Cursed by Bandits (Once Upon A Curse)

3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

I followed Tuck to a small cottage, the only one in town that still had flowers in the window boxes. It was a bright spot amidst the dull hues of the town. Maybe there lingered someone in Lockersley who still had hope, who hadn’t surrendered to whatever forces had reduced my home to the state of decay I saw before me.

“Where are we?” I asked, wiping my wet cheeks with my sleeve.

Jane shook her head. “I have a handkerchief, if you would like one.”

I nodded. My sleeves were already damp from wiping away my tears.

“This is William’s cottage.” Tuck knocked on the door, two short taps, pause, three louder knocks, pause, two short taps.

“Who’s William?” Jane asked.

The arched wood door swung open. A blond man stepped forward, the light of the sun illuminating his golden body.

“Will Skarlec?” I questioned, my brain not able to comprehend how the gangly boy had turned into the man standing before me. “Is it really you?” At one point in time, I dreamed about doing naughty things to the mountain of a man in front of me. I almost changed my mind about marriage. But the subject of those dreams changed the day I met Milo.

“Rowan?” He enveloped me in his arms, lifting me from the ground as he hugged me. Once he set me back on my feet, he held me at arm’s length. “I can’t believe you’re here. It’s been ages.” His eyes roamed over my body, finally reaching my eyes. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“She just found out her father passed away, you big lug.” Tuck swatted him with his cap. “Now give her some space before she has to make her way to the castle.”

“Damn.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry you had to find out like this. ”

Jane took a step forward. Even as tall as she stood, she only came to Will’s chin. “If you don’t mind letting us in, Rowan could use a place to compose herself.”

“Come in, no need to stand outside,” Will said.

Jane rolled her eyes. “We would if you’d move out of the way. I’m sure you know your size is rather imposing and takes up the entire doorway.” She didn’t wait for him to move, but pushed her way through.

I wanted to laugh at her audacity, but it seemed wrong to find something humorous right after learning of my father’s death.

I followed Jane into the cottage. The room gave me all the cozy feelings of fresh baked bread in the oven and apple pies cooling in the window. Much like the home’s owner, everything but the actual room was oversized, causing the small area to appear more inviting, despite the lack of space.

“I’m sorry, with the news of . . .” I gulped back tears. “Introductions were forgotten. This is my companion, Lady Jane. And this is Tuck—I guess it’s Friar Tuck now—and Will Skarlec.” I sat in one of the comfy-looking chairs, tucking my legs underneath me. “What’s happened to Lockersley? This”—I gestured towards the outside—”is not what I expected to come home to. I can’t believe my father would allow the town to get to such a state. ”

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. The chair Will sat in groaned as he shifted in his seat, his leg bouncing to a staccato rhythm. Tuck suddenly found a potted plant fascinating. Their actions said more than most words.

“What? There’s more about my father, isn’t there?” I asked, bracing myself for more pain. “One of you, say something.”

“He wasn’t well before he died. The few times I was granted access to him, he suffered from hallucinations.” Tuck paused. “I don’t think he was ill, though. I think he was being drugged.”

“It was terrible, Rowan. One day, your uncle shows up for a visit. Then suddenly your father’s ill and his mind is going. Your uncle ended up locking him in a tower in the castle.” Will stood but seemed to think better of it and sat on the arm of a large chair. “It’s right about the time things started going to hell here. Taxes were raised, then raised again. Eventually they were so high none of us could afford them anymore.”

“Where’s all the money going? It certainly wasn’t to pay the nuns,” I pondered.

Tuck twisted his cap. “Your uncle said it was to pay for your schooling at the nunnery. That you insisted on staying longer even though he couldn’t afford it. ”

“That’s a lie if I ever heard one,” Jane chimed in. “We had to earn our keep and our education. The nuns worked us hard.”

“It’s the truth: I never knew my life would ever involve peeling so many potatoes or washing so many dishes.” I gazed into the distance, remembering the day I had said goodbye to my father. I blinked as the room in front of me came into focus. “I was always supposed to come home on my twenty-first birthday. There was never a change of plans or talk of me staying longer. If I had known what was happening here, I would have come home early.”

“If any of us had known how to reach you, we would have.” Tuck sat. “But your father never said a thing, and your uncle was even worse. It was almost like you didn’t exist.”

“You know, Rowan, we’re going to have to go to the castle at some point. I know you want to stay here, but your uncle is expecting you.” Jane stood.

She was right, I didn’t want to leave. My time would be better served here, figuring out a way to help the town return to its former glory. How would going to the castle help me do that?

Will stood as well. “Lady Jane is right. Your uncle will want to see you. He might already wonder where you are, and that wouldn’t benefit any of us. ”

“How is going to the castle and being with that man going to help anyone?” I crossed my arms with all the maturity of a sullen teenager.

Tuck rubbed his chin. “We haven’t been able to place anyone in the castle. Not that I would ever ask you to spy on your family, but it might be nice to have someone on the inside seeing what’s happening.”

Jane raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like spying to me. Not that I’m opposed, but maybe we should tread carefully at first.”

My ears had perked up at the mention of spying. I could do that. In fact, I could investigate and discover if my uncle had anything to do with my father’s death.

“Spying sounds like the start of a plan I can get behind.” I leapt up from my seat. “Come on, Jane, we have a lot of walking to do to get to the castle.”