Page 63 of Picking Up the Gauntlet

“I know. However, I believe they arrive early to get a good spot to pitch their tents, and also to get used to the tiltyard and practice areas before the tournament starts.”

“I’ll bet they’ll come early to eye up Lady Raven, too,” said Avery, getting a scowl from Jonathon in return. “I mean, to see what the prize is, to know if it’s—if she’s worth fighting for.”

“She is, believe me,” said Jonathon in a low voice.

“Brother, she thinks she’s really good at the quintain now because she doesn’t know we rigged it. How are you going to make her think she’s mastered the joust so she’ll stop this nonsense?”

“I just have to fool her once again, although I hate to do it. I’ll let her knock me off my horse a few times. That should satisfy her and mayhap she’ll forget all about this silly notion of jousting. I need to make it look believable since everyone knows a girl could never beat a man at the joust.”

“Even if it works, you’d better hope she never finds out you’re throwing the competition.”

Jonathon’s head hurt and his gut twisted. He didn’t like Raven telling lies, and now he was being no better than she. When would all this deception end? “I don’t like all these secrets and all this deceit,” said Jonathon. “I feel like going to her father and telling him what transpired between us.”

“You do that and you’re a dead man, you do know that,” said Avery. “Plus, it won’t reflect well on the rest of the family either.”

“If I say nothing, it’ll kill me to sit back and watch her marry a noble instead of me.”

“Then ask her father for her hand in marriage.”

“I can’t. He’s trusted me to be her personal guard. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“If you just let Raven marry someone else, you’ll disappoint her, won’t you?”

“Yes, I believe I will. What am I supposed to do? I’m not a noble, dammit. I couldn’t marry her even if I begged Lord Corbett on my knees. Any way I turn, I’m doomed, I tell you. I don’t like this one bit.”

“Mayhap Raven can help where that’s concerned.”

“I doubt it. Noblewomen don’t have a say as to whom they marry. That is determined for them by their fathers.”

“Well, it seems to me, her husband is being chosen by fate, not her father. After all, even Lord Corbett doesn’t know which man she’ll marry until a winner of the tournament is determined.”

“Aye, you’re right,” said Jonathon, just the thought of all this making him feel like he was going to retch. One of the lucky sots entering the tournament would get Raven for his wife. Only nobles were allowed to participate in the tournament, so he didn’t even have a chance to compete for her hand in marriage. Nay, he was not that lucky. He had no chance in hell of ever becoming Lady Raven’s husband.

Chapter 15

“Raven, there are a bunch of the tents goin’ up outside the castle walls,” Lark reported the next day, looking out the open window of the bedchamber. “Some of those men look pretty handsome from here. Come take a look.”

“That’s nice,” said Raven, not caring at all.

“Dinna ye want to see? Oh, look at that one walkin’ right under our window.” Lark giggled and waved.

“Get away from the window,” snapped Raven, marching over and getting ready to close it. She stopped when she looked over to the practice yard and noticed Jonathon getting atop his horse. “What is Jonathon doing?”

“Where?” asked Lark, stretching her neck, peering out the window.

“He’s over there. In the tiltyard,” she said. “It looks like he’s about to... to joust. With Rook.”

“Really?” asked Lark excitedly. “I want to see how good he is.”

They watched as Rook and Jonathon jousted. After several passes, Jonathon was evenly tied with Rook, who was the castle’s best when it came to the sport. It was unbelievable that a common man could go up against a knight and hold his own. It was just as unbelievable that her father and brother would allow Jonathon to joust, with all these competitors arriving for the tournament. Rook seemed to be friends with Jonathon now, and any gossip she’d heard earlier about favoring Jonathon seemed to have dissipated.

“He’s pretty good, Raven, wouldna ye say?”

“Aye, he is,” she said, impressed with Jonathon’s skills. “Anyone who can match my brother deserves to be a knight, or at least one of my father’s guards.”

“I’m surprised they’re lettin’ Jonathon joust. After all, that’s only for knights. Everyone was already gossipin’ about him, and this will only make matters worse.”

“Yes,” said Raven. “However, it seems my brother has become good friends with Jonathon and favors him. Rook always had a way with the rest of the nobles, so he has probably convinced them to accept Jonathon as well.”