The Robber Knight's Love

21. The Question of How

Suddenly, the uncertainty in Reuben’s eyes was replaced with resolution. Ayla’s heart nearly stopped from the look on his face.

He wanted to ask her a question? Her? What question?

Could it possibly be that he wanted to…?

Taking a deep breath, Reuben leaned forward until their faces were almost touching, and asked in a rough voice: “Are you going to have me executed?”

Ayla blinked at him, uncomprehending.

“What?”

“Are you going to have me executed?” he repeated. “When you came to see me in my room the other day, you said you were wondering if you should execute me, and you hadn't made up your mind yet. Have you decided, now?”

“Oh, that! That completely slipped my mind.”

Reuben grinned with a touch of sarcasm. “Well, I must admit it has been weighing rather heavily on mine.”

Ayla slapped his chest again, not very pleased that he was making fun of her again, and more than a little disappointed at the contents of his question—though she never in a million years would have told him that!

“Of course not, you pea-brain!”

Reuben's grin lost all the sarcasm and widened to a glorious smile. “Well, that's a relief, I must admit. I rather like being alive. Particularly recently—things have been rather interesting.”

Ayla gestured around, at the blood-spattered cobblestones and the dozen corpses lying strewn over the courtyard.

“You call this interesting?”

“What?” Reuben seemed to notice the corpses for the first time, and waved his hand dismissively. “Oh that. No, I get that every day. I”, he continued, sliding his hand around Ayla and up her side, his fingers caressing her through the thin nightgown in a way that was surely forbidden by a dozen decrees of the Holy Church, “was talking of something else.”

She slapped his hand away.

“Behave yourself!”

“Why?”

“Um... because... because...”

She didn't immediately know an answer, and that aggravated her to no end. Especially since his grin got more insolent by the second.

“Because it's improper,” she finally snapped.

“Oh, it's improper.” Reuben nodded gravely. “Of course, if it's improper, I should really not be doing it. I really shouldn't. Only, there's one thing...”

“Yes?”

He bent forward, and whispered in her ear: “I like to be improper. Especially with you.”

“Sir Knight! Go to your room, or... or...”

“Or you'll get improper with me out here? Well, I wouldn't want that.” Before she could say another word, he had let go of her. With a last lascivious smile, he turned, and strode off, whistling.

Ayla’s mouth opened in shock. Never in a thousand years would she have thought that he’d actually do what she ordered and go. Suddenly, she felt cold without his arms around her, and she had already taken the first step to follow when she realized what she was doing. By the apostles! What did she think she was doing? Running after a man, to have him hold her where all could see? Maybe not just hold her, but ki—

She cut that thought off right then and there. She was a virtuous maiden! She would never, ever…

She couldn’t even think about things like that.