Lady Locksley

Chapter 30

Illicit Meeting

Dawn had barely broken when there was a furtive knock at Roana's door. She sat up in bed, quickly, clutching the covers to her, hoping against hope that it wasn't William.
"Who is it?"
"It's Allan," came the muffled reply.
Pushing back the covers, she swung her legs out of bed and stood, looking down at herself in consternation. Still in her nightgown with her hair a tangled mess, she was hardly prepared for company. But Allan would not pay her a visit at this hour if it wasn't important.
Dragging her fingers quickly through her hair, she crossed to the door and yanked it open to find Allan waiting outside. He opened his mouth to speak but she put a finger to her lips and pulled him inside, glancing quickly up and down the corridor to ensure they were alone before closing the door behind them.
"What is it?" She asked, keeping her voice low as she turned to Allan.
He seemed about to reply but a strange expression had crossed his face, and he appeared to be unduly preoccupied with her nightgown.
"Allan," Roana hissed, self-consciously, crossing her arms across her chest. "You got me out of bed! You're lucky I had anything on at all."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realised how inappropriate they were, but it was too late to take them back. Allan met her gaze with his eyebrows raised and a suggestive look in his eyes. His lips curled into a brazen grin.
Roana flushed, feeling quite embarrassed and more than a little breathless. "Stop it. You know what I meant."
When he continued to eye her, she made to slap him on the arm but he caught her hand in his and held it close to his chest, suddenly unsure of what to do with it. Roana's breath caught in her throat as she looked up at him, feeling like a deer caught in the light of a flaming torch as their gazes locked. The atmosphere was suddenly thick with anticipation. She had the feeling that things were moving swiftly out of her control, and she wasn't sure she could stop them even if she wanted to. Which she didn't.
Allan had been on her mind a lot in recent days. She had never felt this way about anyone before, and it made her nervous. She was filled with uncertainty about her feelings and how to address them, and had therefore tried her best to subdue them when she was around him. But it was becoming more and more difficult by the day. Especially when he was looking at her that way.
Allan inched closer. "Roana."
His voice was soft and husky and held a million, delicious questions, and she didn't know how to answer any of them except to cross the distance between them and kiss him.
It was a chaste kiss, yet it took him by surprise. He drew back quickly to look into her eyes, where he saw the answer that he needed. Next minute, his hands were in her hair and his mouth was back on hers, and he was kissing her like his life depended on it.
Roana had never been kissed like that before. It was deep and possessive and primal, and she clung to him tightly, winding her arms around his neck, and kissing him back. He groaned and backed her up so she was against the wall, his hands moving down to grasp her hips, pulling her into him so there was no space between them. He pressed himself into her and she met him with enthusiastic ardour.
When he finally broke away from her, they were both flushed and breathing heavily. He leaned his forehead against hers and hummed deep in his throat as he gazed into her eyes, his own such a beautiful shade of cerulean.
"Roana." He murmured, gruffly. "What are you doing to me?"
"Well," she replied, lightly, surprising herself with her boldness. "I was kissing you, at least until you stopped."
He laughed, reaching up to drag his thumb across her bottom lip. "You most certainly were. And I very stupidly did."
He kissed her again, but, this time, it was soft and sweetly passionate, and spoke to her on a different level. She felt a pang of emotion in her chest that swelled as she kissed him back, fervently. There was a swell of something deep inside her that she didn't recognise, but which swept her up in a tide of intense pleasure that made her crave more, much more. She knew she was blushing as her mind was immersed in sinful thoughts that focused solely on this man, and this moment.
He released her reluctantly, his eyes greedily taking in her flushed face and full lips. "I've been wanting to do that for such a long time, but I really can't stay. I can't believe I can't stay!" He groaned in abject despair, but a smile played on his lips. "Gisborne will be looking for me. I only came to check that you were all right. And I'm so glad that I did." He reached out to take her hand, drawing her away from the wall, and brushed her mussed hair away from her face. "But look at you - I've made a mess of you."
He grinned, broadly, at the thought and curled an arm around her waist, pulling her close again and burying his face in her neck.
"Just so you know," he murmured, a smile curving against her skin. "This is not a one-off."
Roana laughed and removed his arm even as a thrill of passion coursed through her body. "I'm glad to hear it. But, right now, I'm sure Guy will be wondering where you are," she said, primly.
Allan gave a rueful smile. "That's very true." He looked at her, his expression wickedly sinful. "Unfortunately."
There was a tap on the door, and they exchanged a panicked glance.
Roana put a finger to her lips, warningly, and then spoke, hoping her voice sounded nonchalant. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Marian," came the reply. Allan and Roana both visibly relaxed, and Allan moved to the door to let her in.
Marian entered purposefully, pausing to take in Allan's presence and Roana's tousled appearance. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Nope," Allan replied, airily, strolling out of the door. Marian glanced at Roana, who shrugged, innocently.
"Hmm." Marian looked unconvinced, but moved on nevertheless. "Anyway, I have some news."
Allan retraced his steps and pushed the door shut again, coming to stand beside them.
"I overheard the Sheriff and William talking," Marian kept her voice low, conspiratively. "The Sheriff has almost raised enough money to pay the black knights to kill William Longchamp, the king's regent. A consignment of money from the noblemen in the south-west counties will arrive on Wednesday. Once they have that, an ambush will go ahead."
"But that is treason!" Roana exclaimed, aghast.
Marian nodded. "True, but the Sheriff and Sir William have the full backing of Prince John. Once Longchamp is out of the way, John will assume the role of Regent of England. And then, he will order the killing of the king in the Holy Land."
Roana was shocked to her core. Although William was by no means her favourite person, and she had begun to suspect his motives some time ago, it was still a blow to her senses to realise her misgivings had been correct. He and the Sheriff had to be stopped.
"Does Robin know?" Allan asked.
"Not yet," Marian replied. "I need to get word to him. But, at the minute, I am under close guard, as is Roana." She looked at Allan, seriously. "It will be up to you to tell him, and to listen out for any further developments. You're in a prime position to find out what's happening, and when."
"Consider it done," Allan said. "I'll head out to the forest at mid-morning to update Robin."