Amiria reached over to pat his hand in what appeared as a gesture to soothe his rising temper. “The men respect you, my lord, without your mighty reputation,” she said, afore looking around her husband to stare at Jade. “You have nothing to fear from him. Besides, our story has one of those… what did Lady Katherine call them?” she asked Dristan.
“Happily ever after, endings,” he growled out, “or some such lovesick nonsense.”
Amiria gave him a none too gentle swat afore scowling at him. “Aye, happily ever after lest he does not behave himself and I take him to task for being overbearing.”
The couple returned to a private conversation between themselves, giving Thomas leave to return his attention to the lady at his side. “The food grows cold. Let us eat, then enjoy what we can of the remainder of the eve.”
He took her hand again to place a kiss upon her fingertips afore returning to dine from their trencher. They conversed throughout the meal as though they were long-lost friends. Her sweet laughter rang out, and he could not remember an occasion when he had last felt so content. The more they spoke, the more interested he became in learning all there was to know of this mysterious lady who had crossed time for him.
The night passed all too quickly as far as Thomas was concerned, and afore long, Lord Dristan and Lady Amiria were escorting Jade from the hall. He watched when she turned one last time to wave at him afore she disappeared up the turret stairs.
He frowned, not because of her inevitable departure, but because he was not the only man who watched her leave. Nay, he was not pleased when he noticed Gaillard observing her with lust-filled eyes. Thomas’s fists clenched at his side knowing the knight needed watching, especially where the lovely Lady Jade was concerned.
Chapter 10
Jade listened to those assembled in the chapel. They all voiced a reverent amen. Earlier, she shouldn’t have been surprised when she was ushered to sit in the row of benches reserved for the lord and lady of Berwyck’s family. She could only be made to feel that she was in a place of honor. Yet all this gallantry and my lady business took some getting used to. At least she had seen enough movies or read enough romance novels to understand the fundamentals of twelfth-century living. But will it be enough to pass among them for any length of time? Maybe, the questions she should ask herself were how in the world was she going to get herself home, or did she wish to stay?
She had been thankful when Thomas had been allowed to sit next to her, and he seemed happy to also have her near. It wasn’t as though she had never been in a church before. No, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was she couldn’t understand a word the priest was saying. The entire Mass had been said in Latin. She tried not to think about the fact that this was a daily ritual with the people of this time. She was unsure how she would survive what she would consider an ordeal.
Sitting on the bench or kneeling on the cold stone floor for what seemed like hours had taken a toll on her body, and Jade was slow to rise. Her knees wobbled, and Thomas was quick to rush to her aid. His arm snaked securely around her waist, leaving Jade no choice but to take hold of his tunic for additional support.
Green eyes met blue-gray as air rushed into her lungs when she came into contact with his extremely muscular chest. The sound of someone clearing his throat had them turning their attention to the priest. Father Donovan wasn’t pleased, and they quickly drew apart with a hasty apology.
Thomas began escorting Jade from the chapel but turned to pull up the hood of her cloak before opening the door. The air was crisp as a blast of wind snapped at her face. The newly fallen snow sparkled like diamonds but was also blinding, causing Jade to shield her eyes. She stood amazed at the view. The castle keep towered at least four stories high, and she could hear the sound of the ocean in the distance. She really had traveled through time because there was no way this was San Francisco!
“This is a lot to take in,” she said quietly to Thomas, who took her about the waist and gently guided her over an icy patch on the ground.
“You are handling this whole experience well, Jade,” he replied. “You do not mind that I call you by your given name, do you?”
She gave a short laugh. “Actually, I prefer it. It’s certainly way more personal than all this my lady stuff, although a woman could get used to that if she’s not careful.”
Entering the keep, the delicious aroma of roasted meat caused Jade’s mouth to water. Apparently, she was hungrier than she thought. Watching in fascination, her eyes traveled to the numerous servants who scurried about with platters filled to capacity as the occupants of the hall began to enter. Once she was seated, she stared in wonder at the bounty before her, while Thomas heaped food onto their trencher until it almost overflowed.
“You must be really hungry,” she teased him.
“You are not?” he asked before he dismissed a servant and took over the task of pouring wine into her chalice.
“Well, I am, but there’s enough food here for several meals. I’m not used to eating so much meat.”
“We have been fasting for nigh unto a month.”
Advent, she thought, remembering Thomas’s earlier words. Before she could answer him, the sound of trumpets blared into the room. A huge platter was carried in with much ceremony.
Her eyes widened. “Is that a pig’s head?”
“Boar. ’Tis very good. You must needs try it.”
She gulped, looking at the charred thing set before Lord Dristan and his lady who appeared pleased with the offering before them. “I think, I’ll pass.”
He shrugged. “As you wish, but you must eat your fill. I will not have a lady in my care wasting away because she forgot to break her fast,” he said, pointing to the food before them as he began eating with the gusto of a starving man.
She picked at the food, finding most of the meat quite tasty. The vegetables were too overcooked for her liking, and she would have preferred a nice salad. Since that wasn’t an option set before her, she continued to nibble at the food until she was full. Still, Thomas consumed most of what was left on the trencher. Jade sipped her wine, finding it far more intoxicating than what she had previously tasted, or perhaps, it was the man next to her that made her feel lightheaded.
She watched the room in curiosity. Christmas was far more understated than what she was used to as she attempted to remind herself where she really was. There was no tree with bulbs or tinsel with presents underneath, waiting to be unwrapped or any other decorations she expected from modern times. No bright twinkling lights, no red poinsettias, just an everyday hall in the twelfth century without any form of commercialism. This is actually kind of refreshing, Jade thought when she realized how the true meaning of the holiday tended to get lost in her world.
“Is something wrong?” Thomas leaned over.
Her heart flipped at the heavenly scent coming from this gorgeous medieval knight. The hint of warm spices seemed to surround him, giving Jade goosebumps, and she did everything in her power not to put her face into his hair just so she could smell him to her heart’s content. Good Lord, what was this man unintentionally doing to her?
She took a deep breath in a shallow attempt to calm her nerves that became scattered in a good way whenever she was near Thomas.
“No, nothing is wrong. In fact, everything is so right, it scares me,” she stated.
One corner of his mouth turned up, and his eyes sparkled in delight. “Then you are pleased to be here,” he said, waiting for her answer before taking a sip from his chalice.
Pleased, yes. Scared out of my wits? Yes. Wanting to return home? Possibly, Jade pondered in confusion. But really, what was there for her to return to back in Michigan? A couple of friends but no one who would truly miss her. Certainly, there wasn’t any family waiting for her with open arms since she had been lost in the foster care system until she became an adult and had been forced to make her own way in the world.
“Jade—”
She shook her head from the memo
ries she’d rather leave buried in the past and returned her attention to the knight who now gazed upon her with worried eyes. “Sorry. What were you saying?”
“’Tis not of import,” Thomas replied, attempting to relax in his chair, but he was failing miserably.
A slight frown marred his features, and Jade had the sudden urge to see him smile instead. Just as swiftly as that thought popped into her head, another one entered her mind. He had spent far too many years burdened with the actions of his youth. The image of a young Thomas flinging the same ring now stuck on her finger off into the woods replayed inside her head. She wondered if what she thought was a mere hallucination from jet lag was actually true.
She placed her hand upon his arm, and her thumb rubbed the fabric of his tunic in a soothing motion.
“I think whatever you have on your mind is very important. Please tell me what you’re thinking,” she urged in a soft plea to hear the thoughts of this medieval man. She could almost hear the musings going on inside his head. He’s just as confused as I am with everything that is happening between us at such an alarming speed.
He took a deep breath and then another sip of his wine before placing the goblet back down upon the table. “I was asking if you are pleased to be here.”
In that moment, Jade knew she wanted to see where all this could go between them or even if it were possible for her to stay here in the past.
She took up his chalice and placed her lips to the spot where his mouth had just touched it. His eyes widened before a grin split his face.
She returned his smile. “Yes, Thomas. I believe I am…” Her words trailed off to be lost with the sounds of the busy hall.
If she had looked down upon her hand, she would have seen the ring giving off a low, golden glow.
Let their journey begin.
Chapter 11
Thomas led his stallion toward the stable even though his mind wandered to the incredible woman who walked across the inner bailey with Lady Amiria. His body could still feel the warmth of Jade’s whilst she had ridden behind him across the strand.
’Twas hard to believe only a fortnight ago, Jade had been but a dream to him, an imaginary figure haunting his mind since he had been but a lad of ten and four summers. Now, he had a difficult time coming to terms with her possibly returning back to her life in the future. He had been enjoying her company so much of late that he did not wish to see her leave. Ever. He gave a hefty sigh.
The weather had become unusually warm causing much of the snow to melt away. If Thomas had not known what time of the year it was, he would have sworn spring was in the air. Because of their good fortune, Lord Dristan had thought an afternoon excursion would be a nice diversion, and anything would have been better than spending time on the lists. Thomas had been pleased to see Jade and Lady Amiria were to join them, along with Kenna and her husband Geoffrey.
“He is thunderstruck, my lord.” Geoffrey chuckled, whilst assisting his lady down from her saddle. He then led his horse past Thomas. “Best get him inside with a mug of ale, or else he will be following your ward to declare his undying love.”
Thomas muttered beneath his breath. He cared not to be the jest of any conversation, let alone to be ridiculed by those he trained with on a daily basis.
“Let the matter rest, Geoffrey, lest you wish to continue this conversation in the lists,” he warned, whilst peering at the offensive knight.
Dristan pulled upon Thor’s reins to halt his mighty steed. “Another of my knights lost to the arms of a good woman,” he muttered. “Will I have anyone left to help defend my castle if this continues?”
Kenna pulled her cloak closer around her. “Ye should be ashamed tae be teasing Thomas,” she said, wagging her finger at them. “We will have speech, Thomas. I believe there are many questions I may be able tae answer for ye.”
Dristan called out to a lad who came and took Thomas’s horse. “Off you go then, Thomas. Heed Kenna’s words, for she is generally helpful to those who find themselves with one of those future ladies.”
Thomas watched his horse being led away afore extending his arm to Kenna. They made their way to the inner bailey and her hut. When he opened the door for Berwyck’s healer to enter, he inhaled the scent of herbs hanging on ropes from the ceiling. She crossed the room to stoke her fire and then collected various herbs that she crushed in a nearby pestle. She swung a metal pot over the fire and placed the herbs within, causing the room to fill with a pleasant fragrance.
“Sit,” she ordered and waited for him to take the chair next to her. “Ask me what ye wish tae know, and I will tell ye what I see.”
“I do not know where to begin,” he replied, casually looking around the small dwelling.
“At the beginning, of course. ’Tis where every tale begins, is this not so?” She took a ladle and scooped some of her concoction into a mug afore handing it to him. “Take a drink first afore ye start, but ye can forget about what happened with yer family afore ye came tae Berwyck.”
“You saw what happened? How I lost the relic of my ancestors?”
Kenna peered at him with her odd green eyes afore she placed her own mug down on a table. “’Tis not yer fault ye lost the ring, Thomas.”
He choked on his drink and began to cough. “Surely you jest, Kenna. I tossed the damn thing into the forest when I thought it was witchery that I saw Jade in her future world.”
She went about tsk-tsking afore patting his hand. “If ye had not tossed it, the ring would have disappeared anyway. Ye were not ready for its gift.”
“What gift? The ring was the reason my own father disowned me in the first place, forever keeping me from my family and birthright. ’Tis no gift!” he fumed, raking his hand through his hair with trembling fingers whilst he attempted to listen to what the woman afore him had to say.
“The ring’s gift isna that yer father lost his faith in ye.”
“Then what the hell is going on, and why does Jade have it?”
Kenna’s finger lingered upon her lips as though she debated on whether or not she should tell him the secret the ring held. “The true gift of the ring is tae bring those together who search for love.”
“’Tis impossible,” he huffed, even whilst a vague memory of his father’s voice whispered across his mind.
“Is it? Then how is it ye saw Jade when ye were but a lad and then also in yer dreams once ye were a man full-grown? Time may have kept ye apart, but the ring is what brought ye together.”
Thomas pondered her words with a frown. “She crossed time like those who came to Berwyck afore her. That is how she came to be here,” he stated, with a confidence he did not necessarily feel.
“Nay, she did not. ’Twas the ring, Thomas. Those who are truly worthy will find their true love, and once found, the ring shall disappear ’til its magic is needed yet again. There were those who found the ring over the centuries after ye lost it in yer youth. Some but touched it for a moment afore ’twas lost or disappeared. Others found a love worth risking everything they held dear just so they can be together. There will also be those who will find it yet again beyond what even I can see.”
He scowled, thinking of how ridiculous this whole situation had become. Far-fetched for certain but yet how else could he explain Jade’s ownership of his family’s ring?
“When I first saw the ring upon Jade’s finger, I tried to take it from her. It would not come off no matter how hard I pulled. Yet I have seen her twirling the loose band upon her finger. I do not understand why even she cannot seem to be rid of it.”
“Ye canna take what is not freely given, Thomas. Ye both must choose yer heart’s desire. Find love with each other or let Jade return tae her own place in time. ’Tis a decision ye both must willingly make and accept if ye wish tae be together, else ye risk tae lose far more than just the ring tae time.”
“You have given me much to ponder, Kenna. Mayhap, Jade will just stay here whether she possesses the ring or not,” he mused out loud. Who
is to say whether she stays here or returns? He kept this notion to himself.
Kenna swatted at his arm as though she heard his inner thoughts. “Ye are not listening tae me, ye daft man. Do ye care for Jade, or do ye only wish tae own the ring?”
Thomas stood and paced the confines of the healer’s small hut. “Of course, I care for the lady. We have spoken on many things and find we have a common accord, but we have never touched on the subject of the ring.”
“If ye care for her, then ye must tell her afore ’tis too late. Only once ye both profess yer love can ye have everything ye have wanted these many years, Thomas.”
His eyes widened. “You mean I could return home? I could take Jade with me and return to Lennox Castle with my honor restored?” he repeated, dumbstruck that he had not thought of this himself.
“If she gives ye the ring freely, anything is possible,” Kenna replied with a soft smile.
“My thanks, Kenna, for your words of wisdom,” Thomas said, afore he nodded and left the hut.
He began to cross the inner bailey, completely lost in thought, pondering how he would broach the subject of his feelings to a lady he had only known but a fortnight. Could love possibly find them in such a short amount of time? His words to Jade echoed in his mind, of finding his heart’s desire in but an instant.
Thomas knew his answer, and his smile broadened as he went to search for his beautiful lady, but nothing prepared him for the scream echoing from one of the upper floors of the keep. Terrified Jade was in need of his aid, he began to run as though their lives depended on him finding her.
Chapter 12
Jade swung the iron poker in front of her, brandishing it like a weapon. She was an idiot for sliding the bolt open to allow the person knocking free entrance to her room before asking who was on the other side. She had thought it was Thomas or Amiria and had nothing to worry about. Even back in her own time, she would have looked through the peephole before letting anyone enter. She was such an idiot, and now look what her carelessness had gotten her!
One Last Kiss: The Knights of Berwyck: A Quest Through Time, Book Five Page 6