Medieval Wolfe Boxed Set: A De Wolfe Connected World Collection of Victorian and Medieval Tales

by Alexa Aston

  “Why did you bring her to our house?” Apollo’s father.

  “We’re thrilled you own land. But is the cost worth it?” Cesla.

  “We don’t want to learn English for her.” Artemis.

  Each comment stabbed her, but she kept her expression calm. How dare they look down their noses at her. She’d never felt so small. So insulted.

  Fair enough. Her husband’s family wouldn’t accept her and she couldn’t accept them.

  The air in Apollo’s home was frosty as the nights in the ravine. But Apollo looked more furious than she’d yet seen him.

  This was the last thing they needed.

  His family’s outright rudeness toward his wife stunned Apollo, and he fought the urge to recoil from the hostility on their faces. Not that he’d expected them to welcome her with open arms. Their countries were at war, but he’d thought them, as scholars, enlightened enough not to judge her before talking to her. Their ignorance saddened and hurt him.

  If his family reacted this way, how would their neighbors?

  He put his arm around Aline and drew her into the circle. She’d cast her eyes down, so he couldn’t tell if they’d hurt her or made her cry.

  “Not another word,” he ordered. “Aline is a de Norville now. True, we might not have chosen each other, and both of us would have preferred to marry someone from our own country. But we are bound in the eyes of God and man. And if you want to see me again or any children we might have, you’ll sing a different song.”

  Aline’s head snapped up.

  Though his ultimatum took him aback, the gratitude in her gaze made standing up to his father worth it. Never before had he done so. He’d never needed to.

  “We will not apologize for our views,” his father said in Norman French. “But we will endeavor not to share them with your wife,” he added in halting English.

  A tiny effort, but preferable to none.

  Aline hadn’t complained, but he could see by her slightly slumped shoulders and the obvious effort it took for her to stand tall that she needed rest. He didn’t want her in this hostile setting. To be honest, he didn’t want to stay with his family, either. More important was providing the best possible milieu for his new family. For Aline.

  The urge to be alone with her in their own bed in their own chamber hit him hard. “I think it’s best we continue on rather than spend the night here.”

  His family had the grace to look disappointed. Aline perked up a bit.

  “I hope our next meeting is on better terms,” he said.

  When they were outside, she burst into tears. Taking her into his arms didn’t calm her. “This will never work. They hate me. Maybe we should live apart. I can go to England. Neither of us could legally remarry, but you didn’t want to wed in the first place. I think I’d rather forgo children, forgo being a mother, than know I’ve separated you from your family. That was not my intent as you know, but the result is what it is.”

  “I’m so sorry they were rude. I wouldn’t have brought you there if I’d thought they’d react so inhospitably. Perhaps I didn’t think it through enough. If they insult you, they insult me. I hope in time their views will change.”

  They mounted and continued on.

  Apollo had been reasonable and seemed willing to consider her wishes. But in the end, she had to follow where he went. Do as she was told. By law and religion, he had the authority. And, at least for now, the money. If she didn’t accept that, she’d be miserable. How she missed the happy feelings of her childhood, when she had so few worries and all seemed possible.

  She took a deep breath of late afternoon air as the horses made their way down the road. “You’d said I was right, but I think you were. The best thing I can choose is to do as you once suggested: make the best of my new life.”

  Count her blessings rather than dwell on all she’d lost or had wanted but didn’t and couldn’t have. Fresh tears came to her eyes at the thought of letting go of all she’d been and had hoped. She was a different woman now. A baron’s wife. A lady in her own right. A citizen of France? In any case, stronger than the sheltered English Aline.

  As night fell, they stopped in front of a sizeable wood manor house. Behind it she could see a barn and fields dotted with snow. Her life was changing again. After the ravine and the hut, having an actual home of her own, with at least one hearth if not more, was such a relief. She had changed if a fire was the first thing she thought of and was excited about, instead of how many servants or gowns she’d have.

  The king could take it away as easily as he’d granted it…. She’d try not to dwell on that.

  Hand in hand, they greeted the handful of polite servants who seemed grateful to meet their new lord, promised to bring some food shortly and left them to tour the spacious hall, kitchen, solar and chamber with what looked to be a well-appointed bed. Everything was clean and in good repair. Not as fine as she might have had as an English earl’s daughter, but better than she’d expected.

  Though they had much work to do to settle in, she wanted to be alone with Apollo more than anything.

  Why was that suddenly her most fervent wish? Though he was her husband, her parents would want her loyalties to remain with England alone. What they thought didn’t matter anymore, though the commandments ordered her to honor them.

  They stood at the side of the bed, looking out the arched window onto now barren wheat fields. Their fields.

  “All we’ve been through has taught me that what matters most is who you’re with and who cares about you the most. Now I want to learn more about my new country, our new lands, and see I can find about them to like,” she said. “Maybe even love, as I do the wine. And think I do you.”

  “What?”

  “I admit I’m surprised to have such deep feelings for you so quickly, especially given the circumstances of our meeting. But you’ve been my hero in more ways than one, and I’m looking forward to building a life together.”

  He smiled. “I’m so glad to hear you say that, Aline. Whether you came from an opponent’s land or not, I can’t imagine wanting to be with anyone else as much as I do you. Meeting you at, say, a dance, would have been far more pleasant and courtly, but I think we already know things about each other and how to handle difficult moments together that most couples take years to figure out.”

  “Maybe we’ll appreciate each other more.”

  He took her in his arms and smoothed her windblown hair from her face. And kissed her. Aline rejoiced when he deepened the kiss. Would she ever have her fill of him, his taste, his hard body against hers? The way he touched her, arousing all of her senses?

  She took his hand to lead him to their bed, eager for more, but he stopped her.

  “Aline, my lovely wife, I have an idea. What if we get a second home, in England? Wherever you choose.”

  She clapped her hands in joy. His generosity and willingness to make her wishes come true made her care for him all the more. Now that she had him and their home, maybe she wouldn’t need to retreat into her mind as often, or at all, to feel happy. “That would be wonderful.”

  “We could compromise, and live six months in each country.”

  “Yes! Like Persephone. After Hades kidnapped her because he loved her, her mother Demeter was so upset that she prevented crops from growing, resulting in famine. Since Hades had convinced Persephone to eat pomegranate seeds, she had to stay with him. So Rhea, Hades’ and Demeter’s mother, proposed that Persephone live six months in the Underworld and six at home—”

  Apollo laughed. “Yes, that’s one version. Though their plan had much greater impact on the world than ours will. When Persephone returned to Olympus, Demeter restored spring and summer, and thus the Earth’s ability to provide crops, plants and trees.”

  He had given, now she would. “You’ve mentioned your favorite regions in your country.” She paused. “I want to visit them. Together.”

  “When we can amidst our new duties, I’d like that.” He smiled a
gain.

  She was in deep. Apparently she’d do or say almost anything to make him smile. Even speak more Norman French. Because her children could never know how much she’d once hated their homeland or their language. “But before we do, I want to explore my favorite regions. Right here.”

  “I’d like that even more.” Apollo took her in his arms and kissed her again.

  Aline sighed with joy as she kissed him back. Her enemy had become her love.

  She was home.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  “I have some news. I’ve suspected for weeks, but I didn’t want to share it until I was certain.” Aline’s sweet and now beloved face glowed with joy as they sat in their solar. “I’m with child.”

  Apollo rejoiced and jumped to his feet. He’d never realized how much he wanted a family until he met the woman he wanted to have it with. His wife would soon be a mother and make him a father.

  When she stood, he kissed her. Pride was a sin, but he couldn’t contain it. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the land. Both lands. France and England. Nay, the world.”

  “I confess, I’m happy, too. I never thought I could be grateful for being in the ravine, but it brought me you,” Aline said with a laugh. “I’ll always pray for those whom fate was not so kind, and for the end to war.”

  “I fear war will always exist in some part of the world.”

  “Well, I hope we can stay far away from it for the rest of our lives.” She rested her hands on her stomach, which he couldn’t wait to watch expand. “And for our children’s. We’ll do our best to raise them to be more understanding than we were when first we met, but that won’t make it easier with others who aren’t.

  “We should follow your parents’ naming tradition. If we have a son, we’ll name him Paris, after your father. Maybe that will be one way to encourage him to like me more.”

  Apollo just never knew in what ways she’d please him. He hugged her. “What a wonderful idea. My mother would love that, too. And if we have a daughter, to represent our agreement to live half the year in France and the other half in England, perhaps we’ll name her Persephone.”

  Other books by Ruth Kaufman

  Wars of the Roses Brides Trilogy

  AT HIS COMMAND Book 1

  What’s a lady to do when the king commands her to marry a lord, but she’s falling for the knight sent to protect her from undesirable suitors and is a scribe for the king’s rival for the throne?

  “A wonderful debut sure to please lovers of romance!”

  —NYT & USA Today bestselling author Madeline Hunter

  “With a bold knight and a strong-willed lady, Kaufman’s story is positively medieval.”

  —NYT & USA Today bestselling author Tracy Anne Warren

  “If a book lingers in my mind for more than two weeks, then I say the author has certainly deserved to be put on my keeper shelf.”

  —Bookworm2bookworm

  FOLLOW YOUR HEART Book 2

  She’s a glass-painter making her way in a man’s world. He’s on a quest to redeem his family name and estate. When unforeseen passion makes their marriage of convenience inconvenient, will his dangerous secrets keep them from following their hearts?

  Must-read romance: “Kaufman can certainly write an entertaining suspenseful romance and brings us a happy sigh-worthy story in Follow Your Heart.”

  —USATODAY.com

  “Kaufman’s strong second romance… appealing protagonists… maintaining suspense and building the reader’s hope that Joanna and Adrian’s mutual respect will grow into love.”

  —Publishers Weekly BookLife

  “As the story unfolds, it will suck you in… fantastic!!!”

  —5-Star Amazon Review

  THE BRIDE TOURNAMENT Book 3

  The Gone with the Wind love triangle meets The Bachelor. The king wants her to marry the new earl, but she wants to marry her betrothed. So she holds a bride tournament to find the earl a better, more willing bride. Who will win his hand in marriage…and his love?

  “Kaufman writes well-developed and sympathetic characters with clear motivations. The Bride Tournament is a page-turner of a historical romance that will have readers rooting for a happy ending.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Appealing protagonists, a satisfying pace, engaging supporting characters, and numerous obstacles to overcome combine in this emotionally satisfying romance.”

  —Publishers Weekly BookLife

  “Do you like historical romances that are full of twists and turns? This is the book for you if you do.”

  —5-Star Amazon Review

  MY ONCE & FUTURE LOVE (Unsung Knights of the Round Table #1)

  When a lady on the run from her scheming uncle aids a wounded Knight of the Round Table, peril thwarts the power of love.

  “A fantastic blend of romance and Arthurian legend.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  Kaufman “created a magical world that kept me glued to the pages.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  MY LIFE AS AN EXTRA

  After an unexpected divorce at forty-one, Chicagoan Marla Goldberg yearns to be a working actress as she dips her toes into the daunting dating pool and struggles to learn how to feel special when you’re not the star.

  “In fact, most of My Life as an Extra cracked me up. Choking hazard! Eat first and carve out some time for reading.”

  —Roses & Thorns Reviews, 5-star Amazon review

  MY LIFE AS A STAR

  Chicagoan Marla Goldberg learns be careful what you wish for when her acting career and feelings for hot, famous director Scott Sampson suddenly skyrocket.

  Author’s Note

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for taking the time to read My Enemy, My Love. I want to thank Kathryn Le Veque for inviting me to write in her world and assigning me to tell Sir Paris de Norville’s parents’ story. I hope you enjoyed reading about Aline and Apollo as much I as enjoyed writing about how they met and fell in love. If you’re so inclined, I’d really appreciate a review.

  Aline’s story is loosely based on an actual event: a seven-month siege led by King Philip II at Château Gaillard that ended in March, 1204. Hundreds of people were actually trapped between the chateau and the French camp and were called “useless mouths to feed.” Many did die. I don’t know if anyone was rescued in the way I’ve described.

  I took some literary liberties to further the story. For example, the real chateau commander was too young to be Aline’s father. And I shortened the timeline of the siege and battles, and left out some gruesome details. And I chose to modernize the language a bit and use words that probably weren’t in use in 1204 to make the novella easier to read. I hope you’ll accept the slightly more modern flavor.

  If you’d like to be notified about future books, important news and any contests or giveaways, please sign up for my newsletter at www.ruthkaufman.com, where you can also learn more about me and my books. Additional information is on my Amazon author page and Goodreads page. And if you’d like to join me online, I’m on Facebook at Ruth Kaufman Author & Actor and Twitter @RuthKaufman.

  About the Author

  Ruth Kaufman is also an on-camera and voiceover actor and freelance editor and speaker with a J.D. and a Master’s in Radio/TV. She loves living in Chicago and going to the theatre.

  Her other books include humorous novels My Life as an Extra and My Life as a Star and her Wars of the Roses Brides trilogy, which can be read in order or as standalones (At His Command, Follow Your Heart, The Bride Tournament). Accolades include 2016 Booksellers’ Best Award winner for Best First Book and Best Historical for At His Command and Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® winner.

  She’s appeared in independent feature films, short films, web series and national and local TV commercials, and has voiced hundreds of projects from e-learning courses to commercials.

  Learn more at www.ruthkaufman.com and www.ruthtalks.com. Follow her on T
witter: @RuthKaufman or Facebook: Ruth Kaufman Author & Actor.

  The Lone Wolfe’s Lass

  Mia Pride

  Dedication

  For my readers, my family, and my friends! All of you lift me up every day and keep me going!

  Prologue

  Ériu (Ireland) 57 AD

  “Keegan Mac Carthaigh! Untie me this instant!” Brianna shouted as she stomped her leather slippers with all her strength. Against the soggy forest floor, all she accomplished was covering her newest slippers in a layer of mud and displacing a few wet leaves. She struggled against her binds but, as usual, they were quite secure. “I will never play this game with you ever again!”

  “You know what you must do to be released, Brianna,” Keegan said with a smug grin as he leaned into her face. She could see the gold specks in his hazel eyes as he slowly drew even closer.

  “I shall not do it.”

  “Then you shall stay bound to a tree.” He shrugged and spun away from her, as if to leave her stranded.

  She shrieked and struggled unsuccessfully. “Do not dare to leave me here! The Wolf will be here soon and he will beat you to a pulp if he sees you have not released me!”

  With a snort, Keegan turned back to look at her, his dark blond hair becoming a light brown as the rain from above began to splatter on his head. She was relatively protected from the rain with the towering oak rising so high above her head, blocking out the entire view of the cloudy sky above. Still, she would prefer a little rain to being bound. This game was nothing new. They played it quite frequently, in fact. She would play the role of the lass in distress, having been stolen from her home, and Keegan often times was the one to tie her up and play the villain. At times, he would be her rescuer while the Wolf Brothers played the villain. But on this particular day, the Wolf Brothers were to be her protectors… and yet, they were late.