Timeless Christmas Romance

by Laurel O'Donnell et al.

  “It’s true, Peter. You are alive. I didn’t lose you after all. I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Peter,” he said, dropping his hand to the bed in thought.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you Peter. Your name is Alex.”

  “Aye, it is what I’m used to. However, it is also a lie. I am not sure what to call myself.”

  “Well, whatever name you decide on is fine with me,” she told him with a smile. “All that matters, is that you are alive again.”

  “I think, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be called Alexander Peter Mowbray.”

  “I love it,” she said, reaching over and taking his face in her hands and kissing him again. “I can’t wait to tell my sisters, Spring, Autumn, and Winter.”

  “I have aunts named after the seasons?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “Not only that, but you have uncles that are the Legendary Bastards of the Crown.”

  “I know of them,” said Alex. “And I am honored to be related to everyone you just mentioned.”

  The door opened a crack. Claire stuck her head into the room. “Mother? Are you going to make the rest of your children stand out in the corridor all day or can we come in, too?”

  “Come in, my family,” said Summer, holding out her arms. “I want all my children with me. And you, too, Charlotte.”

  Everyone piled into the room and sat on the bed with Summer. Little Robert crawled over and sat on her lap.

  “I still can’t believe I have another brother,” said Claire. “One was more than enough.”

  “Good thing I know you are jesting,” said Dominick.

  “Can I come in, too?” asked Charlotte’s mother, Lady Ann.

  “Please do,” said Summer.

  “I’ve heard you are Peter Mowbray,” said Lady Ann.

  “He is going to be called Alex,” Summer interjected.

  “Alexander Peter Mowbray,” he said, liking the way it sounded. “So, if I can ask, just to get this correct – Regina, Dominick, and myself have the same father, the late baron Norbert Mowbray. But Claire’s father is Warren.”

  “That’s right,” said Claire proudly. “I am the only child from the union of Lady Summer and Lord Warren.”

  Warren cleared his throat and looked over at Summer. “Well, Claire, I don’t want to disappoint you, but that might be changing soon.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “It’s another miracle,” said Summer. “I didn’t believe it was true, but the healer said one of the reasons I fainted was because . . . because I am pregnant again.”

  Everyone was quiet for a second, not sure what to say. Then Alex reached out and gave his mother a hug. “Congratulations, Mother.”

  “You are having a baby?” asked Claire in shock. “Now?”

  “Not now, you fool,” said Dominick. “She’s got months before it is born.”

  “I meant at her age,” Claire told her brother.

  “It seems so,” said Summer, glowing with happiness, holding her hand on her stomach. “I think God is making up for all the misery and mishaps in my life. I not only had a son rise up from the dead today, but a new life is budding within me as well.”

  “Then have a girl,” said Claire. “I want a sister.”

  Everyone laughed. “Your mother has a hard time with pregnancies and will need all of us to assist her through this so she won’t have another miscarriage,” said Warren.

  “That’s right,” said Summer. “I don’t want to lose another child when I’ve just gained one.”

  “We’ll be here to help in any way possible,” said Alex, pulling Charlotte into his arms. “Charlotte and I are going to be married.”

  “What?” gasped Lady Ann. “Charlotte, why didn’t you consult me first?”

  “Mother, I am an adult and don’t need your approval,” said Charlotte, snuggling up to Alex. “Besides, you should be overjoyed to know I’m not marrying a commoner. I am marrying a noble, just like you wanted.”

  “Oh. I suppose so,” said Lady Ann, seeming to accept the fact.

  “I’ll make sure you are trained and dubbed a knight right away,” Warren told Alex. “Any stepson of mine is going to be titled if I have anything to say about it.”

  “And I’ll be sure to teach you anything else you’ll need to know, Brother,” said Dominick, grinning from ear to ear. “I think I can get used to having a brother.”

  “Me, too,” said Alex, feeling so loved by everyone that his heart was ready to burst. He held Charlotte’s hands and looked deeply into her eyes. “I only hope you will be proud of me, Charlotte. I will never have what most knights do – with my leg and all, I mean.”

  “Nay, you won’t,” said Charlotte, looking into his eyes as she spoke. “You have so much more.” He felt the love emanating from her and the sincerity of her words.

  “But I was a mercenary my entire life, Charlotte. It’s something I am not proud of.”

  “I don’t see it that way,” she said, smiling and making him feel like the luckiest man in the world. “The way I see it, you were living a life that wasn’t true and wasn’t really you. Look at it in a different light. You were noble all the time and just didn’t know it. You were always a knight beneath the exterior of being a mercenary. I will never see you as anything less than a noble, titled man.”

  “You won’t?” he asked.

  “Nay, Alexander Peter Mowbray,” she answered. “To me, you were really a knight inside all the time, but you just didn’t know it.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “You were always noble. I could tell that by your actions the first day we met. And even when you thought you might be noble, you still didn’t say anything until you were sure. You are considerate. You keep your emotions inside and are much too quiet. Alexander Peter Mowbray, you were always special, but you didn’t know it. You were a Silent Knight.”

  From Elizabeth Rose:

  I hope you enjoyed Silent Knight and will take the time to leave a review for me.

  I tried not to ruin too many surprises in case this book was read before reading Summer. Therefore, it was left a mystery as to if Baron Norbert Mowbray was murdered and, if so, who the killer could be.

  When I first set out to write this story, I knew I wanted a child of one of my main characters from one of my series. I always create my covers before I write the book. I had a photo of a man with dark hair I wanted to use. At first, I wanted to write Dominick’s story, but realized he had blond hair. But alas, looking deeper into the story, I discovered I could write about Summer’s child that she thought she had lost. He had dark hair. However, he also had a twisted leg in the story, Summer. Hmmm. That made it more challenging for me, but I embraced the challenge and embarked upon Alex’s story. No disability can hold back a man in love!

  My Second in Command Series is about secondary characters from any of my series. Please visit my website to find out more about this series. The next book in the series is Keeper of the Flame.

  Thank you,

  Elizabeth Rose

  About Elizabeth Rose

  Elizabeth Rose is the bestselling author of over 80 books. She writes medieval, historical, contemporary, paranormal, and western romance. She is an amazon all-star, and a multi-time award finalist. Her books appear as ebooks, print, and some audiobooks as well.

  Her favorite characters in her works include dark, dangerous and tortured heroes, and feisty, independent heroines who know how to wield a sword. She loves writing 14th century medievals, and is known for her medieval series.

  Elizabeth started out over twenty years ago as a traditionally published author. But life takes it twists and turns and after losing her day job she decided to try her hand at Indie publishing.

  She started self-publishing, creating her own covers and her own booktrailers on a dare from her two sons. She loves anything paranormal and is inspired by spending time in nature. Elizabeth has a secret garden that serves as her outdoor office where she writes in the s
ummer. This same secret garden inspired her series, Secrets of the Heart, and is the setting of these books.

  Series by Elizabeth Rose:

  Secrets of the Heart

  Seasons of Fortitude

  Legendary Bastards of the Crown

  Second in Command

  Holiday Knights

  Tangled Tales

  Barons of the Cinque Ports

  Legacy of the Blade

  Daughters of the Dagger

  MadMan MacKeefe

  Elemental Series

  Greek Myth Fantasy

  Tarnished Saints

  Cowboys of the Old West

  Once Upon a Rhyme

  Sweet Nothings

  A Look Behind the Series

  Working Man Series

  The Highland Chronicles Series

  You can find out more about Elizabeth’s books and read excerpts by visiting her website. Be sure to also sign up to receive her newsletter.

  Elizabeth invites you to join her private readers’ group, and follow her on social media at Twitter, Goodreads, Bookbub, Facebook, and Amazon.

  A Knight Before Christmas

  Laurel O'Donnell

  Copyright

  A Knight Before Christmas Copyright © 2018 Laurel O'Donnell

  Edited by Katrina Fair at www.KatrinaFairEditing.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews – without permission in writing from its author, Laurel O’Donnell.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it or borrow it, or it was not purchased for you and given as a gift for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. If this ebook was purchased on any unauthorized platform, then it is a pirated and/or unauthorized copy and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Do not purchase or accept pirated copies. Thank you for respecting the author's hard work.

  The characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.

  Prologue

  1392

  England

  “I saw her, Mother!” Eve Chandos stared up at her mother through wide eyes.

  The Great Hall was crowded with visiting nobles and knights for the Yule celebration. Rich velvet skirts and polished black boots encircled Eve as she stood at her mother’s feet. At five summers, she barely reached her mother’s waist. Conversation rose and fell, echoing through the large room.

  Eve put her small hands around her mother’s legs, trying desperately to get her attention.

  Her mother ignored her, speaking to another lord that Eve did not know and immediately dismissed as unimportant. She tugged on her mother’s red silk skirt. When her mother patted her head of rebellious curls without even glancing at her, Eve knew she would never get her mother’s attention. She pulled her hands from around her and stepped back.

  She looked up at all the people around her. They looked like giants from her five-summer perspective. How would she ever be able to get her mother’s attention? Plus, her father had warned her to be good. That these people were important.

  Eve stuck out her lower lip. She met the eyes of one of the boys standing beside the adults. His boots were polished, his breeches and tightly tailored green tunic with golden embroidery. His blue gaze was locked on her sympathetically.

  Eve was not used to having her attentions fall on deaf ears. She turned and scanned the room. She couldn’t see anything but long, colorful skirts and breeches. Her mother and father had thrown a great gathering in honor of the Christ Mass and Yuletide.

  But they wouldn’t listen to her! She saw the angel! The angel that was the bright star over the baby Jesus’s manager. And no one would listen to her!

  She moved through the room, expertly maneuvering through the Great Hall and the gathered people. She had seen the angel! And she wanted to be close to her, she wanted to see a real angel. She exploded out of the confining room and into the empty corridor to find her twin sister, Eden, waiting for her at exactly the spot she told her to wait. She took her hand. “Mother said we could go.”

  “Really?”

  Eve nodded. She grasped Eden’s hand. “Oh, Eden! She was beautiful! Her dress was white and all sparkly. And she had long hair.” She lifted her hand as high as she could. “She was way above the pond, flying!”

  “Are you sure it was an angel?” Eden asked.

  Eve nodded. She was sure. More than sure. “We have to hurry.” She led Eden to the large double doors of the keep. She stared up at the great wooden doors, frowning. She would never be able to pull them open. They were too big and too heavy. But the kitchen door was not!

  She reentered the Great Hall, swerving and ducking through the throng of guests, pulling her sister after her. Eve’s tiny feet crunched on the rushes covering the floor as she raced through the room. When she reached the kitchens, a wave of hot air blasted her face from the large hearth where dinner was being prepared, but that didn’t stop her. She had to sidestep many of the busy servants as they carried drinks and food into the Great Hall. They didn’t even notice her.

  She stopped behind the cook, hoping for a hand out of honey-sweetened tart. But the man was too busy to acknowledge her.

  Stomping her foot and clenching her fist, Eve continued toward the kitchen door. She reached for the handle when one of the servants grabbed her wrist.

  “Where are ya goin’ love?”

  Eve looked up to see Maria, the cook’s aid, staring down at her with kind brown eyes. Her dark hair was tied back with a scarf around her head. Eve was happy someone had finally paid attention to her. She looked back at Eden, clutching her sister’s hand, then back to Maria. “We’re going to see the angel.”

  “The angel, hmm?” Maria guided them a step back into the kitchen with a hand on their backs. “Can’t wait until Mass?”

  Eve noticed the empty basket under Maria’s arm and realized she was going into the inner ward for supplies.

  Maria turned and opened the door. She held it open for Eve and Eden. “Be quick about it. Neither of ya have a cloak. Yer father would flail you.”

  Eve grabbed Eden’s hand and dashed out into the night, ducking beneath Maria’s arm.

  “Don’t be out long!” Maria warned.

  Eve and Eden raced through the snow of the inner ward toward the outer ward, giggling. Eve lifted her face to the sky. It was snowing!

  Gabriel Bedford stood on a small balcony and stared out over the moonlit castle wall at the valley before the castle. It was cold, and the snow was falling heavy. He liked the way the big flakes looked against the night sky. Plus, he could breathe, and his breath came out in a white puff like a dragon’s breath.

  It was better than being inside and having the lords and ladies say again and again, “I remember when you were this big!”

  He was eleven summers! That was almost a man! Gabriel sighed. His breath escaped in a white cloud. In the distance, in the valley over the castle wall beyond the moat, he saw a line extending across the pristine snow. An animal, he thought. Maybe a fox. It had marred the pure snow with its track, dividing the castle and the forest.

  A cry arose beneath him in the courtyard and he turned his head toward the noise. Below, people gathered in the inner ward just before the keep and a large group of soldiers mounted horses and rode toward the outer gatehouse.

  Gabriel scowled. Must be something important. He could hear a woman sobbing and a man shouting orders. It must be something very important. Tingles of anxiety danced up his spine and he raced into the castle, through stone hallways lined with tape
stries. He whirled around a corner to take a set of curved stairs two at a time. He wanted to see what was going on. What had happened.

  The double doors of the keep were open, letting in cold air. A large group of ladies and older men stood near the doorway, staring out into the dark inner ward.

  Gabriel made his way through them, brushing by a man in a fur lined cotehardie, skirting a woman in a green houppelande. He paused just outside the large double doors. The woman who had been sobbing was sitting on the stairs, being comforted by two other servant women.

  He scanned the crowd looking for Henry Lewis, his good friend. Instead, he saw his older brother, Michael, standing just below the two steps that led from the keep into the inner ward. He hurried to him.

  Michael stood a head taller than Gabriel, his hair a light blonde. He was only a year older than Gabriel. Gabriel came up beside Michael. “What happened?”

  Michael continued to stare at the group of mounted men in the courtyard. He explained quickly, “Lord Chandos’s daughters are missing.”

  “The little twin girls?”

  Michael nodded. “Eve and Eden. They are getting groups together to search for them.”

  “The girls left the castle?”

  Michael shrugged. “They think so. A servant let them outside to search for an angel.” Michael looked up at the falling snow. “It doesn’t look good.”

  Gabe’s gaze swept the crowd. Some of the guests and knights were already covered in a light blanket of snow. The girls wouldn’t survive. It was too cold.

  “There should be footprints!” Lord Chandos was saying to the gathered men.

  Footprints! That was what Gabriel had seen in the valley. “I saw foo–”

  “Shhh,” Michael snapped, tilting his head to hear what the lord said.

  “Michael!”

  “Quiet, Gabe!” he hissed.

  Angry, Gabriel pushed forward through the gathered knights and lords toward the mounted men and Lord Chandos. Surely, her father would listen to him. He saw footprints! Before Gabe could reach Lord Chandos, he spurred his stallion and with an explosive burst led the mounted men forward toward the outer gatehouse.