Cast Love Aside Read Online Free PDF Page A

be on our way,” Braedon remarked,
surveying the sleeping men-at-arms. “We knew the effects of herbs
and poppy syrup in wine wouldn't last very long and if we're wise,
we'll be gone from Manoir Sainte Inge before anyone wakens
completely.”
    “We cannot leave two ladies here,
undefended,” William declared. “Erland's men will naturally be
irritated when they discover they’ve been tricked and that their
master is gone. They’re sure to take their anger out on the
women.”
    As if to emphasize the validity of the claims
of both men, a man-at-arms tried to push himself off the floor,
groaning and blinking his eyes, only to slump back into
unconsciousness again.
    “You’re right, William,” Magnus admitted,
giving way far too easily to what he secretly longed to do. Women
were not included in the orders he'd been given back in England,
but neither had he been commanded to leave innocent bystanders to
an evil fate. Lilianne in particular was in danger for, thanks to
Braedon's loose speech, she knew that he and his men planned to
convey Erland across the Narrow Sea. What the men-at-arms would do
to make her tell what she knew was too horrible to contemplate. The
only other option, that of killing both Lilianne and Alice before
he left the manor in order to keep them from talking, was equally
unthinkable. Not even to ensure the safe completion of his mission
would he murder women.
    Though he had spoken softly to William,
Lilianne heard him.
    “Yes,” she said, sounding remarkably pleased
at the idea of departing from her home in the company of strangers.
“Alice and I must go with you. It’s the only way for us to be
safe.”
    Over Alice's bowed head she regarded him with
shining eyes and an eager expression. That look was all the reward
Magnus wanted from her, and it was far more than a man in his
position had any right to expect. For just a moment he allowed
himself the pleasure of drowning in her violet eyes. Then Braedon
coughed rather pointedly and Magnus remembered that he was supposed
to be in command of their expedition.
    “You will need your cloaks,” he told
Lilianne. “It will be cold on the water.”
    “Water?” Alice repeated in a trembling
voice.
    “Don't be afraid,” Lilianne said. Sliding an
arm around Alice's shoulders, she began to guide her toward the
stairs. “You must see that this is the wisest course for us. We
will be perfectly safe with these honest knights.”
    “Bring nothing but your cloaks,” Magnus
ordered, his voice gruff because he was feeling guilty about his
strong sensual reaction to Lilianne. Nor was he sure he could live
up to her naive expectations. She hadn't the faintest idea how
dangerous the next hour or two could be. “Don't stop to pack any
belongings. Meet us at the manor gate. If you aren't there when we
pass through it, we will leave you behind to deal with Erland's men
as best you can.”
    “He doesn't really mean it,” Lilianne said to
Alice.
    “I do mean it,” Magnus told her. “Get
yourselves to the gate as fast as you can.”
    “Alice, you wait here,” Lilianne said. “I'll
run upstairs to our rooms and collect the cloaks, and then I'll be
right back.”
    “Of course, I'll wait. How can I do
otherwise?” Alice wailed.
    As she unclasped her hands and held out her
arms, her wide grey sleeves fell back, allowing Magnus to see for
the first time how her wrists were bound together.
    “Sir William, what have you done to her?”
Lilianne gasped, apparently only then realizing that her friend was
tied.
    “She bit my hand,” William said. “I had to
restrain her. But if Alice will promise to cause no more trouble,
I’ll unfasten the thong.”
    “That seems fair enough to me,” Magnus said,
amused by the notion of William having to fight off the fragile
looking little novice.
    “Wait!” Lilianne commanded. She laid one hand
over Alice's bound wrists. Her violet gaze moved from William to
Braedon, and finally to Magnus, who stood frozen in place