Heart of a Knight (A Medieval Romance Novella)

by Dana D'Angelo

  “Who are you?” she demanded, covering up her embarrassment. “You’ll have me believe that you’re a poor man seeking work, but at times you act as bold as a lord.”

  “I already told you who I am.” A bland smile played upon his lips. “I’m just a simple freeman who desired employment and shelter.”

  “You don’t appear to be like any simple freeman that I know.” She studied his eyes for any hint that she might uncover the truth. “Most men wouldn’t have bothered with the boy. Even my late husband would have ignored Eli’s screams.”

  The light in his eyes dimmed slightly. “I’m not your late husband.”

  “That is a welcome relief,” she said, unable to hold back a bitter laugh.

  “Tell me something,” he said, pushing himself up on one elbow. “Most women would not bother with a cripple like me. The fact that you hired me despite my disabilities,” he paused, “it says a lot about you.”

  “Crippled or not,” her lips pressed into a firm line, “you’re still a person, and I believe that everyone should be given a chance to prove themselves.”

  Geoffrey watched her, a bemused expression on his face. But before he had an opportunity to say anything else, she looked straight into his eyes. “You had a noble upbringing, didn’t you?”

  He hesitated again, as if he was weighing what he should reveal. He collapsed his elbow and lay back down on the straw mattress. “Aye,” he said. “I did.”

  “Then you are from a family of wealth.” She nodded her head as if she already knew the answer.

  “My father controls the land that surrounds Servian,” he admitted reluctantly.

  She looked at him, stunned. “Then your father is Lord Servian.” She watched his face carefully. “As far as I know Lord Servian has two sons and a daughter…” Then a new thought occurred to her. Her hand fluttered to her mouth, the blood draining from her face. “I should be calling you my lord…”

  “Nay, please don’t. My dear brother Edgar stands to inherit all of my father’s fortunes.” His lips twisted in a cynical smile. “As the second born son, I really have no status.”

  “Of course you have status. Second born sons could train as a knight and achieve…” Karina stopped, suddenly realizing the inappropriateness of what she was about to say. She flushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to —”

  “I’m well aware of the aspirations of second sons,” Geoffrey shrugged, although he tried to pretend that he didn’t care. “In fact, I was on course to become a knight, but an unfortunate accident prevented me from advancing.” He shook his head as if to dismiss the idea. “’Tis not important any longer. Even if I was a crippled knight, I would be laughed off the battlefield.”

  “There must be more to being a knight than just going to war,” Karina said, smoothing a hand over her gown.

  “What more is there?” Geoffrey let out a bitter laugh.

  Karina shook her head impatiently. “From the short time that I’ve known you, you’ve demonstrated respect and great care for people and animals. These are fine qualities for a knight or for any man.” She waved a hand at his leg. “Your limb might be weak and damaged, but the troubadours tell us that physical strength is not as important as valor and intelligence.”

  “The troubadours tell fables,” he said, crossing his massive arms across his chest.

  “Fables that are based on truth,” Karina countered. “Thus far you have survived on your instinct and intellect. I don’t have to tell you what to do, you just know what ‘tis that I want and need.”

  “You seem to know quite a lot about me,” he said, a strange light appearing in his eyes.

  She gazed back at him. “I too needed to survive with my intellect,” she said finally. “I had only to rely on myself as there was no one to champion me.” She blinked as the scenes from the past flooded her mind. Looking beyond Geoffrey’s shoulder, she couldn’t meet his eyes. Her voice dropped to just above a whisper, “My husband used to beat me almost daily. Nothing I did for him was good enough. For five years we were married, and during all that time, I was barren,” her voice began to crack. “He blamed me for our misfortunes, but I wanted so much to have a babe…”

  “The man was a bastard,” Geoffrey said flatly. He reached over and tilted her head, forcing her to meet the hard glint in his eyes. “If he were here, I would kill him for his callousness and stupidity.”

  “’Tis too late for that.” She smiled wryly and wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “Aldous is long dead, and I hope he’s suffering a thousand deaths in hell.” Then remembering how inappropriate it was to converse this way with a servant, she pulled back. “I shouldn’t be talking to you about this. My marriage is over, and ‘tis best that I forget all that has happened.”

  “Aye, but ‘tis difficult to forget our past, for it always haunts us,” Geoffrey said.

  Karina gave him a thoughtful look as she considered his cryptic words. There was just something about him that she couldn’t put her finger on. And suddenly she needed to know what it was. “Geoffrey, tell me the truth,” she said. “What is the real reason you’re here in Treville? You’re not here just for work, are you?”

  He broke his eye contact with her and stared at the rafters in the ceiling. “Nay, I’m on my way to find the man who destroyed my life.”

  “Does this man live in Treville?” she asked, frowning. “Perhaps I know of him.”

  “Nay," he said, shaking his head. “I have word that Pyers is stationed at Baltroham Palace.”

  “Stationed?” her brows drew together in puzzlement. “Then he’s a king’s man,” she said.

  “Aye, he’s a knight of the king’s guard. He doesn’t know that I’ve come for him. But he’ll know soon enough.”

  Chapter 7

  “Do you know where Geoffrey has gone, Alays?” Karina asked.

  Alays paused from sweeping the floor and sent her a sideways glance. “I sent him to chop some wood for cooking, so he’s likely out behind the stable.”

  “I wished he would have stayed in bed,” Karina said, sighing. “It’s only been three days since the altercation. I don’t think he’s in any condition to be working yet.”

  “Geoffrey insisted that he would go mad if he stayed abed, ma dame,” a guilty look stole over her face. “I sent him to do some chores, since he seemed so dejected. I’m sorry if this was not what you wished.”

  “’Tis all right, Alays. Likely no one could have stopped him anyway.”

  Alays grunted and moved to the wooden table in the middle of the room. “His presence here is quite beneficial.” She placed the broom underneath the bench and began to sweep at the dirt. “Things are running smoother and quieter since his arrival. And luckily Master Warin hasn’t come around to harass us for weeks.” She gathered up the pieces of dirt and fallen food, and dumped them into the fire pit. “But while Eli is good with the stable work, he has limited skills, and there is still much to do. I for one am grateful that Geoffrey has agreed to work again.”

  Karina nodded; Alays had a point. She should actually be thankful that Geoffrey wanted to get back to work so quickly. Whether or not he was still injured, the household chores needed to be done. But even though she didn’t know how long he planned to stay in her household, she had an obligation to him. No decent person would allow a man of noble birth to sleep in the stable like a commoner. Surrendering her bedchamber to him was the right thing to do. Meanwhile she could sleep in the common room floor with Alays.

  As she made her way out of the house, she heard successive chopping sounds. She followed the sounds to the back of the house.

  In all actuality, she could have gotten this order of business finished when they broke bread this morning. But when she finally worked up her courage to speak to Geoffrey, the morning meal was finished. Everyone had dispersed, and she went to work on her candles. Luckily she had crafted candles for so long that she didn’t need to think about the process. Her hands took over the task of dipping the ca
ndle strings into the vat of hot beeswax, allowing her mind to wander. Geoffrey was nothing like Aldous. Her late husband, she remembered, was a slim, comely man with a slight paunch at his belly. Because he spent hours handling lard and forming candles, the muscles on his arms were as soft as the partially melted substance that he worked with.

  Geoffrey, on the other hand, was definitely not as fair as Aldous, but he certainly was not unappealing. She blushed as she recalled Geoffrey lying in her bed.

  Rounding the corner, the stable master came into her line of sight. And then her thoughts came to a complete stop. She let out a small breath of appreciation. Correction. He was very appealing. She licked her lips as suddenly the moisture in her mouth evaporated. Her eyes swept over his well-formed, masculine physique, guiltily drinking in the view. He stood with his muscular back toward her, an axe held over his head. His shoulders were broad and his frame narrowed at his hips. The sunlight glinted off of the tip of the axe as it fell forcefully onto the log, easily splitting the wood into two. The sleeves of his tunic were rolled up, and she could see the corded muscles on his forearms, which rippled and flexed.

  Then as if he sensed her presence, he dropped the axe head onto the ground and turned around. When he saw her, he smiled and leaned on the axe handle.

  “Ma dame,” he said. “What can I do for you?”

  The small grin upon his lips sent a disconcerting shock through her system. Had she ever seen him smile at her like this? And why did it have such an affect on her?

  Swallowing, she forced her feet to move onward. She wanted very much to whirl around and race back into the house, but she needed to finish with this matter. Still, she couldn’t deny the intense heat radiating from him. Nor could she deny the tingling awareness of her own body. This was not how a respectable widow acted. Upstanding females in the community did not experience shameful feelings like these…

  Still, she walked closer to him.

  “I came to speak to you about your sleeping arrangements, Geoffrey,” she said, relieved that she sounded calm. However the sudden churning in her belly made her feel anything but serene.

  “Sleeping arrangements?” A sudden twinkle appeared in his eyes and he quirked one thick eyebrow. “What do you have in mind, ma dame?”

  “I don’t mean —” Karina snapped her mouth shut, preventing herself from sounding more foolish. It wasn’t unheard of for the mistress of a household to have affairs with her male servants. But she wasn’t like that, she told herself firmly. She was a virtuous citizen in a respectable trade.

  Ignoring the hot blush blooming across her cheeks, she straightened her shoulders. Then she took on a cool, business demeanor, which she often used during market days. At once, the mischievous light in his eyes faded, and she became buoyed by his reaction. Her act was working!

  Taking another step toward him, she locked her gaze onto his. “I have been giving this a lot of thought and —” Her words cut off suddenly as her foot connected with a large stone. A shriek erupted from her lips as the stone unexpectedly moved underneath her foot, leaving her unbalanced and flailing. The next thing she knew, she was a heap on the ground.

  Geoffrey came to her side.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, his deep voice filled with concern.

  “I’m fine,” she lied, ignoring the niggling pain in her ankle. Karina looked at the ground, and there, in plain view, were several large stones strewn here and there. She shook her head in self-disgust. In her preoccupation to tell Geoffrey about the new arrangements, she neglected to see where she was going.

  Then a sudden thought occurred to her, and she peeked over her left shoulder to see if anyone else had witnessed her foolish accident. When she saw no one, she brushed a hand across her forehead in relief. She didn’t need one of the guild members’ wives to witness her fall, and spread rumors about her. Likely the women spied on her, searching for opportunities to send Warin after her.

  But then she remembered that she did have an audience. Her embarrassment then became two-fold. Burying her face in her hands, she groaned. What would Geoffrey think of her? Even though technically, he was of higher status, she was still his employer. And as a household mistress, she should not be making cow eyes at a servant. She gave her head a quick shake. Yet even with her face covered, she could feel his nearness. A silence seemed to stretch between them. After a while, she peeked at him through her fingers. But instead of scorn written across his countenance, his brows were knitted together with concern. And when he saw her observing him through her fingers, the expression on his face softened. This caused her to become momentarily befuddled.

  “I had asked Old John to remove these rocks from my yard,” she explained, gesturing lamely at the rock piles and loose stones at the edge of her property. “It appears that he didn’t get a chance to remove all of them.” She pushed herself off the ground and gasped when a sharp pain shot across her ankle.

  “You’re hurt,” Geoffrey moved closer and placed a heavy arm around her waist. “Let me lend you support.”

  Reluctantly she allowed him to assist her. His strong embrace felt warm, and she was surprised how nice it felt.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled. “I’ll need these stones cleared —” She took a tentative step, but her ankle bent painfully and she cried out.

  His arm tightened around her, pulling her close to his body, almost protectively. She turned her head and stared up at his face. Her breath came out slow and shallow, although she was acutely aware that this new breathing pattern wasn’t caused by her tumble.

  She closed her eyes briefly, and took in his unique scent, a scent that was sweat and sun and all male. It felt so right to be in his arms. His grip on her was strong yet gentle. All she wanted to do was lean into him, and feel his strength encompass her. And for the first time, she felt…safe.

  The serious expression that he usually wore melted, and he was looking at her differently somehow. And suddenly she forgot to breathe. The pain in her ankle vanished, and she felt as if she floated among the pillowy clouds. She was all too aware of her heart racing in her chest, the blood rushing through the veins in her neck. Never had she felt this kind of stimulation from any man, and she wondered what was happening to her.

  “Do you need me to get help?” he asked gently.

  “Nay,” she said, although she continued to stare up at him.

  He was just as still. As he watched her, his pupils dilated, and desire reflected in his hazel depths.

  “What is the real reason you sought me out?” he murmured.

  Her eyes settled onto his firm lips, watching his mouth move.

  “Do you want me to kiss you, Karina?” he continued softly.

  A kiss was dangerous! her mind screamed. Yet her body flushed at the mere thought of such a kiss. She didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but she found herself whispering, “Aye.”

  “That’s what I thought,” he said, turning her so that he could see her expression. “I believe I can assist you with that.”

  Then placing a hand underneath her chin, he gently tilted her face upward. But just as his mouth descended, he paused slightly as if he was having second thoughts. And when a small incomprehensible sound echoed in her mouth, all doubts were erased.

  A torrent of passion was unleashed, and his lips captured hers, kissing her as if she was a sip of sweet nectar that was granted to a man dying of thirst. The contact sent Karina’s senses reeling. Vaguely, she noted her hands rising to his face, drawing him closer. Her eyes closed and she melted against his hard, solid frame. An explosion of color burst from behind her closed eyelids. The soft flame that had ignited from the moment that she first saw him began to burn brighter, stronger, overwhelming her with its intensity and heat. And then there was a strange yet familiar sensation that spiraled and pooled in the juncture between her thighs, making her damp and achy.

  She slid her hands down his well muscled back. And in response, his grip on her tightened. With their bodies pres
sed together, she felt the physical evidence of his desire. She let out an involuntary groan. A primal need burst within her. It grew and grew, transforming into a blinding, white streak of energy, encompassing her entire body, and causing her to lose all coherent thought.

  Even through his clothes, she could feel the fire from his flesh. Slowly, she rubbed herself against his rigid frame, the friction causing her nipples to harden and strain against the fabric of her gown. She knew she shouldn’t be enjoying this kiss, but her body wholeheartedly disagreed. It demanded that she act. This was what she had been missing all her life, she realized. And she moved even closer to him, trying desperately to assuage her ever expanding desire.

  He groaned in answer to her desperate need. Crushing her to his chest, he squeezed out any air that existed between them. She could feel the wild hammering of his heart. And once again, she heard the low erotic moan rumbling, vibrating through her system, and settling into her core. Dimly though, she realized that it was she who was making the soft sounds. But that thought drifted away, and she became lost in the scorching passion. All she could focus on was her intense desire, nay her need to feel his naked, hot skin touching hers…

  Then everything stopped.

  Karina abruptly opened her eyes and met his smoky gaze. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his breathing was ragged, as if he had just raced across the plains.

  “I’m not certain that we should continue,” Geoffrey said, although in truth, he wanted to continue to the very end. He watched as her deep blue eyes, dilated and so full of passion and yearning a moment ago, slowly faded into confusion and then horror.

  “I thought so.” He reluctantly released her, and smiling wryly, he said, “You wouldn’t want to do anything that you’ll regret.”

  “Aye,” she shook her head as if to clear it. “We might both have regrets.”

  He looked at her a moment, uncertain whether he heard disappointment in her voice. But he gave himself a mental shake. No woman as beautiful as Karina would be interested in him. He was after all a cripple, and she was probably caught up in the moment, and forgot who she was kissing. He no longer had any delusions about women. After spending years wandering the country, he had witnessed the interest in the eyes of many women. And when they learned of his predicament, that interest changed into pity and even disgust. A disabled man had no means to support a family let alone support himself. Karina had other abled men to choose from. One of those suitors came regularly to visit her. She was better off marrying Sewallus rather than Geoffrey.