ROOK AND RAVEN: The Celtic Kingdom Trilogy Book One by Julie Harvey Delcourt Page A

about what would happen if, when, he saw Jessy again. 
    He had tried not to think about her before that meeting happened.  He hadn’t wanted to remember what had been. He had feared his own expectations, and loss of hope he had to admit. He had also worried about losing focus on his assignment, but David had taken the initiative out of his hands by talking him into seeing that play.  Now he had to deal with it all at once and David was really the only person in the world he would trust to help him with the mess he had on his hands.
    He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and prepared to place his life, as both Earl of Redsayle and the agent known as Rook, into his best friend’s hands. “My mother had me kidnapped. I was returning in the dark from Pemberly the night before we were to elope.  She had some ruffians on her payroll knock me out, truss me up like a Christmas goose and ship me off to Celtica.  That is just the beginning of the story. Refill your glass my friend for there is much to tell you.”
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    David jerked in surprise so hard he spilled his good French brandy over Hercules, which didn’t bother that dog at all as he just started to lick off every bit he could find.
    “Kidnapped! You never told me that in the few letters I got! What the bloody hell?” David felt stunned, yet not at all disbelieving, it sounded like something the Dowager would not balk at doing.  He had just never considered it a possibility.
    Sebastian held up a hand for silence and looked sternly at his friend. “Any and all letters were read David.  I couldn’t give them any reason to see you as anything more than a completely uninformed friend. If you want the whole story then you have to let me start it and finish my way and not jump all over the place.  We shall proceed in order thank you very much,” he said rather primly and David couldn’t help but snort.
    “Jessy was our little sister, the pesky, charming, troublesome little sister whose hair I tied in knots.  I would beat to a pulp anyone who tried to hurt her of course but I, as you know, tortured her at will.  Her home, her family, right down to the cook were my refuge growing up.   It was the same for you.
    Pemberly was our refuge from Red Winds.  I wasn’t stupid, I knew you adored her.  I guess until our first summer down from Cambridge I always thought you two would grow up and marry,” he paused and looked sideways at his friend with a smile of reminiscence.
    “Then we came over that hill above Pemberly and there she was on the bridge waiting for us.  She had on a blue dress her hair was tied back with a white ribbon.  I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach.  I swear my ears rang with it.  The terrible thing was I instantly felt guilty.  I knew you loved her and well…remember Meg Hawes?” he asked and at David’s nod he continued “well it had been what, a week since I had enjoyed Meg’s considerable charms?” considerable he repeated silently remembering how spectacularly endowed Meg had been.  
    “So here is Jessy with the amazing eyes, fresh as new cream and I wanted her more than I had ever wanted any girl before, and that’s a lot to say for boy of that age.  The wanting was too damn close to those same things, those carnal things I had done with Meg it made me feel a bit ill.  Too young to sort it out yet that it’s not wrong to want a lady,” he shook his head at his young self. “I had also suddenly and rather fiercely realized I would be willing to fight you for her. I had youthful and silly fantasies of fighting you for her hand like a couple of stags in season, showing off for the prize.”
    “Like she ever saw me as anything other than a brother you idiot. Is that why you were so mean that summer?  Can’t tell you the number of times you made Jessy cry.  I remember thinking how nice it was a hot summer since I spent most of it with a wet shirt.  You picked more fights with both of us