Lady Outlaw

Chapter 13

Scarborough Castle, Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire

Scarborough Castle was a majestic sight, stood proudly on the headland overlooking the North Sea with the town sprawled before it. Protected on three sides by the cliffs and sea, the fourth side, the only approach to the castle, faced the town and was guarded by a huge ditch, spanned by a wide, wooden bridge that lead through the enclosure gateway, passing under the great tower.
Alice, riding over the bridge alongside Guy, looked upwards in awe at the tower that loomed overhead. She had never been so close to the castle before, but had visited the town as a child with her mother, and had dreamt of Scarborough's great fortress afterwards. It had a magical quality that Alice had never encountered before; or at least, her childhood memories had imbued it with such.
She was filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, yet her face was a frozen mask of trepidation. She was about to meet Prince John. THE Prince John, brother to the king of England. Not only that, he would be accompanied by the Sheriff of Yorkshire.
Alice felt quite breathless with agitated anticipation. Looking sideways at Guy to find him already watching her, she gave him a scared smile and he raised his eyebrows, reading her expression accurately.
"Relax," he said, his voice low and soothing. "I'll be right by your side at all times."
She nodded and concentrated on diminishing her tension, taking deep breaths and exhaling through her nose like her mother had taught her. She didn't want to embarrass him in any way, but this was the first time she had ever entered a royal residence as a member of the nobility, or at least, as a consort of Guy's, who, as a knight and the Earl of Huntingdon, was definitely a noble.
Life had certainly changed for Alice in the past few months. Gone was the head scarf, and the maid's uniform, and an existence played out in the shadows of other people's lives. These days, Guy insisted she wear her hair down and uncovered, and purchased her gowns of the most beautiful materials to wear every day. He had the most exquisite taste, seeking out the very best of outfits to accentuate her petite figure, pale, creamy skin, and flame-red hair, yet without drawing too much attention to her, which he knew she would hate. It suited him, too; he was fiercely possessive of her, which she knew was a result of his time spent wooing, and being constantly rebuked by, Marian. She was happy to reassure him on a daily basis that she was his, but didn't have to work hard at it. They were constantly together, and, if they weren't, he generally knew exactly where she was. She wasn't used to being the object of someone's intense desire, but she felt the same way about him, and so it worked. Their union was quiet and content, yet fervently passionate behind closed doors, and Alice felt that she knew him better than she knew herself. She would happily follow him wherever he lead, even if that involved facing a member of royalty.
Her stomach fizzing with nerves, Alice allowed her mount to follow Guy's black horse through the gateway and into the inner bailey of the castle. The guards at the gateway acknowledged Guy and allowed them and their small convoy to pass through without incident. Alice assumed that they were expected, after the Sheriff had sent Bradshaw on ahead the night before to alert the Sheriff of Yorkshire and Prince John to William's plans to burn Filey Manor. Part of her wondered why nobody had arrived in Filey to stop him; however, it didn't matter, as Robin had been there, and he had sent William packing with his tail between their legs.
Alice had been overwhelmed with relief; riding away had been the hardest thing she had ever done, when all she wanted was to find Roana and embrace her in joy. But, she was beginning to realise, her love for Guy had placed a huge barrier between her and Roana, and she wasn't sure how to find a way around it.
Inside the inner bailey, they came to a halt outside the castle keep, and servants ran to take their horses as they dismounted. Devereux, the Sheriff of Yorkshire, was waiting for them, an expansive smile on his face. Beside him stood Dulcina, Baroness of Scarborough, Devereux's second wife. Tall and regal with a mane of chestnut hair and coldly beautiful eyes of the brightest blue, Dulcina's nickname was the Ice Queen and she played up to the role admirably. Rumour had it that Devereux discovered her in a backstreet brothel and brought her home, but there was no sign of this in her haughty composure and cut-glass accent. She had worked hard to pull herself out of the gutter, if the gossip was true. She was now the most feared woman in Yorkshire, and it was fancied that her ice-cool stare could freeze a person just as completely as her words that could cut like glass.
Alice felt herself begin to tremble. If the idea of meeting Prince John had scared her, the thought of spending time in Dulcina's company terrified her beyond belief.
Sensing her reticence, Guy took her hand, guiding her forward to meet the two imposing figures, his grip tight yet reassuring.
"Sir Guy!" The Sheriff of Yorkshire's tone was jovial as he approached them, his smile widening as he took in Alice, a step behind Guy. "And friend. I don't think I've had the pleasure. Do introduce me, Guy."
"This is Alice," Guy introduced, keeping her hand firmly in his. "She is my.. companion."
Devereux regarded her, his grey eyes calculating. "It is a pleasure, my dear. It is about time Gisborne found himself a.. companion."
"My lord." Alice curtsied, and Devereux looked delighted.
"Have you seen this, Dee," he addressed his wife over his shoulder. "You could learn a thing or two about respect from this young lady."
Dulcina looked bored, but glided forward on beautifully embroidered cloth slippers. She looked Alice up and down, coolly, paying particular attention to the beaded detail on the green gown Guy had bought her. "Hello, my dear. Welcome to Scarborough. That dress is divine. You must tell me who designed it."
She caught Alice's eye, and Alice startled at the faint glimmer of warmth she saw within the cool depths. Maybe the Baroness was not such an Ice Queen after all. Alice would reserve judgement.
"Where is my idiot of a son?" Devereux was saying. "And that nephew of mine. I received word that you were arriving together, no?"
Guy cleared his throat. "They should be here tomorrow. They had business to attend to."
"I hope it has nothing to do with Filey Manor," Devereux stated with a scowl. "Prince John will be furious if he has set fire to the property without his permission..."
"And what have we here?" An imperious voice interrupted him, and everyone's attention was drawn to the doorway of the keep, where Prince John was framed.
Alice gazed in awe, her nerves forgotten for a moment. He was truly majestic, with his sweep of auburn hair and green-blue eyes, a frock coat in a multitude of colours accentuating his leanly muscular build. He emerged from the door with a faintly querulous expression on his face.
"Is that you, Guy?"
"My liege, it is I." Guy bowed, respectfully. He stood a head taller than the prince, and looked down on him when he straightened. Prince John smiled up at him, widely, showing surprisingly white teeth.
"It has been too long, Guy. Has that ogre Vaisey been keeping you busy?" Spotting Alice, he lost interest in any reply. "And who is this delightful girl?"
He approached Alice quickly, staring down at her intensely, and took her hand in his. Alice's breath caught in her throat and she began to tremble again.
Guy moved to stand beside them. "This is Alice, my liege. She is with me."
"Ah." The prince raised his eyebrows, continuing to gaze into Alice's eyes. "She's with you. How unfortunate." He kissed Alice's knuckles, his eyes still riveted on hers, before Dulcina, stood beside them, cleared her throat very deliberately. He broke the contact swiftly, dropping her hand and moving on.
"Where is Vaisey? And that idiot William?"
Blinking like she had just come out of a trance, Alice looked at Dulcina, who rolled her eyes. Alice glanced at Guy. His expression was tight, mask-like, but he softened as he met her gaze and afforded her a small smile.
"They are following on, my liege," Guy explained, patiently. "They should arrive by tomorrow."
"I hope William is behaving himself," Prince John declared, dramatically. "I cannot believe he took it upon himself to burn a perfectly good manor house down. We all need to have a serious talk once they arrive tomorrow. There are important plans to execute."
With that, he whirled around and made for the castle doorway. "Come, come. I am thirsty. Devereux, I would like some wine. Can you arrange that for me?"
Devereux shot after him, surprisingly nimble on short, stocky legs. "Of course, my liege."
Dulcina looked at Alice from the corner of her eye and raised her eyebrows very slightly before following them at a more sedate pace, her hips swaying in a confidently seductive manner.
Guy approached Alice and offered her his arm. Alice took it, gratefully. "What plans?"
"I don't know," Guy replied, grimly. "I'm sure we will find out soon. But I can't imagine it being anything we will like the sound of."