Page 82 of Peregrine's Call
“Robin, I must ask exactly what is going on.” Angelet’s gaze was intense, and her eyes seemed to miss nothing. “What brought you here, of all places, and why were you traveling with Sir Octavian and this lord? What are you wearing? Do Alric and Cecily know where you are?”
“It will take some time to explain,” Robin said hesitantly.
“Excellent, for it will also take time to scrub the dirt off you and wash your hair… Is that blood?” Angelet fingered a stain on Robin’s cloak with horror.
“Possibly. Not mine,” she added.
“Thank heaven! I will call for hot water.”
Not long after, Robin was tucked into a wooden tub, luxuriating in a steaming bath scented with rosemary and lavender. The heat of the water seeped into her muscles, and she gave a long sigh.
Angelet sent her maid away and attended Robin herself, cooing over her like a motherly dove. As she removed the grime from her skin and the tangles from her hair, Angelet got nearly the whole story from Robin. She told her everything from sneaking out of Cleobury to join Octavian out of a misplaced sense of duty, to meeting the frustrating Lord Pierce, and to evading their tenacious pursuers on the road. When Robin got to the part of the story where Tav stayed behind at the bridge, she blinked back tears.
“No, don’t cry,” Angelet said. “Not till we know if tears are needed. You rode here so fast and sent Rafe back even faster. He and his men are probably to the bridge at this moment!”
“But what will they find there?” Robin whispered.
Angelet frowned and touched Robin’s cheek, brushing away tears that fell despite her words. “When Rafe returns, we’ll know. Until then, you’re safe.” Then she smiled. “You’re weary of rough clothes and rough living. I have a gown that will suit you well.”
The gown Angelet lent her was so unlike the one Pierce had her wear. Angelet favored soft colors and delicate fabrics, and because she was such a skilled hand at embroidery, all her clothing featured some astonishing details. The white shift Robin borrowed was the softest linen, with little flowers worked in cream and ivory all along the long, loose sleeves. The overdress she had Robin put on next was silk dyed in a pale lavender, and the feel of it under Robin’s fingers nearly brought tears to her eyes. “This is beautiful,” she whispered.
“It will be more so when I finish the lacing and find the right girdle,” Angelet promised.
The lacing was made of a silken rope shot with silver thread, and the narrow belt Angelet girdled around Robin’s hips was also embroidered with silver thread to resemble feathers lying end to end—both items made by Angelet herself.
“There,” Angelet said with satisfaction. “A true lady is what you are, and everyone can see it now. Let me just brush your hair out and add in a little braid.”
“Thank you,” Robin said, sitting on a carved wooden stool. “Not just for the dress, but for everything.”
“My dear, it’s little enough to house you and clothe you when you come to our door. I’m happy to do it, just as Cecily is.”
“I’m not sure she’ll be happy to do it anymore, after how I snuck away.”
“When you have a chance to explain, she’ll understand.” Angelet squeezed Robin’s shoulder. “What you did was so brave. And it sounds as though Octavian might never have found his quarry if you hadn’t been there to guide him. He’ll speak for you and see that Cecily and Alric understand what happened.”
Yes, Octavian would put the best possible face on Robin’s actions. He’d never embarrass her, but he would also be overjoyed to get rid of her at last, putting her safely back behind walls in Cleobury.
Assuming he came back at all.
If he didn’t, it was all Pierce’s fault. She wondered if the hospitality of Martenkeep was up to Pierce’s standards, and then wondered if Pierce was using this opportunity for some plan of his own.
She grabbed Angelet’s hand, saying, “The man I came with, Lord Pierce, must not be permitted to leave here alone. Will you pass that on to the guards?”
“Is he a prisoner?” Angelet asked, puzzled.
“Not exactly. But neither is he quite a willing guest.”
“I’ll send the message.” Angelet rose and went to the door, speaking briefly to someone on the other side.
“All taken care of,” Angelet told her then. “And soon Rafe and Octavian will both ride up, and all will be well.”
Robin desperately wanted to believe that, but the image of Tav standing alone at the narrow bridge, fending off a far superior force of armed men, was too terrible. She had faith in his abilities as a knight. But she couldn’t stop her heart from turning to lead at the thought of him so outnumbered.
“It isn’t fair,” she said.
The other woman looked at her with sympathy. “Nothing ever is. Try to rest. And pray, though I am confident that Octavian always has a few saints watching over him.” Angelet left her, closing the door quietly.
But Robin couldn’t bear to be alone, so she went down to the great hall not long after. Servants moved about in the hall and in the courtyard outside. On the surface, everything was just as usual. But the disturbance of the afternoon, and now the absence of the castellan himself, gave everyone a troubled air. Robin walked up to the battlements, needing to see the men’s return with her own eyes. But the woods remained still and silent.
