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Authors: Sharon Schulze
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collided, clothing flying up and over them both.
Rolf caught Dora about the waist and held hersteady against him before she could fall over. She began to berate him at once, her words muffled by the fabric draped over her face.
“Here now, mistress, what are you about?” he demanded. He set her on her feet, tugged the shirt off her head and bent to gather up the garments from where they’d landed on the floor.
“Can’t you leave milady alone for an instant?” she replied. Once he straightened she cuffed him on the arm, to no effect, and pointed for him to place the clothes on the bed. He rolled his eyes, but obeyed her silent command. “She’s barely had a moment’s rest in days, not since she carried home that handsome young rascal,” she added with a nod toward the next chamber. “Not that he could help getting injured, I suppose.”
Julianna bit back a laugh. Dora’s tone left little doubt she felt Will could have avoided injury if he’d really tried.
Dora scarcely paused to take a breath before turning her attention back to Rolf. “As for you—barging in here without a by-your-leave…’tis a lucky thing indeed that you didn’t catch Lady Julianna bathing, you mannerless lout!”
“Perhaps he’d have considered himself luckierif he had,” Julianna said. She chuckled at the way Rolf’s face reddened, but he grinned as well.
“Lady Julianna!” Dora scolded, rounding on her even as she began to tidy the mess from Julianna’s bath. “What would your lady mother have said to hear such bawdy foolery from you, may Mary bless her soul?” She crossed herself and went right along with her work. “Have you no shame?”
“You should know by now that I have none,” she pointed out dryly. “Or very little, at any rate.” She picked up her dagger and Will’s and tucked one into each boot. “’Twas naught but a harmless jape, nothing more. I’d not have said to come in were I actually bathing. I didn’t know who was outside the door, after all.”
Dora sent her a reproving look and crossed to the bed to fold the disheveled mound of clothing. Julianna took this as her opportunity to avoid further lectures and motioned for Rolf to accompany her as she returned to Will’s sickroom.
She was not so fortunate as to escape so easily, however.
“I’ll go sit with him, milady.” Dora abandoned the laundry and headed for the door connecting the two chambers. Pausing with her hand on thelatch, she added, “I know you’ve many other things to attend to. If yon warrior has need of you, I’ll send for you at once, but I’m certain I can deal with him.”
Dora was right; Will had been sound asleep when she’d last looked in on him. Lord knew, she could find plenty of other tasks to occupy her, body and mind.
Besides, perhaps if she left his side for a bit, the image of his face would fade from her memory and leave her poor obsessed mind in peace.
Or not , the little voice inside her head taunted.
Consigning her traitorous wits to the cesspit where they clearly belonged, Julianna nodded to Dora and Rolf and left in search of some task to distract her from the temptation of Sir William Bowman.
Chapter Eight
W ill awoke to the sound of a woman singing, and the awareness that a long time had passed since he’d last been able to think clearly. Holding his breath, he risked stretching out on the straw pallet. He didn’t hurt as much as before; while his body ached, and he noted several more painful places where he could feel the sting of healing wounds, at least his head and stomach seemed vastly better than before.
Whether that would remain the case when he ventured to stand would be the true test, but he’d wait to try that till he felt a bit livelier.
Though he’d not wait too long. He didn’t know how many days had passed; he knew where he was, at least, and how he’d come to be there.
Tuck’s Tower, near Sherwood Forest.
The keep’s name and location had been the cause, no doubt,
Rolf caught Dora about the waist and held hersteady against him before she could fall over. She began to berate him at once, her words muffled by the fabric draped over her face.
“Here now, mistress, what are you about?” he demanded. He set her on her feet, tugged the shirt off her head and bent to gather up the garments from where they’d landed on the floor.
“Can’t you leave milady alone for an instant?” she replied. Once he straightened she cuffed him on the arm, to no effect, and pointed for him to place the clothes on the bed. He rolled his eyes, but obeyed her silent command. “She’s barely had a moment’s rest in days, not since she carried home that handsome young rascal,” she added with a nod toward the next chamber. “Not that he could help getting injured, I suppose.”
Julianna bit back a laugh. Dora’s tone left little doubt she felt Will could have avoided injury if he’d really tried.
Dora scarcely paused to take a breath before turning her attention back to Rolf. “As for you—barging in here without a by-your-leave…’tis a lucky thing indeed that you didn’t catch Lady Julianna bathing, you mannerless lout!”
“Perhaps he’d have considered himself luckierif he had,” Julianna said. She chuckled at the way Rolf’s face reddened, but he grinned as well.
“Lady Julianna!” Dora scolded, rounding on her even as she began to tidy the mess from Julianna’s bath. “What would your lady mother have said to hear such bawdy foolery from you, may Mary bless her soul?” She crossed herself and went right along with her work. “Have you no shame?”
“You should know by now that I have none,” she pointed out dryly. “Or very little, at any rate.” She picked up her dagger and Will’s and tucked one into each boot. “’Twas naught but a harmless jape, nothing more. I’d not have said to come in were I actually bathing. I didn’t know who was outside the door, after all.”
Dora sent her a reproving look and crossed to the bed to fold the disheveled mound of clothing. Julianna took this as her opportunity to avoid further lectures and motioned for Rolf to accompany her as she returned to Will’s sickroom.
She was not so fortunate as to escape so easily, however.
“I’ll go sit with him, milady.” Dora abandoned the laundry and headed for the door connecting the two chambers. Pausing with her hand on thelatch, she added, “I know you’ve many other things to attend to. If yon warrior has need of you, I’ll send for you at once, but I’m certain I can deal with him.”
Dora was right; Will had been sound asleep when she’d last looked in on him. Lord knew, she could find plenty of other tasks to occupy her, body and mind.
Besides, perhaps if she left his side for a bit, the image of his face would fade from her memory and leave her poor obsessed mind in peace.
Or not , the little voice inside her head taunted.
Consigning her traitorous wits to the cesspit where they clearly belonged, Julianna nodded to Dora and Rolf and left in search of some task to distract her from the temptation of Sir William Bowman.
Chapter Eight
W ill awoke to the sound of a woman singing, and the awareness that a long time had passed since he’d last been able to think clearly. Holding his breath, he risked stretching out on the straw pallet. He didn’t hurt as much as before; while his body ached, and he noted several more painful places where he could feel the sting of healing wounds, at least his head and stomach seemed vastly better than before.
Whether that would remain the case when he ventured to stand would be the true test, but he’d wait to try that till he felt a bit livelier.
Though he’d not wait too long. He didn’t know how many days had passed; he knew where he was, at least, and how he’d come to be there.
Tuck’s Tower, near Sherwood Forest.
The keep’s name and location had been the cause, no doubt,
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