Touch of Gold: (Rumpelstiltskin) (Tangled Tales Series Book 4) (7 page)

Chapter 9

Pacing the room back and forth, Olivia tried to think of a way to escape. She walked over to the window once again and looked out, but she was up too high to think of jumping. Perhaps if she tied bed sheets together, she could lower herself down.

She’d just stripped the pallet of the sheets when the door to the room opened, and Kin stood there with a young handmaid right behind him.

“Have you found a way to help me?” Olivia dropped the sheets and ran to the door.

“Lady Olivia, this is Ruth. She will be your handmaid during your stay at the castle,” Kin told her.

“Handmaid? I don’t need a handmaid. I need a way to escape,” she cried, not even thinking of what she was saying in front of the girl.

“My lady,” said Ruth with a slight curtsey. “Why are you trying to escape your betrothed?”

“Ruth, if you don’t mind, will you wait over by the window for a moment while I talk to Lord Kin?” Olivia motioned with her hand.

“Of course,” said the girl, brushing away a red curl of hair that fell from her coif. Once she was out of earshot, Olivia spoke in a soft voice to Kin.

“What are you doing?” she asked. “I don’t need a handmaid. I need a means of escape.”

“Hush,” said Kin, putting a finger to her lips. She liked the way he touched her and couldn’t deny the feelings she was starting to have for him. “I’m working on that, but it won’t come easy. The baron is insisting you spin wool into gold for him right away. However, I think after I share a few more drinks with him, I’ll at least be able to convince him to wait until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” she asked, not believing her ears. “What good will postponing my death by a day do? I need you to help me find a way out of here now.”

“Do not keep talking about escaping in front of the handmaid,” said Kin, looking over the top of her head into the room. “And God’s eyes, put those sheets back on the bed or someone is going to think we’ve had a romp. I assure you, the baron won’t take kindly to anyone trying to bed his betrothed.”

“A romp?” she asked loudly, then lowered her voice. “A romp? Is that all you can think of at a time like this? For your information, I was going to tie sheets together and lower myself out the window.”

“And then what?” he asked, looking very amused. “Swim the moat after you outrun the guards and get past the spikes with the heads?”

“Don’t remind me about that,” she said, rubbing her throat as she spoke. “And where is my father?”

“He’s the only one I don’t have to worry about,” said Kin. “He’s in the great hall enjoying his last hours by indulging in a drink or two.”

“A drink? No! You’ve got to stop him. My father tends to tell more lies when he’s drunk, and I think we’re in enough trouble as it is.”

“My lady, I’ll make up the bed for you,” came Ruth’s voice as she started to put the sheets back on the pallet.

“Why did you bring her up here?” spat Olivia, narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth. “It’s only going to make it harder for me to escape if I’ve got her hanging on my elbow.”

“My thoughts exactly,” he said with a smile. “She’ll keep you out of trouble while I decide how to handle the baron. Now I warn you, don’t do anything foolish. I’ll handle this.”

“For how much?” she asked, fingering the pearls around her neck. His eyes followed her hand down to her cleavage, and she saw him wet his lips with his tongue.

“One thing at a time. I’ll come to you when I have more information. Now, I’ll tell the baron you are feeling ill and won’t be able to join us for the meal.”

“Ill? I’m starving. Or have you forgotten I haven’t eaten yet today?”

“I remember. I’ll send my squire up with food and drink later. In the meantime, stay in your room and don’t let anyone enter.”

“What about her?” Olivia turned and looked over her shoulder at the handmaid. The girl had made the bed and was now fluffing the goose-down pillows.

“Since you are so messy, I think you should take a lesson from her in how to manage a household. After all, once you’re married to the baron, you’ll be the lady of the castle and expected to handle these types of things.”

“Go away!” she said, slamming the door in his face, able to hear him chuckling as he headed down the corridor.

* * *

After ten tankards of ale, Kin was finally able to convince the baron to wait until tomorrow before he had Olivia spin wool into gold. With the meal finished, all Kin wanted was to sleep off the drunken stupor he’d gotten himself into in the process of trying to get the baron drunk.

Kin spotted his squire coming across the great hall and met him halfway.

“Did you manage to convince the baron to wait until tomorrow with his plans?” asked Quaid.

“Aye,” Kin answered, feeling unsteady on his feet. “However, it took ten tankards of ale to do it. Egads, for a small man, the baron can drink anyone under a table.”

“Speaking of that, I’m keeping an eye on the miller as you suggested,” Quaid announced. “He’s drunk as usual and sleeping it off under the far table by the hearth.”

“Good,” said Kin. “At least we know he won’t be telling any more stupid lies or trying to escape. I only hope the girl is as accommodating. Did you bring her food and ale as I instructed?”

“I did my lord,” said Quaid, holding out his hand to keep Kin from falling over. “And I had a pallet brought into her chamber for you, just as you’ve instructed.”

“It’s not for me, you fool! It is for her handmaid. I wanted the handmaid to stay with Olivia at all times, so she doesn’t try to escape and ruin my plans.”

“Oh, I understand,” said the squire. “And what are your plans to help her, if I may ask?”

Kin wavered again, and took a step around the squire, then stopped and laid his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Hell if I know. If I could just stop feeling like I’m going to fall over, mayhap I’d be able to think straight. Help me to my solar, Squire.”

“Aye, my lord,” said the squire, guiding Kin across the great hall and up the stairs. “Your room is the one right next to Lady Olivia’s. I’ll be sharing it with you.”

“She’s not a lady,” said Kin, making his way to the room. He stumbled inside and Quaid closed the door behind them. “But I would like to change all that.” Kin collapsed on the bed, and Quaid started pulling off one of Kin’s boots.

“How so?” asked Quaid. “Do you mean you want her to marry the baron?”

“Nay, you simpleton,” said Kin, pushing the squire away and sitting up to take his other boot off by himself. His head felt light and his heart heavy. “I want her for myself.”

“I don’t think the baron’s going to like that,” said Quaid.

“Nay, I don’t imagine he will.” Frustrated, Kin pulled off his other boot, thinking it felt very heavy. Perhaps he was in worse shape than he thought. He threw the boot to the ground and his squire jumped out of the way when it landed at his feet with a loud thump.

“My lord!”

“Sorry about that,” said Kin, lying down on the bed fully clothed. “I wasn’t aiming for you.”

“I think you’d better have a look at your boot, my lord.”

“What the hell are you babbling about, Squire?” Kin’s head fell back on the pillow and his eyes closed. “I can’t think up a plan to save the girl when you’re rambling on like that.”

“You might not have to think too hard, Lord Kin.”

“What are you talking about?” He let out an exasperated release of breath.

“I think you’ll be able to help the girl after all . . . by spinning the wool into gold for her.”

“Huh?” Kin opened his eyes to see his squire looking down at the floor. He sat up and his gaze followed to where the boy pointed. His eyes opened wide when he saw his boot on the floor . . . his solid gold boot!

Chapter 10

Kin touched item after item, having stayed awake all night long, trying to figure out how the curse worked. There was no doubt in his mind after last night’s incident with his boot that Hecuba had indeed cursed him. He just wasn’t sure if the curse was working or not.

“Quaid, wake up,” he said, shoving the boy and sending him falling from the chair to the floor. The boy landed on the ground right next to the gold boot. He slowly opened one eye and then the other, and spoke without getting up off the ground.

“I’m still here m’lord. I haven’t turned to gold yet.”

“I wasn’t trying to turn you to gold, now get up off the floor and try to help me figure this out,” he growled.

“Aye, my lord. Did you want me to put your other boot on and take it off again and see if we can make that one turn to gold too?”

“Nay,” said Kin, pacing the floor barefooted. “We’ve tried that a dozen times already. It must just be at certain times when the curse manifests itself. If only I knew when.”

“How about I go get you some more ale? Mayhap that’ll help you think,” suggested Quaid.

“Mayhap you should go find me another pair of boots before I throw the gold one at you. Now go!”

“Aye, milord.” His squire was just opening the door when Kin had a thought.

“Wait!” he stopped him. “I think you might have something there.”

“What do you mean?” asked Quaid, closing the door.

“The first time it happened, I was determined and angry. Hecuba tried to get the book of alchemy from me, and I didn’t want her to have it.”

“That’s when your mail gauntlets turned to gold,” said Quaid with a nod of his head. “So what does it mean?”

“Hell if I know.” Kin continued to pace the floor with his hand on his chin.

“I’ll go find you a pair of boots.” Quaid started out the door once more, and Kin had another thought. He held his finger in the air.

“Wait!” he said again. “Close the door.”

“Yes, my lord.” Quaid closed the door and waited.

“The second time it happened I was sleeping off the effects of too much ale. In the stables.”

“That’s when you turned the halfpence into gold.”

“That’s right! And my dagger turned to gold when I was angry and had focused my thoughts on Hecuba. And last night, it happened again after I had to get drunk to convince the baron to wait another day before he ordered Olivia to spin wool into gold. Do you know what this means?”

“That you drink too much, my lord?” Quaid yawned and rubbed his hands over his face.

Kin didn’t like his squire pointing out his weaknesses since he wasn’t even aware he had any. “You’re no help to me with talk like that. Just go.” He dismissed the boy with a wave of his hand.

Once again, Quaid opened the door. When he did, Kin saw the baron coming down the corridor to his room.

“Quick, close the door,” he said, and Quaid slammed the door and threw his hands in the air in frustration.

“What now?” he asked. “I wish you would make up your mind what you want me to do.”

“I see the baron approaching. He can’t know about this,” said Kin. “Fast, hide the gold boot and I’ll try to get rid of him.”

“Right away, my lord,” said the boy, using both hands to pick up the gold boot. He looked around the room, trying to find a place to hide it.

“Hurry up,” said Kin, just as the baron knocked upon the door.

“Where should I put it?” asked Quaid.

“I don’t care. Just don’t let him see it.”

“De Bar, open the door,” came the baron’s voice from the other side of the thick wood.

Kin opened the door and leaned in the entranceway, so the man was unable to enter the room.

“Good morning, Baron,” said Kin, smiling and pretending like nothing was wrong.

“I know your squire saw me coming, yet he slammed the door in my face,” snapped the baron. “Where is he? I want a word with the boy.” The baron tried to see around Kin, but Kin crossed his arms over his chest and continued to block the doorway.

“Quaid is unavailable,” said Kin, glancing over his shoulder to see the boy running to and fro, not able to find a place to hide the boot.

“He is not unavailable. I see him running around like a fool, now let me in.”

“He’s not feeling well, my lord,” Kin said, standing in the baron’s way. “He’s running around because he . . . needs to . . . use the garderobe.”

“The garderobe?” asked the baron. “De Bar, what is going on?”

“I told you. He’s got a sour stomach,” Kin said, wishing to hell the boy would find a place to hide the boot already. What was taking so long? “You know – from drinking too much last night.”

“Drinking too much?” asked Baron Pettigrew. “I didn’t see the boy drinking at all. You were the only one drinking like a fish. Hell, I thought you’d never stop. And since you were drunk at your brother’s wedding as well – I believe you have a real drinking problem, de Bar. Now stand aside. I’m coming in to see what’s going on in here.”

The baron pushed past Kin, and Kin just cringed, knowing he was about to find the boot. With that much gold, the man was sure to start asking questions. Questions that Kin could not answer.

“What the hell is this?” asked the baron. Kin slowly turned around to find something he didn’t expect at all. His squire had his braies pulled down around his ankles, and was sitting on the washbasin, using it as a chamber pot. Kin could see the gold boot sticking out from under his butt.

“I am sorry, my lord, but I didn’t think I’d make it to the garderobe in time,” the squire said and then faked a moan.

“That is not what the washbasin is for!” shouted the baron.

“I’ll make sure to replace it,” said Kin, walking over and throwing a coverlet to the boy. “Cover up, Squire. No one wants to see your bare ass.”

“Come with me, de Bar,” said the baron shaking his head. “I’m going to the girl’s chamber to get her. My servants have stocked the ladies solar with wool, and we’re going to watch my betrothed spin wool into gold.” The baron headed out the door.

Kin turned back and scowled at his squire. “That was a close one. Now hurry up and come with me. I might need your help to cause a distraction.”

“Aye, milord.” Quaid got up and pulled up his braies while Kin headed out into the corridor.”

“You must still be suffering from being so well in your cups last night,” said the baron.

“My lord?” asked Kin, closing the door behind him to keep the baron from seeing the boot.

“Your boots,” said the baron.

Kin’s heart lodged in his throat. “My boots?” He smiled. “What about my boots?”

“Put them on!” The baron turned and headed away, and Kin took a deep breath and released it. The door opened, and Quaid came out into the corridor.

“I’m ready. Shall we go?” asked the squire.

“Give me your boots,” Kin ordered the boy.

“Pardon me?”

“Since you weren’t fast enough to find me another pair of boots, I’ll have to wear yours. Now take them off quickly before the baron sees you.”

“I don’t think they’ll fit you,” said Quaid pulling off his boots and handing them to Kin.

“I have no choice unless I want to wear a hunk of gold on my foot.” He shoved his big feet into the squire’s small boots, seeing the side stitching already stretching and the leather coming apart. He limped down the hall, trying to ignore the pain in his feet. The baron turned around and scowled at him.

“De Bar, you’re still walking like you’re drunk. You need to lay off the drink for a day or two.”

“Of course,” said Kin, biting his lip, wanting to touch the man and turn him to gold so that he’d stop his infernal chatter.