Immortal Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

wagons.
    Bags of grain, enough to feed two armies
through a bitter winter were unloaded and sent to the
newly-repaired granary. Temporary pens had been built to corral the
animals, and rubble from the stable’s charred remains was carried
away. For the next few hours a cacophony of activity filled the air
as the castle was put to temporary order.
    Outside the bailey walls later that afternoon
Dominick greeted the return of the four men he had sent to hunt
game for the wedding feast. They brought plenty of deer, fish and
fowl for the evening.
    As Dominick inspected the outer portcullis
wall to take inventory of needed repairs something captured his
attention from the corner of his eye. Eleanor stood at the edge of
the cliff at the far corner of the bailey.
    His heart hammered against his chest as he
broke into a flat out run to get to her before she fell.
    But he was too late. “Eleanor, no!”
    She looked at him with sad eyes then fell
over the ledge.
    He ran to the spot from where she had fallen
and leaned over the side to look where she should have landed.
    There was no body smashed against the
rocks.
    Frantic, he called her name again then turned
at the sound of footsteps running up behind him.
    “Dominick! What in God’s name are you
doing?”
    Randolf pulled him back from the cliff’s
edge. Both landed hard on the ground, knocking the air out of
Dominick.
    He felt his stomach rolling, wild with fear.
“Didn’t you see her? Didn’t you see Eleanor fall over the
cliff?”
    “I saw no one on these cliffs except
you.”
    “Damn it, I saw her. . . Come with me.”
    Dominick returned to the castle in a full run
with Randolf right behind and grabbed the first servant he came
upon.
    “Lady Eleanor, where is she?”
    The maid was visibly startled. “I believe she
is with Martha, my lord.”
    “Where would I find Martha?” he asked
impatiently.
    “Follow the north corridor—the third door on
the left.”
    Dominick ran through the hallway shouting
Eleanor’s name. He stopped short when he saw her step through her
servant’s doorway. Without thinking he put his hands on her
shoulders then gently touched the side of her face. He had to make
sure she was real. She looked at him in confusion, yet didn’t pull
away.
    His breath came in deep gasps, and his heart
began to slow. When he could finally speak he asked, “You’re
well?”
    “Of course I am. What is wrong with you?”
    He saw suspicion in her eyes and let her go.
“Nothing, my lady” Nothing? It was so much more than nothing. I
just saw my wife jump off a cliff. His heart was still racing.
“Please forgive me.”
    As Dominick walked away, Randolf fell into
step beside him. They stopped just inside the gatehouse.
    “This is the second time in less than two
days. I thought your mind was closed to them.”
    “It was, but this spirit is strong.” Dominick
looked down at the ground and kicked the dirt with his toe. “After
seeing what I saw, I have no doubt its Eleanor’s mother, Lady
Isolde. And now I know how she died.”
    “How do you know her name?”
    “I don’t know how. It may have come to me
when she told me Eleanor had left Godwin.”
    “I thought her death was a suicide.”
    Dominick shook his head. “I don’t believe it
was. I believe she was murdered.”
    “What did you see?” Randolf asked, voice full
of concern.
    “She was standing at the cliff's edge. Then I
saw her step back when suddenly she fell as though someone had
pushed her.”
    “God’s teeth! Eleanor believes her mother
killed herself. Everyone does.”
    “I know.”
    “What are you going to tell Eleanor?”
    “I’m not telling her anything just now.”
    “Why not? You can’t keep her in the dark
about this, Dominick.”
    “She hates me. I can’t tell her about my
so-called gift. She will think I’m insane.” Dominick turned back
toward the castle. “No, this can wait a while, at least until
everything settles down. This is still all too new for her.”
    “I