Elizabeth Elliott Read Online Free PDF Page A

have concocted many mad schemes in my years of service with you, but this is the maddest.”
    “Have you known one of my schemes to fail?” Guy demanded.
    “Nay, but many came so close that I did picture us both in shrouds.”
    Guy gave up his effort to convince him of the plan’s merits. He stood up and indicated that the conversation was over. “See if you can manage another meeting with our spy tonight and relate what I just told you.”
    “Aye, my lord.” Evard began to walk toward the door, but hesitated when Guy called out to him.
    “Just one more thing, Evard.” Guy unstrapped hisswordbelt and placed the weapon near the bed. He unsheathed his dagger as well, intending to place it under his pillow, but first he pointed the tip toward Evard. “Watch your own back, my friend. Lonsdale needs me alive. You, he might find more useful dead.”
    Hours later a thump roused Guy from his sleep. His hand reached for the dagger almost before his eyes opened, but he could see nothing in the pitch black that enveloped the chamber. He listened for another suspicious sound, but felt too groggy and disoriented to concentrate. His eyes slid closed and sleep soon reclaimed him.
    A strange dream began to take shape. He was being carried as he’d seen wounded men be carried from the battlefield; one man gripped his legs while another lifted his shoulders. Odd that he didn’t feel any pain, odder still that they were not on a battlefield. They were in a hallway of some sort, narrow and musty-smelling. He could see the outline of a third man ahead of them who held a rush torch aloft to guide their way, yet he couldn’t focus on the flames. They danced and hissed together in constant patterns of fuzzy motion. He looked at the arched ceiling and experienced a floating sensation, a weightlessness that made him think he could fly if he put his mind to it. The stone blocks that formed the archway raced by faster and faster until he became dizzy and closed his eyes.
    “Remove their clothing.”
    The voice came from far away. The man spoke again several times but he couldn’t make out the words, then a long silence descended. He no longer felt weightless. His limbs seemed made of lead. He couldn’t move, didn’t want to move. What an odd dream.
    It got better. He rubbed his cheek against something warm and soft that smelled of flowers. The something shifted beneath him.
    “Mm.”
    A woman. He had been so long without one that now hewas dreaming of them. He would have to remedy that situation soon. His remedy had green eyes and long, long, long dark hair. He rubbed his cheek against the soft surface again, hoping she would make that same sweet sound. He smiled when she did.
    His eyelids felt weighted with lead. He could barely open them. When he finally accomplished the small task, he was surprised to see the gray light of dawn through the window. Strange, but the window seemed in a different place than it had last night. That did not matter. Not while his head rested upon the curve of a woman’s breast. Claudia’s breast. What other woman would he conjure up in his dream?
    His heart began to beat harder. Very little in his life happened without plan and purpose. Even when events seemed to occur at random or beyond his will, their reason became clear in time. Omens were signs he never ignored, and this dream was a sure omen. Claudia was the true reason he came to Lonsdale Castle. She would be his bride.
    Aye, it all made sense, even her presence in this dream. It was a sign that she, too, knew her fate and accepted it. She had sealed their fate that afternoon when she returned his kisses with a passion that set his soul on fire. He’d wanted to take her then and there. Now that he knew she would be his, he was content just to hold her. He drew her into the circle of his arms and pressed his body against hers. His hand traveled the length of her slender back and he realized that she was naked. Gloriously naked. So was he. The groan