AT HIS COMMAND
Historical Romance Version
Ruth Kaufman
AT HIS COMMAND
Historical Romance Version
Could she defy her king for love?
England 1453: King Henry VI sends Sir Nicholas Gray to protect the recently widowed Lady Amice Winfield from undesirable suitors. Though Nicholas intrigues her, she yearns to run Castle Rising without a man’s control.
Nicholas has no interest in marriage, but can’t deny he’s attracted to Amice. He’s surprised to finally find in Castle Rising a place he feels at home. A kiss sparks desire neither can ignore, yet serving opposing factions seeking to govern England threatens to pull them apart.
At court, the king and queen reject Amice’s pleas and choose a new husband for her, a highly-ranked lord who’ll provide connections and coin for the king’s depleted coffers that Nicholas cannot. How can she follow the king’s command when she’s a scribe for his rival? How can she marry another man when she’s falling in love with Nicholas?
Praise for At His Command – Historical Romance Version:
A wonderful debut sure to please lovers of romance!
– NYT & USA Today bestselling author Madeline Hunter
With a bold knight and a strong-willed lady, Kaufman’s story is positively medieval.
– NYT & USA Today bestselling author Tracy Anne Warren
Visit www.ruthkaufman.com for information on upcoming books.
For everyone who encouraged me along the way.
Chapter 1
Norfolk, England – April 1453
Sir Nicholas Grey’s scout leaned forward in his saddle, holding up two fingers to let the others know two horses approached. Nicholas heard only the slight jangling of harnesses blended with wind rattling through the trees, but relied on his scout’s uncanny ability to hear what no one else could.
He and his eight men sat alert, deep enough in the forest to avoid being seen while maintaining a clear view of the road through leafless branches. Nine armed men could frighten travelers. ’Twas best to let them pass.
Each man watched, each horse sinking deeper into chilling mire as a mud-covered, black palfrey plodded over the rise in the road, its long mane whipping in the frigid winds.
“No rider,” Martin, the scout, murmured.
“Look again,” Nicholas replied. At first he too had thought the horse was riderless. Now he could see a woman collapsed on the animal’s back. Her dark hair draped down its flank, mingling with the horse’s mane. The palfrey placed each step as if trying not to jostle its burden.
Another horse, this one a brown rouncey ridden by a thin, balding man, galloped after the palfrey. A look of triumph brightened the man’s face as he spotted the horse ahead of him. He bent forward, extending his hand. Fingers like talons grasped the woman’s tangled hair.
“Mine!” he cried.
Amice Winfield jerked awake. Agony forced her head back, allowing her to see the man who gripped her hair as though he’d perish if he let go.
Harry Winfield.
She screamed. Arrows of fear pierced her as she clawed at his fingers. Her horse bolted, leaving her dangling from Harry’s hand by a small clump of hair. The long strands held for a few seconds, then tore from her head.
Pain seared her scalp. She dropped into a puddle. Stunned by her fall and her stinging head, Amice could only stare at her tormentor while freezing water soaked her clothes. How she hated him. How she regretted her desperate flight from home. But what other choice did she have?
Harry gaped at the dark tresses hanging from his hand. He threw them to the ground as she struggled to rise. Panic gripped her as his hostile glare changed to a slow, confident smile.
“There’s nowhere to run. I’ll catch you if it’s the last thing I do,” he vowed. He leapt off his horse.
Amice tugged her sodden skirts, trying to haul them out of the puddle. Where was her mount? Too far away to reach without being caught, weighted down as she was. Sprays of water flew as she heaved her skirts over her arm. Heart racing, she ran for the trees. A branch snagged her. With a cry of frustration, she pulled the wet wool until it wrenched free.
Ignoring twigs tearing at her skin and icy mud that sucked away one of her shoes, she forged ahead. She gasped for air as she plunged into a tiny clearing, then came to an abrupt halt at the sight of a group of mounted men. Slimy hair slapped her face and clung to her cheek.
Panting, cold air stinging her throat, she sought a path to escape the strangers. Alarm coursed through her. She focused on the man at the head of the group. Anxiety and uncertainty warred within her though she sensed an almost tangible power emanating from him. The wind tossed his chin-length black hair as he stared down with a stern expression.
Will he help me? Am I better off with him or…? Before Amice could decide, branches snapped behind her. Harry ran into the clearing. Instinctively she moved closer to the commanding stranger.
“I am Sir Nicholas Grey,” he announced, his voice deep. Confident, yet reassuring. “And you are?”
Harry’s pointy nose wrinkled. She knew he wondered if he could get away with a lie. “This miscreant is my daughter. She’s running away because she refuses to marry the man I’ve chosen for her,” Harry said.
“He lies,” Amice protested. “Harry Winfield was my husband’s cousin. He wants to marry me now that my husband is dead, which all know is against—”
“This is none of your affair, Sir Nicholas. ’Tis a mere family misunderstanding,” Harry said. His spindly fingers closed over her wet arm, sending a shiver of revulsion through her. “Come, sweeting, ’tis time to go home.”
Silence reigned while she twisted free. Amice hoped Harry’s friendly tone didn’t fool Sir Nicholas. If necessary, she’d beg him to help her. All Amice wanted was to go home and live her life in peace. Without Harry. Without any husband. One had been quite enough.
Sir Nicholas studied her, clearly assessing the veracity of her tale. Something flickered in his piercing blue eyes. The intensity of his gaze unnerved her, but she couldn’t look away. When Sir Nicholas broke their connection, she felt colder than before.
“I come on the king’s business.” He opened his cloak to reveal King Henry’s badge of a chained antelope. “Which makes whatever I choose my affair.”
Had Harry met his match?
“Certainly, Sir Nicholas, your business can’t call for you to meddle in a father’s discipline of his wayward daughter,” Harry said. “You must believe me over a mere woman.”
Harry’s audacity no longer surprised Amice.
“He’s not my father. I flee to escape him, true, but because he’s trying to force me to marry him. His men control my home. I need to reach friends at Caister Castle and get word to my cousin Cromwell,” she said. “You must believe me.”
Nicholas studied the pair as the petite, soggy woman spoke. She’d begun to shiver, no wonder as she had no cloak and only one shoe. With all the mud coating her gown, he couldn’t guess at the quality of it. But her speech and bearing, the way she confidently met his gaze though her green eyes were filled with apprehension, indicated she was a lady. For certes she was beautiful, even splattered with grime. And her green eyes conveyed an intelligence that made him want to know more about her.
Perhaps she told the truth.
The man, on the other hand, looked as if he wanted to consume the woman whole as Nicholas had once seen a snake swallow a mouse.
“She comes with us, if she chooses,” he said.
“Where do you go?” the man asked. “Perhaps we can travel together and settle this in more comfortable surroundings.”
�
��We are for Castle Rising.”
The man’s mouth dropped open and the woman gasped. “Thank the Lord,” she said. “You can take me home. I am Lady Amice Winfield.”
Nicholas frowned. Amice Winfield was the reason he was in the middle of a forest instead of on pilgrimage. Could this bedraggled female be Lady Amice, the woman King Henry had sent him to protect?
The man didn’t dispute her statement. In fact, he was sidling off toward the trees….
“Hold him,” Nicholas ordered as the man started to run.
With a quick turn Martin and Thomas the Tall trapped the skinny suspect between their horses.
“Both of you are coming with us,” he said.
Martin hauled the man onto his horse as Nicholas offered the drenched woman his hand. Muddy water from her garments and hair splashed him as he lifted her in front of him. His horse Merlin, in turn, shook his mane to rid himself of the icy droplets.
He’d had enough filth fighting the French. The day wasn’t progressing at all as he’d planned.
She turned to peer at him, her eyes slightly darker than shoots of new grass. He couldn’t look away.
“Why is the king sending you to Castle Rising?”
“I’m not willing to say, because I’m not yet convinced who you are,” Nicholas replied. He wiped a drop of water from his nose. If he felt miserable, she must feel worse. Despite the cold, her wet clothes and danger, she’d possessed courage enough to make her case. He respected that, though he needed proof to believe. He’d learned not to easily trust women.
Her eyes widened with surprise and perhaps a hint of distress. “I’ve told you, I am Lady Amice. And he,” she said as she pointed to her pursuer, “is Harry Winfield.”
“Lady Amice would know why I was here.” He signaled for the group to ride, looking at the road ahead instead of at her. Something about her struck a chord deep within. But caring wasn’t part of his assignment.
“Why would I lie? I am Amice Winfield. I know of no reason for the king to send anyone to me.”
“The truth will be revealed upon our arrival at Castle Rising. Not a moment sooner.”
Sir Nicholas pursed his lips as if signaling the end of the conversation, but Amice refused to let him have the last word. Despite her unkempt state, though her head still stung and throbbed, she was a lady. She touched her neck, finding blood mixed with muddy water. Later she’d attend to her aches and pains. Now she’d learn what she could about this man who claimed the king had sent him to her home. Where to start?
“What is your horse’s name?”
“Merlin.”
“As in King Arthur’s wizard? I’m fond of the tales of Arthur and his knights. I hope someday to see an illuminated manuscript. Is it true the best are not English or French but—”
“Flemish. I have one.”
“You do?” She looked at him.
Sir Nicholas glared back, eyes frosty blue and cold as the wind whipping at her hair. The power he emitted was more intense up close. Yet she didn’t feel afraid, but protected. “The road could be dangerous. ’Twould be best if we spoke only when necessary.”
“I know the roads are perilous. Had there been another way to seek aid, I’d never have ridden out alone,” she said. “Why don’t you wear armor, if you fear danger?”
“First, I never fear. Second, we can defend ourselves. Third, the weight of armor would slow us down and tire our horses more than the weather has. Fourth, be quiet.”
Amice faced front with a huff. She squeezed her numb fingers into fists. As she leaned against the hard mass of his chest to secure her position, his warmth began to seep into her.
Emotions roiled within her. Relief, foremost. Harry Winfield’s sinful plot to marry her would be put to rest at last. Such a marriage was forbidden by law and religion. Anger next. She was offended that this stranger with compelling blue eyes doubted her word. Was he always so distrustful?
Exhaustion third. Her stomach growled persistently. If she shut her eyes, she feared she’d fall asleep. Her body and limbs felt stiff and cold as icicles. Except for her back, heated by Sir Nicholas. If only she could warm her hands that way. She started, shocked by the sudden turn her thoughts had taken. Yet his warmth was so soothing. Comforting.
Safe. Amice was safe at last. The horse’s rocking movement lulled her. Her eyes just had to close. She fought to keep them open so she could convince Sir Nicholas to answer her questions.
What could he possibly want at Castle Rising?
Nicholas felt the woman slump against him. She’d fallen asleep.
At least that would keep her silent. He gazed down, taking in her delicate, straight nose, smudged cheeks, perfectly shaped lips reddened by the cold. He couldn’t deny that her beauty and spirit engaged him. And the intelligence he’d seen in her eyes made him want to know more about her. Spirit, intelligence, beauty. Three qualities he’d most appreciate in a wife. But if she was Lady Amice, he could never wed her.
His duty was to safeguard, not to take. Though an esteemed friend of the king, he brought no wealth or political connections, both of which Henry and his queen needed.
Frustration filled him. He needed no more complications. Soon, soon he’d complete his task at Castle Rising and earn what Henry had promised, time to go on a pilgrimage. He’d visit nearby Walsingham, because the king wouldn’t grant sufficient leave for him to reach Rome. Still, he’d have precious days free of responsibilities and discord at court. Time to heal, and take a respite from serving his country. At two and thirty, was that too much to ask of life?
“I know you didn’t want to take on this task. If you were less wondrous, the king wouldn’t have insisted.” Wind tossed Martin’s auburn hair and reddened his long nose.
“Martin, you oft amuse me. Not today.” Nicholas wrapped his fur-lined cloak around his sleeping guest, then urged Merlin forward. Even his powerful warhorse struggled in the watery muck.
Martin wiped a mud splat from his face. “‘In these times of civil strife, few men can be trusted, but you’ve proved your worth on and off the battlefield,’” he said, repeating the king’s compliments. He heaved a great sigh. “If not for your most excellent prowess, I’d be home before a toasty fire. Or seeking greater valor in battle. But no, we needs protect a damsel.”
Wind snatched at Nicholas’s tunic, making him wish he weren’t so reliable. “Lady Amice’s husband held several key estates. And she’s cousin to England’s former treasurer, still a powerful man and Henry’s close companion. In the wrong hands, she’d make a perfect political pawn. We but watch over her till the king and her cousin find her another husband. Which I pray they do soon.”
Nicholas studied the cloudy sky. They might reach their destination by noon. He flexed his icy fingers, regretting his chivalrous donation of his cloak, then turned his attention back to the oozing remnants of the road. The horses plodded as best they could, their labored breath swirling to steam in the freezing air. Each hoof slurped out of the mud.
The woman slid lower. An unbidden wave of concern washed over him. He didn’t need her leaning so cozily against him, making him want to wrap his arms around her and offer comfort. Making him want to care.
“Pardon me….” Nicholas refused to call her by name until he was certain of her identity. He wanted to believe her, but had learned many women weren’t worthy of his trust. He tapped her back with a gloved finger.
She opened her eyes. “Are we there?”
“Almost.”
“Good.” Her head dropped onto his chest. She dozed off again, almost buried in the voluminous folds of his now-damp cloak.
He sighed. His clothing had absorbed much of the supposed Amice’s drippings, so that in addition to being cold he was uncomfortably damp. All he wanted was time to heal after years of never-ending skirmishes against France. Physical wounds hardened into scars. Emotional wounds festered without care. The horrific sights and sounds of bloody death planted over and over in his mind had taken root. Perha
ps some time away from politics would help him pluck them out.
“Are you pleased now, my lord?” Martin asked. “This is what you get for wanting what you don’t have. ‘Oh, the constant pressure of serving the king, being available at a moment’s notice, and never having more than an hour or two to pursue aught but the king’s business,’” he intoned, lowering his voice in an attempt to imitate Nicholas.
“You twist my words. If you weren’t so useful, I’d dismiss you for impertinence. I but seek a respite, which Henry granted. I think he was glad to have a request that wouldn’t strain his coffers. But he needed me again after Lady Amice’s husband died.”
“At least you are away from the cloying court,” Martin said.
True. But when would he be free?
Castle Rising lay ahead, a small square keep set in the hollow of a high mound surrounded by a brick curtain wall dotted with arrow loops. The group crossed a steep outer hill, then rode over a stone bridge and passed a tall, narrow gatehouse set into grassy mounds on either side.
The silence made the back of Nicholas’s neck prickle. “Where are the guards?
He scanned the area, which offered some trees, the square crenellated keep, and a small chapel to the left with a building behind it. Another building to the side appeared to be a kitchen.
Martin snorted. “Worse and worse. You’ve been denied your pilgrimage to protect a tiny woman, a few buildings and a mere keep. We should’ve been sent to a major castle. Your plans have been postponed by an expedition not worthy of your many talents.”
“We go where needed, whether or not the surroundings are ideal,” he replied.
At His Command-Historical Romance Version Page 1
