The agreement

Chapter 6

Two weeks later, at dinner in the great hall a messenger arrived bearing news for her uncle. As he read the letter Robert turned paler by the second.

"God's blood!" he spluttered, grabbing a goblet of wine and swilling it down, oblivious to half its contents running in rivulets down his greasy tunic.

Emma looked up from the meat she was delicately cutting into small pieces with her eating knife and delicately stabbing.

"What is it uncle?" she asked sweetly. "Nothing bad I hope?" She caught Guy's eye and looked down again at her food, before her expression of feigned innocence betrayed her. Robert de Vaisey threw her a look of rabid dislike.

"It seems that your prospective bridegroom has changed his mind" he tossed the letter down. Although it was impossible, he had a niggling feeling that somehow Emma was responsible for this.

The letter didn't spell out what had changed his mind, just that certain events had occurred to make him 'reassess his position'. It certainly explained why he hadn't shown up for dinner as planned last evening. Well, on the upside he sighed, maybe he could find someone richer this time for her, and still wipe off his debts to Percy.

Emma was lost in her own thoughts. Guy was busy talking to one of the guards who had come up to the table with news and he was unaware of her gaze. She had found herself unable to stop looking at him. and she had developed this strange sense of knowing when he was in a room with her. Dear God, this can't be happening, she thought wretchedly, I can't be falling in love with him. Can I?

Guy, on the other hand, had his own problems to worry about. It had always been hard to find peasants willing to betray their wolf's head hero, but coin had usually loosening a few tongues. Over the last few weeks though his informants has sold him nothing but lies and his sorties through the villages in and around Sherwood had failed to pay off. Just when it seemed that Robin and his motley crew were within his grasp, they managed to escape into the forest like shades at night. It was almost as if they had been forewarned, but Guy was sure that he had discovered all those who would betray their pay masters and made such an example of them to ensure no one would repeat the mistake.

He dismissed the guard and sat in silence downing his wine in solemn thought. Emma too, ceased to talk and listened to the drone of voices from lower in the hall, broken only by the occasional raucous laugh of one of the serving wenches. She watched as one of the serving girls poured ale into the proffered tankards of the men of arms lolling on the benches. The girl was busty, dressed in a scruffy dirty dress, with hair loosened by a day of hard work and neglect. Laughing heartily she was pulled onto an ample lap and kissed by one of the older guards. Emma felt a pang of envy. She looked so carefree, so at ease, able to take her pleasure where she would, unlike her. Stuck here on this dais, her future and her body were mere political pawns. Her heart was of no interest to anyone, or the wishes of her soul. Her glaze settled on Guy once again and then flitted away quickly when she realised he was staring at her too as Vaisey shared the contents of his now wine stained letter with him.

Emma busied herself with her food, fighting the faint blush that coloured her cheeks. She was too troubled to eat and just harried her food on her manchet. Her triumph at her small victory in keeping Percy away had subsided, replaced by dull realisation that the war was far from over. How many times could she keep her uncle and his nefarious friends at bay? How long until she was married off to someone even more repulsive?

Maybe in the end, it wouldn't really matter to whom she was married, if she couldn't have the man she really wanted. That unbidden thought shocked her out of her sulky reverie. Now she was just being stupid she chided herself. He was just a knight, a poor one at that and he probably wasn't even interested in her anyway. Everyone knew that men in his position had free access to the serving women of the castle and God knows, he didn't seem the chaste type. Maybe that was what appealed to her, his dichotomous nature, ruthless yet sometimes kind, licentious yet also a man of honour. Or perhaps, it was the way his almost black hair fell forward onto his smooth forehead and memories of the sight of his lean legs gripping his horse as he rode.

Shaking herself to disturb the dangerous path of her thoughts, Emma stood, almost knocking over her bench in her haste to escape. She excused herself and stalked up to her chamber. While being alone with her thoughts seemed like a bad idea, sitting in the same hall as the man in them was definitely a worst one. Lacking the means of having a cold bath, she hoped the feel of the rough, slightly musty smelling sheets might lessen the heat coming from her cheeks and other, slightly lower, regions.

PC