A Dark and Stormy Knight (A Knight's Tale Book 3)

by Diane Darcy

  “Sweetheart, you must do what you think best,” she said.

  “Thank you, my dear —”

  “And I will do the same,” Gillian’s voice hardened.

  The big man threw his arms up in the air, and stomped off. “Ready the horses, Lady Marshall shall ride with me.”

  “I want my own horse! I want to chat with the other ladies without you intimidating everyone into silence.”

  There was a growl from Lord Marshall. “As I said, make sure Lady Marshall has a gentle mount, or heads will roll!”

  The man was definitely in a mood.

  Cara moved around Wallace to grin at Gillian, who smiled and winked .

  “Excuse me, I’ll just be chatting with Gillian.”

  Wallace gave her a nod and rubbed two circles into her back. “You do that. I’ve preparations to make before we leave.”

  His mouth quirked, he kissed her hand, then strode off after Kellen.

  She crossed the distance to her friend. “You have more guts than I do.”

  Gillian made a snorting sound. “Kellen is a teddy bear. It’s your guy that makes me nervous.”

  They both laughed, and Gillian threaded their arms together and tugged her toward the stairs. “Come on, we’ve got to throw some things together. We better get out here as quickly as we can before Kellen leaves without us.”

  Grinning, because Cara knew that Kellen would never leave his wife, the two of them headed up the stairs.

  Cara’s parents once put her on a pony at a fair, and another time they’d had a friend walk her around a paddock on horseback when she was eight years old or so.

  She had the pictures to prove it.

  So, to say she wasn’t exactly proficient at riding, was a good bet.

  “Perhaps I’d better ride with Wallace. As, you know, I don’t really know how to ride a horse.”

  Gillian waved a hand in the air. “Don’t worry about it. No real skill is required on a gentle mount.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I am.”

  A while later Kellen lifted Gillian up onto her horse, into a sidesaddle position, and helped put her feet into stirrups situated at different levels.

  Cara wasn’t sure about this.

  Just as she was thinking about backing out, Wallace gave her a swift kiss, and whispered in her ear, “Whenever you are ready, I will take you upon my mount with me.”

  With that, he lifted her high into the air, and she admitted that the ease with which he did so made her heart thud once, twice, hard in her chest.

  She clung to the pommel and looked down at him as he situated her feet, into the stirrups, then twitched her dress into place to hide said feet.

  She couldn’t remember thinking him this handsome the first time she’d seen him, and wondered if she just missed it, or if the man had grown on her.

  His thick mahogany hair gleamed in the sunlight, shot with threads of red, probably bleached from sunlight.

  His long lashes lifted revealing dark green eyes, brilliant against his tanned face.

  Her fiancé was utterly gorgeous.

  “Are you well?” he asked. “Do you feel steady?”

  Oh, right, he was referring to the horse. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Everything’s fine.”

  He put his hand possessively on her thigh, gave her a squeeze, then froze, looking alarmed. “Lass? Your necklace?”

  “Gillian knew how to get it off. She’s a gem.”

  “Would you like me to carry it for you?”

  She glanced up at him and smiled. “In a hurry to get your hands on it, are you? I think it looks better on me than it would on you.”

  He gave her a look. “I am concerned you might lose it.”

  She patted her pocket. “Don’t worry, we put a few stitches in my pocket to make sure it doesn’t fall out.”

  She looked up at him, her expression impish. “Besides, it’s a magic necklace. It allows me to travel through time, so it’s best I keep it with me.”

  She should probably just give him the thing and trust he’d give it back if she needed it. He had too much pride to keep it, or her, if she wanted to leave, but for now she wanted it with her.

  Wallace nodded, taking the reins of the horse from a young boy waiting patiently nearby and mounted as if it was nothing. As Cara continued to watch him, she heard a snicker off to her right.

  “They make them pretty impressive here, don’t they?”

  “That’s for sure.”

  Both girls grinned, and then Gillian gave her some last-minute instructions for controlling her horse.

  When the company headed out, Kellen was somewhere near the front, and Wallace fell back to take a position near the rear.

  It took Cara a while to get used to riding, but Gillian helped out. “Straighten your spine, and you want to be facing forward, as if you are riding astride and simply missing one leg.”

  Cara smiled at Gillian. “Nice way to put it.”

  It took a moment for Cara to relax, but she soon got the hang of it.

  When the two women were easily able to ride side-by-side, Gillian said, “So, I hear congratulations are in order.”

  “I suppose they are. I’m officially engaged.”

  “I wasn’t sure what you would do, once you found out you could go home.”

  “I’m not going to lie, it is a relief to know, but I can’t just leave Wallace to the wolves, can I?”

  “So, you’ll marry him?”

  Would she? She thought about how thrilled Wallace was about claiming her, and felt like a jerk for her uncertainty.

  “Well, whatever the reason, I hope it all works out and you stay.”

  “Thanks.”

  As they rode down the bumpy roads in their ever-growing company, Wallace smiled when he caught her gaze, flashing those dimples. Happiness looked good on him. Plus, it was flattering to have her fiancé so thrilled at the thought of marrying her.

  The weather was a bit chilly, but Gillian had loaned her some clothing, and Wallace had bundled her up nicely, so even without him at her back, she found herself relaxing, and enjoying the sights and sounds as they passed through the village once more.

  “Do you feel like an archaeologist, living here?”

  “You get used to it pretty quickly, but every once in a while, something will startle you into realizing how medieval it is. Like the other day when Cook served eels for breakfast and made sure that I got first pick. Sometimes, you just shake your head.”

  “And then you say, pass the eggs?”

  Gillian grinned “Exactly.”

  “Tell me about the wedding.”

  Gillian nodded her head. “Yes, the queen’s niece,” she said with a grimace.

  Cara’s brows rose. “You don’t like her?”

  “I’ve never met her, but she’s royalty, and the royalty here, well, let’s just say they are not William and Harry caliber.” Gillian glanced around, then leaned forward to whisper, “They seem like a bunch of spoiled brats.”

  “We’re not allowed to talk about them?”

  Gillian laughed. “Oh, no, everyone talks about them, so that’s not it at all. You just do it in whispers, because if it gets back, and they don’t like what you said, they can cut off your head.”

  Cara chuckled. “I bet William and Harry wish they could do that in the twenty-first century. Think how few people would work in media.”

  They both laughed.

  “One of the actresses I worked with on the last set we called Princess Pat because she was spoiled and everything had to be just so.”

  “Princess Pat, huh? Well, the queen’s niece really is a princess.”

  Cara glanced behind her to see Wallace had made his way from the back and was directly behind her. He sent her the sweetest smile, and her heart seemed to do a little hop in her chest. He’d been in a wonderful mood ever since their engagement, and it was getting to her. Softening her.

  “Tell me about your time on a Hollywood movi
e set. That sounds exciting.”

  They spent the next hour or so talking about the movies Cara worked on, the people she’d met, the famous actors and actresses whose makeup she had done.

  “I have to say I’m impressed,” Gillian said after a while. “And I’m also struck by how human nature doesn’t seem to change. Here, people in high positions are treated like those movie stars of our time. And most of them act just as badly.”

  “And you put yourself in that category?” Cara teased.

  That made Gillian laugh out loud, and when she did, Kellen, leading the pack, pulled off to the side to let others go ahead of him.

  “Oh, heavens no. I’m just an outside observer. Getting along the best way I know how.”

  “So, no breakfast in bed for you? No hunky hero that looks at you as if you’re made of gold? No one to do your cooking, cleaning, and running around?”

  Gillian laughed again. “All right, fine, you’ve got me on all counts, but I’ve never worked harder in my life, trying to run a castle, supporting my husband while he worries about how to feed everyone, and generally working from dusk to dawn all while being a newlywed. And did I mention that I have a mother-in-law with high expectations?”

  Cara laughed and held up a hand. “My apologies. You’re a paragon of virtue, hard work, and beauty all rolled into one.”

  Gillian arched a brow and then looked to where her husband was off to one side, waiting for their approach. “Well, don’t consider me too virtuous.”

  Cara laughed again, and noticed Gillian didn’t take her eyes off her husband until they were side-by-side and he urged his horse to fall into step.

  “What are you ladies laughing about?” he asked, never taking his eyes off of his wife.

  “Cara here is accusing me of all sorts of nefarious deeds, such as laziness.”

  Kellen arched a brow and grinned, probably at his wife’s tone rather than her words. “Is that so?”

  “In my defense,” Cara said, “I should tell you that she is the one urging me to tell naughty tales about people we know.”

  Kellen stiffened at once.

  She glanced at her friend, and Gillian had her fingers pressed to her mouth, and all at once Cara remembered she wasn’t supposed to speak in Kellen’s presence because of her American accent.

  In a fancy bit of horsemanship, Kellen inserted himself between the two of them, making Cara even more uncomfortable.

  His face was dark as thunder as he asked, “Where hail you from, Lady Cara?”

  From his suspicious tone, he already knew exactly where she was from and she glanced over at Gillian for help, and the other woman shrugged her shoulders, letting her know the game was up.

  “California,” she said weakly as Wallace appeared at her other side leaving her sandwiched between the two men.

  Without thinking, she reached out a hand to Wallace, and when his large one closed around hers, she was instantly relieved, feeling as if he’d transferred some of his strength to her.

  Kellen’s visage darkened. “And where is this California, if I may ask?”

  “It’s near Seattle,” Gillian said matter-of-factly, and Cara was relieved when Kellen’s attention returned to his wife. “In the States United?” he asked, his voice cold as ice.

  Gillian waved a hand in the air and gave a light shrug as if it was of no consequence. “The United States, and yes, we’re from the same area.”

  “And from the same time?” he asked, glancing back at Cara, and then at his wife once more.

  Gillian took a deep breath and sighed loudly. “If you must know, yes. Same time, same place, and —”

  “I should never have let you come!” Kellen lost it. “I should have known you were up to something! How am I to protect you if you insist upon getting thyself into these situations?”

  Cara flinched, but Gillian didn’t look phased in the least. She simply smiled sweetly at her husband. “I know you’ll always keep me safe.”

  Kellen growled deep in his throat and held out his hand to Cara. “Your ring if you please.”

  “You will not talk to my betrothed in such a way,” Wallace’s voice was just as dangerous. “And you shall certainly not have her ring.”

  Both men faced off with Cara in the middle, and her heart rate, already high, thundered in her chest.

  Kellen, scowling, seemed super scary to her.

  She realized she was still clinging to Wallace’s hand, and tightened her grip all the more.

  His face, also twisted into a scowl, didn’t frighten her in the least.

  “Cara, just give him your ring,” Cara urged. “He’ll feel much better, and I’m sure he’ll give it back to you later.”

  Cara glanced over at Gillian, who winked.

  That’s right, Gillian had been wearing a ring when she’d traveled through time. So, Kellen didn’t so much as look at Cara’s necklace.

  She glanced at her left hand, which was clinging to the pommel, and looked at the tiny silver bands around her middle finger. Three, very thin silver rings, bound together, a present from her parents at high school graduation.

  Years later, it was so much a part of her that she rarely took the ring off, and rarely even thought about it.

  She tried to pull her hand from Wallace’s, but he held tight. “You will not take her ring.” The skin over his high cheekbones flushed red and he looked ready to fight for it.

  “No, Wallace, it’s okay. He can keep it in his possession if he’d like. Hopefully, he’ll give it back to me when we part company?” she glanced at Kellen.

  He gave a swift nod.

  She tugged again against Wallace’s hand, and after a wide-eyed appeal from her, he took a breath, nodded, and finally let her go.

  She slowly worked the ring off her finger and held it out to him. “My mother gave it to me, so I do hope you’ll keep it safe?”

  Kellen took the ring, and it disappeared into what she could only assume was a pocket inside his tunic. “Aye, Gillian’s father gave her the ring she wore to get here. So I understand the sentimentality. I will keep it safe and when we part company ’twill be yours again.”

  “Deal.”

  “Can I get mine back, too?” Gillian asked, her voice innocent and sweet.

  In the next instant, Kellen pulled Gillian off her horse and onto his lap, and then, seeming to scold his unrepentant wife, urged his mount to the front of the line once more.

  The man behind them took the reins of Gillian’s horse, and soon everyone was settled back into place.

  “You’re sure you consent to him having your mother’s ring?”

  “It’s fine. I trust he’ll give it back to me.” She gave him a gentle smile. “Sometimes you have to give a little. Pull your punches and play the game. Try a little charm. Getting angry rarely gets you what you want.”

  He ignored that. “And if I understood aright, you and Lady Marshall originally came from the same place? Is that correct?”

  “Well, I’m from Wales too, remember?” she teased.

  And she suddenly had an appreciation for the fact that Wallace wasn’t freaking out about the whole thing.

  Gillian’s husband seemed a little on the psycho side.

  She glanced at Wallace who suddenly had a look of suppressed happiness about him.

  “What is it?”

  “Lady Marshall has stayed, and seems exceedingly content with her decision. Does she not?”

  She saw where he was going with this, and couldn’t help the spike of feeling that rushed through her. He wanted her to stay, worried that she wouldn’t, but hoped she would.

  Gillian’s happiness gave him hope that Cara could be the same.

  What a sweetheart.

  Her heart felt as if it was melting into a puddle.

  What a sweetheart.

  She reached out to take his hand once again, and he used the gesture as leverage to pull her forward, into his arms, and settle her upon his lap.

  Her eyes slowly closed as her
lips curved into a smile.

  He was fast becoming her favorite person.

  It was a hard day’s ride, with Cara alternately riding with Wallace, and on her own mount beside Gillian. They’d occasionally seen people in the distance, who’d run off at their approach, leaving Cara slightly unsettled.

  Compared to her jet setting life, where the norm was to feel safe, she no longer had that security.

  A woman alone, and without protection, was in danger.

  When they stopped to set up camp for the night, Wallace helped her down, and held onto her until she steadied.

  She’d never been partial to camping, but this was fun.

  The tents went up fast, something Wallace hadn’t bothered with when it was just the two of them. Several small fires, pots set over them, scented the air with supper. Everyone was so capable it left her feeling the odd man out.

  Or rather, woman in this case.

  Gillian walked over to her and twined their arms together so the two of them stood on the edge of the encampment, leaving her feeling grateful to not be standing alone, feeling helpless as everyone scurried about, seeming to know what to do.

  “Kellen won’t let me do anything either.”

  “It’s not that Wallace has forbidden me to do the work, it’s just I really don’t know what to do.”

  Gillian laughed. “You’ve never been camping?”

  “Sure, I’ve been camping. On the beach, at a bunch of different places in California, Oregon, Nevada. For a few years we had a family reunion at Flaming Gorge in Utah. The luxury camper was great. We brought bags of chips, microwave burritos, soft tacos, pizza, pie for dessert. Stuff we just had to heat up, or take out of the refrigerator.”

  She lifted a helpless hand to indicate the activity before them. “We never had to fill a pot with water, catch a rabbit, and somehow miraculously make stew for everyone.”

  “So, glamping.”

  Cara laughed. “Exactly.”

  She caught a suspicious glance from Kellen, and quickly looked away. “I don’t think your husband likes me very much.”

  “Sure he does. Ignore his scowls, he looks like that all the time.”

  Cara shot her a glance. “Not at you.”