For Crow, the rest of the trip to Sarton was painfully dull. He itched to get close to Penelope, if only to have someone to talk to while they walked, but with John standing between them like a guard dog, there was no way for him to come anywhere near her without getting snapped at. So, with nothing else to do, he spent to entirety of the journey keeping to himself and walking a few paces behind the others, so the older knight wouldn’t have any reason to get angry with him again. It was boring, but at least it was peaceful aside from the lingering tension in the air, so the thief supposed it was the best they were going to get until they reached the castle.

When they eventually came to the village, the same routine was repeated from the day before. After a quick supper, John took Penelope and Crow to the local inn, where he purchased a room while the thief waited outside. After that, they all headed inside to settle down for the night, and Penelope’s father ordered them to their separate beds. Even though he knew he was just going to sneak over to visit with her while the older knight slept, the thief decided to protest a little, just to make sure John didn’t get suspicious.

“This is ridiculous,” he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest in an obstinate gesture as he glared at the other man. “Why am I the only one who has to wear a chain to bed?”

“Because you’re the scoundrel who dared to lay a hand on my daughter,” John growled. “If you think you deserve better, then stay away from women who are above you, thief.”

Crow bit his tongue, fighting the urge to make a sultry comment about being fine with letting Penelope be beneath him if she wanted. He might have pushed the boundaries if it had been any other knight guarding them, but this was her [i]father[/i]. He had avoided getting his hands cut off once before, and he preferred to keep from putting himself in that position again. So, instead of making the lurid joke, he took a breath and muttered a simple: “Fine.”

“Good,” John said, seeming pleased that the thief was being compliant. He followed him over to the bed and restrained him by the wrist once again before settling down in the middle of the room.

Crow sighed and pulled his blanket over himself, keeping up his charade of being disappointed until the knight put out the lantern and laid down to sleep. His heart beat excitedly in his chest as he watched John in the darkness, waiting for the older man’s breathing to grow even and indicate that he had fallen asleep, so he could get up to visit with Penelope.