The Age of Knights and Highlanders: A Series Starter Collection

by Kathryn Le Veque

  “Do not worry. I intend to write the king with the news and have Sir Symond deliver it to him.”

  Elia left, so Merryn gathered parchment, quill, and ink in order to let Edward know of Geoffrey’s return. She did not want to keep anything from the ruler, but she loathed the idea of sharing her fears and questions about her husband’s return.

  Your Majesty—

  I hope you will not mind that I have sent this missive with Sir Symond. I know you sent him ahead to Kinwick for a certain purpose, but ’tis no longer relevant, for I have the best of news to share with you.

  Geoffrey has returned to Kinwick.

  I know not where he has been, but ’tis obvious he has suffered much. He is currently resting and should be healthy and whole by the time you and the queen arrive.

  I wanted to inform you of this miracle, something that I prayed for every day for many years. Because he has returned to us, I deemed it inappropriate for Sir Symond to be present at Kinwick. I would not want Geoffrey to know that this man was to be my suitor. I trust this good knight will return to your service and that you will find him an appropriate wife in due time.

  We look forward to the visit of the royal court in June.

  Merryn reviewed what she had penned and then hastily scrawled her signature on it before she sealed it with wax. She realized the missive was vague, but she did so on purpose. It would inform Edward of the situation and definitely intrigue him, but it would probably infuriate him that she had provided no details.

  More than anything, she hoped by the time the king arrived at Kinwick, that Geoffrey would have fought through the inner demons he struggled with.

  Merryn did not want to delay the inevitable. She went downstairs to the great hall, hoping Raynor would have brought Sir Symond back for the noon meal.

  When she arrived at the doors, Tilda rushed to her. “My lady, the castle is buzzing with gossip.”

  “I know why.” She met Tilda’s eyes. “I will address the matter in a few minutes. For now, I have urgent business to attend to.”

  She entered the room. Merryn found the two men sharing a cup of ale as servants pulled the trestle tables from the walls to accommodate those coming in from the fields.

  Greeting them, she asked, “Might I have a private word with you, my lord?”

  Benedict gave her a smile. “Of course, my lady.” He stood.

  “Follow me.”

  Merryn took him to a small room that was used to keep the estate’s records.

  “Please, have a seat.”

  Benedict studied her with interest. “I think not. You have something on your mind, Lady Merryn, and a scroll in your hand. I fear I would not have the time to make myself comfortable before I left.”

  “You are perceptive, indeed, sir.” She handed him the missive. “This is meant for the king’s eyes, but I must share with you what I have written.”

  He glanced at the scroll. “I have no need if it’s the king’s business.”

  “But you do, Sir Symond, since it involves you.”

  He frowned. “Go on.”

  Merryn swallowed. “There is no easy way to give you this news, my lord, given the circumstances of why you have come to Kinwick. But I must speak plainly. I do not want you to have any questions.”

  Benedict’s face remained stony.

  “My husband, Geoffrey . . . he . . . has returned to Kinwick. He was not dead as we feared. I have informed the king of this extraordinary news and I wish you to deliver it to him at once.” She saw realization dawn in the knight’s eyes as he became aware how this news affected him personally.

  “I know you came here with high hopes for us to make a match, but it’s impossible now. I hope you can understand that your presence would make Geoffrey uncomfortable if he learned the true reason you visited Kinwick. That’s why I want you to deliver this missive to the king for me.”

  Benedict seemed lost in thought. Merryn let the silence linger a bit, then she spoke.

  “I’ll speak to Cook. She can prepare provisions for the road.” She placed a hand upon his sleeve. “I am sorry your journey here did not work out as you’d planned. I do hope you’ll return as a member of the king’s guard when he comes to call next month. We would be very happy to receive you.”

  “I follow the king’s orders. Whatever they may be.” He bowed to her. “I’ll gather my things and be off, my lady.” He reached for her hand and placed a kiss upon it.

  “A fond farewell, Lady Merryn.”

  “Godspeed, Sir Symond.”

  She watched him exit the room. Her heart ached for this knight. Instead of marrying a new wife and finding a permanent home, everything had been torn from Benedict, through no fault of his own.

  Merryn found the twins standing in the corridor. Their eyes were full of questions that she didn’t know how to answer.

  Bending to embrace them, she thought how she lived for these children. Above all else, they would remain safe and happy under her care.

  “Come. I must speak to the people in the great hall.”

  Chapter 21

  Merryn decided Geoffrey had been gone long enough. She had waited for him years after their betrothal when he’d fought with the English armies in France. They’d spent one glorious night together as husband and wife before he’d vanished the next afternoon.

  The time for waiting had come to an end.

  The castle continued to buzz with questions about the master’s return. Even the twins grew tiresome as they begged for more stories of their father and wondered when he would come home to them. Elia alternated between weeping and moping.

  Three days of it had driven Merryn to the brink of madness.

  Whether Geoffrey liked it or not, she would bring him home. These past few days stretched almost as long as the years they’d been apart. The well-being of her marriage and their family’s future were at stake. It was time they came together.

  She hoped in more ways than one.

  Merryn only shared with Tilda where she headed. She did not need anyone giving her unwanted advice.

  She came around the corner and entered the stables where she asked for Destiny to be saddled for her. The stable boy, usually talkative by nature, must have read her mood. He readied her horse and helped her mount the steed without conversation.

  Merryn trotted through the inner and outer baileys. She signaled for the gate to be opened and rode through with a friendly wave. Destiny hadn’t been ridden recently and the horse itched to gallop. She let the horse have his head. He took off, racing across the meadow.

  Hoof beats sounded behind her. Merryn glanced over her shoulder. Raynor chased her down. She reined in her horse at the edge of the meadow and waited for him.

  Raynor pulled up beside her and gave her a withering glance.

  “So you’re off to drag him home? And alone, at that.”

  Merryn frowned. “He’s my husband, Raynor. I want him back at Kinwick, surrounded by those who love him.”

  “He was at home, Merryn. And he took off again faster than a fox fleeing from the hunt.”

  Merryn tamped down her frustration, knowing Raynor only had concern for her. “I refuse to argue with you. I cannot defend Geoffrey’s actions. I don’t begin to understand what he experienced while gone from our midst. But I want him home. Now.”

  Raynor reached out and put a hand atop hers as it rested on the pommel. “At least let me escort you there, Merryn. After what happened with Geoffrey at the hunting lodge, I want to make sure you arrive safely.” He gave her a searching look. “I don’t know what I—what Kinwick—would do if you vanished while on your mission of mercy.”

  She saw his point. Until they learned what occurred at the hunting lodge that day and why Geoffrey disappeared for so long, it would be good to have his escort. Raynor had become a treasured friend over the years. His support and encouragement kept her spirits up.

  “I will agree as long as you let me approach the hunting lodge alone. I do not want him to fee
l trapped nor spooked by my arrival.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “Whatever you wish, Merryn.”

  They rode in silence during their journey. As they neared the clearing where the lodge stood, Merryn’s stomach twisted. She had never returned to the structure after her husband disappeared. She saw Mystery tethered to the same spot he had been on that long ago day. Her eyes went to the tree where Geoffrey had been pinned. The bad memories flooded her. She pushed them aside.

  Raynor pulled up his horse and Merryn did the same.

  “I’ll wait here for an hour before I return to Kinwick. I promise to stay out of sight. If Geoffrey refuses to accompany you home, we can return together.” He shook his head. “I hope you know what you are doing, Merryn.”

  “I do.” She gave him a curt nod and spurred Destiny on into the clearing.

  Merryn arrived at her destination and climbed from her horse, leading him by the reins. Mystery nickered to them and she fastened Destiny’s reins next to the other horse. The pit of her stomach sank. She clutched Destiny’s mane as a wave of nausea overcame her, needing it for support.

  It passed after a minute and she patted the horse fondly. Starting toward the building, Merryn heard a noise coming from behind the lodge. She followed it.

  She rounded the corner and saw Geoffrey chopping wood. He faced away from her, stripped of his gypon and cotehardie. She watched the ripple of muscles across his naked back as he swung the ax. Desire stirred within her.

  He slammed the ax into a stump of wood and brushed his arm across his forehead. Wearily, he rubbed his eyes.

  Then he stopped, staring at something in the distance. He walked and bent down. Merryn saw that he picked a single woodland flower and brought it to his nose.

  The gesture tore at her heart. Without thought, she ran to him. As she reached him, Geoffrey turned. His eyes lit up and it seemed as if no time had passed at all.

  Wordlessly, he bowed and offered her the wildflower. Before she could take it, he teased her with it, brushing it lightly under her nose, tickling her. Merryn laughed with joy.

  And then stopped.

  She saw the heat flame in his eyes as he looked at her. They stood close. Merryn’s eyes swept over his bare chest, glistening with sweat. She reached a hand out and placed it against where his heart beat rapidly.

  “Merryn.” His voice, thick with emotion, jolted her. Her knees wobbled. Before she crumbled, Geoffrey pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  The kiss wrote their story in a matter of seconds. One of longing and desire. Of want and need. Of greediness and impatience. Merryn tasted a bitter sweetness. The cruelty of their long separation. And the ecstasy of their coming together, once again.

  Her fingers worked their way into his hair, gripping the wavy locks. His hands roamed her back. Plunged into her hair. Caressed her neck and breasts. Clutched her waist. They wandered to her back again and cupped her buttocks, pulling her closer.

  Geoffrey’s mouth grew more insistent, demanding all her attention, branding her as his. Merryn gave in to the kiss with a joyful heart. Her husband had truly returned to her.

  Without warning, he swept her from her feet. She laughed against his mouth and sensed his own smile. Her arms tightened about his neck as he carried her to the lodge’s door and opened it. Kicking it closed he released her, pressing her against the same door, capturing her wrists and lifting them over her head. He held them high above her as his body moved against hers.

  His mouth began a new assault on hers, almost as if he went to war and had determined he would be the victor no matter what the cost. Again and again his tongue attacked, thrusting in and out, dominating her.

  One hand grabbed both her wrists and enslaved them, freeing his other. Geoffrey dragged it through her long locks, stroking her neck, then finding her breast. He palmed it, kneading it, as his lips finally tore from hers and trailed down her slender neck, sending shivers of delight through her.

  Her nether regions pounded fiercely, beating stronger than a drum as his hand moved lower. It moved slowly along her ribcage and then across her belly before it dropped lower. Geoffrey cupped her through her clothing. Merryn whimpered, the throbbing stronger than on her wedding night.

  Suddenly, he released her hands, his fingers dancing as he unlaced the side of her surcoat. Within seconds, he’d loosened it and pulled it and her kirtle over her head. Now she wore only her smock and hose. Her shoes had been lost somewhere along the way.

  With a gleam in his eye, Geoffrey’s fingers ran along the edge of the smock, touching the rise of her bare breasts underneath. Merryn shuddered. He bent and kissed the curve, then his lips dropped to her nipple. He licked it, the thin fabric between them. She shuddered again as his teeth teased her nipple, dragging back and forth. She moaned, her fingers tightening in his hair, drawing him closer.

  He lifted his head a moment so he could draw the smock from her shoulders. He pulled it to her waist. Once again, his mouth fastened onto her breast, his tongue quick as lightning, driving her to the point of insanity.

  Then he yanked the smock to the ground. She stepped from it and he tossed it aside. Merryn wore only her hose, gartered at each knee.

  “You are more beautiful than before,” Geoffrey told her, his voice rough. He gazed up and down her body, and Merryn felt the blush rising. She wiggled, uncomfortable at the attention.

  “Do not be embarrassed, my love. I only admire your perfection.” He gave her a wicked grin. “And I must partake of that perfection—else I shall perish.”

  He quickly doffed what clothes he still wore and she drank in his body. Her hands ran across his chest, familiarizing herself with it again. They dropped to his erection and she stroked the velvet head till he groaned.

  “I cannot wait. I must have you.”

  Geoffrey lifted her by the waist and Merryn’s legs wrapped around him. He leaned her against the door as he entered her in a single, quick motion. She gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders, tightening with each pounding thrust. The throbbing raged out of control now as he pushed into her, over and over.

  Without warning, a burst of sunlight came from within her, spreading its glowing warmth, filling her as he did. Their exuberant cries joined in unity. Merryn clung to Geoffrey, overwhelmed as much by their physical coupling as the emotions that tore through her.

  He brushed his fingers tenderly against her neck and her face, resting his palms against her cheeks as he kissed her deeply. He broke the kiss and smiled at her.

  “I hope you’re ready to come home,” she teased.

  “More than ready,” Geoffrey replied. “But I think we should practice our love play a few more times before we return. I would not want all of Kinwick to hear your screams of passion. We shall practice till you can control yourself.”

  Merryn threw back her head and laughed.

  Chapter 22

  They made love twice more. Geoffrey finally believed all could once more be right in his world. Merryn laid nestled in his arms, where she’d always belonged. The years spent apart melted away.

  He smoothed her hair with the palm of his hand, then wrapped his fingers around the end of her curls. Fingering the silky texture, he knew he’d finally come home. Home wasn’t a place.

  Home was Merryn. His wife. His life.

  “I fell asleep each night pretending I held your hand,” she said softly. She stroked the knuckles of the hand that he rested against her belly.

  Geoffrey drew her closer but remained silent. How could he tell her how much he had missed her without revealing where he’d been?

  “’Twas harder the older Ancel became,” she continued. “The ache in my heart would not heal. Every day I looked at our son, I saw you in him.”

  He gave her a gentle squeeze. “I am saddened by the sorrow you have endured. The moment I saw Ancel, it was as if I looked in a mirror deep into my past.” He kissed her neck tenderly, awed that she was his. “And Alys is a younger version of you, my love. I look
forward to seeing her grow into the beauty her mother is.”

  “Do you?” she asked. Merryn turned in his arms and faced him. “Will you return with me? Will you watch your children grow up? Lead your people? Become the true lord of Kinwick?”

  Geoffrey cupped her face with his hands. “I wish to return and take my rightful place. I want to stay by your side and never leave you again, Merryn. Not for a single minute.”

  He saw the love for him shining in her eyes and brushed his lips against hers.

  “Then let us return to Kinwick. Now.” She eased away from him and stood.

  Geoffrey’s eyes roamed her body again. Motherhood had brought more roundness to her breasts. He longed to put another babe in her belly and see it swell as it grew.

  They began dressing. Merryn asked, “Did returning to the lodge jog your memory about that day? Do you remember who spirited you away? Or where you were kept for so long?”

  Geoffrey couldn’t lie to her anymore. His knightly code of chivalry forbid it.

  “You presumed my memory was faulty. I heard you mention a blow to my head.”

  “Aye. That could explain why you cannot remember where you were.”

  Geoffrey walked to her and lifted her hands. He pressed a kiss to the center of each palm. “I never told you that I could not remember. You assumed that.”

  She grew still. Her brow creased as she contemplated his words.

  “My memory hasn’t played any tricks on me, Merryn.” His eyes met hers. “I have given my oath. I cannot tell you where I was.”

  Her jaw dropped. Understanding—then anger—sparked in her blue eyes. She snatched her hands from his and in her fury, slapped him hard.

  “Did you stay away deliberately?” she fumed. “All those years, I had to be strong for the people of Kinwick. I prayed for the moment you would return to me. Dreamed of it. Like a fool.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. Angry tears spilled down her cheeks. When she opened her eyes again, they flamed in fury.

  “I wanted you to be proud of me. I had faith that you would return, but you are here—and I still feel alone. Empty. How can you look at me and tell me you know exactly where you were and why you left and remained away, yet you refuse to share the details with me? Where is the trust between us?”