couldn’t recall how long he had been Lord Edmond’s guest and asked Mariah.
She thought a moment, and then said, “You were brought here on a Saturday, the day cotters bring produce to the castle. Since then, four Saturdays have come and gone.”
Falcon reared up. “That means I’ve been here well over thirty days. Has no one come looking for me?”
“Nay, but we are a remote holding and seldom have visitors.”
“Has no one heard rumors about a missing knight?”
“If they have, word hasn’t reached us yet. Are you so anxious to leave us?”
“I need to know who I am and where I belong, Mariah.”
The conversation came to an abrupt halt when Falcon turned to Mariah and began making love to her. Thinking about his missing past made him edgy and uncomfortable, but making love to Mariah made him forget for a short time that he was a man with no name, no past and no future.
Two days later, Falcon was heading out to the training field with his borrowed sword when Mariah intercepted him. “You’ve been training every day. Would you like to do something different today?”
He sent her a lopsided grin. “That depends on what you have in mind.”
She laughed. “Behave, Sir Knight. Come with me to the mews. You haven’t visited there yet.”
A buzzing began in Falcon’s head. “The mews?”
They turned in the direction Mariah indicated. “You haven’t seen Edmond’s falcons. He takes great pride in them. I thought we might take them out today. There’s a peregrine Edmond is particularly fond of. He used to love to hunt. Do you—”
Falcon stopped in his tracks. The buzzing in his head grew louder, and devils began dancing in his brain. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the pain.
“Sir Knight, what is wrong? Are you ill?”
Falcon stared at Mariah. “What did you call me?”
“Sir Knight. ’Tis what I always call you.”
The buzzing turned into a roar. Holding his head, he fell to his knees. His breath seized, and in that breathless moment he remembered his name and everything else about himself.
Mariah dropped down beside him. “Shall I summon Edwina, Sir Knight?”
He looked up at her, unfocused, disoriented. But out of the pain came illumination. “Do not call me Sir Knight. I have a name.”
Air exploded from Mariah’s lungs. “What just happened?”
He rose slowly, shakily. “I know who I am. I remember everything. The attack, where I was headed and where I had come from. I am one of King Henry’s knights. I fought with him in France and earned his praise. My name is Falcon of Gaveston and . . . and . . . God’s teeth!My betrothed is waiting for me in London. We were to be wed over a fortnight ago. I must bid your father good-bye and leave immediately. Pray God Rosamond is still waiting for me.”
Stricken, Mariah searched his face for a hint of the man she knew as Sir Knight, her lighthearted lover. But that man was gone, replaced by a stranger. The moment he had remembered his name and past, his face had changed, hardened. He had his own life and purpose now, and she meant naught to him.
Not that she ever could have been anything to him. She had Edmond, and Falcon had Rosamond.
“You must love Rosamond very much,” Mariah dared.
Falcon shrugged. “I hardly know her. The king chose her for me as payment for my years of faithful service to England. He promised to find me a wife who would bring me land and wealth. As third son, I’ve had to make my own way in life. The only way I can have enough money to provide for a family is to marry an heiress. Rosamond is perfect for me.”
He turned to leave, unaware of Mariah’s breaking heart. She followed him into the hall and trailed him up the stairs to the solar. They found Edmond sitting in a chair near the window, a blanket tucked around his legs.
“Mariah, Sir Knight, how did you know I was lonely? Sit down and make an old man happy.”
“I know who I am,” Falcon said without preamble. Edmond stared into
She thought a moment, and then said, “You were brought here on a Saturday, the day cotters bring produce to the castle. Since then, four Saturdays have come and gone.”
Falcon reared up. “That means I’ve been here well over thirty days. Has no one come looking for me?”
“Nay, but we are a remote holding and seldom have visitors.”
“Has no one heard rumors about a missing knight?”
“If they have, word hasn’t reached us yet. Are you so anxious to leave us?”
“I need to know who I am and where I belong, Mariah.”
The conversation came to an abrupt halt when Falcon turned to Mariah and began making love to her. Thinking about his missing past made him edgy and uncomfortable, but making love to Mariah made him forget for a short time that he was a man with no name, no past and no future.
Two days later, Falcon was heading out to the training field with his borrowed sword when Mariah intercepted him. “You’ve been training every day. Would you like to do something different today?”
He sent her a lopsided grin. “That depends on what you have in mind.”
She laughed. “Behave, Sir Knight. Come with me to the mews. You haven’t visited there yet.”
A buzzing began in Falcon’s head. “The mews?”
They turned in the direction Mariah indicated. “You haven’t seen Edmond’s falcons. He takes great pride in them. I thought we might take them out today. There’s a peregrine Edmond is particularly fond of. He used to love to hunt. Do you—”
Falcon stopped in his tracks. The buzzing in his head grew louder, and devils began dancing in his brain. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the pain.
“Sir Knight, what is wrong? Are you ill?”
Falcon stared at Mariah. “What did you call me?”
“Sir Knight. ’Tis what I always call you.”
The buzzing turned into a roar. Holding his head, he fell to his knees. His breath seized, and in that breathless moment he remembered his name and everything else about himself.
Mariah dropped down beside him. “Shall I summon Edwina, Sir Knight?”
He looked up at her, unfocused, disoriented. But out of the pain came illumination. “Do not call me Sir Knight. I have a name.”
Air exploded from Mariah’s lungs. “What just happened?”
He rose slowly, shakily. “I know who I am. I remember everything. The attack, where I was headed and where I had come from. I am one of King Henry’s knights. I fought with him in France and earned his praise. My name is Falcon of Gaveston and . . . and . . . God’s teeth!My betrothed is waiting for me in London. We were to be wed over a fortnight ago. I must bid your father good-bye and leave immediately. Pray God Rosamond is still waiting for me.”
Stricken, Mariah searched his face for a hint of the man she knew as Sir Knight, her lighthearted lover. But that man was gone, replaced by a stranger. The moment he had remembered his name and past, his face had changed, hardened. He had his own life and purpose now, and she meant naught to him.
Not that she ever could have been anything to him. She had Edmond, and Falcon had Rosamond.
“You must love Rosamond very much,” Mariah dared.
Falcon shrugged. “I hardly know her. The king chose her for me as payment for my years of faithful service to England. He promised to find me a wife who would bring me land and wealth. As third son, I’ve had to make my own way in life. The only way I can have enough money to provide for a family is to marry an heiress. Rosamond is perfect for me.”
He turned to leave, unaware of Mariah’s breaking heart. She followed him into the hall and trailed him up the stairs to the solar. They found Edmond sitting in a chair near the window, a blanket tucked around his legs.
“Mariah, Sir Knight, how did you know I was lonely? Sit down and make an old man happy.”
“I know who I am,” Falcon said without preamble. Edmond stared into
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