fire.”
Chad watched Jorden whisk Alessandria away but his view of the man’s retreat back to the knight quarters was blocked by Rhun’ face.
“Your father is loyal to Henry,” Rhun said simply. “That is why he let the men in. He did not want them to return to London to tell the king that Canterbury denied them entrance. Moreover, he wants to know why they have come. He wants to hear Henry’s directive from their own lips.”
Chad sighed heavily. “Did he?”
Rhun shook his head. “I do not know,” he said. “Your brothers and cousins are all inside, gathered in your father’s solar. They have been there since dawn. I do not know what has been said so you must go to your father immediately.”
Chad had every intention of doing that. In fact, he found that his temper was rather piqued at this point. He didn’t like that his father had opened the gates to men they had been running from. Men who wanted Alessandria. He took the first step into the keep, pointing in the direction of the knight quarters as he went.
“You and Jorden stay with the lady,” he said. “She is cold and hungry and wet. Make sure she is dried and fed, and protect her with your life. Keep her out of sight until we can settle this. Is that clear?”
Rhun nodded. “It is, Chad.”
He turned and made haste to the knight quarters as Chad continued up the wide stone steps, having recently replaced the retractable wooden stairs. More and more modern conveniences and comforts were coming to Canterbury Castle these days, but Chad wasn’t thinking about any of that. He was thinking of Henry’s men, now possibly filling his father full of the king’s venom, and he wasn’t pleased in the least. They weren’t going to get their hands on the lady and if they did, it wouldn’t be without a fight.
He’d give then a good one.
His fists were balled by the time he entered the keep.
CHAPTER THREE
A lessandria had no idea who the enormous knight was who had taken her into a fairly new structure that had been built against the outer wall of Canterbury, but at this point, she was beyond caring. Her hands and feet were so cold that she could no longer feel them and when the knight set her down, carefully, on a stool in the middle of the structure’s common room, she nearly fell over. The cold, and her exhaustion, gave her little by way of balance.
But she managed to stay upright. She just sat there and shivered as the big knight stood over her, looking at her with a great deal of concern. Finally, she heard him sigh.
“Lady,” he said in a soft, deep tone, “you are clearly in distress. Would you permit me to be of service?”
Alessandria lifted her head to look at him. He had a big head and a big, square jaw, and his long, dark hair was tied at the nape of his neck. He didn’t look particularly wicked and even if he did, she couldn’t summon the strength to fight him off.
“W-what did you have in mind?” she stammered through chilled lips.
The big knight took a knee next to her. “Firstly, I believe proper introductions are in order,” he said. “I am Sir Jorden de Russe. I serve the House of de Lohr. Believe me when I tell you that it is my earnest desire to be of service to you and nothing more.”
Alessandria looked at him, her teeth chattering. “I-if you truly wish to be of service, I could use a fire to dry my clothes.”
“And food?”
“I could eat.”
De Russe swung into action. The first thing he did was reach out to touch her clothing. He simply touched her right sleeve and he could feel that it was still damp. Her wrist was exposed and he brushed her skin, feeling that it was like ice. Quickly, he stood up and disappeared into another room. He was banging around when the entry door opened and the other knight entered. He looked at Alessandria curiously and, lured by the banging in the other chamber, went to see what the commotion was about.
Shivering and twitching, Alessandria could hear the knights in the
Chad watched Jorden whisk Alessandria away but his view of the man’s retreat back to the knight quarters was blocked by Rhun’ face.
“Your father is loyal to Henry,” Rhun said simply. “That is why he let the men in. He did not want them to return to London to tell the king that Canterbury denied them entrance. Moreover, he wants to know why they have come. He wants to hear Henry’s directive from their own lips.”
Chad sighed heavily. “Did he?”
Rhun shook his head. “I do not know,” he said. “Your brothers and cousins are all inside, gathered in your father’s solar. They have been there since dawn. I do not know what has been said so you must go to your father immediately.”
Chad had every intention of doing that. In fact, he found that his temper was rather piqued at this point. He didn’t like that his father had opened the gates to men they had been running from. Men who wanted Alessandria. He took the first step into the keep, pointing in the direction of the knight quarters as he went.
“You and Jorden stay with the lady,” he said. “She is cold and hungry and wet. Make sure she is dried and fed, and protect her with your life. Keep her out of sight until we can settle this. Is that clear?”
Rhun nodded. “It is, Chad.”
He turned and made haste to the knight quarters as Chad continued up the wide stone steps, having recently replaced the retractable wooden stairs. More and more modern conveniences and comforts were coming to Canterbury Castle these days, but Chad wasn’t thinking about any of that. He was thinking of Henry’s men, now possibly filling his father full of the king’s venom, and he wasn’t pleased in the least. They weren’t going to get their hands on the lady and if they did, it wouldn’t be without a fight.
He’d give then a good one.
His fists were balled by the time he entered the keep.
CHAPTER THREE
A lessandria had no idea who the enormous knight was who had taken her into a fairly new structure that had been built against the outer wall of Canterbury, but at this point, she was beyond caring. Her hands and feet were so cold that she could no longer feel them and when the knight set her down, carefully, on a stool in the middle of the structure’s common room, she nearly fell over. The cold, and her exhaustion, gave her little by way of balance.
But she managed to stay upright. She just sat there and shivered as the big knight stood over her, looking at her with a great deal of concern. Finally, she heard him sigh.
“Lady,” he said in a soft, deep tone, “you are clearly in distress. Would you permit me to be of service?”
Alessandria lifted her head to look at him. He had a big head and a big, square jaw, and his long, dark hair was tied at the nape of his neck. He didn’t look particularly wicked and even if he did, she couldn’t summon the strength to fight him off.
“W-what did you have in mind?” she stammered through chilled lips.
The big knight took a knee next to her. “Firstly, I believe proper introductions are in order,” he said. “I am Sir Jorden de Russe. I serve the House of de Lohr. Believe me when I tell you that it is my earnest desire to be of service to you and nothing more.”
Alessandria looked at him, her teeth chattering. “I-if you truly wish to be of service, I could use a fire to dry my clothes.”
“And food?”
“I could eat.”
De Russe swung into action. The first thing he did was reach out to touch her clothing. He simply touched her right sleeve and he could feel that it was still damp. Her wrist was exposed and he brushed her skin, feeling that it was like ice. Quickly, he stood up and disappeared into another room. He was banging around when the entry door opened and the other knight entered. He looked at Alessandria curiously and, lured by the banging in the other chamber, went to see what the commotion was about.
Shivering and twitching, Alessandria could hear the knights in the
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