I tried to claw my way back to sanity.
“Look, Baron…maybe that was a mistake,” I said, though it made my chest ache. “Maybe it would be better if we forgot about what happened between us.”
Baron’s face crumpled. “I can’t do that, Laurel. Maybe it didn’t mean a lot to you, but it did to me.” His voice dropped, low and raw, but there was still an edge of hope fighting to stay alive. “I can’t just forget, and I don’t want to.”
Silence settled over us—heavy, charged, and dangerous. The fire crackled, throwing restless shadows across his face through the partially opened tent flap. His eyes caught the light, warm and dark and unbearably earnest.
Despite my own words of a few moments before, a fierce longing unfurled inside me. I wanted to cross the tiny distance separating us and kiss him so thoroughly I would be able to forget all my concerns and worries. It would be a boon to give in to that burning drive urging me to cross the few feet between us and satisfy the ache intensifying in my chest. There wasn’t anyone else to see. No one would know. Baron and I both wanted it, so what would the harm be, really?
Baron was looking at me as if he wanted me to do exactly what I was thinking about.
My resolve nearly crumbled.
I stood abruptly so quickly that I almost tripped. If I didn’t leave now, there was a good chance I wouldn’t leave at all.
“It’s my turn for the watch,” I said, my voice breathless. “You need rest.”
I pushed through the tent flap before he could reply. The cold night air hit my face like a slap, but it didn’t cool the heat in my chest. Behind me, I heard Baron exhale like he’d been holding his breath ever since I touched him.
CHAPTER 29
Eventually, we had no choice but to stop and ask for directions. Neither of us truly knew this part of the country. Baron had only traveled to Prince John’s castle twice in his life, the last time when he was barely ten years old, and every fork in the road felt like a gamble. He insisted we were close, somewhere in the right vicinity, but “close” suddenly felt far too vague when every passing minute risked the sheriff’s men catching up to us. Why was it so hard to find a castle?
Just when I began to wonder if we’d have to risk going into town to ask for direction, we rounded a bend and spotted a small cottage with a distinctly pointed thatched roof. A thin wisp of smoke curled from its chimney. It was the first sign of life we’d seen in miles and unless we wanted to wander in circles until our pursuers overtook us, we needed help from whoever lived inside.
A skinny, knock-kneed farmer with a protuberant nose answered the door. As the door swung inward on its hinges, he squinted at us, holding a hand up to his weather-beaten face to shield the sun’s rays from his eyes.
“Who goes there?” he squawked, then noticed the weapons in our belts and hastened to throw his hands up in the air. “I’s just a farmer, I is, good sir and miss. I’s meaning no ‘arm, surely Iain’t. I ha’n’t never caused no ‘arm to no one! No ‘arm at all to no one in me entire life, I hasn’t! There’s no need for violence, if ye take me meaning, good sir and miss. I ain’t got nothin’ of value nohow. I swear it on the lives of me sons, I do!”
“We just need information.” Baron said. I thought he sounded mild, but the bass timbre of his deep voice only terrified the poor farmer more.
“I ‘asn’t done nofink wrong, I swear I ‘asn’t! Why, I was just sayin’ to me wife Tildy vis very mornin’, ‘Tildy, I’s a good upstanding citizen of vis fine country, I is!’ And she right agreed wif me, good sir and miss, right agreed wif me! I can fetch ‘er from milkin’ the cow, if ye want, and she will tell ye ‘erself!“
“Don’t bother,” I said crisply. “We just need to know?—"
“Well you is in luck, you is, if you is needin’ any such informations that an upstanding citizen such as meself could provide. I would be more’n ‘appy to oblige you, good sir and miss, more’n ‘appy to oblige. I’ve a mind like a steel trap, I has, mind like a steel trap!” He tapped his forehead knowingly. I took a deep breath and released it slowly.
“We need to know if anyone has passed by here recently,” I said in a rush before the farmer could interrupt again.
“Passed by ‘ere? As in my ‘ome specially, or in the gen’ral area? Because I seen vem scoundrals pass by me fields just vis mornin’ I did, good sir and miss. Just right vis very mornin’. I said to me wife Tildy, ‘Tildy, vem scoundrals be at it again, vey is!’And ye know what she said back to me, she did? She said to me?—”
“Stop!” I said, getting agitated now. “Stop talking.” Then slowly and clearly, I asked, “Who do you mean? Who came by here?”
“Why vem ruffians what is always hangin’ round and squelchin’ turnips from me fields. Vem local lads from the village jus’ beyond?—”
“Not teenage hooligans!” I snapped, becoming increasingly irritated. “Soldiers! Guards! Anyone like that?”
The farmer’s eyes widened. “Is vey comin’ this way, you thinks? Like as in, soldiers marchin’ to battle? Vey ain’t lookin’ for no recruits, is vey? I’s too old to be getting into this sort o’ trouble, I is. Why, back in me younger days?—”
He prattled on and on. I closed my eyes tightly for a moment and rubbed my temples. How could one person talk this much?
“What’s your name, my good man?” Baron asked, smiling. His tone was friendly, but the mere size of Baron filling the doorway would put anyone on edge.
“Well, me mam wanted to call me ‘enry, named after his royal ‘ighness, ye know. O’ course, that were before ‘is ‘ighness Richard became king, he did. But ye know, ‘enry was Richard’s father he was! Years and years ago vis was, on account o’ I’s older than his ‘ighness. But me pap had said that would be downright disrespectful, it would be. So they had to mull it over a bit, ya know, even after I was born. Then when I was a lad, me friends used to poke fun o’ me for me nose and would call me?—”
“Your NAME!”I bellowed, stepping aggressively toward the man. “What is yourNAME?”
“Sam,” the farmer squeaked. “Me name is Sam.”
