“No!” Chester’s command barked in my head. “Never talk to anyone. Don’t trust anyone. Stay far away from everyone.” Sir William had always said the same thing before he died, so his litany rose up and joined with Chester’s.
I understood why the father-son pair had always been so protective. They counted it their sole duty in life to watch over me. In fact, Sir William had given up comfort and prestige to move to the cottage and be my guardian, bringing his motherless son with him. Even if Chester was but a few months older than me, he’d taken over as guardian after his father’s passing, unwilling to think of doing anything else but protecting me.
“A lady of your loveliness must have an equally lovely name,” Kresten commented from where he still knelt.
I glanced beyond him to the forest, searching for anyone else who might be lurking. What if he was one of Queen Margery’s spies? Chester claimed she had more soldiers looking for me than ever before, since I was nearing my twentieth birthday, the age when I could rule Mercia in my own right.
With only two months to go, I couldn’t jeopardize my security. Not after my aunts and Sir William and Chester had worked so diligently to keep me hidden from the queen.
“I’m alone.” He followed my gaze. “I vow it.”
“You are certain?”
“Yes.” His expression turned solemn, his eyes even bluer.
My stomach did a strange flip, especially at the intensity of his full attention upon me. “Why are you here?”
“I was planning to do some fishing in yonder river when I accidentally came upon a boar. He wasn’t too happy about being disturbed and gave me a fair chase.”
“But how did you come to be here?” I motioned to the clearing.
“In my haste to outrun the beast, I stumbled upon a cavern that led me into this part of the forest.”
Those who happened into the area almost always came from the far western edge, which was inhospitable and difficult to traverse with its many crags and cliffs. But few ever discovered the whereabouts of the ravine entrance. Already in a remote spot of the forest, the ravine provided an extra barrier that had made the charcoal burner’s cottage an ideal place to hide a queen all these many years.
“I heard your singing and came to investigate.”
“Where are you from?”
“I’m a woodcutter several leagues away from here.” He hesitated just enough to let me know he wasn’t disclosing the full truth.
A shiver prickled the skin at the back of my neck. Had Queen Margery sent him? And if so, how could I possibly outrun him and make my escape? Now that he’d discovered the ravine entrance, next time he’d return with a whole regiment of soldiers.
“I can tell you don’t believe me.” He rose to his feet and took his axe from his belt. “So to prove to you I’m a woodcutter, point out the twig you’d like me to sever, and I’ll do it from here. No matter how high or far away.”
I ought to make my getaway while I still could, but his offer intrigued me. “Truly any twig?”
“Truly any.”
I studied the surrounding trees and located a misshapen limb high up in a nearby oak. I pointed at it. “What about that one?”
He covered his eyes to shield them from the morning sun as he followed my direction. “The twisted one with the nodules?”
“Yes. Precisely.”
He lifted the hem of his tunic, yanked the fabric, and then ripped it with a loud rending.
I jumped back, wariness returning with full force.
He finished slicing off the strip. Then he dangled it out to me. “Blindfold me.”
I hid my hands behind my back.
He extended the strip even farther. “Use this linen to cover my eyes, and I’ll sever the branch without looking.”
I glanced again at the limb I’d singled out and then back at him. Such a cut would be difficult with two good eyes. It would be impossible without sight. “You must be jesting.”
“I’m entirely serious.” His hand didn’t waver as he held out the linen.
This man seemed to have a knack for piquing my interest. I tentatively took the cloth from him. “Very well. Since you apparently enjoy making a fool of yourself, I shall indulge your endeavor.”
His grin made an appearance, one that lit up his eyes and gave him a boyish aura. “You’re too kind, my lady.” He used the proper address flippantly. At least, I thought he did. He didn’t recognize me as one nobly born, did he?
He knelt again and bowed his head, waiting for me to blindfold him. Dare I engage with him further, or should I use the opportunity to flee?
At the humble bend of his head and the view of his handsome profile, I approached him, unwilling to part ways yet, though I knew I should. I draped the cloth around his eyes, winding it until I was able to tie it behind his head. I tried to be careful not to make contact with him, but my fingers brushed his hair nonetheless, and I was surprised at the softness of the strands.
Once finished, I clasped my trembling fingers. I didn’t think I was afraid of him. I was more overwhelmed by the realization I was interacting with a man, something I’d dreamed about but hadn’t expected to do until I returned to Delsworth.
“Ready, my lady?” he asked gently, as though he sensed my trepidation and feared he might frighten me away.
Was I ready? I swallowed hard and pushed away my misgivings for a final time. “Very well. If you insist.”
“I insist.” He climbed to his feet.
I took a step back, intending to give him plenty of room to accomplish the throw.
But he fumbled at the air as though searching for me. “At the least, you’ll need to point me in the right direction.”
Would I be required to touch him again? I cautiously reached for him, then drew back at the last second.
He held out his hand, palm up. “Come on with you. Just a nudge.”
I stared at his thick calluses, the sign he was indeed a woodcutter, wielding his axe day after day. Maybe I was worrying for naught.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I wrapped my hand over his. As my skin made contact with his, I sucked in a rapid breath. And when he encircled his fingers lightly around mine, I was rendered immobile. I stood watching him, taking in his face again. Even with his blindfold, he was striking, so much so that my heart raced forward at an unsteady pace.
“My lady?” he asked after a moment, a smile tugging at his lips.
Did he sense how his presence affected me? Giving myself a shake, I pivoted him until he was facing the tree. Then I jerked my hand free and tangled it within my skirt. Even then, the warmth of his touch remained.
He seemed much too calm. He lifted his chin and attempted to gain his bearings but did so gracefully, as if he made an everyday occurrence of meeting young women in the forest and proving his worth.
Since he wore the blindfold, I studied him unabashedly, glad for the few moments to admire him without his knowledge. He likely had many women who fancied him, perhaps even had a girl somewhere interested in marrying him.
“I’m not sure I can concentrate with you staring at me so intently.”
I dropped my gaze, a flush stealing through me. “You can see through the blindfold?”
“No. I vow I cannot.”
“Then what makes you believe I am staring?”