followed Will's likeness being put up around town, Bess' father began saving a table for Will and his friends at the inn of an evening. At first, Bess had been surprised and a little wary about the fact, but then she had grown thankful that Will had somewhere that was reasonably safe to come to. She had felt immense relief that first night he had arrived with two of his friends and had taken a seat at the table her father had indicated. Nobody in the inn had so much as looked at them twice. Bess had taken that as proof that the likeness Warleggan had put up around town was not enough to actually harm Will. Her worry had eased each day since.
After about a week, when nothing very much at all had happened in the area, and people had begun whispering that the highwaymen had moved on, and that the hangings had served their purpose, Bess heard talk of a rather large robbery. It appeared as if once of Warleggan's coaches on its way to London with a significant portion of his house and wealth had been accosted. When Will and Jaimes walked in just as the sun was beginning to set red in the west, Bess had no doubt that their obvious joyful demeanour mean that it had been their doing. As soon as they were seated at their usual table by the fire, she filled two mugs with ale and carried them straight over to the men.
"Ah, Elisabeth." Will smiled up at her as she set a mug before him.
"Good evening." She looked from Will to Jaimes, her eyes narrowed. "And it appears as if you find it a very good evening…"
Will smirked. "Yes…"
"Ah…" she cast a glance around the room. "I did hear that Warleggan lost a rather large sum of money today…"
"How unfortunate for him." Will smirked again and Jaimes covered his own mouth with his hand.
"Indeed." Bess tilted her head, "Are you two celebrating alone tonight?"
"Yes." Will ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down, "Our friends thought it best to have a quieter night."
"And you couldn't resist showing off…?" Bess raised an eyebrow at Will who met her gaze, amused.
"Perhaps I couldn't resist seeing you." He replied and she immediately felt her cheeks flush. She raised a hand to tuck a strand off her own hair back as she took a step away from the table.
"Will you be wanting a meal with your ale?"
"Please." Jaimes replied when Will did nothing but watch her, seemingly more amused than he had been before. Bess looked at the younger boy and nodded before turning and hurrying into the kitchen, aware that her cheeks still burned. Letting out a deep breath, Bess tried to control herself. Men had said far more lewd things to her just about every night for at least the past ten years, and none of them had caused her to so much as blink. Surely she should be able to control her reactions to such simple comments from Will. As she collected bowls of stew for them, Bess bit her lip. Thinking back on the way he had gently pressed a kiss to her cheek when he had left the other night, she couldn't help but wonder if he would do the same tonight. She wondered if she might return the sentiment.
"Is Jaimes here?" Flora asked her loudly, sticking her head out of the kitchen to see into the rest of the inn.
"Yes."
"Are you taking him food?"
"Yes…" Bess eyed the blonde girl, "Would you like to do it?" Flora's face brightened in a wide smile as the girl seized the two bowls that Bess was now holding.
"Thank you!"
Bess watched as Flora spun and hurried out of the kitchen and across the now busy floor of the inn to the table Will and Jaimes were sitting at. Tucking her messy hair back, she watched as Will looked up and realised Flora stood over him with his food before his warm eyes flicked past the younger girl and around the room until they landed on Bess. She smiled gently, pleased that he would look for her. The corner of Will's lips curved in a smile in return before he looked up and thanked Flora for his meal. Bess watched for only a moment longer before the door opened and the cool night air blew across the room. She hurried to meet the new guests and usher them to a table.
Before long, Bess found herself unable to pay much attention to the highwayman by the fire. More and more people had arrived until they were actually quite busy. She hurried around the inn, carrying both food and ale, and every so often, she had to run upstairs to prepare a room for those patrons who had paid for a bed for the night. It was on one of these trips upstairs that Bess finally took a moment for herself and leaned against the wall in the hall, having just made up several beds in one of their larger rooms. She was rather exhausted and was hoping that there would be no further beds for the evening that needed to be prepared. Drawing a deep breath, Bess pushed herself back to her feet and pulled her hair loose, running her fingers through it in an attempt to make it more manageable.
"Hiding?"
Bess whirled around at the sound of Will's voice, her eyes going wide.
"What are you doing up here?" she asked, pulling her hair back and attempting to fasten it in a loose braid. "You didn't pay for a room…?"
"I have not." He replied, "I was looking for the washroom…"
Bess gestured down the hall, "Last door on the left." She told him, smoothing her dress down self-consciously. Will's eyes moved over her as he took a step closer, and Bess tried to hide the fact that her breath had caught in her throat. "Was there anything else you needed?" she asked, trying to clear her throat. Bess watched then, unable to do anything, as Will's hand reached out and tucked a loose lock of her dark hair back behind her ear. She had apparently missed it entirely in her haste to tie the rest up, and now she desperately wanted to look in a mirror and judge just how unruly she appeared.
"I want…" Will paused, his friendly eyes moving over her once more, "…a chance to speak with you." He smiled gently, "Before I leave."
Bess looked up at him. "We're… quite busy…"
"I know." He smiled at her again, "I'll wait."
Once again, Bess felt her cheeks heat and knew that she was turning scarlet. "Alright." She moved around him, her eyes still on his face. He looked exceedingly joyful, and that made her smile. Turning quickly, Bess hurried for the stairs and back down to the bar. There was still quite a while before she would have the time to get away and close up.
As Bess worked, carrying ale and stew to those who paid for them, she kept one eye on Will. The highwayman stayed at his table, except when he went to the bar to order more ale for himself and Jaimes. Flora sat with them for a time, flirting with the younger boy, but mostly Jaimes and Will talked and laughed. They both seemed in high spirits, and Bess wondered just how much they had stolen from Warleggan that day. She listened to conversations around the room, and the general consensus was that it really was a significant sum. Apparently Warleggan had been in a hugely foul temper that afternoon in the town. The man had given a loud public announcement, promising a hefty reward for anyone who could tell him anything about the identities of the men responsible for the thefts. Bess wondered how many people were going to try making things up in order to get a piece of the reward.
Slowly, people began to head home, and Bess found herself sweeping the floor quickly in an attempt to encourage the last few people to leave. Flora had bid her goodnight and then headed outside to find Tim in order to ask the ostler to take her home. When Bess' father had dealt with the fire for the night, and had noticed that Will and Jaimes were the final patrons, he had headed up to bed himself. Bess' eyes found Will to see that he was already watching her. She finished sweeping, feeling his eyes on her the whole time, and when she put the broom away and had come back out, Jaimes was gone and Will sat alone at the table.
Swallowing thickly, Bess moved toward the table and sat down. "Go on, then?" she said, her elbows on the table. "How much was it?"
Will gave a wide smile, leaning back in his chair. Bess couldn't help but return the smile, he looked extraordinarily pleased with himself, and his smile was bright and charming. That smile alone would probably make Bess hand over any coin she had. She watched as Will got to his feet, a hand going through his hair. "It was considerable." He told her, "Enough to take care of the families of the men they hanged." He looked at her, serious then, and Bess nodded. A moment later, his smile was back and he held a hand out to her. "Lady…"
Bess looked from Will's hand up to meet his gaze, and then lifted her own hand and placed it lightly in his. He pulled her quickly to her feet and to himself, wrapping his other arm around her waist. Gasping, Bess' own free hand came up to rest against Will's shoulder. He turned her, and began a slow dance around the room. Bess looked up at him, surprised. "Every time Warleggan tries to lure us, we will outwit him." He told her, "If you could go anywhere, where would it be?"
Bess smiled as he spun her around the room. "Strange question…" she replied, and he just laughed.
"If money were not an issue?"
"I suppose I have always wanted to visit Paris…"
"Then you shall." Will told her, his hand moving up her back.
"How do you know that?" Bess looked up at him.
"Because I'll take you."
Bess tilted her head, meeting his eyes again. "Really?" Will nodded, his hand now between her shoulder blades. "And when will you do this?"
"Whenever you like." He answered, turning her again. Bess smiled, feeling his positivity seep into her and lift her own spirits. A whole range of possibilities were beginning to seem attainable. She leaned into Will, holding his gaze as they continued to move around the room. "Would you go with me?" he asked. "To Paris?"
"Yes." She replied, smiling at him. "I would."
"And your father?" he asked, "You've told me before you couldn't leave him? We would have to find someone to help him."
Bess nodded, "Flora is doing well here." Will's hand stroked a stray lock of hair back from her face and Bess felt shivers spread across her entire body.
"There we are, then." He murmured, his dark eyes moving across her face, "We'll begin with Paris." His fingers gently moved across her cheek, "We'll visit Portugal and Spain." He traced her jaw, tilting her face up to him, "Rome maybe… Prague… Perhaps Saxony… up into Brandenburg…" Bess bit her lip, feeling slightly lightheaded.
"You want to do that?" she asked, "Take me to all those places?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Will gave her an amused smile, the corner of his mouth quirking up slightly as his warm eyes moved over her face once more. His fingers slid along her jaw again and up into her hair before he bent and kissed her. The shivers from before immediately spread through her again and she cautiously returned the kiss. It wasn't every day that somebody kissed her, and she was rather uncertain of how to respond. She met Will's eyes again when he lifted his head slightly and appeared to gauge her reaction. "Okay?" he murmured and she nodded. His fingers moved through her hair slowly before he bent again to press his lips to hers. Bess leaned into him as Will's free arm tightened around her waist, drawing her more tightly to himself. She lifted one of her own hands to rest on Will's shoulder while the other moved up the back of his neck and into his hair. The small sound of appreciation that he made reassured Bess that she was doing the right things, and then he had deepened the kiss, wiping all hesitation and doubt from her mind.
Bess clung to him. Both of his hands were in her hair now, and her own hands held tightly to his shirt, certain that if she let go her knees would give way. When he finally broke the kiss, Bess met his eyes again, breathing heavily. Her skin felt as if it were on fire, and she wasn't sure how to make it stop. Will smiled at her and she felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach. Drawing a deep breath, Bess release her hold on Will's shirt and he dropped his hands from her.
"I should go." He told her softly. Bess released her breath and attempted to smooth her hair down.
"Alright." She murmured, glancing around the room as she hoped her heartrate would return to normal quickly. "I… I'll show you out." She headed for the door, pushing it open and blinking, startled, at the cold night air. Will buttoned his coat as he stepped out into the night as well. When he turned to look at her again, Bess' breath caught in her throat.
"Bess…" he moved closer, his hand coming to her cheek once again as he bent and brushed his lips against hers, "Goodnight." He straightened and smiled before taking several steps away from her. "Sleep well."
"And you." Bess managed to reply, watching him. "Goodnight."
Will moved away into the dark, and Bess hurried to close the door. She cast one last glance around the inn before going upstairs and pulling her dress off. She let it fall carelessly to the floor before climbing into her bed. Settling comfortably under the covers, Bess traced her lips with one of her fingers. She could hardly believe that Will had kissed her, and she could hardly believe the physical reaction to the kiss she had had. Her entire body had responded to him, and Bess was sure she could still feel her skin burn. Did he really mean what he had said about showing her all those places across Europe? She thought that he did. The thought excited her. It was something that she had dreamed of, but it had always seemed impossible. It did not now. Smiling as she rolled over and looked out at the moon in the sky, Bess let out a soft sigh. This was something she could have; an exciting life of adventure with Will. Her smile widened and she closed her eyes, ready for whatever the next day would bring.
