And she did. All through the night, proving that her stamina could match his own.
*
The loud rappingon the door at around noon the next day finally woke them up.
It was Elia. She rushed into the room covering her eyes from the blanket Nicholas had wrapped around his waist.
“Oh, Nicky! ’Tis happened!” She hurried to the bed and reached for Kestrel’s hand. “We must hide you, Kes!”
“What? Hide her? Why? What has happened?” Nicholas demanded, taking hold of one of Elia’s arms.
“Oh, Nicky. There has been an accusation against our Kes.”
“What is it?” he demanded, but he already knew.
“’Tis being said she is a witch. That she appeared out of thin air on the battlefield and has come to Scarborough to enrapture you!”
Kestrel gasped and covered her face in her hands.
“Being said by who?” he growled. He’d find out who started this rumor and then he would kill them.
“I do not know. ’Tis still unclear.”
“Find out,” he charged the head maid. She nodded and patted Kestrel’s shoulder. “We will take care of this, Kes.”
“I will be down shortly,” he promised Elia and then shut the door behind her.
“Get dressed, my lovely. We shall go to Walter’s. He has crypts below the cellars no one knows about.”
“Crypts?” she asked, frozen in her spot in bed.
“They are filled with his most precious possessions. You will likely enjoy yourself,” he told her, pulling on his pants and then his léine, “and I will come when I can. I must find Richard and speak with him about this.”
“Ok,” she agreed, “but I don’t like it. I know how folks feel about witches these days.”
He noticed her hands were shaking while she dressed in her chemise and kirtle. His anger burned hot against whoever ruined the morning of such a glorious night. Whoever made her afraid and tremble.
He wanted to go to her and sit beside her, but there was no time. Her accusers could be here at any moment, and though he wanted to kill them, he wanted to keep her safe first.
“Come, love,” he beckoned gently while sheathing his long blade to the belt at his side. “I will keep you safe. Trust me.”
Thankfully, she nodded, pulled on her slippers, and followed him out the door.
Most of the people they met on the way to the stable wished them well. Still, Nicholas kept his eyes honed on anyone coming too close to her. He warned her friends, of which there were many here at Scarborough, not to mention seeing her. “She is in danger of someone’s evil plan,” he told them. “I must protect her.”
“We will help you!” they called back.
“Just deny that you have seen her if anyone comes here looking for her,” Nicholas charged them.
The people gave their words and went about their business as if they hadn’t seen her.
“We will have to enjoy our celebration some other time,” she told him after he pulled her up in front of him in his saddle.
“’Twill be sooner than you think. I intend to squash this now.”
They did no more talking and rode hard to Walter’s.
The old merchant needed no prompting or monetary promises to do as Nicholas asked him. He opened his crypts to them without question and left them alone once he had her settled in.