Blood Sword Legacy 04 - A Knight to Remember Read Online Free

before father’s outrider came to fetch me, we shared a kiss.”
    Rowena gasped and pulled Mercia to her. “Was it magical?”
    Mercia swallowed again, suddenly feeling terrible for lying to her sister. But if she denied what Rowena suspected, hiding the truth would be more difficult. Give her what she wanted and she would be satisfied. She hoped.
    Mercia managed to blush and nodded her head. “’Twill not happen again. I take my final vows before the harvest.”
    Rowena’s beautiful face morphed into sadness. “Mercy, I am so sorry father has so mismanaged your life. I would take you with me to Dinefwr if I could. But I do not know the disposition of my husband-to-be. He might be ogrely and resentful.”
    Mercia slid her hands from her sister’s and stood. “Do not worry about me, Ro. I will be content at the abbey.” Another lie. They came too easy to one pledged to God. She quickly bathed and dressed and set about her chores. All the while, the scent of the man she had left just that morn clung to her senses, and she could barely keep herself from flying back to his arms. But she could not. She found Rowena’s eyes on her throughout the day, and her father, sullen as he was, paced a long furrow in front of the manor doors, awaiting word of the prince’s coming.
    Finally, just as the sun began its daily decent into the churning sea, a half score of men on horseback approached the manor. Lord Cedric set out to meet them, Mercia following close behind. Rowena stood nervously at the threshold.
    She recognized the standard, the boar of Dinefwr. The prince had finally come? Mercia looked past the tired contingent, but none of them sat regally upon their steed as a prince would. Nay, their faces were grave and haggard.
    “Lord Cedric of Wendover?” the standard-bearer demanded.
    “Aye,” her father said, stepping forward. “I am he.”
    “I am Morgan of Dinefwr, steward to milord Prince Rhodri. Our flotilla met with pirates and terrible storm upon the sea and we have been separated from the prince. Has he preceded us?”
    Mercia caught a gasp, her father cursed. “Nay! There has been no sign of him!”
    Anger at her father seethed. He was not worried over the prince’s welfare, but for his own loss should the prince have met foul play.
    Morgan’s face blanched white. He dismounted and handed the reins to his squire. “We caught the brunt of it. Pray his ship was just blown off course from the storm. My lord is healthy and strong. He will surface. We will await him here.”
    Her father scowled, no doubt counting in his head how much it would cost to feed the train of ten hungry men. He bowed and said, “Of course, Sir Morgan, I would have it no other way. In the morn, we will send out a search party for the prince.”
    Mercia hurried to give her sister the news. Rowena nearly fainted. Mercia took her to their chamber and settled her, as she too worried. With no husband, Ro would suffer the same fate as Mercia.
    It was not until much later, when the manor had quieted, that Mercia was able to slip from her chamber and back to the cave. She was relieved to see the man still there. He lay still beneath the heavy mound of furs, his breaths even, and she could see he had not disturbed the food she had left behind.
    She set the fresh stores she had managed to steal beside the wineskin. He shot up from his slumber and grabbed her. She screamed when he covered her with his large body. “Nay!” she cried. His silver eyes looked wildly about, but when he settled them upon her, they cleared.
    “’Tis I, sir, Rowena, come to see to your health.”
    He stared hard at her, and confusion reigned supreme in his gaze. “Rowena?” he hoarsely said.
    Slowly she pried his fingers from her arms and nodded. “Aye, I pulled you from the surf and have nursed you these two days past.”
    Realization dawned, and with it, he smiled slowly. “Aye, I remember now, you pressed your body to mine to draw the fever.” He pulled her