Page 55 of Picking Up the Gauntlet

“She’s going to get hurt and you’ll be to blame.”

“You’re right,” Jonathon agreed. “I feel as if she won’t drop the silly notion until she actually thinks she’s any good at it.”

“Then she’s never going to drop it. I know she is great with other weapons, but come on,” said Avery shaking his head. “She can barely hold the lance steady. She will never be quick enough, either. She’s a girl, for God’s sake. No one can expect a woman to be as strong or as skilled as a man.”

“Mayhap not, but I do have an idea of how to stop her. I mean—how to make her think she is doing well with the joust, even though she is not.”

“That makes no sense. What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, I have a job for you.”

“I have enough work to do as it is.” Avery frowned, not liking what he heard.

“Nay, this is different. I want you to tighten up the quintain so it doesn’t swivel as easily. That will give her the extra moment or two to make it past the swivel-arm before the sandbag swings around and knocks her on her ass again.”

“That might work,” said Avery with a nod, looking over at the quintain.

“One more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I need you to replace the metal collars on the lances with the lightest steel you can find. Mayhap you can hollow out the poles a little or sand them down to help make them lighter.”

“I could, but don’t you think she’ll notice?” asked Avery.

“Not if she’s wearing a helm, she won’t.”

“You made the helm for her armor already? That was fast.”

“Nay, I didn’t. I’ll have her wear one made for a man. That will block her view a little. Hopefully, she’ll be too distracted to notice any differences with the training equipment.”

“Now you are starting to sound like her brother and father, wanting to distract Lady Raven from what’s really going on. Is it right to do that?”

“It is, since now I can understand her brother’s and father’s concern. Lady Raven is the kind of woman who needs to be distracted. If not, she’ll get hurt, not to mention drive everyone crazy. She’ll also scare away any potential husband as well.”

“It seems to me you’d like it if she scared away any possible husbands-to-be.”

“Mayhap I would, but what difference does it make?” asked Jonathon, looking back toward the house. “Lady Raven and I are from two different worlds. Worlds that can never combine. She’ll marry a noble because that is what’s expected of her. I will watch and not say a word, because that is what is expected of me.”

Just admitting this aloud felt like a blade being twisted into Jonathon’s heart. There wasn’t a thing he could do about it, because a noble didn’t belong with a commoner, and that was never going to change in his lifetime.

Chapter 13

Jonathon worked well into the night, having had to complete a few repairs for the nobles before he could get back to working on Raven’s armor. He enjoyed constructing it, since he had never made armor so fine and detailed before. It was a true challenge. However, it was taking more time to make it as lightweight as possible. Still, it was a challenge that he more than welcomed.

Heating and pounding the sheet of metal, he used a curved anvil to help bend the vambrace, the metal plate that would protect her forearm. Once he got the curve right, he would hinge it to the other half that made up the armpiece.

“Hello?”

He was so busy pounding and working, that he hadn’t even been aware that anyone entered the smithy. He turned around to see Raven standing in the doorway with one of her hounds at her side. She wore a long cloak with the hood covering her head. It was late and dark outside. His guess was that it was well past midnight.

“Lady Raven, what are you doing here?”

Raven entered the smithy, being led by Brindy, her male mastiff. Her hounds slept in her bedchamber, so it was easy to sneak out with her dog without the kennelgroom realizing it was gone.

“I couldn’t sleep. I heard the pounding so I knew you were still awake.”

“Come in,” he said with a nod, putting down the hammer and picking up a rag to wipe his hands.