It was such a painful parting, but a necessary one, and in the end, it was Susanna who pulled away and forced Achilles to go. She watched him ride off into that foggy morning, remaining strong until he was out of sight.
Later, in the privacy of her chamber, she wept her lonely tears.
But God was good to them.
Six months after Achilles departed, his first son was born on a cold autumn night, a big lad who was doted on by his mother and sisters. Little Tiegh de Dere didn’t meet his father until he was almost eight months of age, but it didn’t matter. Achilles looked into the handsome face of his first son, a lad who looked exactly like him, and it was as if the time and separation had never been.
He loved him more with every beat of his heart.
Achilles knew what love was because, before Susanna, he’d learned to love his fellow knights, men he had experienced life and death with. But nothing compared to the love of one beautiful woman, three adoring daughters, and a healthy son to carry on his name. Achilles had worried, long ago, that the sins of his past would catch up to him, but in the joy of his family, he could only see blessings and rewards.
The youngest member of the Unholy Trinity, like his two brethren before him, had finally learned what true contentment was because his love for his family had made Achilles de Dere, and all of the Executioner Knights, immortal.
* THE END *
Children of Achilles and Susanna
Brigit
Elisabeth
Alis
Tiegh
William
Cormac
About Kathryn Le Veque
Medieval Just Got Real.
KATHRYN LE VEQUE is a USA TODAY Bestselling author, an Amazon All-Star author, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance and Historical Fiction. She has been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on USA TODAY’s HEA blog. In March 2015, Kathryn was the featured cover story for the March issue of InD’Tale Magazine, the premier Indie author magazine. She was also a quadruple nominee (a record!) for the prestigious RONE awards for 2015.
Kathryn’s Medieval Romance novels have been called ‘detailed’, ‘highly romantic’, and ‘character-rich’. She crafts great adventures of love, battles, passion, and romance in the High Middle Ages. More than that, she writes for both women AND men – an unusual crossover for a romance author – and Kathryn has many male readers who enjoy her stories because of the male perspective, the action, and the adventure.
Kathryn loves to hear from her readers. Please find Kathryn on Facebook at Kathryn Le Veque, Author, or join her on Twitter @kathrynleveque, and don’t forget to visit her website and sign up for her blog at www.kathrynleveque.com.
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