Outplayed

by Hayley Osborn

  He leaned forward and spoke into my ear. “I could help you.”

  A shiver went up my spine as his breath touched my skin. I hoped we’d have some time together tonight. To talk. To get to know each other again. It wasn’t going to happen on the dance floor, though. “Tempting. But no.” The dancing was way too complicated for my two left feet. “You go, though. There’s a young lady over there who looks like she’d love to dance with you.”

  Rob’s eyes followed the direction of my nod. The girl smiled at him. “I’d rather dance with you.” His fingers tapped against his thighs in time to the beat.

  I gave him a shove. “Go. Show me how it’s done.”

  Rob might have been about to refuse, but the girl walked over and took his hand.

  He was a good dancer, moving around his partner on light feet, and with a huge smile on his face. I didn’t know why I was surprised. He was good at everything.

  “He was brought up learning the more formal versions of these dances.” Tuck stopped beside me, speaking as though he could read my mind.

  “What about you?” I asked. “Do you know these dances?”

  He nodded. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve been near a dance floor, though, and I don’t see it happening tonight.” No sooner had he said it than a girl a little older than me ran up to Tuck, took his hand and pulled him into the dance. He was good, too. But not as good as Rob.

  I didn’t want to watch only Rob—there were plenty of others dancing who were almost as good—but my eyes kept finding him as if he was the only other person here. I enjoyed seeing him happy and relaxed. There hadn’t been a lot of time for either emotion in the months I’d known him.

  He moved from partner to partner, twisting and turning amongst the villagers as if he were one of them.

  Rob beckoned to me. I shook my head. Not happening.

  “Go. Dance!” Miller took a swig from the tankard in his hand. It was the first time I’d seen him since we arrived. He danced on the spot, the same moves Rob and Tuck were doing with their partners.

  I narrowed my eyes. “What are you drinking? Is there whiskey in that mug? You’re too young.” Tuck had been firm about his thoughts on hard liquor. It wasn’t something he allowed any of us to partake in, even though he always had a flask of whiskey in his pack. For emergencies and medicinal purposes, apparently.

  Miller shook his head, hard and fast, a definite indication he had whiskey in there. I took the mug and tipped it on the ground.

  “Maryanne!”

  “Would you rather I do that now, or leave it for Tuck to catch you sculling whiskey?” Plus, I had a nagging fear left over from weeks of running from Gisborne that we might need to get out of this place fast, should soldiers come. We didn’t need to be dealing with drunkenness or hangovers if that happened.

  He sighed and folded his arms across his chest. “You should dance with him. You two haven’t spent much colony time together lately.”

  I tried not to laugh. It felt like forever since I’d heard Miller misuse a word, but I’d take it any day. Colony time or quality time were all the same to me, so long as I saw Miller recovering from what Gisborne did to him. I shook my head. “Don’t know how.”

  Miller lifted his eyebrows, looking very much like Rob. “You know he’ll show you.”

  I did know that, and I was suddenly nervous. There had always been a reason for Rob and me to skip over whatever the thing was between us; I was going to return home; we had to look out for Gisborne; he was keeping Alan safe. Tonight, we had no reason and I was terrified.

  “Maryanne!” Alan ran up to me. He’d been dancing with one of the local girls and his hair was plastered to his head. He’d taken off his cloak and opened the top two buttons of his tunic to cool down. “Let’s dance!”

  He took my hand and pulled me around the fire toward the music without allowing me the opportunity to refuse. He pushed into the dance circle, making sure I was on the outside with the rest of the girls and women. I couldn’t walk away, not when he looked so excited. Instead, I shook my head. “I don’t know how.”

  “I do.” He took my hand and moved us forward. Then backward. Then he spun me around. All in time with everyone else.

  “You’re a good dancer,” I laughed, as I missed standing on his foot by millimeters.

  “Not as good as Rob.” He glanced across the circle at his brother, who was smiling over some girl’s head at the two of us.

  “Better,” I grinned. “He couldn’t teach me to dance.”

  He hugged me then threw himself into the moves. Soon, I was too busy trying to keep up to feel self-conscious.

  I was out of breath and covered in sweat, and my cheeks hurt from smiling when the fiddler finally took a break. I’d danced with almost every man here for a beat or two, and I felt happier than I had in a long time.

  The fire had died down to embers and in the sudden quietness, the fiddler directed everyone to sit around it. It was time for The Match. With a title like that, I imagined some sort of sports tournament, and was contemplating how that might happen in the dark when Hannah moved through the ring of people to stand next to the fire, a hat in her hand.

  Rob squeezed in to sit beside me. “I believe the excuse was, I can’t dance.”

  I looked at my hands resting against my crossed knees and hid my smile. That might have been the reason I gave him when I said no to dancing.

  “Yet it didn’t seem like that at all a few moments ago when the fiddler was playing.”

  I laughed. Every man I’d danced with had had his foot trod on at least twice. “I wouldn’t call it dancing. And we can’t all be as accomplished at everything as you.”

  “Says the woman who’s bested my greatest enemy three times now, while I can barely land a blow on him.”

  Not entirely true. “That, Robin of Woodhurst, has not a thing to do with skill, and everything to do with hatred.” It was a horrible thing to admit, but it was true. My absolute loathing of Gisborne and the way he’d treated Rob drove my actions almost every time I was near the man. It had certainly been hatred that made me stab my knife into his arm. And hatred mixed with fear that made me smash a rock into his face three different times.

  “If it only came down to hate, my brother would be dead a hundred times over by now.” Probably more. Rob and I were far from the only ones who disliked him.

  “Could it be the greatest archer the forest has ever seen is admitting defeat?” Tonight was for fun, not for dwelling on what might have been. And he’d given me the opening.

  A slow grin crossed his face and the pit of my stomach filled with butterflies. “I told you already, Lady Maryanne. If you want that title, you’ll have to fight me for it.”

  Hannah called out two names, and all around us, people cheered.

  “Really? And how exactly should I take you up on that offer. You know, should I ever want to make you admit you’re the second-best archer in Sherwood Forest?” I smiled to myself. Tonight was exactly what Rob and I needed to get back to normal.

  His grin grew wider and if possible, even more wicked. “Oh, I can think of plenty of ways. None of which can be discussed with so many people around.”

  God help me, but my cheeks heated. With any luck, he couldn’t see by the light of the fire. “I’ll remind you to explain, then. Next time we’re alone.”

  He laughed into his chest and waited while Hannah called a new set of names before leaning in and whispering, “You won’t dance with me, but you spend the entire night dancing with my brother? How is that fair?”

  Not entirely true. Rob and I had danced together twice, but each time I was twirled off to a new partner before I was ready to leave. “Not jealous, are you?”

  Rob grinned. “Why would I be jealous?” His eyes sparkled. “My brother’s a great dancer. He’s fun to be around, and he didn’t even have to ask you to dance with him.” Unlike me, were his unspoken words.

  “He’s
good-looking, too.” I could play his game. And I could do it without blushing. “You forgot to add that to the list.”

  “That goes without saying. He is my brother, after all.”

  I choked back a laugh as Hannah called out two more names to more loud cheers.

  When the cheering stopped, Rob put a hand on his chest and let the amusement drain completely from his face. “I am totally, utterly and entirely jealous of anyone who gets to spend time with you, my lady.”

  My lady. He hadn’t called me that in the longest time. I liked the way it sounded when he said it. It sent shivers through my body. “Even your brother?”

  He gave a single nod. “Especially my brother.”

  “Rob…I hope you don’t think…” My heart fell to my feet. I was just trying to be a good friend to Alan. Nothing more.

  He held up his hand for me to stop. “You’re so relaxed with him. Your friendship is new, but it looks…easy.”

  “It is easy.” Alan was fun, and I enjoyed hanging out with him.

  “Unlike…us, for instance.”

  The crowd cheered again.

  I knew exactly what Rob was getting at. “You don’t think this is easy?” Because tonight had been better than it had been in a long time.

  He shrugged. “Sometimes. Until we argue. Or when I sit up night after night watching you thrashing in your sleep wondering if the fever will steal you away. Or until I see my brother dragging you onto a horse or beating the life out of you. None of that was easy.” He swallowed. “You should have told Gisborne we were staying at Kings Cave.” He ran his eyes over my face, still bruised, but healing fast. “You knew he’d hurt you if you kept quiet.”

  “I knew he’d hurt you if I didn’t.”

  Rob rested his hand on mine. “Like I said, we are not easy.”

  “And you wish we were.” I wasn’t sure how that made me feel. Disappointed, I guessed. Life wasn’t easy with Rob. It was like living on a roller coaster, but I wouldn’t wish it away, no matter what.

  He squeezed my hand. “Never in a million years would I wish that. I know for certain I’m alive when I’m around you, and there’s nothing better than feeling alive. I just…miss talking. The way we used to.”

  He wasn’t the only one.

  Hannah called another pair of names and we watched while two people made their way to the front, kissed on the cheek then sat down. “What is actually going on here?” It seemed to be some sort of ritual, but I’d been too busy talking with Rob to take any notice.

  “It’s The Match. Guess I’m going to have to get used to that jealous feeling, when they call your name.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know what the match is.” Other than a rugby game.

  He turned his head, checking to see if I was kidding. “It’s St Valentine’s Day. You don’t do this?”

  “I’m not sure what this is.” Valentine’s Day wasn’t a huge thing in my country. Unless you were a couple. Then you got suckered into buying flowers on the most expensive day of the year.

  “One of the village elders calls out pairs of names. The person you’re paired with is your Valentine, and you can either kiss them, or give them a gift. Then, if you want to hang out for the rest of the night, you can. Or you can go your separate ways. No pressure.”

  Oh. That was kind of romantic. “So, anyone who’s married automatically has their partner’s name called?”

  Rob shook his head then grinned as my eyes widened. “St Valentine’s Day is the one day anyone can be single again. If they want to.”

  Not quite so romantic as I’d first thought, then. “Don’t people care?” Especially if they’re married.

  He shrugged, watching as an old lady kissed a guy about Rob’s age on the cheek. He grinned and kissed her back. On the lips. “Some do, I guess. Some have an agreement to do what they like on St Valentine’s Day. Mostly, it’s only a kiss on the cheek.”

  “Unless they decide to hang out after.”

  He pressed his lips together. “Unless, that.”

  Hannah called Tuck’s name and he pressed a kiss to the cheek of the pretty young girl who’d asked him to dance. He smiled as she spoke to him, then returned to sit next to her in the circle, to a huge chorus of claps and cheers.

  Miller’s partner was a girl close in age to him, and his cheeks and the back of his neck turned a mottled red as he kissed her. And John’s was a young woman with lush black hair, who John didn’t seem to mind kissing at all.

  Rob leaned in to speak in my ear. “I would.”

  I narrowed my eyes and turned to him wondering where this was going. “You would what?”

  “Care.”

  “About what?” But I didn’t need to ask. I knew what he was referring to. It was just that my heart was racing so fast, I wasn’t sure I could speak more than two words. I hadn’t known until then, not for sure, how Rob felt about me.

  “If you kissed someone else.” His breath tickled my ear and I didn’t know how I was going to draw the next breath into my lungs.

  “I wasn’t aware we had a reason to have an arrangement discussion.” I tried to sound flippant, but it came out breathless.

  Hannah called my name and I rose, but Rob took my arm and pulled me back down. “There will always be a need for an arrangement discussion between us on St Valentine’s Day.”

  He let my arm go and I got to my feet. Leaning down, I said, “Right back at you.”

  TWENTY-THREE

  I made my way to Hannah, my heart racing. Mostly because of my conversation with Rob, but also because I was about to share a kiss with a complete stranger, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. My twenty-first century-self kicked into gear. What if they hadn’t washed? What if they had some sort of disease? What if they wanted to hang out tonight and I didn’t?

  My hands were shaking, and I wasn’t sure if it was nerves or left-over adrenalin from talking to Rob. I stopped in front of Hannah and John called out, “Happy Birthday, Maryanne. Hope you like your present as much as I liked mine.”

  I nodded, not sure I needed everyone to know it was my birthday. And then heard the name Hannah called next.

  Rob.

  He grinned as he walked up to me. “Never have I been so glad of anyone’s birthday and their present from someone else in my whole life.”

  We stared at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, I shook my head. “I’m not kissing you. I have a gift.” I did. By accident, but a gift that would work perfectly just the same.

  His lips flickered. “I also have a gift. But I don’t intend to give it to you here.” He took my hand with a grin, and pulled me away from the bonfire, out into the darkness of the open field. As the crowd grew loud and raucous at our hasty retreat, he slid his arm around my waist and urged me toward the forest, both of us laughing as we ran from the bonfire.

  We stopped, still giggling, when we were too far from the bonfire to hear anything but the occasional cheers, at a spot right at the edge of the forest. He indicated I should sit on a log poking out the edge of the bracken, and he took a seat next to me. I tried to ignore my rapid heartbeat, and instead focused on finding the present I’d carried around since I’d returned to his time. I finally found it at the bottom of my bag.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” I said, holding it out to him.

  Rob took the paper-wrapped present and turned it over in his hands. I was suddenly nervous. At home, this had seemed like the perfect gift for Rob, but now I wasn’t sure if he’d even like it, let alone remember why I chose it.

  He brought the package up to his nose, still unopened, and inhaled deeply. “I love it,” he said.

  “You haven’t opened it yet.”

  “Don’t need to. Recognize the smell. My most favorite smell in the world.” He unfolded the paper to reveal two bars of handmade vanilla and raspberry soap. Not very manly, but it had seemed right when I brought them. “Reminds me of one of my favor
ite days in the world.”

  “You remember?” He’d seen me in my underwear that day. Of course he remembered.

  “Never smelled anything as good as the soap you used that day. And you got me two pieces?” He brought a piece to his nose and took another deep inhale. “I don’t think my gifts are going to compare.”

  He rested the soap on his lap and pulled a package from his pocket. “Happy birthday, Maryanne.”

  I unwrapped the paper to find a jewel encrusted hairclip inside. “It’s beautiful. Where did you get it?” Because it looked expensive and would be better used to help a village in need.

  He took it from my hand and indicated I should turn around. Then he ran his fingers through my hair, pulling it back and sliding the clip in place. “I don’t have many things that were Mother’s. Just this and a couple of other small pieces. She’d have been pleased for you to have it. Even if it’s not very practical.” He stood and pulled me to my feet.

  “Thank you.” I touched the clip in my hair, humbled by his choice of gift and by the fact it had once belonged to his mother. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever owned, and combined with the dress I was wearing, I felt like a princess. Looking up at a prince.

  “I have something else for you.” He pulled me toward him so close I had to tip my head back to see him. His fingers were linked in mine and his eyes fell on my lips. My heart rate ramped up another notch and I blew out a long, nervous breath.

  He watched me carefully, could probably feel my hand shaking in his fingers. Finally, he narrowed his eyes. “So long as you can bear to come close to me before I use my new soap to bathe?” I’d once said he had no idea what to do with a piece of soap.

  “That depends. Are you going to tell me how all the jewels in the world couldn’t match my beauty?” It was a line he used often to get women to part with their rings, necklaces and hairclips when he stopped their carriages. A line which made every one of them blush and giggle, no matter their age. A line he’d never said to me.