The Rebels of Cordovia

by Linda Weaver Clarke

  “Why?”

  “Because Papa couldn’t pay his taxes. We didn’t want the soldiers to arrest him.” She turned and started walking. “Follow me. I’ll introduce you to my parents.”

  As they followed, Daniel walked up to Robin. He took her arm and whispered, “Even though I deserve it? That’s what you said. No one deserves this type of embarrassment.”

  She giggled. “You’re right. I understand completely.”

  He shook his head. “This should never happen to a man. And it’s going to ruin her for life.”

  Robin snickered. “No, I don’t think so. She’ll be just fine.”

  “How about me? I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.”

  She broke into laughter as he feigned his disapproval.

  Robin smiled and whispered, “Besides, everyone has a behind.”

  Daniel looked at her with a creased brow. “I can’t believe you said that.”

  As she giggled, he frowned at her but that only brought on more laughter.

  When they arrived at the children’s camp, Robin noticed a tent, a fire pit, a horse tied to a tree, and a cart full of food.

  When the parents saw them approaching, Daniel said, “Don’t worry. We’re friends.”

  He shook the father’s hand and introduced himself and Robin Marie. When he found out what had happened to the family, Daniel told them that they would not have to hide out much longer. Everything would change after Saturday.

  “Change?” asked the father. “How?”

  “We’re going to prove that the king is guilty of several atrocities. With all the followers that we’ve been able to gain, it won’t take much to dethrone Rupert. It’ll be held on the outskirts of Charlottesville.”

  A relieved look came over the man’s face. “I’ll make sure we’re there as well. You’ve got our support.”

  They talked for a while and then Daniel glanced at Rebecca. He tapped her nose and smiled. That little imp had stood around staring at him the whole time they visited. He finally turned to the parents and bid farewell.

  As they walked away, the man asked, “How did you find us?”

  Daniel turned and looked at the children with a slight smile. “I didn’t. Your children found me.”

  Rebecca giggled. “He was swimming, Papa.”

  “That’s nice, dear,” said the father.

  “In the altogether,” she added.

  “What?” asked the father with a lifted brow.

  Without another word, Daniel grabbed Robin’s arm and pulled her along, through the woods, and toward the lake.

  She barely kept up to him when she finally said, “Don’t go so fast.”

  “I didn’t want to see their father’s face when Rebecca explained what she saw.”

  Robin giggled. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Joanna will explain and he’ll understand.”

  When Daniel finally slowed down, he said, “I hope you got a good laugh out of that.”

  Robin giggled. “I sure did.”

  Daniel shook his head and sighed.

  She cleared her throat dramatically and said, “Hey! Remember my embarrassment at being caught in my… my… you know…”

  He grinned as he said, “Your unmentionables?”

  “That’s right. I was quite embarrassed but I hid it since there was nothing we could do about it. My clothes were soaked through.”

  Daniel chuckled. “I guess I had it coming for glancing at you like I did, huh? But it’s still not the same. At least you had clothes on.”

  “At least,” said Robin with a snicker.

  Chapter 24

  The following day, everyone was sitting around the table, eating breakfast as they chatted. Daniel was discussing the horses his father was preparing for a race.

  “Have you seen that black stallion my father has been training?” asked Daniel.

  Hanna nodded. “He’s a real beauty.”

  “He runs much faster than the two I have outside.”

  “But I’ve seen you race those and they’re real fast, Daniel.”

  “True. But the black stallion is faster.”

  Hanna shook her head in amazement.

  Hanna turned to Robin and said, “Did you know that Daniel races horses?”

  She shook her head. “No. Is he good?”

  Hanna laughed as she glanced at Daniel.

  He had a smirk on his face as he nodded. “I think I am.” He shrugged. “It’s a man’s sport.”

  Robin lifted her brow curiously as she said, “A man’s sport?”

  “Yup,” he said as he ate the last bite of his food. “It’s exhilarating. I love it.”

  “Oh!” Robin narrowed her eyes as she asked, “Do you mean it’s a man’s sport such as sword fighting and archery?”

  When Daniel saw the challenge in her eyes, he wasn’t sure what to say. “Well… uh… you see…”

  “Is this such a difficult question to answer?”

  “Uh… yes!” Daniel gave a crooked smile as he said, “I’m trying to figure out what to say. Is this a trick question?”

  She smiled. “No! I’m just wondering. Do you think a woman couldn’t possibly race a horse?”

  “That’s not what I meant,” said Daniel as he shook his head. “Why would she want to? It’s not feminine.”

  Robin’s mouth fell open. “What did you say?”

  As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he was sorry he had said them. Daniel was just defending himself. Now he needed to appease her. But how?

  “Well… uh…” he stammered. “What I meant was…”

  “I see,” Robin said with a frown. “You mean like archery or sword fighting? They’re not feminine, either. Right? So why would a woman want to do that?”

  Daniel wasn’t sure how to answer. He finally threw his hands in the air and said, “No! Racing is completely different.”

  “How?” asked Robin with a creased brow.

  “Well…”

  Daniel worked feverishly for an answer… an answer that would satisfy the stubborn woman in front of him. That was what her father had said. She was stubborn and now he was witnessing it first hand.

  “Since you have no appropriate answer for me,” said Robin with a smile. “I challenge you to a race. You said the two horses outside are fast and you have raced them before.”

  “But…” Daniel said as he searched for an excuse not to race against her. “You’ve never raced before.”

  “So this will be my first race. Right?”

  “Uh… Well, how about your clothes? You can’t race in a dress.”

  “Why not?”

  Daniel sighed. She was determined and he couldn’t talk her out of it. “All right. When and where?”

  Robin smiled triumphantly. “In thirty minutes and down by the lake.”

  “The lake?”

  She nodded. “The trees are sparse over there and we can go around the whole lake. In fact, we can go around it twice. What do you say?”

  Daniel smiled. “All right. We’ll put a mark where to begin. And then after the second time around, we’ll end at the same mark. Is that all right with you?”

  Hanna jumped up with excitement as she said, “I’ll signal you when to begin.”

  Daniel grinned. “Then the race is on.”

  “How about removing debris from around the lake?” asked Robin.

  He chuckled. “Why? It will only show more sportsmanship. Many races I’ve attended have obstacles such as shrubs or fences for our horses to jump over. Even rivers to cross.”

  Robin smiled with delight as she said, “You get the horses saddled while we get the dishes out of the way.”

  Daniel saw the challenge in her eyes and he grinned. She was excited and he could hear it in her voice.

  Thirty minutes later, Robin and Hanna were ready to go. They walked the horses to the lake instead of riding them, so they would be fresh when the race began. Daniel saw a log laying in the path, a few low growing shrubs, and a small stream that
led into the lake. It was perfect. They would have to cross it as another obstacle, also.

  Hanna stood at the starting line and waited. They decided to go on the count of three.

  Robin smiled as she climbed upon her horse. She noticed the large fluffy clouds that were casting shadows on the ground. The sun had just hidden behind them for a moment. She felt the fresh breeze and gazed at the beautiful lake. This was a perfect place and time of day to race. She also noticed the family whom they had met the day before. They were standing off in the distance. Daniel had taken the time to tell them about the race so they would know what was going on. They were excited and decided to watch the entertainment.

  Robin leaned over and patted the horse’s neck and whispered in its ear.

  As Daniel watched, he grinned and asked, “What are you telling him?”

  She laughed. “Just a bit of enticement. I told him if he wins this race for me, then I’ll brush him down good. He’ll love his back rubbed.”

  Daniel chuckled as he climbed upon his horse. “Are you ready?”

  “Of course.”

  Hanna put her hand in the air and said, “Get ready! One…Two…Three!”

  As she said “three,” Hanna swung her arm down and the horses took off at great speed, galloping as they went. Each mound, stone, and small bush vanished beneath the horse’s hooves as it ran in a steady gallop. When they came upon a log, each horse jumped it with ease. As they approached the stream, the horses naturally slowed down to cross it. Then they quickly picked up speed again.

  The soft breeze felt cool upon Robin’s cheeks. She was elated when she noticed how her horse was gaining speed and catching up to Daniel. She could see a very low-hanging branch protruding from a large tree in her pathway. Quickly she ducked down, leaning against the horse’s neck as she passed under it.

  The family cheered when they raced by. After a few more yards, they each passed the finish line for the first time around. Hanna cheered and waved them on. When Robin caught up with Daniel, she gave a whoop and kicked her horse for more speed. As she passed him, Daniel laughed and gave a kick to his horse, likewise.

  After jumping the log the second time around, Robin was beginning to feel more confident when she realized she was ahead. As she came upon the stream once again, she slowed down to cross it, which helped Daniel to catch up. But he did not slow down as she had expected.

  Robin’s eyes widened as she saw his horse jump the stream instead of crossing through it as she did. Daniel gave a whoop as he passed her, just as she had done to him. Giving a kick to his horse, he sped toward the finish line.

  When Robin saw how Daniel had jumped the stream instead of slowing down to cross it, she was upset. She furrowed her brow and kicked her horse in the flanks for more speed. But instead of running faster, the horse whined and jumped into the air just as she came to the low hanging branch. Robin’s eyes widened as she saw it coming right toward her. Before she could react, the branch hit her in the chest. She quickly grabbed hold of it as the horse bucked and took off toward the finish line without her.

  As she clung to the tree, she felt mortified. This was not the way a person lost a race. Robin groaned as she saw Daniel pass the finish line.

  Hanna cheered and congratulated him. Daniel felt elated. What a race! When he turned around and saw Robin’s predicament, his eyes widened with surprise. He grinned and trotted toward her. As he pulled his horse to a stop, he looked at her legs dangling from the tree. He then looked up at her disgruntled expression and chuckled.

  “It’s not funny,” said Robin with an indignant tone.

  “How did you get up there?”

  “I don’t know,” she said with frustration. “I just kicked him so I could go faster and ended up here.”

  Daniel shook his head with amusement as he rode beneath her. “All right. Just drop down in front of me. I’ll help guide you onto my saddle.”

  Robin nodded.

  Daniel gathered her skirt and petticoat together and then held onto her legs to steady her. As she gradually let go of the branch, he pulled her onto his horse.

  “Are you all right?”

  She nodded, feeling too prideful to tell him that her ribs felt bruised.

  Daniel grinned as he said, “You did good. I really thought you were going to beat me.”

  When Robin turned and saw his smile, she narrowed her eyes and said, “You could have jumped that stream the first time, couldn’t you?”

  He nodded as a smile played at the corners of his lips. “That’s right. When racing or just riding for fun, you need to understand your horse’s capabilities…what he can do and what he can’t. Some horses are cautious when it comes to jumping a ditch or high objects and others jump them with ease. If you know their abilities, then you know how far to push them. Otherwise, if you try to jump something too high or too wide and they aren’t ready, then they’ll send you flying off your saddle. I knew my horse could jump that ditch, so I did it.”

  Robin listened and finally understood what made him such a good horseman.

  Daniel gave a nudge to his horse and it began trotting toward the finish line.

  Robin groaned as the horse jostled her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked with concern.

  “My ribs hurt.”

  Daniel shook his head. “You’ll be sore for a while. I’ve got some liniment you can put on it.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a more humble attitude.

  “No, I should thank you.”

  She raised her eyebrows curiously as she said, “For what?”

  “For the race and all the fun we’ve had. I’ve enjoyed this time together. I hope you have, too.”

  Robin smiled and then winced as the horse trotted toward Hanna. She was holding the reins of Robin’s horse and waiting.

  As they approached her, Daniel said, “You ride that one back, Hanna.”

  She gave a perceptive smile and nodded. Then Hanna climbed upon the horse and took the lead.

  Daniel clicked his tongue and the horse meandered along. “This is our last day here. Tomorrow is Saturday, the big day we’ve been waiting for.” Daniel sighed. “But let’s not think about that. Let’s enjoy our ride back.”

  As they headed toward the shack, Robin could feel Daniel’s arms around her, feel his warm breath against her neck, and all she wanted was to be with him forever. She could not wait until the grand meeting was over and then she could begin a new life with Daniel. Robin’s eyes widened and she felt panic rise within her. What if he didn’t feel the same way and marriage wasn’t in his plans? How did he feel about her? The concern within her didn’t last long, though.

  When she felt Daniel’s lips touch the back of her neck, she sighed. He then pulled her close to his chest and gently hugged her. As he kissed her neck a second time, warmth spread over her like a warm blanket and happiness overtook her. She knew she was in heaven and didn’t want to come back down to earth again. His arms were strong and protective around her and she felt safe.

  When Robin felt his warm hand move her tresses away from her neck, she wondered if her heart would ever stop pounding. He then rested his hand on her waist and began spreading delicate whispering kisses along her neck. Chills spread over her arms and down her spine.

  The message she was receiving with each tender kiss was one of adoring love. As her heart picked up speed, she wondered why she had doubted his feelings for her. When he kissed her next to the ear and whispered to her, Robin bit her lip and sighed. All she could think about was what delicious pleasure it was to be in love.

  Chapter 25

  As Robin lay in her bed that night, she contemplated her relationship with Daniel and their time together. It would end the next morning. They would be taking Hanna to the outskirts of Charlottesville and hopefully end the tyranny of King Rupert.

  She tossed and turned, trying to sleep but couldn’t.

  Finally Hanna whispered, “What’s wrong?”

  Robin sighed. “I
hope everything goes well tomorrow.”

  “Me, too. I’m putting my life out there for Rupert’s soldiers to take.”

  “Oh, no,” said Robin. “Daniel’s right. He said that hundreds of people would be crowded around to hear you speak. It’s just a meeting of the people. It won’t appear as an uprising. The soldiers wouldn’t dare break this up because everyone would wonder why and what secret Rupert is trying to hide.”

  Hanna nodded as she listened.

  “Besides, Daniel will have his men there, all two hundred and fifty rebels plus my twenty-five, and they’re going to keep the peace and protect you.”

  Hanna sighed. “Your right.” After a moment, she smiled and poked Robin as she said, “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

  Robin hesitated and then asked, “Is it that obvious?”

  Hanna laughed. “It is. It’s in your eyes. Every time you look at him, they shine. Not only that, you tend to smile when you watch him work.”

  “I do?”

  She laughed again. “You sure do, sweetheart.”

  Robin creased her brow curiously and asked, “Do you think Daniel notices?”

  “Of course,” said Hanna with conviction. “Why wouldn’t he? You’re almost like an open book and he can read you so easily. You haven’t had much experience in hiding your feelings, have you?”

  Robin was stunned. She never realized that about herself. Her father had often said that he could see how she felt about certain things by her expressions, but she figured that was only because he was her father.

  “By the way,” said Hanna. “Daniel told me that Miles is going to bring your parents here tomorrow before going to the meeting.”

  Robin’s eyes widened with pleasure. Daniel hadn’t told her what their plans were for tomorrow. She was elated. With that kind of good news, she started to relax. After a while, she gradually fell asleep.

  ***

  The following morning, Robin quickly washed up and got dressed. After a hardy breakfast, she waited outside for the arrival of her parents. When she finally saw them coming through the woods, she hopped up from the porch and ran toward them. As they slid off their horses, Robin hugged them and asked how everything had been since their separation. She was concerned that it might have been hard on them to live in the woods like they had.