Kohl, Candice - A Twist in Time.txt

by A Twist in Time. txt (lit)

  sisters’ bedchamber, but Andrew more than doubted that

  possibility. Someone had made off with the pillow, just

  as someone had made off with the dice.

  Laycock’s servants did not steal. Those who served

  here today were the descendants of those who had served

  here a hundred years past. Well-provided for by the

  ruling baron, their loyalty only grew from generation to

  generation. Nor had anyone visited the keep recently,

  not even Philip, who certainly was no thief. That left

  only one reasonable suspect, one stranger, one guest

  whose identity had yet to be verified, whose behavior

  seemed strange, and who had access to the furnishings

  in this stronghold.

  Judith Lamb.

  Ten

  “Andrew! Andrew!”

  Hearing his name, he interrupted his conversation

  with Laycock’s bailiff and turned to see who called him.

  He saw Philip approaching on horseback, bearing down

  on Andrew and his man as they stood in the middle of

  Wixcomb’s main road.

  Before he quite halted, Philip leapt from his saddle.

  “Arnulf, in the tower, told me you’d gone to the village.

  Why so?”

  “I could delay holding court no longer,” Andrew

  explained. “God Himself only knows when my family will

  be returning, yet our people had disputes that needed

  settling. Jesu, but I hate being called upon to play the

  magistrate and mete out justice. Surely I made some

  error in judgment.”

  “I’d wager your father fears the same of you. But the

  peasants are none the wiser—are they, Jonathan?”

  Philip quipped, glancing at the bailiff.

  “I suppose not,” Jonathan agreed. “But Lord Andrew

  doesn’t give himself enough credit. He performed

  admirably.”

  Philip wrapped a friendly arm around Andrew’s

  shoulder. “You’re finished, then?”

  “Aye. Court has been adjourned. God willing, Father

  will be back at Laycock before it need convene again.”

  “Lord Thomas is still away, then? And your brothers

  as well?” Philip asked as he and Andrew walked toward

  the eastern edge of the village, Philip leading his steed

  behind them.

  “Aye. And yours?”

  “I presume so. They are all determined to be at hand

  during the negotiations—I doubt my sire will return

  much before yours. Unless, of course, the talks don’t go

  well. Then he’ll be back, readying all our forces to attack

  King John’s holdings.”

  “You haven’t been home to North Cross, I take it?”

  Andrew asked.

  Philip shook his head and brushed a long hank of

  blonde hair off his forehead. “Nay, I came here

  straightaway.”

  Andrew tensed. “You’ve come to see Judith?”

  “Of course. She is always in my thoughts. Now, most

  especially.”

  “Why now?”

  “Andrew, there is much I must tell you. But, first—

  has your messenger returned, the one you sent to York?”

  “Nay.” Having reached the spot where he had left

  Zeus in the care of his squire, Andrew took the horse’s

  reins. Purposely, he turned his back to Philip. “’Tis soon,

  yet. We should hear something any day.”

  “What do you mean, ’tis soon? Your man is long

  overdue. I’ve ridden nearly the same distance and

  returned, yet I departed well after he did.”

  “What does it matter?” Andrew climbed into his

  saddle and waited for Philip to do the same.

  “I’ll tell you, old friend—it matters a good deal,

  because that business my mother sent me on had to do

  with finding a wife.”

  “For you? How is that?” Andrew asked, kneeing his

  horse and walking the animal slowly out of the village.

  Secretly, this turn of events buoyed his spirits, which

  had plummeted at the very sight of Philip.

  “There is a damsel, eligible and dowered, whose

  mother is eager to see her wed. My mother bid me to go

  and see the maid and ask for her hand. She hoped the

  girl would prove convenient, if not all I might desire in

  a wife.”

  “Is she—convenient?”

  Philip screwed up his handsome face. “Aye. A bit

  young, mayhap. Just ten and six years. But comely. And,

  fortunately, she has a small estate that would suit me

  well.”

  “What’s the problem, then?”

  “God’s wounds, Andrew,” Philip complained. “You

  know what the problem is. I’m bewitched by Judith.”

  He clenched his jaw. “Are you?”

  “You must know that I am.”

  The men turned their horses off the main road while

  Andrew’s squire followed behind, and they took to the

  hills leading to Laycock Keep.

  “I had thought so. But were you truly smitten, I

  wouldn’t think you’d ride off to pay court to another lady.”

  “I had no choice. Mother insisted. She doesn’t want

  me serving other lords as a mercenary or serving God

  as a priest.”

  Andrew knew there was no chance of that. Why

  didn’t Philip? “Has this lady a name?” he asked, turning

  to his friend.

  “Penelope. Penelope Winfield, daughter of the late

  Lord Graham and his widow, Lady Vivian.”

  “How did it go when you met her? Was she taken

  with you or nay?”

  Philip exhaled, fluttering his lip. Grudgingly, he

  admitted, “She seemed to like me well enough.”

  “Ha! I’ll wager she did.”

  “Be quiet, Andrew. I’m attempting to explain. I wasn’t

  alone, you see. Several other young men also came to

  pay court. Her mother had a banquet, there was

  dancing...”

  “And?” Andrew arched an eyebrow curiously.

  “I attempted to be circumspect. I thought, if she took

  no particular notice of me, I could tell my own mother

  truthfully that naught had come of the venture.”

  “But Penelope fell for you madly, despite your best

  efforts.”

  “That’s the God’s truth,” Philip wailed, as though he

  were both surprised and disappointed. “She told Lady

  Vivian ’tis me she wishes to wed. Now I find myself in

  the most damnable position.”

  “Why? Did you ask for Penelope’s hand? Are you two

  betrothed?”

  “Nay, of course not.” They had reached Laycock’s

  gate and ridden through it into the bailey. “But I’ve no

  good reason to turn down a damsel—and a dower—the

  likes of which Penelope presents. Not unless I’ve another

  prospect equally as attractive.”

  Andrew knew that no matter how fair of face the

  Winfield girl might be, she could be no match for Judith.

  But he also knew Philip didn’t refer only to physical

  attractiveness. “I am sorry we’ve had no word from Sir

  Peter,” he lied as he dismounted. “If we hear nothing

  soon, I’ll send another messenger.”

  “Nay.” Philip scowled as he climbed down from his

  steed. “If you’v
e no word by nightfall, I’ll escort Judith to

  York myself. We need learn the truth about her as soon

  as possible.”

  “What if the truth is not what you hope? What if

  she’s no kin to Sir Peter? Or, if she is, what if she has

  no wealth of her own?”

  Shaking his head as he tilted his face to the sky,

  Philip said, “I pray it isn’t so. But...”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. I truly don’t. Yet there’s no purpose in

  fretting over circumstances that have yet to occur.”

  The squire led both their horses away. Philip and

  Andrew walked to the keep’s steps and paused. “Is Judith

  inside?” Philip asked.

  “I believe so. Why don’t you go in and see her? I’ve

  things to attend to. With everyone away, my duties never

  end. I shall join you two later.”

  “Very well.” Philip nodded and climbed the steps.

  As soon as he disappeared through the doorway,

  Andrew spun on his heel and sprinted toward the gate.

  “Arnulf,” he called up to the guard standing watch in

  the tower. “Is Lady Judith at the stream?”

  “Aye, my lord. She left only a brief while ago. Nigel

  followed her.”

  “Arnulf, if Sir Philip asks after the lady, tell him

  you’ve no notion where she is.”

  The guard grinned. “Aye, Lord Andrew. I’ve no notion

  where she is—or where you’ve gone, either.”

  It irked Andrew a little that Arnulf understood his

  motives so well. But they were all men, all knights—

  they thought of women with a single mind.

  ***

  The stream cut a swatch through the forest. In the

  summer, it appeared little more than a bubbling brook.

  But now, in springtime, swollen with melted snow,

  Andrew saw that it had grown wide and deep. Judith

  bathed in the stream because he had forbade her the

  luxury of those excessive morning ablutions in her

  bedchamber. But since he issued that edict, she had

  come here infrequently. He chuckled—no longer did the

  lady seem eager or adamant about taking excessive

  baths. But then, a trek through the woods and a plunge

  into a freezing stream was bound to stifle anyone’s

  penchant for daily dousing.

  Though he had arranged for a man to follow and

  guard her so that no harm might come to Judith, Andrew

  had yet to observe her himself. Still, he knew where to

  find her because a footpath led directly to the banks

  near a particularly deep place in the stream, one that

  proved excellent for both wading and fishing.

  He walked that path now. Just as he presumed he

  would, he saw Nigel standing in the foliage a short

  distance off the pathway. The man had pressed his back

  to a tree trunk so that he would not be noticed easily.

  But Andrew noticed him, and as well he noticed the big,

  stupid grin on Nigel’s face.

  Andrew hurried forward, diverting from the path only

  a few feet before he would have broken from the cover

  of the trees. Immediately, he spied Judith and

  understood why that fool knight behind him looked like

  a happy dimwit. Any man would feel giddy and mindless

  seeing the vision his own eyes beheld.

  Judith stood waist-deep in water, soaping her hair.

  She glistened, smooth and shiny as alabaster. By the

  saints, the wench did not even have fuzz under her

  arms! Yet she owned breasts far more glorious than most

  damsels claimed. They rose high and taut so that

  droplets of moisture trickled down their slopes, clinging

  to nipples that had peaked in the chill. Andrew licked

  his lips, savoring the urge to taste the plump flesh that

  looked as firm as ripe apples. And he felt his cock grow

  hard.

  Abruptly he whirled, pounded through the trees, and

  caught Nigel by surprise. As he gripped the guard’s neck

  with his arm, he hissed in Nigel’s ear, “How dare you

  look at Lady Judith that way.”

  “In—what way—my lord?”

  “You are leering at her.”

  “N-n-nay, I am not, Lord—Andrew! I—was told—to

  guard her. To—keep her—from harm.”

  It was true, as true as Nigel’s ogling had been

  obvious. Releasing the knight, Andrew said gruffly, “Go

  now. Henceforth, I will accompany the lady if she need

  come to the stream to bathe.”

  Nigel nodded with jerky motions and hurried away

  while Andrew decided that Judith could resume bathing

  in the privacy of her chamber. Outdoors, many people

  other than an assigned guard could have the opportunity

  to view her naked charms, be they travelers or town’s

  folk. He should have thought of all this earlier. Now, he

  would not permit it to continue.

  ***

  Judy pushed herself off the bed of the stream after

  crouching to rinse her hair. She sprang into the air,

  spraying water everywhere. Shaking her head to clear

  her ears, she thought she heard rustling in the trees.

  She stilled, covering her naked breasts, partially

  because she had no wish to be spied on and partially

  because she felt so damned cold.

  She scoured the bank with her gaze but detected no

  movement. Perhaps she’d never heard anything in the

  first place. If she had, it might have been a deer. It was

  probably a deer. They roamed everywhere in the woods,

  and her presence encroached on their territory, not the

  other way around.

  Because of that damned Andrew, Judy fumed as she

  caught her nearly empty, plastic shampoo bottle floating

  on the water’s surface. That he forced her to wade in a

  creek instead of letting her take a bath in a tub of warm

  water, well... To be fair, Judy realized he had a point.

  Plumbing didn’t exist, so she couldn’t turn on a tap and

  draw a bath without assistance. She did need all those

  people to haul water from the well, heat it in a fire, and

  then drag it upstairs to her room, one bucketful at a

  time. That wasn’t very considerate. She wouldn’t be too

  happy doing it for someone else. But, once in a while, at

  least. On occasion, the “lord and master” of Laycock

  should let her have a hot bath in the privacy of her room.

  Shivering, Judy hurried to the side of the stream

  and climbed up the sandy bank. She grabbed her towel

  and dried herself briskly, hoping the friction would warm

  her. Actually, the day seemed mild enough. But the

  trees blocked much of the sunlight, and she figured

  another degree or two colder and the water would be

  ice.

  She stepped into her thong and smoothed the hip

  band over her belly before drying herself some more.

  Boy, it was chilly! Hurrying to get dressed, eager to get

  her borrowed gown on, Judy retrieved her bra from her

  tote. The freedom of going without had lost its appeal.

  She liked the support of an underwire, and besides,

  nobody would notice her unusual lingerie beneath a

  loosely belted tunic.


  The mint-green satin brassiere, which matched her

  minuscule panties, clasped in front. Leaning forward,

  Judy swung her breasts into the cups and then clipped

  the plastic hook. As she straightened, adjusting the

  shoulder straps, she again heard crashing in the trees.

  The sound came from very nearby. Whatever thundered

  through the woods seemed to be heading for the stream,

  coming straight toward her. Gasping in fright, Judy

  clutched her towel to her bosom and stared at the tree

  line.

  ***

  Andrew had been enthralled by the sight of Judith

  standing on the stream’s sandy bank. She appeared like

  some mythical sea creature who had transformed itself

  into the epitome of womanhood after leaving the water

  to emerge on the shore.

  Then he noticed the strip of iridescent green fabric

  that circled her hips and formed a tiny triangle at the

  apex of her thighs. He knew Judith was formed as well

  as any other female at that particular juncture. He had

  seen her tuft of maidenhair when she’d struggled with

  him in bed and her tunic rode high. That she covered

  her woman’s flesh with just enough material to suffice

  intrigued him. That garment cupped her sex as he

  would, if he caressed it in his palm.

  Andrew wanted to groan but kept silent. As he

  watched, Judith dried herself with a cloth. She touched

  her flesh as he wished to touch her flesh; it made him

  light-headed with desire. Then she turned to open her

  satchel, which sat on a large bolder, and presented him

  with her backside. The sight of those twin globes,

  blushing pink after her frigid bath, would have inflamed

  his lust all on its own. But when he saw that scrap of

  undergarment nestled in the cleft of her buttocks as it

  stretched upward to join the band at her hips, Andrew

  actually felt his manhood move. His cock jerked upright,

  demanding attention.

  To ease his agony, he clutched himself and closed

  his eyes. He hoped he did not breathe so loudly Judith

  would hear him panting in the trees. Resolved to

  controlling his burgeoning passion, Andrew opened his

  eyes again. Judith was now donning some other apparel.

  As he watched, she leaned forward and dropped her

  breasts into cups fashioned of fabric the same hue as

  the strings girding her loins. When she stood, she had