Lord of Falcon Ridge Read Online Free

Ragnor, Father. He was naught but a foolish boy. Indeed, I gained my revenge on him, then spit his name into the dust. He has been gone from my mind for a long time now.”
    â€œDon’t lie, Eze. You still smart from the wounds. Hehurt you with his talk of everlasting adoration.”
    â€œYou haven’t called me Eze in a very long time.”
    â€œIt’s true, you’re really more Chessa to me now than Eze. It just slipped off my tongue. You still don’t mind your name, do you? You know I had to change it. As you became older Eze sounded more and more strange in the court. People remarked on it so I changed it to Chessa, a long-ago Irish heroine.”
    â€œJust as Naphta sounded strange?”
    He stiffened. “Aye, if you will. But we are not speaking of your stepmother.”
    â€œThank Freya for that,” she said, then fell silent. She rarely digressed. Once focused, she usually never wavered. He was content to wait. She said at last, “It’s true, Father. I don’t think often of Ragnor. I can’t believe I was so gullible that I actually believed his lies. But I did gain revenge on him, that is—oh—”
    This was interesting. This closemouthed daughter of his rarely let anything slip. He saw that she was chagrined. “What did you do, Chessa?”
    â€œYou don’t really wish to know, do you?”
    â€œWhat did you do, Chessa?”
    â€œI ground up malle leaves with some fist root and added just a touch of ginger to make it tasty. Ragnor loves ginger. I heard that he puked up his guts for a good three days.”
    He laughed, he couldn’t help himself. Thank the gods she hadn’t killed the officious bastard. He wouldn’t put it past her. But no, she’d exercised restraint, a quality her stepmother couldn’t seem to master. She’d grown up well, he’d seen to it. He was proud of her. She learned from mistakes and never, to his knowledge, repeated them. It was a pity she was only a woman.
    Chessa smiled in relief. She loved her father dearly. She hated to distress him. She said now, without thought, “Will you invite this Cleve of Malverne to dine with us?”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œTo see if he will speak like a man and not continue like a smooth-pebbled rock skipping over the water.”
    â€œYou aren’t simply content to stare at his handsome face? At his golden eye and blue eye? At his well-made man’s body?”
    â€œFor a while, perhaps. Nay, for more than just awhile. But you know, Father, his voice is very nice and pleases me.”
    â€œVery well. Oh, I hear you and your stepmother were fighting today. What about this time?”
    â€œDid Cleve of Malverne tell you?”
    â€œNo, sweeting, he did not. Why would he? How would he know of it? What did you fight about?”
    â€œI would prefer not to speak of it.”
    â€œYou will do as I tell you. What, Chessa?”
    â€œShe struck little Ingrid again.”
    â€œWhat did the girl do this time?”
    â€œShe wasn’t fast enough with Sira’s hair comb. Sira bruised her ribs she struck her so hard with her fist.”
    â€œI will speak to her,” he said. “Try not to fight with her, Chessa, all right?”
    â€œCertainly. Do you want yet more sons off her? Is that why you allow her to be so damnably wicked?”
    He sighed, smoothed his hands over the soft linen of his purple robe, and said, “You are still young—”
    â€œI am eighteen. Most girls are married and have babes by my age.”
    â€œNonetheless, you are innocent in the ways of men and women. Sira gives me much, Chessa, much that you can’t begin to understand.”
    â€œShe gives you her body whenever you ask? You needn’t deny it, I know that’s important to men. But I’ve seen her naked, Father. She’s borne four children. Her breasts are lined and so is her belly. All right, so she doesn’t