Lonely is the Knight (Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Book 3) (18 page)

Henry dispatched a messenger to the bishop to inform him of the good news. “Make haste, man. The bishop will surely want to send his blessing to the new lady of Ravenskirk.”

He smirked as the messenger rode out. And continued to smirk as the man rode across the bridge and out of sight.

The swordsmith hastily jumped up. “My lord, how may I be of service?”

“I would like to give my lady two daggers as a wedding gift.” Henry opened the pouch at his waist, pulling out two stones, which he handed to the man. Fulbert was a bear of a man and kin to his brother Edward’s blacksmith.

Fulbert examined the stones. “The amethyst and sapphire are a good size for the hilts. Was there anything in particular you wanted on the hilt and blade?”

“Flowers and vines carved on the hilt around the stone. On the blade with the amethyst, the word
Om
seven times and then the words
The sound of the universe smiling
.”
 

The man looked dubious but nodded. “And the sapphire?”

“The same carvings and the words
The soul is here for its own joy
.”
 

Fulbert grunted. “’Tis a lovely saying.” The man scratched his beard. “Boots.”

“Boots?”

“Aye. The lady can keep her daggers in the boots. Much easier than reaching through her skirts or in a belt at her waist.”

Henry nodded. He would have a new pair of boots made for her. He clapped the man on the back. “I thank ye.”

It was time Henry took Charlotte to Falconburg and then on to Blackford. The sickness was abating, and it would soon be safe to travel. If they found no answers, he would take her to each of his brothers’ castles. He wanted them to meet his new wife. And to aid her in finding her sisters. Charlotte would be pleased. Henry was happier than he had been in a long time. As he strode across the courtyard, his captain ran up to him. The look on his face wiped away Henry’s high spirits.

“We are under siege.”

“Bloody hell. Get everyone inside. Dismantle the bridge and close the gates.”
 

“’Tis already underway.”

Where was Charlotte? He had to find her. Ensure her safety. She liked to leave the castle and forage for wildflowers. As if in answer to his unasked question, Royce placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder.

“Do not fear; your lady is safe. She is in the kitchen going over the contents of the larder and storerooms with Mrs. Benton.”

“How did this happen with no warning? Who was on duty?”

“The three men watching the north and west should have sounded the alarm. They are now missing. In league with Timothy.”

Henry swore.

The castle was under siege. Henry assured her this had never happened before. They would be trapped on what amounted to an island. Charlotte forced herself to stop, stand still, and practice breathing. There wasn’t time for a panic attack. Wasn’t time to fall to pieces. She must do whatever she could to help. Not only because anyone would, but because she was now the lady of the castle and was expected to do so.

 
She’d been outside the castle walls looking at land to plan an orchard and another garden when Liam threw her on the back of a horse and rode like hell for the castle.
 

That was when she spotted the army of men coming out of the woods. It looked like rush hour in the Tokyo subway, or an anthill knocked over. She’d never dreamt her heart could beat so fast or so loud. Charlotte was wild with fear, panting for breath and seeing spots by the time they thundered across the bridge.

“Thank goodness the villagers are already here.” She tugged on Liam’s tunic. “What about the people outside the walls?”

“They are here, lady. And look, the rest come.”

She watched men, women, and children running for the safety of the castle. No sooner had the people crossed the bridge than men set to work dismantling the thing. Would they get it done before their attackers reached them?
 

“Come inside the castle, lady.”

“No, Liam. I want to see. When the portcullis slams shut, I’ll go in.”

He looked dubious, but turned to help the other garrison knights.

“Chester, I don’t see one of those big siege towers. That’s good, right?”

“The land is too uneven for such a tower. They will have the trebuchet.”

 
She gulped. It felt like she was in the middle of a movie. Except this was all too real. And now, along with Henry, she was responsible for the life of every person within the walls. If the village hadn’t been burnt to the ground, how many would still be out there? The castle was filled to capacity. Would they have enough food? Hadn’t she read somewhere that sieges could last years? Thank goodness they had the two wells within the castle walls so there would be clean drinking water.

 
The bridge dismantled, the gate slammed down just in time. There were so many men out there. Charlotte was totally out of her depth.

“Open the damn gates, Henry. By rights, Ravenskirk belongs to me. Your father stole it and I will take it back.”

Henry stood on the battlements looking down on his enemy. “Fight me. The winner takes Ravenskirk.”

“You cheat. In every tourney you cheated. I am the better warrior. I have no need to fight you or steal another man’s wife,” the man blustered.

“Hallsey, you are weak. I bested you as my sire bested your sire. Leave my lands now and I won’t run you through.”

“I will starve you out. Then I will kill anyone left alive within the walls and let the crows feast on your bones.”

An archer let loose an arrow. Hallsey jumped back, his face mottled with rage. “You will die by my sword, Thornton swine.”

Henry threw back his head and laughed. “Come and get me, you great bloody whoreson.”

In the kitchens, Charlotte talked with Mrs. Benton as they went over the foodstuffs.

“Do not fear, lady. We have enough.”

“Even with all the extra villagers?”

“We will have enough.”

Charlotte thought she looked worried. Didn’t it figure? She wanted to stamp her foot and throw a tantrum like the cute little girl who’d lived down the street from her back in Holden Beach.

Every time she thought it would be the right time to finally come clean and tell Henry she was from the future, to tell him the whole story, something happened. When she woke this morning, she’d decided today was the day. Now they’d cleared the air, she didn’t want such a big secret between them.

He was her husband even though he’d only married her to save her. She was still his wife, stuck in medieval England. And since her sisters had never come back to the future, Charlotte had to assume she was here permanently. So she would make the best of the situation. And, truth be told, it could be worse. He could’ve been an old, bald, mean man. Instead she’d gotten the movie star guy.
Let’s just hope he lives up to the hype
, said the voice in her head.

Charlotte wandered aimlessly around Henry’s room. Although she had to start thinking of it as their room. All her things had been moved into his chamber. It was large and spacious and smelled of him. The smell of outdoors and sunshine, with a hint of leather.

He pulled her down onto his lap in front of the fire. Out the window, she could see the enemy fires blazing, reflected in the water outside.

“Charlotte Thornton, my lovely wife, I know we will be happy together.” He reached into the pouch at his waist and drew something out that sparkled in the candlelight.

“Hold out your arm.” It was a bracelet, and as he fastened it around her wrist she felt the room start to spin. She knew the bracelet well. It was an amethyst bracelet set in gold. The gold carved with leaves and flowers. The amethysts rounded and polished, gleaming darkly.

Her vision started to tunnel in as the room receded, everything focusing inward to a tiny pinpoint, until the only thing in her line of sight was the sparkle of gold and amethysts. As if from faraway, Charlotte heard Henry talking to her but couldn’t make out the words.

Was it happening? No! She couldn’t go back. Not yet. She hadn’t found her sisters. Seeing the bracelet on her wrist, the one she’d bought in the shop in London, in 2016 London, made her feel as if her world were about to implode.

There wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. Charlotte desperately gulped in air, trying to force breath into her lungs. She wasn’t going back to her own time. She was dying.
Please don’t let me die. Not yet. I have to find Lucy and Melinda first. I want a chance with Henry. I care deeply for him. Don’t let it end before it’s begun.

She came to slowly. Cracking open an eye, she found herself in bed, a cold cloth across her forehead. She felt like she’d been run over by a truck.

“You cried out and fainted.” Henry handed her a glass of wine. “Drink. You’ll feel better.”

“I’m sorry. It was a panic attack. I’ve gotten them on and off for years. I thought they’d gone away until everything happened with my sisters and I came…here.”

“Panic attack?”

“It’s hard to explain. It's like you feel as if you're going to die. Like you can't breathe.” She drank a little more of the wine and sat up, swaying. He steadied her.

“I won’t let you fall.”

“When I was eighteen, a boy I liked took me on a boat. It turned out he wasn’t very nice, and I spent the night hiding in a tiny closet while he searched for me. I should have known better. There was a terrible storm and it brought back memories of the night my parents died. They were killed in a boating accident when I was little.

“The guy left me on the boat. I was found two days later. He knew I was in the closet, and locked the door so I couldn’t get out. My aunt said I didn’t speak for a month. And after that, whenever something would upset me or scare me, I would have one of these attacks.”

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, stroking her hair and mumbling words into her ear. Gently he pulled out each pin, letting her hair tumble free. He combed it with his fingers, listening to her talk. He didn’t say a word. He just waited.

“That was almost five years ago. Sometimes it will be months before I have another attack.”