Arissa winced at the brutal grip on her arm. “Release me, Richmond, you are hurting me,” she said with as much force as she could muster. His grip immediately lessened, but he did not let go of her and she attempted to pull free. He did not budge. “Let go of me, Richmond. I demand it.”
“You do not make demands,” he flipped up his visor, his eyes like ice as his gaze moved from the frightened children to Emma. He gestured at her with his free hand. “Take her, Hage. Tie her to the wagon if she cannot show more wisdom than to venture out into the forest without the proper attendants.”
As Gavan moved for Emma, Arissa could see that the situation was rapidly deteriorating. Since she could not match Richmond’s anger, and his fury was quite correct for wandering away from the campsite, she decided to play to his sympathies instead. As she had proven abundantly in the past, a little honey against the hard facade of Richmond le Bec could work wonders.
“Richmond, may I speak with you a moment before you haul Emma and I away like a pair of criminals?” she asked politely.
He eyed her. “When we return to camp, I will expect a full explanation. You may speak to your heart’s content at that time.”
She shook her head, her soft hands moving to grasp his massive glove. Smiling faintly, she pressed against him. “Now,Richmond. I shall take but a moment of your precious time. If you do not agree with my words, you may spank me all night.”
There was a decidedly erotic invitation in that statement but he ignored it, still focused on his anger. “After I remove you from this rabble, I shall be happy to speak with you.”
He made the attempt to pull her with him but she balked, digging her heels in. His jaw ticked at the show of insolence but she tried not to let the gesture intimidate her.
“Please, my love,” her voice was suddenly very soft, very seductive. “Allow me a moment to speak with you. Just a small, insignificant moment? Please?”
God’s Teeth, he could never refuse her. Somehow, he was always caving into her imperious commands disguised as prettily uttered requests. Releasing her from his grasp, he put his hands on his hips in a display of irritation. “What, then?”
She smiled, pressing herself against him and winding her arms about his waist. Next to her, Emma was fighting off a grin as Gavan pretended to look the other way; they both knew Arissa would have her way in the end, regardless of Richmond’s harsh stance.
“They are preparing a feast to thank me for my kindness in defending them against you earlier today,” she whispered, watching the blue eyes soften as she spoke. “Those five fish are all they have to sustain the seventeen of them, and still they are willing to share with me. I shall not refuse their kind tribute, Richmond. Even though they are dirt-poor, scraping the very dregs of society in their attempt to maintain a meager existence, they still know the true meaning of selflessness. That, my love, is worth all of the kings and knights and wealth this world has to offer and I am honored to be a part of it.”
He stared at her a moment before emitting a weary, heart-felt sigh. She continued to smile at him, watching his uncertain expression as he glanced to the wary cluster of children. Ittook him a moment to realize that during the course of their conversation, he had distracted the orphans from their fire and the fish were burning brightly with flames as he watched.
With another sigh, this one of pure resignation, he realized he was about to give in to her request yet again. Watching the fish burn, however, he was suddenly aware of how to please Arissa without appearing weak in front of his men. God’s Teeth, he was a fool for the woman.
“Their tribute appears to have become a torch,” he grumbled, touching her cheek; he simply couldn’t help himself as she gazed up at him. His gaze lingered on the children a moment before turning away from Arissa. “You will tell them to sup with us since I have ruined their dinner. I shall wait for you on the other side of the thicket, so do not delay.”
Arissa smiled broadly, a beautiful smile that rendered him weak with love and adoration. “Of course, my love. I shall do it right away.” Before he could move away completely, she reached out to gently grasp his massive hand. “Thank you, Richmond. You are an extremely generous man.”
He barely acknowledged her thanks as he moved into the foliage he had so recently crushed. “I am not generous; I am a fool,” he muttered, listening to Gavan’s snort of agreement.
Hearing Gavan’s laughter reminded him of the second missive from Henry, the one whose contents he had been directed to deliver to Gavan in private. The man had to be made aware, the sooner the better, and Richmond’s heart sank as he once again braced himself for the devastating duty.
His gut churned as they reached the destriers, preparing to mount. God’s Teeth, how he hated what he was about to do. Eyeing Gavan as the man moved to mount his horse, he wondered if his best friend would ever be able to forgive him.
*
Seventeen children arounda campfire filled with hardened soldiers proved to be a surprising, wonderful source of entertainment. The children sang, danced, told stories and involved the men-at-arms in betting games. Two boys would wrestle as the men eagerly placed wages, adding to the festive atmosphere, while two of the girls would take bets on who could spit the farthest.
Knowing well their liege’s fondness for sports and betting, Richmond found himself coerced into placing wagers on the wrestling matches and was pleased when his chosen contender emerged the victor in the majority of the contests. In spite of any reservations about the skinny, dirty, happy children, Richmond was forced to agree that inviting them to dine with his men had been a wise decision.
He relaxed against a rotted stump with Arissa in one hand and a tankard of bland ale in the other. All in all, a most delightful night appeared to have descended and he listened to the sounds of laughter and revelry with satisfaction. When a few of the soldiers broke out their lutes and began to play, Arissa and Emma found themselves swarmed with children demanding them to participate in a communal dance. With a delighted glance to Richmond, Arissa joined the children in the campfire frolics.
Richmond observed her beautiful form with pleasure and would have been completely content to gaze at her all night had Gavan not moved up beside him, chewing loudly on a knuckle of mutton.
“Most of those children are bigger than Arissa,” he commented with a grin. “If you could harness their energy and focus the cumulative power, you would have a hell of a fighting company.”
Richmond’s smile faded as he watched Arissa dance, listening to his friend prattle as if he did not have a care in theworld. Certainly he could not, in good conscience, delay Gavan’s message any longer. While Arissa and Emma and the rest of the soldiers were occupied was the perfect opportunity to relay the contents of the second missive, and he took a deep breath for courage as he set his pewter cup to the ground.
“I have a need to speak with you, Gavan,” he said as evenly as he could. “In private.”
Gavan swallowed his bite, tossing the stripped bone aside. “Certainly. Where shall we go?”
Richmond rose to his feet. “Near the tents, I suppose, wherever there aren’t a thousand wild children dancing about.” The two knights moved toward the trees as Richmond struggled to keep his manner unhurried. Already, he was breaking out in a cold sweat in anticipation of Gavan’s reaction as they meandered to the edge of the clearing, watching the festivities in the distance.
Richmond turned to Gavan, knowing it would be easier if he simply spit out his purpose. The longer he delayed, the more painful it would be for the both of them and he found himself swallowing hard, twice, before he was able to find his voice.
