Page 43 of Picking Up the Gauntlet

“Don’t touch me.” She pushed his hand away and stepped back.

Jonathon held his palms up in the air. “Excuse me, my lady. I was just trying to help.”

“Raven, I told ye we shouldna have come here,” said Lark, looking over at Jonathon from the sides of her eyes. “He’s goin’ to tell yer brother or yer father now.”

“Nay, he won’t,” said Raven.

“So sure of yourself, are you?” asked Jonathon.

“You won’t say anything, because if you do, I’ll tell my father about–” she stopped for a moment, looking over to the page to make sure he was out of earshot. “I’ll tell him about the kiss.”

“Go ahead,” he challenged her, more or less throwing down the gauntlet. “I doubt you’ll tell him, because once he hears you lied about being ill and instead sneaked off to the woods, he’ll never believe a word you say.”

“He already doesn’t,” she said, sounding so sad. “Well, I guess I’ll never learn to joust now.”

“Why do you even want to learn? It makes no sense,” said Jonathon.

“She wants to do it so she can–”

“Lark, that’s enough,” Raven stopped her cousin from telling him more, making him very curious now.

“We should go back to the castle, Raven,” said Lark, looking very nervous.

“I’m not going back yet. I still need to practice,” said Raven.

“I know how to joust,” said Jonathon, surprising her.

“You?” She laughed. “What do you know about the joust?”

“More than you, my lady.”

“I doubt it.”

“Let me show you.” He picked up the lance that she dropped and quickly mounted his horse. “You’ve got to give it a quick jab. Don’t let the contact linger. And keep moving until you are out of reach of the swivel arm. Like this,” he said, riding fast toward the quintain.

Raven watched in awe as Jonathon hit the quintain and rode on past so quickly that the sandbag on the opposite side of the swivel arm missed him completely.

“That was great,” said Lark.

“It was perfect,” agreed Albert, bringing Raven’s horse back to her. “He’s really good at it, my lady. For a commoner, I mean.”

“Yes. He is, isn’t he?” Her eyes were fastened to him. She also had an idea of how she could use this to her advantage.

“That’s how you do it, my lady.” Jonathon rode back to her with the lance in his hand.

“Can you teach me to joust?” she blurted out, not even taking the time to compliment him.

“You are serious about learning to do this, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“Now, why would you want to take up such a dangerous sport? One that is only for men?”

“Don’t ask questions. Answer mine instead. Can you teach me?”

Jonathon looked over to Lark and Albert. “I’ll help you load the equipment back into the cart. You’d better get these things back to the castle before they’re missed.”

“Nay,” protested Raven. “I brought those things here so I can practice.”