Dreams of Stardust by Lynn Kurland

Author:Lynn Kurland [Kurland, Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780515139488
Google: T5fliPSHnOAC
Amazon: 0515139483
Barnesnoble: 0515139483
Goodreads: 50733
Publisher: Jove
Published: 2005-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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Chapter 19

"Is this right?"

Jake looked down at Montgomery's artwork, which he had to admit had promise—what he could see of it through the sweat that was dripping down into his eyes. He was trying to learn everything Robin of Artane could teach him about sword-play and satisfy Montgomery of Artane's desire for art lessons. Concurrently. He wondered how many boys had learned to draw in the lists.

Not many, he suspected.

Montgomery was drawing Amanda as she stood on the side of the lists, hugging herself and looking quite anxious. Montgomery's rendering was actually quite good.

"Just remember what I taught you last night about perspective," Jake said, "so you can make the lists look like they're receding into the distance behind her. You're doing very well."

"My thanks for taking the time to look," Montgomery said.

"My pleasure," Jake said, with feeling. And it was his pleasure—anything for a break in the action.

"Another drink?"

Jake had to blink a time or two more to convince himself that it was Robin asking him that question and not someone out of an exhaustion-induced hallucination wondering about his state of thirstiness.

And, heaven help him, it was only noon.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then have one. And you'd best remind Amanda that you live still," Robin said, resheathing his sword with gusto. "Before we begin again," he added.

Jake nodded and dragged his sorry backside over to Amanda, but he didn't dare sit down on the bench there. He might never get back up.

"How do you fare?" she asked, looking worried.

"Very well, thank you."

Robin came over and slapped him heartily on the back. "Aye, he's a rock. Let him have another look at his prize, then we'll be about our work again. We'll eat in another hour."

"Absolutely," Jake said, thinking privately that Robin of Artane would have been the answer to many of the social ills of the twenty-first century. Act up and this man has you at his mercy for a week.

Everyone would have behaved perfectly. Jake was certain of it.

Amanda handed Jake a cup. "If it eases you any, he's being very hard on you. I daresay he wouldn't be if he didn't believe you could bear it."

"I'm flattered," Jake said, downing his cup of watered-down wine and feeling quite flattered. Now, if only he didn't feel quite so flattened, he would have been doing just fine.

It had been two solid weeks of dawn to dusk tête-à-têtes with Robin de Piaget in the lists. Jake ached in places he hadn't known he had muscles, as well as in all the places he'd been certain he did. He went to bed every night shaking with weariness and rose before dawn to start the process all over again.

Medieval boot camp was hell.

Robin, on the other hand, looked so damned perky each and every day that it had been all Jake could do not to slug him. He appeared each morning, fresh as a daisy, and retired each night looking as if he'd been out riding casually, seeing to the less taxing matters of the realm.

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