James whispered in her ear, “Kill me now.”
“Whatever. Look at all the gold I saved you.”
“Your necklace. ’Twas valuable?”
Melinda limped out of the clearing, focusing on taking one small step after another. She panted, her knees and legs shaking. Hold it together. A little longer and you’ll be safe. They were almost out of the camp and to safety.
“The necklace belonged to my aunt. She died the day Lucy went missing. It was all I had left of her.”
“I am sorry. You should not give it up. Put me down. We will find another way.”
“No. Aunt Pittypat would think it exciting and romantic for Robin Hood to wear her necklace.”
James scoffed. “He is not Robin Hood.”
“Perhaps not. Think of what a great story we have to tell. Living in the woods with outlaws. Ransomed for a charmed talisman. Very romantic.”
Melinda swore she could feel James rolling his eyes.
“You read too many of these romance books you tell me about. I am grateful.”
She wanted to laugh but didn’t have any extra breath to spare. Renly and the other knights followed behind. At least, she thought it was them. She couldn’t risk looking back. Melinda was afraid she’d topple over if she didn’t keep going, one foot in front of the other. Breathe.
They were almost to the edge of the wood when John called out.
“You win, lady. ’Tis too late to travel. Stay with us tonight. You have my word: no harm will come to you, Lord Falconburg, or his men.”
Melinda let James down and stumbled. He caught her.
“Thank you. I think you’re made of solid steel.”
“Perhaps.”
She’d love to soak in a hot tub for about an hour.
James called out, “We accept your hospitality.”
John clapped his hands. “Let us feast, drink, and dance.”
Chapter Thirty
What a dolt. James should be rescuing Melinda. She should not be rescuing him. He knew his pride was bruised. James stomped over to the large bonfire.
Someone handed him a mug of ale. Music started playing and people began to dance.
Melinda was dancing with John. James should be glad it didn’t cost him any of his gold for his ransom. But he couldn’t seem to get over the fact a mere woman had saved him.
He was thinking dark thoughts when she came over, out of breath.
“Will you dance with me?”
He started to grumble. She held up a hand.
“Get over yourself. I didn’t pout when you saved me. And how dumb do you think I felt? I don’t even know which way is north.”
“I am a man. A warrior. A knight. It is my duty to rescue you,” he said stiffly.
The wench had the cheek to roll her eyes at him.
“Do you think the damsel in distress likes being in distress?” She poked him in the chest. “No. She doesn’t. She feels like an idiot.”
And that was all it took. His foul mood left on the wind and he smiled. With the light from the fire turning her hair to burnished copper, the curls looked alive. Her cheeks were pink from dancing. She was the most beautiful woman James had ever seen. He reached out, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her close to him, kissing her senseless. His unease vanished when her arms came around his neck and she kissed him back.
“I am in your debt. Do you still wish to dance, lady?”
She nodded and he pulled her into the ring of dancers. Here, he did not have to worry about his scars. And as the night turned to full dark, James felt like his old self. He laughed, danced, smiled, and kissed his woman. Repeatedly.
Melinda was his. He loved her with a passion that astonished him. He only prayed she would care enough for him to be willing to marry him. He didn’t expect her to love him, not the way he looked. If she would but tolerate him, it would be enough.
The next morning, they were ready to leave.
“I will talk with John, buy your necklace back.”
“No. He might make me give you back.”
She kissed him on the cheek. And it seemed the magic from the night before was still among them.
“I have never been rescued by a woman before. You are as brave as any of my knights.”
“I’ve never rescued anyone. It is a very powerful feeling.”
He followed her gaze. John walked around the camp, wearing the necklace.
“I know Aunt Pittypat is looking down from heaven, giggling. The thought of an infamous outlaw wearing her necklace, believing it to have magical powers. She must be laughing her head off right now.”
Renly appeared before him. “The horses are ready.”
They said their goodbyes. John kissed Melinda on the cheek.
“’Twas a pleasure to meet you, lady.”
She smiled up at the bandit.
“No offense, but I’m just as happy to be leaving.”
John laughed, the sound ringing through the wood as they rode out.
James didn’t know how he had forgotten to tell her. The kissing had distracted him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last night. The things John told me were difficult to hear. It seems I have been wrong my entire life.”
Melinda turned in her saddle to look at him.
“What are you talking about?”
“William did not murder my family. I will tell you the tale, but you’ll want to hear what else I learned.” He hoped Melinda would not want to stay with her sister in Blackford. For he wanted to make her his own.
“Lady Blackford is Lucy Merriweather.”
He didn’t get to say another word. Melinda let out a yell. Raised her fist to the air and shook it.
“I can’t believe I did it! I traveled through time to the right time and now I’ll see Lucy.”
She urged her horse close to his, leaned across the saddle, and tugged on his arm. He leaned toward her and she kissed him. James ignored the teasing and taunts from his men.
“Tell me everything.”
As they rode, James told her what he learned from John Thornton. Told her how wrong he was about William. The lies he grew up believing. And how her sister was at Blackford.
“Are you going to talk to William? Do you think he’ll listen?”
“I do not know. If it were me, I would fight first then talk.”
One of Melinda’s curls escaped from the ribbon where she’d tied her hair back. James wanted to reach out and take it between his hands. But he had endured enough teasing today from his men.
“If he is holding my sister against her will, I will run him through.”
James smiled at her, feeling the laugh deep within his belly as it spilled forth.
“He would be wise to fear you, my lady. You are very ferocious.”
Chapter Thirty-One
The closer they got to Blackford, the more Melinda’s nerves stretched tight until she thought she would snap back like a rubber band. Finally. She’d see her sister. Find out what happened. Every moment in the past, every experience, had brought her to this moment.
As they came around the bend of what passed for a road, Melinda let out a gasp. Blackford Castle. Last time she saw the castle, the entire place was a ruin. Now it stood in all its glory. Talk about impressive. Melinda cast a critical eye over the castle. Falconburg was bigger and more forbidding. Though Blackford certainly came in a close second.
Looking at the castle made her think of its owner. Could Lucy be here with William of her own free will? Melinda hadn’t thought that far ahead. She’d only thought of finding Lucy and going home.
But now things were different. She wanted to be with James. And James lived on the opposite coast. In her own time it wouldn’t be a big deal, she’d drive to see her sister, but here? It was a big undertaking to travel back and forth. All the Merriweather sisters made time for each other. They’d never been this far apart. Sure, Charlotte went on her trips, but it wasn’t permanent.
She looked at Ja
mes. He’d found out news that rocked his world, but it didn’t mean he’d be up for being friends with William.
What would she do? Would she stay in the past with Lucy? Go back to Falconburg with James? Or would she travel back to her own time and make sure Charlotte was okay?
So many decisions, and none of them easy.
The closer they rode to the castle, the more Melinda’s nerves pulled everything inside her tight. It was surreal to be here. Seeing the castle as a working home, not a ruin. The place in her time where her sister was presumed dead.
A man met them in the courtyard. James dismounted, throwing the reins to him.
“See to the horses. Where is Lord Blackford?”
“My lord is visiting his cousin and will return on the morrow. Lady Blackford is here. I will inform her of your arrival.”
Melinda fidgeted, her breath coming in short little pants. She couldn’t believe she was actually here. James squeezed her shoulder.
“Easy. Do not worry.”
The tone of his voice, the touch of his hand, calmed her enough that she could breathe normally. The doors to the great hall opened and a woman stepped out. Melinda couldn’t move.
The woman was about the right height, but even from here Melinda could see her hair was silver. Her heart sank.
John was wrong. It wasn’t Lucy. Her vision blurred, and something wet dripped down her face, landing on her hand with a splat. Dejected, Melinda turned away.
“Mellie!”
Melinda spun around. No one else called her Mellie. She ran. Lucy threw her arms around her.
“It is you, Mellie. How on earth did you manage to get back? Did you find my letter?”
Lucy cried. Melinda cried so hard she could hardly get the words out.
“What happened to your hair?”
Melinda touched the silvery strands, really looked at her sister. Lucy had aged. And not just a couple of years. She looked a lot older. Old enough to be their mother. Things started to go dark around the edge of her vision, the dark taking over, Lucy growing smaller and smaller until she was nothing more than a tiny pinprick.
“What happened?” She was sitting on the ground, her head resting against James’ chest.
Lucy squatted down beside her. “You fainted, Mellie.”
James ran his fingers through her hair. “You had quite a fright.”
“Bring her inside. Your men will find food and drink in the kitchens.” Lucy looked back and forth between them, a slow smile spreading across her face.
“So that’s how it is. You might as well join us…”
James bowed. “James Rivers. Lord Falconburg.”
Lucy looked to Melinda. “Oh, dear. I think we have a lot to talk about.”
“Boy, you’re not kidding.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Lady Blackford insisted they eat first. James looked around the lady’s solar. It was colorful and soft. The two sisters had not stopped talking since clapping eyes on each other.
“Your letter fell apart, Lucy. You should’ve tried to protect it better. When I found it and opened it, the paper crumbled to dust. The only word I could make out was safe. And I recognized your handwriting. You always put a smiley face in the bottom of the S.”
Lucy took her hands. “I’m so sorry. I thought it would last. Salt air destroys almost everything. I should have known better.”
James thought Melinda and her sister had forgotten he was there. He sat back, watching them together. The moment Lucy knew her sister was the moment he knew her story was true. Both sisters had traveled through time. More than seven hundred years.
James kept looking between the two sisters, listening to the strange words. The way they spoke. Hearing them talk, he realized how Melinda must have thought about her words before she spoke. He did not understand some of the words, but followed the conversation, understanding the meaning.
“So you actually married Simon? That jerk tricked you. Well, you aren’t married now. I mean in the future. Crap on toast. In 2016.”
Lucy put down the small pastry she was nibbling.
“What do you mean?”
“The church and all the records were burned to ash. Apparently the old priest kept everything on paper. He hadn’t computerized anything. It was supposed to be his project for the next year. So there’s no record of your marriage.”
“Who owns the castle? Is it still a ruin?”
“It is, and get this.”
Melinda paused. James found himself leaning forward, wanting to know what she would say.
“The Grey family never owned Blackford. The Brandon family owned the castle. The last Lord Blackford died in the fifteen hundreds. He was named Winston Brandon…let me think…some old guy said it was 1564. Winston was the last Brandon. The castle went to the National Trust.”
“Winston. After Dad?”
Lucy looked as if she might faint. James set his cup on the table in case he needed to catch her. He touched his leg. The herbs the healer gave him were working. His leg still ached and trembled, but not as much.
Melinda nodded. “I know, right?”
James was glad this Simon was dead. For if he wasn’t, James would’ve killed him. To trick a woman into marriage was a cowardly deed.
Lucy told Melinda about a curse.
“So Simon said I was Lucy Brandon. Which at the time didn’t make a lick of sense. But I am Lucy Brandon…now.” Lucy shook her head. “I know. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t know how it’s possible, only that it is. Maybe you get a new life when you go back in time? I thought and thought about it, but it just makes my head hurt trying to figure it out.”
Melinda leaned forward in the chair.
“So where is this husband of yours? I’m dying to meet him.”
Lucy glanced over at James. “He’s visiting his cousin, Edward Thornton. He should be back tomorrow. You must stay. I can’t believe you traveled all the way from Falconburg in this weather. How long did it take?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it later. Let’s just say it took us a few weeks to get here and it was a very eventful journey.”
James looked at Melinda, saw the question in her eyes, and nodded. “We’ll stay.”
Melinda smiled at him. She looked so happy he wanted to pull her in his arms. Tell her how much he cared for her.
A servant brought more food and drink. James had to allow that the food was very good. The “sandwich” Melinda had created was also something her sister knew of. James took a bite and chewed. He lifted the bread to see what was inside. Content to let the sisters talk and learn more about the woman he cared for, James took another bite.
“So what year did you come through?”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Lucy touched her hair.
“1307. Twenty years ago. Gosh, I can’t believe it’s been twenty years. What year was it when you left?”
“2016. I planned to leave sooner, but the man Simon hired tried to kill me.”
“No! He said both of you were dead. You don’t know how many years I agonized over it. Felt responsible.”
Melinda hugged Lady Blackford.
“You are not responsible for what that evil man did. He was already dead, but the wackjob English guy he hired—”
She looked at James. “Sorry. I don’t mean all Englishmen are crazy, just a few of them.”
He shrugged. “Evil finds a home when men invite it in.”
One of the copper curls had come loose from her braid, and James watched as she tucked it behind her ear.
“Anyway, the crazy guy said it didn’t matter if Simon was dead. Once a client hired him, he finished the job.” Melinda shuddered. “I’m just glad he’s dead and I don’t have to worry about Charlotte.”
Lucy covered her mouth, looking pale again. James stood, ready to catch her.
“She’ll be worried to death. Oh, Mellie. We have to figure out a way to tell her we’re alive and well.” Lucy wiped her eyes. “F
inish telling me what happened.”
“It was a car crash. He would have killed me, but the cops arrived and shot him first. I was in a coma for five months. Once I woke, Charlotte helped me get out of the hospital. Then I came to England and went to Blackford. It was in February of 2016.”
James wondered what life would be like so many years from now. He was imagining what his own home might look like when something Melinda said made him listen to the two women.
“It was in London I found the painting.”
“The painting of my family?”
Melinda nodded.
“Come look.” Lucy walked over to the far wall. Curious, James followed.
“This is the one. I wonder how it ended up in a museum?”
Lucy looked thoughtful. “I don’t know, but I’m glad it helped you find me.”
“It wasn’t titled. But I would’ve known your face anywhere. The colors are so much more vibrant now. How old are your children?” Then Melinda laughed. “I still can’t believe you have five kids.”
“You can’t believe it? How about the fact that I’m forty-four and you’re still twenty-six? I’m trying to wrap my head around that.”
Lucy touched the painting, tracing each face before sitting down. “The kids range in age from thirteen to nineteen.” She looked wistful. “None of them live here. You know when they’re young they go foster with another family. And then, as they’re older and become knights, they go off to make their own fortune. We see them a few times a year.”
“I’m sure you’ve been a wonderful mother.”
They talked for a while longer, and James knew they wanted to discuss him. He stood and made a bow.
“Thank you, Lady Blackford, for extending your hospitality. I must see to the men.”
He walked over to Melinda, leaned down, and kissed her. When he turned, he saw Lucy smiling at him. Did she think him good enough for her sister? Or did she only see the beast? James turned on his heel and walked through the doors. As he shut them, he heard the sound of giggling and low feminine voices.
Knight Moves: Merriweather Sisters Time Travel (Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Book 2) Page 14