by Alexa Aston
“You are, indeed, my precious. Come.”
Nan took her granddaughter’s hand again and they made their way back to the castle. When they reached the training yard, she signaled a page and instructed him to go to the keep to fetch Anne’s bow and quiver. The boy grinned and took off, eager to please the Countess of Leventhorpe.
Anne watched the soldiers as they paired up for their combat exercises but Nan’s eyes drifted to the platform where her husband stood. Even at five and fifty, Tristan still had a mane of tawny hair with only a few strands of white mixed into it. He stood tall and proud, every bit the man she had fallen in love with that summer when she first came to Thorpe Castle—but so much more. For that man had grown in confidence and leadership. More importantly, he had unlocked his feelings and let love inside, doting on his wife, his children, and now their children.
Anne danced around impatiently. Her actions must have caught Tristan’s eye. He waved at the girl and she waved back with enthusiasm.
But his smile was for Nan—and she knew what it meant.
The page returned with the bow and quiver and Nan led Anne to the butts, passing Drew on their way. The knight, who had become Leventhorpe’s captain of the guard years ago, worked with a left-handed squire. Nan was still thankful that Drew had chosen to come to Leventhorpe. She treasured their friendship and had enjoyed seeing their children play together. Drew’s ginger hair was now threaded with silver, but he still had the same happy spirit and sense of optimism that he helped spread among their knights.
No one was at practice on the range and Nan enjoyed having the area to themselves. She could see already how much progress Anne had made in the week since she’d arrived for a visit with her grandparents. Nan enjoyed watching the young girl nock her arrow and send it flying toward its target. This time, though, a gust of wind came up just as Anne released the arrow. Because of that, it fell far from the mark.
Anne muttered a curse under her breath.
“What did you say?” Nan asked, fighting to keep the smile from her face and her tone stern.
Anne sighed in exasperation. “You heard me, Grandmother, and I know I’ll be in even more trouble if I repeat what I said to your face.”
“You’re right about that,” Nan readily agreed.
“But Father said—”
“So your father taught you this?”
Anne’s eyes dropped to the ground. “Nay. ’Twas Mother,” the girl confessed.
Nan thought she would have to have a talk with her oldest daughter—and then a good laugh.
“Gather your arrows and go again,” she told Anne.
The girl scampered toward the target as Drew joined Nan.
“She’s so like you at that age,” he said.
“Even down to the cursing,” she replied. “Apparently, her mother has been teaching her a few choice words.”
Anne returned, beaming when she saw who had joined them. “Sir Drew, I’m getting better. Grandmother says so. Would you like to see me hit the target?”
“Aye, Anne.”
“But I have to watch for the wind. It’s died down now but it could come back.”
“It could,” he agreed. “But ’twill only be me watching you. Your grandfather sent me to tell your grandmother that he has urgent need of her.”
Nan knew exactly what awaited her.
“I will see you both later,” she told the pair and headed toward the keep, her heart pounding against her ribs in anticipation.
Over the years, Tristan had sent everyone from servants to stable hands to soldiers to his wife, instructing them to tell the countess that he had an urgent need to see her. Gradually, everyone at Leventhorpe had caught on and Nan would see the smiles that these messengers tried to hide.
She entered the keep and went straight to the solar, where she knew her husband would be waiting. Sometimes with clothes. Sometimes without.
Nan opened the door and quickly shut it. Tristan was not in sight. She crossed the room and entered their bedchamber.
Her husband sat against the pillows, anticipating her arrival—without a stitch on.
“What took you so long?” he asked playfully.
“I wasn’t sure where you needed to see me,” she teased back.
Growling, Tristan leapt from the bed and captured her in his arms. His kiss was hot and his hands everywhere, stripping her clothes from her. Once she was naked, he carried her to their bed and drew the bed curtains to ensure their privacy. Then they engaged in love play for the next hour. Touching. Tasting. Still hungry for one another as they had been from the beginning.
Lying in his arms afterward, Nan asked, “Do you ever think you will tire of me?”
Tristan brushed his lips against her hair. “I have loved you nigh on a score and ten years, my sweet Nan. I committed my heart, my mind, my body, and my soul to you.”
Turning her so that they faced one another, he added, “Why don’t you ask me that question in another score and ten? Mayhap then I will give you an answer. But until that time? I plan to worship your body each day and never let you go.”
He kissed her tenderly and said, “I understand the power of love and the bond it has forged between us. Nay, my love, I could never tire of you. I will come back again and again to drink at the well of love inside you.”
With that, Tristan kissed her again, making Nan feel like that young woman who’d first tasted his kiss all those years ago.
Life was good—and would be even better tomorrow—thanks to the love of this man by her side.
Knights of Honor Series by Alexa Aston
Word of Honor
Marked by Honor
Code of Honor
Journey to Honor
Heart of Honor
Bold in Honor
Love and Honor
Gift of Honor
Path to Honor
About the Author
As a child, Alexa Aston gathered her neighborhood friends together and made up stories for them to act out, her first venture into creating memorable characters. Following her passion for history and love of learning, she became a teacher who began writing on the side to maintain her sanity in a sea of teenage hormones.
Alexa’s historical romances use history as a backdrop to place her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense desire for one another grows into the treasured gift of love.
She is the author of The Knights of Honor, a medieval romance series that takes place in 14th century England during the reign of Edward III and centers on the de Montfort family. Each romance focuses on the code of chivalry that bound knights of this era.
A native Texan, Alexa lives with her husband in a Dallas suburb, where she eats her fair share of dark chocolate and plots out stories while she walks every morning. She enjoys reading, watching movies and sports, and can’t get enough of Fixer Upper or Game of Thrones. Alexa also writes romantic suspense, western historicals, and standalone medieval novels as Lauren Linwood.
Alexa loves to hear from her readers. You can connect with her through FB, Twitter, and her website: alexaaston.com.
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