Lady Locksley

Chapter 34

The Ambush

Allan whistled a jaunty tune as he hurried to meet Guy in the guardroom. He was in a ridiculously upbeat mood for a man who was risking life and limb to betray, lie to, and steal from the Sheriff, the black knights, and Prince John. But then, life was surprisingly good.
There were plenty of perks to living in the castle. The food was decent, and plentiful. His bed was comfortable and warm. Gisborne was an unexpectedly easy person to work for, if you looked past his moodiness. And then there was Roana.
Allan enjoyed protecting her. It made him feel significant, and needed. He cared for Roana in ways he had never felt before, and keeping her safe was paramount to him. Walking in to her room the day before to find Bridlington on top of her would forever be branded on Allan's mind, and, although it had fortunately gone no further, he was still bubbling with low-key fury inside. Allan couldn't remember ever feeling such anger when it came to one person, but Bridlington was lucky to still be alive. It was only Roana's presence that had prevented Allan from running him through there and then. The world would certainly be a better place without him. It hadn't passed Allan's notice that there was talk among the servant girls about the earl and his roaming hands and brutish nature. He had already earned quite the reputation, and Roana was not falling foul of his insistent ways. Allan felt very strongly about it. Roana was not Bridlington's for the taking.
If everything went to plan with the ambush, today could very well be their last day in the castle, and the sooner he got himself and Roana out of there, the better.
He would miss visiting her in her room though. The privacy it afforded them, as well as the illicit thrill of having a sinful secret between just the two of them, acted out behind closed doors, was something he wasn't sure how to recreate in the camp. But he had spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about it, and a solution was bound to appear, eventually. He was just happy that they would be together and away from Bridlington's clutches.
"Allan. Nice of you to join us," Gisborne greeted him sourly as he entered the guardroom.
"Sorry I'm late, Gis," Allan said with an offhand shrug. Guy pretended to bristle at the nickname, but Allan knew he liked it really. He sauntered over to join the knight, who was stood with a group of guards.
"We need to run through the plans for this morning, and the consignment of silver," Gisborne continued. "But first— a word, Allan."
He fixed Allan with a meaningful stare and jerked his head to the right. Allan responded with a blank stare. Guy sighed, irritably, and grabbed Allan's arm, pulling him to the side of the room, out of earshot of the guards.
"Everything alright, Gis?" Allan looked mildly perturbed.
"I don't know, Allan. You tell me," Guy replied. He raised his eyebrows. "Lady Roana?"
Allan opened his mouth to lie, and then thought again. Gisborne suspected something was going on, and with good reason. Allan had been unable to hide his worry for Roana the day before, and Guy had observed them together, which had surely supplemented his suspicion.
Silently, Allan cursed himself. He really needed to learn how to hide his feelings when he was around her, especially in the castle. He thought quickly; the best thing to do would be to act dumb and pretend he had no idea what Gisborne was talking about. That should work.
He looked at Guy, deadpan. "What about her?"
Gisborne gave a bark of laughter. "Don't take me for a fool. I saw you with her yesterday, Allan." His expression became serious. "You like her?"
Allan looked at him, weighing up his options. Guy didn't seem angry. In fact, he seemed more curious than anything. After the whole unrequited love thing with Marian, he probably assumed it was a similar situation with Allan and Roana. This could probably work in Allan's favour, if he played it right. He could get Guy onside by appealing to his rejected side, and allowing Gisborne to view it as common ground. It would also be nice to admit to his feelings out loud for the first time, without fear of ridicule. He knew Guy would empathise. He had made a fool of himself a few times now over Marian.
"Yeah, I do, as it happens." Allan shrugged again, this time bashfully. "I like her a lot, actually."
Gisborne nodded, listening intently. "And does she feel the same way about you?"
Allen scratched his head, wondering how honest he should be. Deciding just to go with it, he answered frankly. "I think so. I hope so."
"Then tread carefully," Gisborne advised. "Bridlington is not a man to be crossed. Does she still plan to marry him?"
"After yesterday, I very much doubt it," Allan said.
Gisborne crossed his arms and began to stroke his chin, musingly. "It works in my favour if she does not marry him. I'm not ready to relinquish my hold on Locksley and Huntingdon just yet."
"Then we need to keep Bridlington away from her," Allan stated. "It'd work for both of us if he went straight back to Yorkshire."
Gisborne nodded in agreement, then drew himself up and the subject was closed. "Alright, we will ride out in an hour and meet the consignment of silver as it enters Nottingham. It will be heavily guarded, but the Sheriff wants us there anyway, just in case. We cannot allow Hood to intercept it. Understood?"