Darkest Knight (10 page)

The guy slapped the proffered hand away. “I am not an infirm lad.”

He straightened his clothing and made her a bow.

“Who is this vision of loveliness? A fairy residing in this ruin? Seeing her in your ruin of a hall, I can almost forgive you for letting me think you dead these past ten years.”

Heaven help her. He was just as charming as John, if not more so. Though there was something to be said for a man who took his responsibilities seriously. Not that she was falling for John; it was just an observation. His brother looked like what her favorite Regency romance novels would call a rake.

“I’m Anna. Anna Waters.”

“Robert Thornton, at your service, lady.”

“I can tell you are brothers.”

“Yes. I am the more handsome one, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Whatever.” She laughed at the fake hurt look on Robert’s face. John took another swipe at his brother. Then his face turned serious.

“I am sorry, Rob. I wanted to keep all of you safe.”

“We will have time to talk later, brother. I am famished.”

“There likely isn’t enough for your enormous appetite.”
 

“Dolt.”

“Whoreson.” John waved a hand around the hall. “As you can see, there’s a great deal of work to be done.”

“’Tis fortunate I am here. Your lady and I would starve otherwise.” Robert winked at her and she grinned. He was trouble. “I have brought provisions.”

Like a magician conjuring a rabbit out of a hat, Anna watched as people streamed through the doors.

“I have brought servants and food. And furniture.” Robert looked at his brother as if waiting for him to notice something.

Anna saw the moment it hit John. “My furnishings.”

“I cleared out Blackmoor after…” He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. “I’m sorry I didn’t keep the place up.”

John clapped his brother on the back. “Nay, Robert. I am grateful for all you have done. You should not have brought all this. I will not be here long enough. The king’s men will come. They will take me back to the tower. And then where will everyone go?”

“You worry overmuch,” Robert said softly to his brother.

Anna wanted to leave the hall, leaving them to have a private conversation. She started to inch away but John turned that all-seeing gaze upon her.

“Anna, stay with us.”

Robert placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It will not come to that, John. But if it should, everyone will come back with me. We have all taken your people. They will be safe. What is family if not to help when there is need?”

“You were so young when our family lost everything. I will not have such a thing on my conscience again.”

“’Tis no longer your choice. We will aid you. The old king is dead. Letitia was a silly girl. Lord Denby is a bastard who will get what he deserves. The Thorntons stand together. Edward is seeking an audience with the king. He will ask him to pardon you.” At this Robert grinned. “After all, he is the best of us all at keeping his temper.”

The love John and his brother had for one another…Anna yearned to know the feeling. The knowledge you had another in the world that cared for you. A brother or sister who would help you whenever you needed them. As an only child, she longed for a big, boisterous family. Her first boyfriend after high school came from a family of six brothers. She stayed with him for too long because she loved his family—as it turned out, much more than she cared for him.

She leaned against the wall, sipping a cup of water, content to listen to them talk. Something Robert said made her pay attention.

“We have sent messengers across the land. They report seeing you in York. Others tell the king’s soldiers you were spotted in London, and others swear they spoke with you near the border of Scotland.” He grinned. “’Twas James’ idea.”

“He is aiding us?”

“Aye. As is William Brandon.”

John’s brother filled the room with his presence. She or John didn’t have a prayer of getting a word in. Robert practically hopped around the kitchen with glee. Anna couldn’t help smiling at the younger version of John. He must give the women around England fits.

“A small band of soldiers came to Falconburg. The Red Knight told them to do something I rather thought was impossible. He learned the saying from his wife, Melinda.”

Robert turned to Anna. “You remind me of her. Something about the way you speak.”

Weird. She didn’t think much of the comment until she saw the look on John’s face. He was as pale as the moon. Who on earth was Melinda? A spark of jealously flared. Anna hoped she wasn’t an old girlfriend. She didn’t want to interrupt, so as soon as she had John alone, she would ask.
 

“Do not forget, brother, we’re at war. The king is in need of gold and men. The years have been good to the Thorntons and to the bandit, from what I hear. We have plenty of both and would offer it gladly to keep you safe and back among us.”

John quickly wiped his sleeve across his eyes. “The servants are stirring up dust. I have a bit in my eye.”

Robert snorted. “As you will, brother.” He looked around the hall, hands on his hips. “Tomorrow we will drink and feast.”

A hundred times a day or so, it seemed to Anna, she tried to wish herself home. Morning, night, inside, outside. Different days of the week, storms or sunny days. She tried every combination she could think of and nothing worked. So either being at the tower would take her back to her own time or she was stuck here. In medieval England with a man she was falling in love with and who wasn’t attracted to her at all.

Almost a month had passed, and with every day, home seemed more of a distant memory. A place she dreamed of with a father who needed her.

“Mistress?”

She jerked up from the pile of hay she’d been sitting in, talking to Brown Horse and Black Horse. So they were awful names, but she hadn’t come up with good ones. If she named them, it felt like she was accepting her life here. One more block cemented to keep her here.

“Sorry, you startled me.”

The woman—Sara, maybe?—looked like she was in a hurry.

“Come along. Your bath is ready and then the girls will help you dress in more…er, proper clothing.”

The servants Robert had brought stared at her filthy jeans and shirt, but none said anything. After hearing of some of Robert’s activities, she thought they were pretty jaded to anything shocking.

“A bath would be heavenly.”

She patted the horses as she left the stables. They looked so much better. The men had worked on the stable first, saying there wasn’t much damage. Right now, the horses had better sleeping arrangements than she did.

When had Robert grown up to be a man? And one so eager to bathe all the time? John was an idiot, so lost in his own problems he had given little thought to Anna wearing the same clothes for weeks. Not once had she complained. Most ladies he came into contact with would’ve have complained long and loudly until he procured what they desired. She never said a word. Washed as best she could. He chuckled. She had been vexed that he laughed when she said she smelled. Spending so much time on the road, one would have an odor. He thought she smelled nice.

John was bewitched by the hose she called jeans. Women did not wear such garments. Mistress Waters was a fetching sight, and he’d scowled at more than one guard lingering about.

“Thinking of the enchanting lass?” Robert smirked. “She will prefer me to you now that I brought her clothing, food, and a bathing tub. And rose-scented soap.”

“Nay. She does not like castles. And yours looks like it is a folly the king requested.”

“All women like pretty things. Truly she does not care for castles nor titles?” Robert stroked his chin. “She must be the only woman in all the land. I should take a closer look. A woman such as Anna would make a fine wife.”

“Touch her and lose your hand.” John stretched out in front of the fire, grateful for the chairs his brother had thought to bring along. “You are much too picky and will never find a wife to suit you. You prefer to wager and drink and hunt.”

Robert peered into his cup. “Tell me more about Anna. There is something about her…”
 

“First, there is something I should tell you. James Rivers and his wife Melinda knew I was alive.” Things he thought strange about Melinda suddenly made sense. Why Anna reminded him of someone. Could it be possible?

“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing.”

“If James and Melinda know, then so does William Brandon. William is married to Melinda’s sister, Lucy.” Robert shut his mouth and stared into the fire.

“Out with it.”

“You would not have heard. Henry is married.”

“Little Henry?”

“Not so little anymore. He married the third sister, Charlotte.”

“Bloody hell. How many sisters are there?”

Robert chuckled. “Only the three.”

The more John thought on it, the more he was certain. Anna and Melinda were the same. Melinda spoke with a different accent, but Anna said America was a vast country, and there were many accents. Could all three sisters be from the future? Anna assured him people did not travel through time. How did the Merriweather sisters come to be in the past? Did they know how to get back? Perchance they could aid Anna?

Did he want her to go?

“You are thinking so hard ’tis making my head hurt. Tell me, John. You know I would do anything within my power to aid you.”

“Have you noticed anything odd about Melinda or her sisters?”

Now it was Robert’s turn to look as if he had a secret. His brother turned his head toward the stairs as if he could peer through the stone.

“The girl dresses strangely.”

“She is not a girl. Mistress Waters is a score and three. Anna is different.”

“You have been the bandit of the word for far too long. I am your brother. You can tell me anything.” Robert sat there and stared at him, waiting.

John knew he could trust Robert, and yet…after the betrayal of Archie, he found the words lodged in his throat. ’Twas her secret. Did he have the right to tell?

“You asked how I came to meet Anna. Pour the wine and I’ll tell you.” John added more wood to the fire—the servants were busy, and they were alone in the hall. He leaned back in the chair, fingers steepled his fingers under his chin, and gazed at his brother.

“I was thinking of all of you. The dishonor I brought to the Thornton name. When I looked up, she was outside the cell. As if she’d sprung up from the very stone itself.”

He looked into the flames, remembering seeing her for the first time, struck by the innocence on her face.
 

“The guards had been up late and were still sleeping. She was dressed as you saw her tonight. I asked for her aid. She took the ring of keys from the wall and released me. ’Twas strange; she did not want to leave the tower.”

“Was she imprisoned? How did she escape?” Robert was leaning forward in his chair, one booted foot tapping against the stone floor.

“Nay. She was visiting the tower. In her time the tower is a place people come to gaze upon. ’Tis no longer used as a prison.”

He waited, watching the words sink in to his brother’s mind.

“What do you mean,
in her time
?” Robert paced back and forth in front of the fire. He whirled around to face John. “She said
whatever
. Just like Melinda and her sisters do. Where is she from?”

“The right question would be
when
is she from.”

Robert gaped at him. A thoughtful look crossed his face.

John added, “Anna says she is from the future. The Year of our Lord 2016. Did you know in her time, a queen rules over England?”

In the dim firelight, Robert turned the color of marble. He looked unwell. “So many things make sense. I thought the Merriweather sisters odd. But now…”

He looked at John. “Think you they too are from the future? I would very much like to see what the world becomes. Think one of them can travel back to their own time?”

“Nay.” John shook his head. “Anna has been most distressed. She needs go home. She has family dependent on her.”

“Is she married?” Robert asked. John scowled. “What? I see the way you look at her. You care for her. Why haven’t you wooed her?”