CHAPTER 4
My back aching from physical labor, I leaned against the stretching loom for a moment. A sunny day like this was so rare in England; even days without rain barely had this much light and warmth in early autumn. I breathed in the fresh scent of the drying wool and the late autumn rape flowers in the field of the farmer nearby. There would be fields and fields of them by next spring, but for now these violent yellow blooms were all that was left of a summer's riches. I thought of the peace of recent weeks, since Father's last tax payment, and his profitable season at the black market since I had come home. With my help, he had managed nearly twice the weaving and stretching of garments, capes and blankets than in the past, and his work was unsurpassed in its quality. I even managed a few private sales to homes of court ladies, whose servants I met in the market. Life had been good these past several days, if a bit lonely. Father was often gone at the market, so I had the house and back pasture to myself today.
In a moment of sheer sensual delight, I stripped off my bustier and overskirt so that I was left in my white chemise, and ran to the edge of the field, where I had planted my secret supply of lilies. Taking only one that was fresh, I ran back to the yard and drew a bucket of cold water, threw off my kerchief, and crumbled the lily into the water. Luxuriously, I draped my curtain of red curls into the water, and began to wash, glorying in the cool feel on my hot skin. If I allowed myself one luxury, it was my bittersweet lilies, which always reminded me of Mother.
Drying my hair on one of the woolen blankets nearby, I slowly got back up, deciding it was time to take down the finely woven cloaks that had been drying in the sun. They lay on the lines in a maze of color and fabric, and for a moment I again felt as a rich lady must, with all her possessions around her. I stepped lightly, almost danced to my favorite, a deep purple specimen with filigree sewn around the hood, and pulled it down, the fabric heavy and soft under my touch. Perhaps father would make one like this for me as a present…I absent-mindedly pulled it from the line, and then my heart leapt into my throat. As I did, I came face to face with Sir Guy of Gisbourne.
For a moment, I simply stood and stared. He regarded with his usual unsettling intensity, his arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe into the pasture. I immediately wondered how long he had been watching me, as I had been quite unaware of anyone's presence and had not heard the arrival of a horse. I also became painfully aware that I had cast off my outer garments and was only wearing my chemise, which must appear nearly translucent on this sunny a day. I swallowed, a click in my throat. There would be no way of talking my way out of this current situation, so I trembled a for a moment as we looked at one another. His eyes were angry as he finally spoke in a low tone.
"I told you that I would find you. You have a great deal of explaining to do."
He unwound himself from the doorframe and slowly strode down the three steps into the pasture towards me. I had no response, and merely looked away from his blazing eyes. I folded the cloak in my arms to cover what I could of myself, but as Sir Guy approached he roughly took a corner of it, pulled it out of my hands and threw it aside in an angry, violent act. I moved backwards instinctively, avoiding his gaze.
"Look at me," he commanded, and I dared not accede. He raised a gloved finger in an infuriated gesture and his voice and cadence became dangerously low. "You lied to me. I knew it the moment you opened your mouth the first day we met. I thought you a lady of class, and I find you here?" He was nearly shouting now, and had taken both of my shoulders in anger. Terrified, I tried to stay still and calm in the face of his anger. "The daughter of a tradesman, and I treated you with more respect than many ladies of court! You think you can make a fool of a man like me?"
"My lord," I whispered, fearful but determined to speak, "I meant no offense. I am flattered that you have treated me with more respect than many court ladies. Yet you have called me both lady and harlot, to find that I am neither."
"To find that you are a liar!" he burst out, shaking me suddenly. "You took me for a fool and that I am not, do you understand?" His pulse throbbed near his throat at an alarmingly fast pace. "I am a powerful man and I will punish anyone who makes a fool of me. Do you understand?" he barked in my face. I was nearly in tears, still in his vise-like grip, when I summoned courage from a place I did not know existed.
"Yes, my lord, you are a gentleman of the first class. You have beaten me and kissed me when you thought me a lady, and had no remorse for either, so why should this trouble you so? I am a mere tradesman's daughter, completely in your power to do with as you wish." I held his gaze strongly as I said these last words, and his look changed from anger to incredulity. Regaining self-control, he released me, and stepped back to straighten his clothing. He breathed heavily out and then glared at me.
"Yes I can do with you as I wish," he said menacingly. "And you would do best to remember that, as would your father. He has been living with you, tax free and no doubt," he said, looking at the wealth of clothing in the yard, "doing a fine business for it." His eyes narrowed as he looked at me. "Tell him I expect your occupancy tax to be paid tomorrow when I send my guards."
He then whirled to exit the pasture, but I quickly ran after him. "Sir Guy," I said pleadingly. "do not trouble my father for this, I beg you. I will pay the tax myself." As he looked at me incredulously, I removed the five crowns from the purse that he had returned to me weeks ago. I looked up at him with ice in my eyes and held them out. "For the Sheriff's generosity."
Sir Guy then closed his eyes and looked away from me. He seemed in an internal struggle, one he was unused to. I held out the five crowns to him, open in my hand. He made as if to take them, but then closed my hand over the coins with his own, and looked back at me. He drew me closer by my hand, his eyes blue sparks, as if he wished to speak. I felt my pulse quicken as he touched me, and his hands tightened over mine.
Without warning, he pulled me into a crushing embrace. His mouth descended on mine and ravaged my lips as he pulled my head closer to his. I felt dizzy as his rough kiss went on and on, and then his tongue was in my mouth, capturing all of my taste with the desperation of a starving man. My body responded vibrantly, my knees rapidly weak, my arms wrapping around his neck as he kissed me with a passion I had never known. I kissed him back, now my tongue equally daring, questing in his mouth, my hands tracing over his broad shoulders, entwining in his hair, stabs of desire impaling my entire body.
"It was," he said softly between devouring my mouth, "the lilies. I knew…it was you…" As he continued to kiss me, his hands moved from my head to my shoulders, boldly caressing the skin just below my chemise. His hips moved against mine and I felt his hardness against me, which both thrilled and frightened me. He pulled my waist to his and ground himself against me, and I knew that if I did not stop he would have me right there in the pasture, and I would have no complaint. I forced my rapid breathing back into a rhythm, and broke away, still gasping for air.
"Sir Guy," I said. "Stop."
His eyes still smoldering, he regarded me with more tenderness than I had seen before. "I cannot make an apology for this." He moved towards me again. "You stir me, Nyssa, unlike any other woman."
I was at a loss of words for this, but I tried to speak. "Sir Guy—"
"Guy," he said softly, moving in front of me and taking my hands. "I want you to use my Christian name, not my title." His eyes, always so intense, had a gentleness I had never seen before.
"Sir...Guuy, then, " I said awkwardly, touched by this kindness. "I..do mean to be serious about paying our tax, though. I want no trouble for my father."
"Nyssa," he intoned in a whisper. "I have told you before. It is not your money I want." His face was close to mine again, and he moved to kiss me once more, but the back door banged abruptly open and I heard Father's voice cheerfully call out, "Nyssa! Come see how much I sold today!"
Guy's face darkened, and unable to warn my father in time, I peered around the knight's broad shoulders as Father walked though the outside door into the pasture. He blanched upon seeing me in the arms of Sir Guy wearing only my shift, and immediately assumed the worst. I saw him pick up one of the rolls of the stretching loom, and saw Sir Guy turn and draw his sword in defense. In any other moment, this situation would have been comical; an old man trying to fend off a young one with what amounted to a large stick. "No, Father!" I cried out, stepping between them "Please let me explain."
Father's eyes went from furious to incredulous, then back to furious. "Nyssa," he said slowly, "What is going on here? Has he harmed you?"
"No, Father," I replied. "Please put that down."
"Yes, put it down, Master Edan," Sir Guy said harshly, preparing himself for a strong defensive move. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You are the one who should be afraid, you blackguard!" Father shouted.
"Oh, stop this ridiculous masculine posturing, both of you!" I said, and they both abruptly lowered their weapons in surprise. Each kept an eye on the other, however, as I began to speak.
"Father, I assisted the Sewards when I went to se Elena last week. I paid a tax collection for them…rudely." I finished, my cheeks flushing. "Sir Guy was there and he forgave the tax payment." I glared at him to leave the rest of the story out, if he knew what was good for him.
Father glanced at me, then Sir Guy suspiciously. "And why would he do something like that?" he asked.
"Master Edan, your daughter made me see these people as more than I had ever thought possible. She showed me that they were a family and close with yours, and that I should not break the family apart for a late payment." He looked at me softly when he said this, and then continued. "And she fought like a lion to keep them together."
Father looked vaguely worried and impressed at the same time. I could tell he as still mistrustful of Sir Guy, though. "And why did you allow her such grace; no arrest, no beating?"
"Because she touched me," Sir Guy answered throatily. "She touched and warmed a place in my soul."
I stared at him, dumbfounded by this confession. Dubiously, Father loosened his grip on the stretching roll. "Then why did you come here today?"
"To thank her," Sir Guy said smoothly.
, is that true?" Father's green eyes tracked mine as I looked away. "Not entirely, I see. So I am to believe that you Sir Guy, had a sudden enlightenment of consciousness, while I am to believe that my daughter took her own clothes off as I find her in your arms?"
We looked at one another and back to Father. The absurdity of the situation was obvious, but its absolute truth began to amuse me, and I bit back a smile. At the same time, I saw a grin threaten to break out on Guy's face. "Actually, yes," I responded.
Father continued to glare at both of us, but now dropped the stretching roll. "Well as I can see I will get no answers from either of you, I must accept this, please dress yourself and come inside. Sir Guy, a cup of mead?"
Guy sheathed his sword and nodded briefly in assent, moving through the doorway with one last glance at me. I quickly pulled on my overskirt and bustier and followed them into the house, grabbing cheese and bread from the shelves for a quick meal. Both of them regarded each other with wary respect as I prepared the meal, and slowly, they began speaking. Guy asked father about his trade, and Father told him a bit. I noticed that Guy had entirely ignored Father's initial comment to me about having done well at the market, and when dinner was finished, he got up quickly. "I should leave, Master Edan, but I will be back."
"I am sure you will," Father said, his eyes holding Guy's steady gaze. "Be careful that I do not misunderstand a situation such as this a second time, Sir Guy."
"It will not happen," Sir Guy assured him. I walked to the door to see him out and Father stayed close by as I stepped outside. I looked quizzically at our front gate for a moment before saying,
"You brought no horse?"
"No, I wished to walk today," he said quietly. His eyes found mine, the fervor of earlier returning to them. "Nyssa, I cannot do anything to hurt you. I will not tell the Sheriff of your father's illegal sales."
My own gaze dropped, feeling somewhat grateful and ashamed simultaneously. "Thanks you, S—"
"Guy," he said softly, his hand rising to briefly caress my face.
"But now I am in your debt yet again," I said.
His hand dropped gently as a wicked smile crossed his face "I know, my lady. And then: "It gives me great pleasure."
Cleared-eyed, I said back to him, "I do not like being in debt, Sir Guy, and my debts are always paid back. And while I am in trade, I am not for sale myself."
"Oh, fear not my lady. Someday I plan to collect," he said with the same evil grin. He dropped his mouth to my ear, nose brushing my jawline as he said in a low voice, "When the time is right, I plan to collect your heart, your soul and your body. In the meantime, I suppose my interest on this loan shall be…the scent of lilies." He softly kissed my cheek as he breathed in the scent of my hair. I shivered delightfully as he moved away from me and to the main road, back to his world of the Manor.
