whisper.
“If my father ever spoke to me like that….”
Aubrey grabbed Madeline’s hand and yanked her forward towards the
door and out into the afternoon sunshine. “Of course my father
never would have spoken to me like that. But if Crispin ever even
so much as thought of-”
Madeline stopped listening to her friend’s
rant. She froze at the top of the stairs, staring down into the
courtyard, eyes wide. There, riding through the front gates astride
a chestnut stallion, red hair blazing in the sun, was Jack. Her
heart pounded to her throat and she flushed from pale to bright
pink. He was even more handsome than she remembered. The fine tunic
he wore sat well on his broad shoulders. His eyes flashed with
mirth as he nodded up to Aubrey. He smiled as he turned to say
something to the woman who was riding on the back of his horse.
Her smile and heart dropped.
The woman riding behind him wore her thick
blonde hair loose around her shoulders. Her laughter lilted across
the courtyard. She held Jack around the waist and only let go after
she spoke something close to his ear. Jack smiled and swung his leg
around to dismount. He turned and reached for the woman, who
slipped easily into his arms. There was no mistaking her feminine
figure. Jack made sure she had her footing before stepping
back.
“Oh.” Madeline let out a shaky sigh, backing
towards the castle door. “I didn’t know. I … I assumed he would …
he would wait for me. I should have.…” She swallowed, unable to go
on, unable to look away.
“Who the hell is that?” Aubrey planted her
hands on her hips and frowned at the woman.
A page dashed out from the stables to take
Jack’s horse and the gray horse he had been leading. Jack stepped
aside to have a word with him. The woman turned to glance up the
castle’s long front steps at them. She was the most beautiful woman
Madeline had ever seen. The sunlight only made her more radiant.
Madeline raised a hand to pat her own chopped and covered hair.
“I should go.” She turned and scurried into
the castle. She was a fool to think that just because her heart’s
every waking moment had been filled with Jack that he would feel
the same about her.
“Madeline, wait!” Aubrey chased after her,
catching up halfway through the main hall.
“Let me go, Aubrey.” She tried to shake out
of her friend’s grasp when Aubrey grabbed her wrist.
“I swear to you, Madeline, I have no idea who
that woman is. I’ve never seen her before now.”
“I don’t know that that matters,” she gulped,
eyes darting back to the door. “Jack obviously knows her.”
She tried to break for the stairs but Aubrey
continued to hold her. “Jack knows a lot of people,” she
argued.
“Oh?” Her heart erupted into pure misery as
she misunderstood.
“Yes. I mean, no! Not like that! He has a lot
of duties and responsibilities now.”
“I see,” she nodded. But she didn’t see. She
pulled out of Aubrey’s grasp and marched for the stairs.
“Madeline!” Aubrey caught up to her. “You
have to at least say hello to him!”
“I don’t want to bother him,” she sighed and
added, “Maybe I never should have left the convent.”
“Oh good grief!” The force of Aubrey’s
frustration stopped her. She turned towards her friend with a sigh,
eyes still downcast. “Alright.” Aubrey threw up her hands, “I’ll
admit this was a terrible way to start things. Your father, that
woman, whoever she is. Not the best homecoming.” Madeline was too
miserable to answer. “So let’s try this again.” She raised her eyes
to her friend’s. “Let’s go back upstairs and have a snack sent up.
I’ll fetch Joanna and we’ll see what we can do to make you look
even more fantastic and irresistible for the feast tonight.”
“I’ll never be as beautiful as that woman,”
she moaned, gesturing towards the door.
“That woman,” Aubrey scowled, “looks like a
cheap strumpet to me.”
“Jack didn’t seem to think
“If my father ever spoke to me like that….”
Aubrey grabbed Madeline’s hand and yanked her forward towards the
door and out into the afternoon sunshine. “Of course my father
never would have spoken to me like that. But if Crispin ever even
so much as thought of-”
Madeline stopped listening to her friend’s
rant. She froze at the top of the stairs, staring down into the
courtyard, eyes wide. There, riding through the front gates astride
a chestnut stallion, red hair blazing in the sun, was Jack. Her
heart pounded to her throat and she flushed from pale to bright
pink. He was even more handsome than she remembered. The fine tunic
he wore sat well on his broad shoulders. His eyes flashed with
mirth as he nodded up to Aubrey. He smiled as he turned to say
something to the woman who was riding on the back of his horse.
Her smile and heart dropped.
The woman riding behind him wore her thick
blonde hair loose around her shoulders. Her laughter lilted across
the courtyard. She held Jack around the waist and only let go after
she spoke something close to his ear. Jack smiled and swung his leg
around to dismount. He turned and reached for the woman, who
slipped easily into his arms. There was no mistaking her feminine
figure. Jack made sure she had her footing before stepping
back.
“Oh.” Madeline let out a shaky sigh, backing
towards the castle door. “I didn’t know. I … I assumed he would …
he would wait for me. I should have.…” She swallowed, unable to go
on, unable to look away.
“Who the hell is that?” Aubrey planted her
hands on her hips and frowned at the woman.
A page dashed out from the stables to take
Jack’s horse and the gray horse he had been leading. Jack stepped
aside to have a word with him. The woman turned to glance up the
castle’s long front steps at them. She was the most beautiful woman
Madeline had ever seen. The sunlight only made her more radiant.
Madeline raised a hand to pat her own chopped and covered hair.
“I should go.” She turned and scurried into
the castle. She was a fool to think that just because her heart’s
every waking moment had been filled with Jack that he would feel
the same about her.
“Madeline, wait!” Aubrey chased after her,
catching up halfway through the main hall.
“Let me go, Aubrey.” She tried to shake out
of her friend’s grasp when Aubrey grabbed her wrist.
“I swear to you, Madeline, I have no idea who
that woman is. I’ve never seen her before now.”
“I don’t know that that matters,” she gulped,
eyes darting back to the door. “Jack obviously knows her.”
She tried to break for the stairs but Aubrey
continued to hold her. “Jack knows a lot of people,” she
argued.
“Oh?” Her heart erupted into pure misery as
she misunderstood.
“Yes. I mean, no! Not like that! He has a lot
of duties and responsibilities now.”
“I see,” she nodded. But she didn’t see. She
pulled out of Aubrey’s grasp and marched for the stairs.
“Madeline!” Aubrey caught up to her. “You
have to at least say hello to him!”
“I don’t want to bother him,” she sighed and
added, “Maybe I never should have left the convent.”
“Oh good grief!” The force of Aubrey’s
frustration stopped her. She turned towards her friend with a sigh,
eyes still downcast. “Alright.” Aubrey threw up her hands, “I’ll
admit this was a terrible way to start things. Your father, that
woman, whoever she is. Not the best homecoming.” Madeline was too
miserable to answer. “So let’s try this again.” She raised her eyes
to her friend’s. “Let’s go back upstairs and have a snack sent up.
I’ll fetch Joanna and we’ll see what we can do to make you look
even more fantastic and irresistible for the feast tonight.”
“I’ll never be as beautiful as that woman,”
she moaned, gesturing towards the door.
“That woman,” Aubrey scowled, “looks like a
cheap strumpet to me.”
“Jack didn’t seem to think
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