A Stormy Knight Read Online Free PDF Page A

did not move.
    " Go get Father Darius now! " she said to the messenger, who nodded as he backed away slowly from her father. Gemma tried desperately to get her father to respond to her. She tapped his ashen cheek and wiped the sweat from his brow.
    " Now! " she commanded , as servants came running from every direction. The man finally spun around and raced out of the great hall to get the priest. Tears ran down her cheeks in earnest as her father lay motionless on the fl oor. His breathing was regular and his heartbeat strong .
    " Leda? " she said in a small voice, " Are you here? "
    There was no reply. She cleared her throat and repeated her question, this time with some power behind her shaking voice.
    " Aye, milady, I be he re, " Leda said from behind her.
    " Please, Leda, something to put under my father ' s head! "
    Father Darius arrived, shuffling his feet as he ran. The sounds of boots scuffing the floor reverberated around her as more people arrived.
    Leda scurried away as the priest came over and cleared everyone back. He studied the unconscious man for a moment as Gemma too backed away to give him space. Her father still lived, but that was all she knew. She bent down to retrieve the letter that had fallen from his hand and searched for Oliver de Toeni, but he was nowhere to be found.
    She inched closer to a burning candle and scanned the paper. It was not good news. Her brother was missing , and the king himself had no further information on his possible whereabouts. Gavin left with his soldiers, his bride-to-be, and her chaperone on schedule. They should have arrived at Blackstone on time.
    Something was terribly, terribly wrong. She was sure of it. It was time to ask King Henry for help, just as her father had suggested. Had her father known something would happen to him?
    There was much confusion in the great hall as the priest arranged for Blaise to be taken up to his chambers in the solar. Because Blaise was lord of the castle, it was only right he be in his own bed away from the hubbub of daily life in the inner bailey rather than above the chapel. This would allow him to heal in peace if he survived what ailed him.
    Leda returned with the now unneeded linen. Blaise had been taken up the steps. His breathing was still regular, but he would not rouse from his sleep.
    Gemma sent her to find Oliver , and then she sat down on a wooden bench for a moment to catch her breath . Suddenly, she felt strangely alone and overwhelmingly vulnerable , and she knew she needed help .
    Hesse brought Isabel down the steps to go to morning mass. Gemma motioned for her to take Isabel to the kitchen to keep her out of the way. Everyone appeared to be moving in slow motion ; the world had taken on a dream-lik e quality as seconds ticked by.
    Oliver arrived with Leda. Gemma took a deep breath and tried to take charge of the situation . " Leda, please continue as if nothing has happened. Isabel is in the kitchen. There are hungry people who will be looking to break their fast soon enough. Because Father Darius is with Father, there will be no morning mass. Oliver, please come with me to the chapel so I may speak with you in private. We may also say a prayer for my father. "
    Her father ' s seneschal nodded and followed her out into the early morning sunlight. They stepped through the dewy grass and into the chilly darkness of the empty chapel. Gemma lit a few candles and light sprang up around them.
    " Milady, I am truly sorry I was not with your father this morning, " Oliver said. " He wanted me to have men ready in the event Gavin needed aid, so I was not with him in the hall. Is there anything I can do to assist you now? " H is face was solemn, his tone flat.
    With a deep sigh and shaking hands, Gemma relayed the contents of the message her father received before he fell over. " I don ' t think Gavin is just lost, Oliver. I fear something bad has befallen him and his bride. Can we send out a search to see if any trace or clue can