“You cannot be serious.” With his mouth agape, Lance appeared stunned by the revelation she had just imparted, however indiscriminately. “I forbid it.”
“You are not my father, you hold no sway over me, and I will have a man of my choosing.” Conscious of the regard displayed by her relations, she paused to gather her wits. “Lance, this is not how I planned to broach the topic, but there it is, and I cannot deny the truth. If he will accept me, I will have Sir Ross, and nothing you do will alter my path.”
“My young and naïve cousin, do not bet on it.” As Lance reached for her, she turned and ran, ignoring his calls.
Bobbing and weaving through the sea of partygoers, she scurried down the hall and pushed through the terrace doors. The cool night air penetrated the heavy folds of her powder blue gown, and she hugged herself. Strolling the garden trail, she located the maze from memory, despite the thick clouds shrouding the moonlight. Little by little, Elaine surrendered to the encroaching tears and despair.
Did no one trust her to determine her own life?
Ever since her parents died, when she was but a child, everyone tried to shield her from the harsh reality of the world. And for the better portion of her life, she cooperated with her family, because it was far easier to obey their directives and let them dictate her actions than to take responsibility for herself and set her own course. Well she had other plans, which included a husband and children. She was done bowing to the commands of others, and it was past due for her to spread her winds and fly.
An intense dialogue posited a fortuitous distraction, and she wiped her cheeks and inched further into the complex network of thorny hedgerows. She veered left, right, and left again, as the argument grew heated. At last, she came upon a miniature courtyard, where two men hurled accusations at each other, and she stood mesmerized by their row.
“You betrayed our family.”
“My family?” The unknown antagonist snickered. “When have you ever counted me as such?”
“What an embarrassment. I should have drowned you at birth.”
“Then your son would have had no one to do his dirty work.”
“That is the sum of your usefulness.” The foe grasped the lapels of his rival. “You are a worthless bastard.”
“Not so anymore.” The confident opponent broke free. “And suddenly, I am the talk of London. Given my statements to the authorities, I am a hero, and your legitimate issue will swing atop the gallows.”
“I think not, as without you, the prosecutor has nothing.”
Without warning, the clouds parted, bathing the contentious scene in a pale silver brilliance, just as the silhouetted figure pulled a knife from his coat pocket and repeatedly stabbed his enemy in the gut, and the victim dropped to the ground.
Shocked by the brutal act of violence, Elaine stifled a gasp of horror, as she would not betray her presence. But when the villain suddenly glanced in her direction, she discovered the identity of the blackguard. It became readily apparent the moonlight illuminated her, too, as he moved toward her, and she clutched fistfuls of her skirt and sprinted from the tiny enclosure.
For a few minutes, she darted down various avenues, as terror drove her into a state of confusion, and she lost her orientation amid the dense foliage. With her pulse pounding in her ears, she dashed along the wrong path and located naught but a dead end. Pounding footfalls brought her up short, and her pursuer continued the chase but bolted past her hideaway. So she raced in the opposite tack but could not locate the exit.
A fervent contest ensued, as she labored to evade her would-be attacker, while he tried to run her aground, and she uttered a silent prayer for guidance and redemption. To her inexpressible vexation, she stumbled upon another impasse, just as telltale treads heralded the danger that advanced.
With a hand at her throat, and dangling on the precipice of unconsciousness, she backed into a corner, anxiety simmering in her veins as a caged animal. Myriad images played her personal history, and she rued the missed opportunities that marked her unremarkable biography. In preparation to scream, that she might raise the alarm and save herself, she inhaled.
“Elaine, are you there?” Sir Ross inquired.
Emitting a sob of relief, she flung herself at him and burrowed her face in his chest, but words failed her. As he held her, he rocked in a gentle rhythm, and she clung to him.
“You are shaking, and you are crying.” He cradled her head. “What is it? What happened? Talk to me.”
Elaine shifted in his grasp and met his gaze. “I just witnessed a murder.”
ABOUT BARBARA DEVLIN
Bestselling author Barbara Devlin was born a storyteller. A Texan, through and through, Barbara hasn't been without a book in her possession since she was in kindergarten. She wrote her first short story, a really cheesy murder-mystery, in high school, but it was a Christmas gift, a lovely little diary with a bronze lock, given to her in the fifth grade that truly inspired her love of writing.
After completing part of her undergraduate studies at the University of London, where she developed a love of all things British, Barbara returned home and began a career in banking. But the late 80s weren't too promising for the financial industry, and every bank that hired Barbara soon folded. So she searched for a stable occupation, and the local police department offered the perfect solution.
And then one uncharacteristically cold and icy day in December 1998, Barbara was struck by a car and pinned against a guardrail while working an accident on a major highway. Permanently disabled, she retired from the police department and devoted her time and energy to physical therapy.
Once Barbara got back on her feet, she focused on a new career in academia. She earned an MA in English and continued a course of study for a Doctorate in Literature and Rhetoric. She happily considered herself an exceedingly eccentric English professor, until success in Indie publishing lured her into writing, full-time, featuring her fictional knighthood, the Brethren of the Coast.
Connect with Barbara Devlin at BarbaraDevlin.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, The Knightly News.
Twitter: @barbara_devlin
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Table of Contents
Medieval Ever After
Copyright
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
Titles by Kathryn Le Veque
Foreward
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Epilogue
The Dragonblade Trilogy Series
Excerpt: The Fallen One Chapter One
Excerpt: The Fallen One Chapter Two
Excerpt: The Fallen One Chapter Three
About Kathryn Le Veque
RESCUED BY A HIGHLANDER
Titles by Keira Montclair
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
/>
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
About Keira Montclair
HIGHLANDER'S RECKONING
Titles by Emma Prince
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Epilogue
Thank You from Emma Prince
Note from Emma Prince
Teasers for Emma Prince's Books
About Emma Prince
DEMETRIUS
Titles by Barbara Devlin
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Excerpt of To Catch a Fallen Spy
About Barbara Devlin
Medieval Ever After Page 109