The loud, raucous conversation that greeted Rose's ears when she entered the Tatton tavern immediately made her ears burn. She had never been subjected to such base topics, and some of it the princess did not even understand.
Trying to regain her composure, Rose pushed back her hood slightly to tuck her long blonde hair behind her ears. The feminine gesture caught the eye of many of the patrons, and their heads swiveled to gawk at the weary travelers.
Because all of Rose's face except her eyes was concealed, more than one irreverent male made made a suggestive comment in her direction wanting her to reveal herself. The young woman was taken aback. Should she slap them? Ignore them? Play dumb?
The soldiers had tried to prepare the young maiden for what would happen, but they had not warned her of such an assault on her character...and worse her person. One of the men reached out to pinch her rear, but she saw their drunken action out of the corner of her eye. 'How can they be so disorderly when the sun has just gone down?'
Rose dodged the offending fingers, taking a step sideways. An arm came around her waist. She gasped slightly, until she realized it was Cole who had used his own body to shield her from the next attack.
"You touch my wife, I'll kill you," he growled at the seated drinker. The carousers, who were mostly farmers and shopkeepers, looked at the strong man. Although Cole had changed out of his uniform into a simple tunic, he still had the look of a soldier.
None of the men wanted to try their luck with the muscular visitor, and they turned their attention to easier targets.
"Sorry," Cole whispered into the princess's ear. "I seem to have assaulted you twice in one day. I hope you will suffer me a little longer until we find a safe place."
Rose's cheeks and ears were burning red. However, she managed to nod. If her choices were to be in the safe embrace of the handsome brown-haired soldier or to be at the mercy of the hungry eyes and hands that surrounded them, she would easily choose the former.
Sensing her discomfort, Cole's grip loosened around her though it was still clearly protective. With gentle guiding, he led her through the tables toward the barkeep.
Trying to relax, Rose took a deep breath. Her warm air was caught up in the scarf around her mouth, and she was more than a little relieved that no one could see her face. 'I probably looked like a startled rabbit.'
"We are nearly through the ravenous hoard," Cole comforted her softly. His lips curled up slightly with mischief. "Let's be honest, the ladies at court are more frightening than these rogues. Just picture the ruffians in courtly gowns and you will be fine."
'What a strange thought!' Suddenly the fear left Rose and she chuckled.
Encouraged, Cole took it a step further. "The man in the corner would look stunning in a purple chiffon number, don't you think? In case you are curious, I have no idea what chiffon even is..."
Now Rose was giggling uncontrollably. The tingling of her voice carried over the muted mutterings of the other customers. They eyed her curiously, but she no longer seemed to care. The princess was too busy trying to keep her laughter under control.
To those looking on, it seemed the husband must have made a very intimate remark to cause his wife to laugh in such a way. Perhaps they were on their honeymoon and had hired a guard to accompany them on their journey. But a personal guard would cost more than a little bit of money. Who could the visitors be? The patrons began to speculate as to their identities when the trio reached the bar.
Picking up on the chatter, the dark-haired soldier scowled. He didn't like the turn of events, but he reasoned it was safer to play along. "I've got this," Philip moved in front of the giddy couple. "I don't trust the groom to make wise choices just now."
Cole wanted to scowl, but realizing how much attention was on them, he opted to nod instead. The barkeep leaned on the counter in front of him and glared.
"No weapons in my bar!" He jerked his head to the long hunting knife at Philip's side. The men had taken off their swords and hidden them in their packs with their uniforms, but the dark-haired man had not wanted to be completely unarmed.
"I have no interest in your bar. I'm looking for the innkeeper," Philip deflected.
The man scratched his bearded chin for a moment and grunted. "That's me. Looking for some rooms?"
The dark-haired soldier gave a courteous nod. "Just one. The happy couple needs a place to rest for the night. I will sleep in the hall."
"No one sleeps in the hall..." the innkeeper said loudly.
"Then I will sleep in the stable," Philip responded, pressing his lips together.
"That will cost extra."
"Fine," Philip was already exhausted by the conversation and laid the money in front of the ornery owner of the establishment. "This should be enough."
Gathering up the coins, the gruff man turned around and counted them covertly. "I suppose it will do," he answered reluctantly.
Rose gathered that it had been more than enough, but the innkeeper was too shrewd to give change. She didn't care though, as long as she could get out of the musty room, the princess was willing to pay almost any price. Although her fear of the rowdy customers had faded, the smell of their bodies, the smoke and the spilled alcohol mixed with other unpleasantness was becoming too much for her empty stomach.
"Room two upstairs. If you give me a little extra, I can have the missus bring up some of our house special for you to eat in the room," he offered, hoping to get a few more coins out of the travelers.
Philip turned around to Cole and Rose. "What do you think, mistress?"
The princess's stomach grumbled either from disgust or appetite. No matter the reason, Rose decided she should probably eat and nodded her agreement. Surely the food would be better than the accommodations. It certainly couldn't be worse.
Philip laid down the required money and looked up to see the innkeeper's face very close to his own. The owner had leaned over the counter to whisper in the dark-haired soldier's ear.
"Your mistress back there. Is she a beauty or a dog?" the innkeeper asked.
Philip's hand instinctively went to the knife at his belt. "No woman likes to be referred to as an animal..."
The innkeeper saw the motion and laid his hand on the man's arm. "Keep your pointy toys to yourself. I meant no disrespect. Now is she a beauty or not?" The man wiggled his eyebrows, making Philip want to throttle him. He balled his fist, but stopped himself.
"You'll have to go to the grave not knowing, I'm afraid. I will wait for your wife to bring the food, and I will take it up myself." Philip leaned away from the counter. "Room two," he told Cole.
Cole took the cue, and led Rose toward the stairs. As they began to ascend, the innkeeper called a final greeting to them. "May you live a long and happy life together! Be mindful of the rickety floor. I would hate for the tavern ceiling to collapse with such blissful newlyweds in tow."
The crowd roared with laughter and Rose's cheeks burned like fire. Cole grimaced at the remark, but the princess took it for smile.
'How could he?!' Gasping helplessly, Rose hid her face and rushed up the stairs away from the confused man.
"Come back!" Cole called, chasing after her.
This only sent more laughter through the attentive crowd. This was the better entertainment than they could have desired, and it had ended in a jilted groom. Who could ask for more? Not them!
In fact, for the rest of the night and weeks to come...the phrase "come back" was used as the punchline for every joke that was told and tavern song that was sung. Before long, "The Jilted Groom" became the favorite jumping rope song for the children of the Tatton. That night in an instant, a village legend was formed.