Chapter 29

Guy's parting statement had left me speechless, confused and utterly stunned. He had smiled, and then gracefully raised himself from the bed, leaving me to my thoughts. Not long after, Thornton came up with a fine supper for me; a lamb stew, freshly baked bread and garden vegetables, a pudding and a glass of wine. I stared at him. "Is this all for me?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yes, my lady," Thornton said kindly. "You've been very ill and unable to eat anything solid, so we are trying to put a bit of weight on you."

" 'We' meaning Sir Guy," I said.

Thornton laughed. "And Dr. Langdon. Sir Guy barely left your side for the last week unless he was needed by the Sheriff. I have never seen him dote so ardently on anyone since I have been his manservant."

I pulled a bit of bread off from the loaf and chewed thoughtfully. "Do you find him changed, Thornton?"

"Well, my lady, as you may know, his temperament is rather changeable." I snickered in response. "But yes, for the past week, I have certainly seen a gentler, kinder side to him. The last time I saw it was when he and Lady Marian—" Thornton cut himself off quickly and looked away from me.

I raised a hand. "It's all right, I already know everything," I said. "He must have felt great passion for her to have…killed her," I finished awkwardly.

"He did, my lady," Thornton said. "But his affection was misplaced and while I believe Lady Marian followed her principles, she used him. We were all quite afraid of him after…the incident." Thornton finished. "When we heard he was engaged to Lady Sabine, we thought that perhaps he had recovered, but it's very clear to me now who his heart belongs to." He raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm to wait until you finish as much as you can, my lady," he said, seating himself on a chair nearby.

It was then that I noticed I was in a lady's room, and obviously not Sir Guy's. The curtains of the bed were hung with deep purple, the window draperies a deeper shade of the same, and the place had been kept neat and clean but very much in the same style. "Whose room is this?" I asked, fearing the worst.

"Lady Gisborne's." Thornton replied.

"Sabine's?" I gasped, nearly overturning my dinner in haste to exit the bed.

"No, no," Thornton laughed. "She is certainly not Lady Gisborne, not yet. No, I speak of Sir Guy's mother. He was very close to her and has kept her room the same since she died. He swore that no one but the next Lady Gisborne would occupy it."

My knees buckled again, and I reached immediately for the nearest straight object, which happened to be my sword. Balancing the tip on the floor, I used it as a crutch as I leaned up against the bed, climbing back into it. I was much weaker than I had expected.

"How odd," I said, trying to sound calm, "that I am here then."

"Finish your supper, my lady," Thornton said firmly. I complied, but could only eat about half of what was there. I did manage to finish all of the wine though, which made me feel pleasantly drowsy. Thornton was moving to clear my dishes when I heard a knock at my door. I looked up at him, questioning.

"Your father, most likely," he said. "He comes every night at about this time to see you. I will answer it." Balancing the trays in a clever fashion, Thornton opened the door and indeed, my Father stood in there. His face was drawn, his cheekbones a bit sunken, but his eyes lit up as he saw me. "Nyssa! You're…awake!"

He rushed into the room and practically threw himself onto the bed with me before realizing Thornton was still there. Father quickly got up and stood over me, raining small kisses on my head. "Oh, my sweet daughter…Sir Guy said you had woken but I didn't dare to hope…I thought I would lose you…oh, Nyssa." Tears flowed freely from his eyes, which made my own throat catch. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you," he said, sobbing. "Oh, my darling child." His arms went around me and I felt his love, pure, strong, and for once, nothing was held back. I held him, my own tears freely flowing. This might have been the first honest, open embrace we had ever shared.

Father sat then, telling me the news of the past week. Business was well, John was a very serviceable replacement and understood numbers, but Father missed me. Lily and Jemma had been giving sermons in the barn as no one had visited or ridden them, and Father's orders were piling up. He also noted firmly that I was a far better cook than he was. I laughed and suggested that he take up with the village bread-maker again if that was his only concern. He sighed in pleased annoyance. "Can't you see I cannot get along without you?" he said.

"Oh, I'm sure you could," I said back spiritedly. "Sir Guy made sure of it."

"Yes, he did," Father replied. "I must say that Sir Guy is a complicated man, but I will never be able to repay this debt. I will always remember this."

"I'm quite sure he won't let you forget," I said with a smirk.

Father laughed. "You are a wise woman, Nyssa," he said fondly. "This year, you seem…flourished," he finished lamely. "I don't know how else to say it. Complete. Like a tiger-rose in full bloom."

"I think I look more like a starving madwoman, but if you insist," I replied.

"I'm not speaking of your current physicality. Those are just the bits that hold everything together. What's in here—" he touched my temple, "and here", he touched my heart, "are what really matter."

He kissed my forehead then, and I allowed myself a small smile. "Why Father, you've become a poet. Perhaps I should become ill more often."

We talked a while longer, but he could see that I was becoming tired. He made his farewells and promised to visit again tomorrow, and left me to sleep. As he left, I heard the click of a door being locked and realized it was my own. Frowning, I wondered what crime I had committed to be locked into my own room. Not mine—Lady Gisborne's. My lips now twisted into a grimace, thinking of Sabine, but wondering more about Guy's mother, whose tastes were elegant and bedecked the entire room. Lying back, I dozed, half in and half out of the bed, my sword kept close by, a hand on its hilt. I flitted in and out of dreams in which I was running in the forest again, and looking down, found that I was a unicorn. Arrows flew by me and I ran from man pursuers, sure that I recognized Robin Hood's close aim. He would have nicked me, but for a powerful dragon who veered in front of my path, breathing down fire at my enemy. The arrows ceased, and my pursuers fled. The dragon regarded me, unsure whether I was friend or foe, just as I choked on my own air and flinched awake, sweating from the exertion of my dream.

I struggled up out of bed a second time, using my sword for balance, and pulled at the heavy draperies that covered the windows, poking at the fire. It was dark and the cold would permeate the glass soon, though I guessed it would have been much worse at home than here. I noted that the nobles smartly decorated the windows with heavy fabric and the bare floor with thick carpets from the East to keep out the cold. The lovely designs on the carpet made me try to walk with the tip of my sword carefully placed so that no holes were made in the fine carpet. I now felt honestly odd about sleeping in the room of the former Lady Gisborne, but the effort of getting up had exhausted me. Back to bed I went. Guy was right; I would have to keep eating to regain my strength. I had just settled back into the bed and was rearranging the covers, when the door lock clicked, my door opened, and I looked up to see Guy returned.

He closed the door, leaned up against it, and regarded me, arms crossed. "You should be resting," he said, his voice low, his eyebrow raised.

"I was resting. I had a nightmare." I said petulantly. "And why am I locked in, Guy?"

"For your own protection," Guy said, still not moving. The firelight cast beautiful shadows on his tall, lean frame, his eyes glinting blue like sapphires as they fastened on me. "Or perhaps I don't want to let you leave."

"Well, you should know that locking me in won't stop me from escaping if I want to," I said playfully. "Next time you come in I'll have knotted up the bedclothes and made a ladder to the ground floor."

"A fine plan, if you could walk from one end of the room to the other on your own," Guy replied. I squinted at him in annoyance. He unfolded himself from the doorjamb and began walking slowly towards me. "You're quite ambitious for someone who was having an affair with Death last week."

"Well, I assure you Sir Guy, I've cut it off with Death and will be quite well again soon, so you'd best stop locking me in. I meant what I said about the bedclothes."

Guy prowled, his stance panther-like as he neared me in the bed. He leaned one knee onto the bed itself, giving my stomach a twinge as my eyes travelled up his long leg. "I'm glad to hear that Death no longer holds your heart, as I'm terribly jealous. Perhaps I'll take away the bedclothes then," he said a slight smile on his face. His hand caught the edge of my heavy quilt, pulling it away from me. I squeaked and grabbed it back. "Then I'll use the tapestries!"

"I'll have them removed." He leaned his other knee on the bed, now facing me on all fours like a great cat.

"My clothing then," I snapped at him.

"Perhaps I'll remove that too," he said, now moving towards me, still on all fours. It both terrified and exhilarated me.

"You devil."

"I thought I was God." His smirk had returned, as he moved ever closer.

"I have a sword."

"Better for you if you had a cross, but it's no matter as I'll rise again in three days. You'll never be rid of me," he said. Moaning in annoyance, I thrashed to sit up, but Guy moved easily to trap me with his body. Kneeling on me, legs planted onto either side of my body, he leaned forward and caressed my face before drawing it to his own, lips brushing mine. I trembled, every fiber of my being feeling the weakness of my illness and the strength of my heart. His lips were so soft, the stubble on his face stinging a bit, his breath warm on my mouth. My lips began to reach for his, kissing him back, and as I did, his mouth crushed down on mine, reminding me of the day he found me in my shift at my house. There was such urgency in his kiss, such passion and such love. I moaned, my arms reaching around his neck, pulling him closer to me, my fingers stroking his hair. We continued loving one another, our mouths exploring each other, familiarizing again, re-learning each other's bodies. Guy held me with all of himself, eventually stretching out next to me, then gently breaking off our kiss.

"If you're well enough to be plotting escape, I thought you might be well enough for other things," he said wickedly, glancing at me.

I sighed, stroking his cheek. "You'll make me run mad, Guy of Gisborne," I said. "But I am ready for no more than this at the moment."

"Oh, I am aware," Guy said pluckily. And then as I watched in mingled fascination and horror, he began pulling off his boots and leather breeches, loosening the collar of his shirt. My eyes must have widened because Guy glanced at me, and began to laugh. "Am I not allowed to prepare myself for sleep?" he asked, grinning.

"You mean…to sleep here?" I asked stupidly.

He nodded. Pulling off his shirt, he lay next to me, completely naked and magnificent. I trembled with want at he sight of his beautiful body, the long limbs in perfect condition, arms lean and muscular. "Don't be afraid," he said, reaching out to stroke my face. "Your sword is still here, and I won't cross it. But I won't leave you alone either."

I blinked, thinking. "Guy…have you stayed here before, while I was ill?"

"Nyssa, if Death planned to take you while you were here, I planned to surprise him. I have slept next to you every night since I brought you here."