The Sapphire Pendant

Chapter 13

Adeline

                I led the black stallion from the reigns to the inn.  Josh had slung his arm around me, clutching a tankard in one hand as he stumbled over a rock in the ground.  He was moving unevenly and making small groaning noises.

                “Ready,” I said under my breath.

                “Always,” he replied.

                I opened the door to the inn after tying the reigns to a post at the side of the door.

                “Dear, we at room,” Josh slurred, slackening his grip on the tankard.

                “Not yet,” I answered wearily.

                “Hey girlie,” the innkeeper said.

                “Hello,” I said, “do you have a room left.

                “For a young lady like you, of course,” he said breezily.  His eyes looked at me up and down, his eyes lingering at my exposed legs.  I felt Josh’s grip on my shoulder tighten protectively.

                “But I don’t have any money,” I said anxiously, “my husband spent all our money at the tavern.”

                “Honey,” Josh yelled.

                “How drunk is your husband,” the innkeeper said.

                “I don’t know,” I said desperately, “please, I only need a room for one day.”  I walked over towards him putting a hand on his desk looking at him dead in the eye.

                “Whersourroom,” Josh slurred and dropped the tankard with a clang.

                “Please,” I said one more time.

                “Well,” the innkeeper said looking at Josh’s now limp form, “I suppose for one day.”

                “Can someone get a stable boy to take care of our horse?” I asked sweetly.

                “Of course dear,” he said.  The innkeeper walked in front of us as I dragged Josh’s limp form.  I saw a ghost of a smile on his face.  I knocked him into a desk by ‘accident’ and the smile left his face.  I giggled quietly so only he could hear me.

                I stared at the bald patch on the back of his head.

                The innkeeper led us to a small room, probably the only one he could spare for free.  The room had one bed, a small table, and a platter of Island fruits.

                After he showed us our room he left to get a dinner.

 Josh sprang up from the ground surveying the room with pleasure.   “There’s only one bed,” he said eagerly looking at me the same way the innkeeper was.

                “Nice Josh, real classy,” I said hitting him on the head as a walked to the bathroom.

Joshua

“I was just kidding Addy,” I said watching her put together a makeshift bed next to the real one, “you don’t have to make your own bed.”

                “I’m not making a bed for me, this is your bed,” she said grinning at me.