Hearts Across Time (The Knights of Berwyck: A Quest Through Time Novel ~ Books 1 & 2) (31 page)

H
er lungs burned
i
n her chest as she continued her frantic race from her worst fears. How was she to outrun the turmoil going on inside her own head? Her mind screamed at her to hurry with her quest. She must find him before all she had gained was lost to her forever. Time would not be so cruel as to take him from her now that they were to at last start their life together, or would it?

She fled head first into a dense white and obscuring fog. Coming to a sudden halt, she became disoriented and confused with her surroundings. She knew not which direction to turn, nor where to further her search. Which path would lead her to him, and how on earth was she to find it if she couldn’t see what was right before her eyes. Had she, in truth, already lost him when he espied the woman from his past?

“Riorden!” she screeched out his name, but the sound only resonated all around her, as if she were standing captured in the middle of a tunnel with the walls closing in all about her. Her voice sounded sharp and harsh, even to her own ears. It certainly did not have the lilting quality of the one he used to love. She knew within one heartbeat that she hated the woman for what she had meant to her husband.

The vision of his ex-lover skimmed the recesses in her mind, but it was enough to blind her to everything they had been through just so they could be together. Jealousy began to course through her, taking physical shape in the form of a towering, green scaled, hideous monster. A scream of startling proportions was ripped from her very soul, even as the demon’s claws came to take hold of her. Once within its deathly grip, she knew for certain all hope was lost. For jealousy, the root of all evil when it came to the game of love, began to greedily consume her. Her trust in him gone, she surrendered the battle to fight for him, along with her will to allow love to conquer all...

K
atherine awoke
after she did a head bob. Trying to get her bearings, her fuzzy brain scanned the room, attempting to determine where she was only to realize she had dozed off in a chair. She couldn’t have rested long, but it was more than enough to give her a kink in her neck, which she began to rub. Given the troubled dream threatening to disrupt her resolve to remain strong, she was relieved her nap had been a short one.

Going to the window, she opened the shutter and took a deep breath of air, hoping to calm her frayed nerves.
It was only a dream
, she reminded herself. Just because her past visions were almost a premonition of what was to come, didn’t mean this one, in particular, would be true.

Her memories of her conversation with Amiria of Berwyck flashed quickly across her mind. She had understood the situation would be dire, at best, but how could she have known how much it would hurt to see Marguerite thrown into his arms. Seeing it for a second time was almost her undoing. Although it certainly wasn’t as if Riorden had welcomed her attention.

However, it didn’t lessen her sense of foreboding that currently plagued her. Trouble was on the horizon. She could feel it, and there was nothing she could do about it other than have faith that everything would work out as it should. She would
not
let that menacing woman get the best of her. She had only just arrived on the castle grounds for heaven’s sake!

With a new sense of purpose, she leaned out the window to observe the goings on of castle living and practically drank her fill of every miniscule detail swimming before her vision. She gave a happy laugh with the thought that she had actually done it! She was living in twelfth century England with the man of her dreams. Life was going to be so very good for them.

As if she conjured him from her very thoughts, Riordan came from the smithy. He pointed to several areas of the castle defenses until the knight by his side ran off to follow whatever orders he’d just been given. Although she wanted to call out her husband’s name, she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his men just so she could gain his notice. She shouldn’t have been surprised when he spotted her.

A small thrill went through her as his gaze fell upon her, even at such a distance. From his grin, she had the distinct impression he was undressing her with his eyes. A devilish twinkle lit her own with the thought of how she would welcome Riordan to their chamber. She crooked her finger toward him to join her in their room. He held up one of his own with an indication he’d be there shortly. She smiled, blowing him a kiss. He in turn pretended to catch it and laid his hand over his heart.

It was a loving gesture that sent Katherine’s heart to skip a beat or two in excitement of how they would spend the remainder of the afternoon together. She began taking her clothes off, leaving a trail of them behind her like bread crumbs for him to follow as she scampered to the bed. Grabbing one of the long stemmed wild flowers, she placed it on his pillow before crawling over to her own side.

She closed the bed hangings, plunging herself into darkness until he found her. The thought of his reaction of seeing her lying naked on his bed made her giggle. With thoughts of how she would tempt her husband, she smiled, wondering how he would react to what she had planned. It wasn’t as if this would be something a normal twelfth century woman would ask of her partner, but Katherine figured what did she have to lose anyway? It was time to give Karma a helping hand.

R
iorden climbed
the stairs of the Garrison Hall after ensuring John and his family were settled in their new living quarters. Since there was nothing he could do to change the fact that he and Katherine would not be sleeping this night in the keep, he had made it perfectly clear that come the morrow the Great Hall would be scrubbed ’til it shined. He had been informed their temporary chambers in the Garrison Hall would be adequate for their needs ’til the keep had been cleaned. He supposed occupying his father’s chambers was the least of his worries.

Opening the door, he closed it behind him with a soft click and slid the bolt into place, ensuring their privacy. His eyes widened, seeing his wife’s garments on the floor, and a roguish grin plastered itself on his face. His only thought throughout the day as he went about conducting his duties was when he would be able to at last hold his wife in his arms.
Merde
, but that woman knew him better than he knew himself sometimes.

The lit candles cast soft shadows about the room as dusk began to overtake the land. But there was enough light for him to clearly see his way to the bed. Pulling back the drapery, he thought to espy his lovely wife fast asleep and under the covers, since he had taken longer than anticipated to join her. He was pleasantly surprised to see her seductively lounging there and wide awake.

“Hi ya, handsome,” she whispered with a sly catlike grin.

“Good eve to you, my lady.”

“Business all taken care of for the day?” she inquired sweetly whilst twirling a lock of her glorious tawny colored hair between her fingers.

He watched her intently, even as he felt a part of him rise to the temptation afore him. “Aye,” he replied, unbuckling his belt and propping his sword up against the wall near the head of the bed.

“Then you’re all mine for the rest of the night?”

“’Til the morn, if you so wish it, my lovely wife.”

She gave him a smile that radiated clear to those beautiful aquamarine eyes he so loved. Reaching over to the small table next to the bed, she pulled at a length of dark silk then grabbed the flower from his pillow. His gaze traveled the length of her body as she crawled her way across the coverlet, much like a lioness on the prowl. He swallowed hard, intently watching her luscious and firm round bottom come closer to his side. He stretched forward to touch her perfectly shaped backside only to have her playfully slap his hand away. She laughed at the expression he must have given her and proceeded to wag her finger at him, as if he were naught but a child caught stealing a sweet afore supper.

“No touching, dear heart.” Her words lingered in the air. Reaching out, her fingertips grazed along his tunic, causing desire to rush through him like a river overflowing its banks, as she all but devoured him with her eyes. “Would you like to play a game, babe?”

His laughter rumbled in his chest. “Most assuredly, Kat.”

She rose up on her knees to face him. “And do you trust me?”

“But of course, my love.”

She gave him a quick kiss. “Then sit down, and close your eyes.” His brow rose in question at her ploy, but she only laughed again. “Go on, now. I won’t bite...at least...not much.”

Curious as to what this modern woman had in store for him, he sat at the edge of the bed. His breath left him when she all but molded herself against his back, and he peeked at her from the corner of his eye to see what she was about. She must have anticipated him cheating, since she attempted a look of stern disapproval at his glance over his shoulder. The laughter shining in her eyes gave her away.

“Tsk, tsk, Riorden. We haven’t even begun yet, and already you’re not playing fair,” she said in a feigned show of being put out. “Now, be good, and let me have my wicked way with you.”

“Is this that Karma you spoke of, my sweet?”

Her tinkling laughter rang out in the room, sending chills of pleasure skimming down his spine. “Most assuredly, my lord,” she declared brightly, echoing his words but moments afore. “Close your eyes.”

He obeyed her and felt her wrap the silken cloth around his eyes. She quietly asked him to raise his arms. He lifted them obediently and his tunic was removed from his torso. Her hands lightly skimmed across the breadth of his shoulders, sending goose bumps racing along his flesh. The bed dipped, and he knew she left his side to come stand between his legs. Her hair tickled as she leaned up against him to whisper in his ear.

“I’ve heard it said that your senses are heightened when you can’t see what’s going on.”

He wondered what she would do next, but did not have long to wait afore he felt her brush the petals of the flower up and down his chest. She soon replaced it with her hair, and the tresses were like the touch of the softest butterfly’s wings as they kissed their way lower on his body.

“Is it true?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“You do not know?”

“No.” ’Twas a simple statement.

“Then you have never done this to another?” he asked quietly, hoping she had never had such an intimate experience with someone else, like they were about to share.

Her lips brushed against his, and he felt as if his soul took flight. “Only for you...”

Far into the night she made love to him until she at last allowed him to regain his sense of sight. He returned the favor by punishing her just as sweetly ’til they were both exhausted. Never in his wildest imagination would he have thought a woman, let alone his wife, would instigate such a dramatic and sensitive game in the bed chamber. He looked forward to whatever she would come up with next, since she continued to be full of wonderful surprises. His last conscious thought afore he fell fast asleep was to thank the stars above for sending him such a miracle as his Katherine. He could not have asked for a better wife to share his life.

K
atherine felt
the
slightest tug
on her hair while Brianna wove a pretty yellow ribbon through her blondish-brown locks. Her sister of her heart was a marvel at such things as making ones hair look nice without even trying. She wished Riorden had let her keep her pocket mirror, but he had thought it might fall into the wrong hands. She took the metal one he had given her, but her image was distorted and only made her grimace when she tried to make out her reflection. She gave a big sigh. She knew her hair must look wonderful from the kiss Brianna gave her on her cheek.

“All done, Katie,” she said joyfully. “I know he’ll just love it.”

Katherine gave her hair a final pat. Reaching up, she could feel how Brie had braided some of her hair to form a crown of sorts, leaving the rest of her mane to fall loosely down her back in a lovely cascade of waves. She moved her head back and forth and felt its length sway right alongside her.

“Do you truly think so,” Katherine asked breathlessly. She had dressed carefully for the evening meal, hoping to keep her husband’s notice focused more on his wife than his father’s widow, who constantly begged to be the center of attention. Even Aiden, Nathaniel, and Ulrick were aware of that woman’s ploys, as they tried to stay clear of Marguerite whenever humanly possible. Her hands subconsciously smoothed the soft silk fabric of the yellow and earth toned gown, hoping against hope Riorden would approve of her choice this evening. She had chosen this gown in particular, since she had dressed to please him.

“Well, of course he will, silly! Besides, the color becomes you Katie and looks marvelous on you.”

Katherine blushed at the flattery and linked her arm through Brianna’s. “Have I mentioned lately just how good you are for my ego?”

Brianna laughed. “Just about every day, sissy!”

Katherine gave one last look about the chamber and noticed everything was in order and put away. Riorden, she had learned, liked everything to be in place, so she tried her best to pick up after herself. They left, closing the heavy wooden door behind them. Their soft shoes silently marked their way down the passageway until they made the short trek down a flight of stairs and entered the Great Hall. A miraculous change had overcome the hall in the past month, and she stood with pleasure, taking in the sight of it.

She never thought they would get it clean enough to suit Riorden’s determination to put his hall in order. She now understood how he had performed as Captain of the Guard under Dristan’s domain. Nothing went unnoticed by his eagle eyes as he went about inspecting every crevice that might hold any leftover refuse he did not care to step in. Everyone scurried to do his bidding, just to please him.

She had defied him only once during the cleaning process when she thought he was preoccupied elsewhere on the estate. At the time she had just wanted to be of some use instead of lounging around while everyone else was scrubbing away the grime of the keep. She had been standing on a chair, busily dusting the cobwebs from one of the wall sconces, when she had been suddenly scooped up into Riorden’s strong arms. He hadn’t been pleased to find her thusly and had set her near the hearth with needle and thread to do a bit of mending. With an order to stay put, he had kissed her soundly then promptly had ordered a serf to take up where his wife had left off.

Katherine smiled with the memory of how she had looked at the foreign object in her hand, wondering where to start. Sewing was something that had always escaped her, and she would have rather cleaned a toilet then sew a button that had fallen off one of her blouses. She couldn’t say she hadn’t given it a try, though she had failed miserably. Starting over several times had not improved her efforts and when she caught Riorden staring at her with a smirk of satisfaction plastered on his handsome face, she knew he had given her this task purposely. She had given a merry laugh then had blown him a kiss.

Bringing herself back to the present, she took a seat next to the hearth. It had almost become a place she could call her own. Trying to find a moment’s privacy anywhere besides their bedchamber was a chore with so many serfs milling about, either performing their duties, or asking how they could serve her. She welcomed the silence that descended in the hall, uncommon to be sure, but welcome all the same.

She heard Brianna saying she was going to check on her horse in the stable. Katherine waved her off and began staring off into the flames of the fire at her feet. The fireplace was a work of wonder with engraved figures of a lion’s head placed in both corners and looping vines of ivy making their way to the center piece. Another masterful work of art portrayed the face of a man who wore the head of a lion, almost like a cape of sorts. It was truly magnificent, and if she were to guess, she imagined the figure was of a relative of Riorden’s. Someone had been very talented to have carved something so detailed out of solid stone.

A shriek rent the air, and Katherine gave another heavy sigh, knowing Marguerite must have attempted to leave her chamber. At least she had the peace of mind that whatever, or whoever, continued to haunt the woman’s mind was doing a fine job making sure she rarely left her room. To be honest, she was glad her time was limited in Marguerite’s company. That woman gave her the creeps, truth be told, with her crazed eyes. There was no way on God’s green earth she would ever desire to be in Marguerite’s place with whatever demon’s plagued her. She must have done something very dreadful indeed to have a ghost haunt her from the afterworld.

She almost laughed aloud with the thought of ghosts. If someone had asked her, even a year ago, if she believed in them, she would have thought they were making a joke. But seeing as she had already lived the experience herself and had been thrown threw a time gate to find the love of her life, what was there not to believe?

Almost as if she wished it, she blinked her eyes several times to ensure she was really seeing what she was seeing. Was it a vapor, or just her overly active imagination, since it appeared as if smoke was beginning to take shape before her eyes? Maybe she was asleep and dreaming the whole thing. But no, she was awake, and she felt goose bumps race up her spine as the unmistakable form of a middle aged man came to at last stand in front of her. She rubbed at her eyes on the off chance she was really dreaming she was awake, or if maybe someone had snuck up on her. Yet she just had the strangest feeling that another ghost had come to pay her a visit. Sunlight from one of the upper windows almost made him sparkle as its glowing rays went through his transparent form that became more and more solid by the second.

Katherine continued to keep her seat and waited while this ghostly apparition looked her up and down. His brows drew together when they lingered on her stomach, and she blushed, thinking he could see inside her to determine if she would birth Warkworth’s next heir. It did not take long for his perplexed expression to change to one of pure pleasure. At last he looked her right in the eye before performing a most courtly bow.

“Lady Katherine,” he voiced inside her head, “’tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She made to rise, but he lifted his hand to cease her motion. “Nay, there is no need.”

Katherine relaxed back into her chair and watched in amazement as he conjured up one of his own with a clap of his hands. There was no mistaking who now sat across from her, and she now knew where Riorden had received his striking good looks.

“My Lord Everard, the honor is mine. May I be so bold as to ask why you have appeared afore me?” she declared honestly, trying to remember to speak as though she belonged here and not eight hundred years in the future. He chuckled, more to himself, she thought, than for her benefit as he continued to stare at her. She began to wonder if he knew what was going on inside her head.

Everard sat back in his imaginary chair before he at last answered her question. “Thought it time I met my daughter-in-law. You have come a long way to be with my son.”

Her smile surely must have reached her eyes. “You do not know the half of it.”

He returned her grin with one of his own, leaning forward, as if sharing a deep dark secret with her. “Well, dear lady, as a matter of fact, I do. I suppose that comes with my current state of being. But please, you do not need to try and have your speech be anything other than from where you come from. ’Tis not as though I would give such information away. You are, after all, family.”

“You are too kind, my lord. I’m sorry we weren’t able to meet under different circumstances,” Katherine said sadly, reverting back to her modern day pattern of speech.

“Yes, under different situations would have indeed been more preferable and accommodating, but I fear Riorden would not have brought you afore me if I yet lived.”

“I’m sorry for the disagreement between the two of you,” Katherine answered. “However, I can’t in all honestly say I’m not pleased it was you who married Marguerite, and not Riorden, despite his feelings for her at one time. If not for you, I would never have had the chance to find him, since he would have already been married.”

“He was better off without her,” he muttered with frustration, “not that he ever gave me the chance to explain.”

“Sometimes, when your heart has been betrayed, it’s hard to see anything other than the hurt and anger that overtakes all else. It’s been my experience that even the voice of reason tends to take a back seat when your feelings have been crushed.”

“You have no reason to be jealous of her, my dear. Anyone can see how much my son cares for you,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. He stood, and his chair disappeared with his standing. “She poisoned me, by the way.”

“
What
?” Katherine exclaimed, rising shakily from her own chair that wobbled in place until she reached out a hand to steady it.

“’Tis nasty business, poison. ’Tis easily hidden in food and wine. One day you are fine in the prime of your life, and the next thing you know, you are slumped over dead at your evening meal,” he murmured in disgust. He must have noticed her frightened expression, since he began shaking his head. “My apologies. ’Twas not my intent to frighten you but only to warn you to beware of her. She is not to be trusted.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“See that you do.”

Katherine heard the keep door shut and from her peripheral vision, she saw Riorden had entered, along with several others who followed behind him. She took another look at his father who began to disappear again.

Lord Everard gave her another cocky smile of encouragement, so reminiscent of his son, she returned it with ease while he bowed to her again. “I should be on my way. I must needs go make my wife’s life as miserable as possible whenever I get the chance. ’Tis one of the few pleasures I allow myself.”

Katherine dropped down into a deep curtsey. “It’s been a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord de Deveraux. I hope we shall see you again soon,” she murmured politely.

She watched him turn to stare at his eldest son, and her breath left her when she saw so much regret visible in his eyes. He turned once more to face her. “As do I, Lady Katherine,” he said in sorrow, and, in the instant of a heartbeat, he disappeared from her view in a wispy, vague bit of smoke intermingled with the haze of the hall. He disappeared so quickly, she almost wondered if she had really seen him at all.