Page 36 of Stay with Me

Nicholas’s jaw tightened as did his grip of her hand. “No other man will ride behind her but me.”

“You are certain?”

“Let it be known.” Nicholas’s tone turned steely. “No man dare touch her without incurring my wrath.”

Sybil was tempted to remind Nicholas she’d disarmed two guards in his dungeon by herself and didn’t need him to threaten the men. But the possessiveness in his tone silenced and weakened her all at once. She didn’t understand it, but it only added to the growing awareness of this man.

Ralph nodded. “Very well. Then take her with all haste to the village.”

As he turned away from Nicholas, Sybil glimpsed a slight quirk of Ralph’s lips. Was he pleased with himself for manipulating Nicholas into riding the horse? Though she would have preferred to run, she respected his concern for Nicholas. She wouldn’t complain about having to ride if it spared him the exhaustion of out-racing Simon’s men again.

Within moments, she was seated in the saddle with Nicholas directly behind her, her body wedged tightly against his. When he reached around her for the reins, his chest pressed against her back. His chiseled Greek-god chest that she couldn’t stop thinking about.

“I apologize again for this misunderstanding with my men.” His soft comment near her ear sent flutters through her abdomen.

“You want them to believe I’m your betrothed?”

“’Tis for the best.”

“Why?” Was she baiting him, trying to get him to admit that he liked her? “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.” Again, his voice rumbled next to her ear, much too intimate, reminding her of the delectable kisses he’d placed on her neck before he was awake. She was embarrassed that she wanted to feel his lips there again.

“You saved my life.” He dug his heels into the mount’s sides. “Now ’tis my turn to make sure you are safe. Whatever that entails.”

For a reason she didn’t understand, his explanation disappointed her. She didn’t want him to be with her because he was repaying her. Strangely she wanted more, though she knew she shouldn’t.

~ 15 ~

Nicholas purposefully slowed the mountfor the last league of the journey, not ready for the time with Sybil to end.

Even though it was a form of ecstatic torture having her sitting in front of him, his thighs gripping her, his arms encircling her, his chest brushing against her, he wouldn’t give this ride over to any other man. He wouldn’t giveherto any other man.

In fact, the more he’d considered anyone else having her, the harder his heart pounded in protest.

Though they’d ridden hard for several hours, it hadn’t been so vigorous as to prevent conversation. Father Fritz on his mount had lagged a short distance behind, allowing them some privacy. As with the previous night, she’d been curious and had asked many questions. This time, she’d wanted to know about the Weald, the band of archers expertly trained by Ralph de Legh, and Devil’s Bend, the village where hopefully they would be able to avoid Simon’s searches.

She shifted again, as she’d been doing more over the past hour. Since she wasn’t accustomed to riding a horse, her hindquarters were likely sore. He’d considered stopping and allowing her to have a respite, but they were nearing the end of their journey, and she would be free from the saddle soon enough.

All morn and through the afternoon, he’d pushed onward, an urgency driving him to cross through the bishop’s land and enter the deep Weald. Though Simon’s men might venturethrough the outer perimeter of the forestland in spite of their superstitions, they would never enter the heart of the Weald that many believed belonged to the devil. At least he hoped so.

She twisted to watch a doe grazing with its mother in a hedge. “So, most of the men who live in Devil’s Bend have been wrongly accused and aren’t true criminals?”

“Father Fritz was convicted of being a spy for the French.”

“That seems to be a common crime.”

“London’s prisons are filled with many alleged spies.”

She paused, contemplating his sad statement. “And what of Ralph? Is he an outlaw?”

“His son, one of King Richard’s archers, was accused of stealing royal jewels by the man who committed the thievery. He was taken out to the gallows to be hanged, and Ralph intervened.”

“Now he’s a wanted criminal too?”

Nicholas nodded. “His son was wounded during the escape and only lived a fortnight.”

She fell silent, likely moved by the weight of the injustice every bit as much as he’d been. He liked that she was compassionate and felt things deeply. He liked that she didn’t have to fill the lull in moments like this with needless chatter. He liked that she could oft make conclusions for herself without him needing to tell her every detail.

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