Knight's Prize Read Online Free PDF

the gentle caress of his mouth lingered on her
lips, making her yearn for more.
    "Allow
me," he murmured.
    Oh,
aye, she'd allow him, she thought dreamily.
    But
he only meant to open the gate of the practice field for her. With a polite
bow, he pushed the hinged wattle aside.
    As
they passed the stables, Miriel was half-tempted to lead him inside. There in
the sweet straw they might find a quiet, dark corner in which to resume their
kissing and, thus, her questioning.
    But
as luck would have it, they'd already been spotted by more obstructionists.
Striding purposefully toward them across the courtyard was Deirdre, accompanied
by her husband, Pagan, and Colin, Helena 's
betrothed.
    "Hold
there!" Pagan barked.
    Deirdre
gave him a sharp elbow, and he softened his tone. "If you please, Lady
Miriel," he amended.
    Miriel
had no choice but to wait while the three of them ambled up, their curiosity as
apparent as Deirdre's thickening belly.
    "Who
is this?" Pagan demanded, narrowing his gray-green eyes to study Rand as if he were a strange and unwelcome bug.
    Rand had much better manners. He
extended his hand and gave a slight nod. "My lord, I am Sir Rand of
Morbroch."
    "Morbroch?"
Pagan grunted with his usual eloquence. "Morbroch who attended the
tournament?"
    Rand nodded again.
    "Hmph.
I don't remember you from the games."
    Colin
chimed in, "He wasn't in the joust." His green eyes twinkled
cheerily. "I remember all the contenders in the joust."
    Deirdre
squinted pensively while she nibbled on a crust of pandemain. " 'Twasn't
the archery either."
    "Nay,"
Colin agreed, arching a proud black brow to add, "My Helena won the
archery."
    Pagan
scowled and placed a threatening hand atop the pommel of his sheathed sword.
"By what right do you lay a hand on Lady Miriel?"
    Miriel
felt Rand tense beside her, and her ire rose. Pagan had served as lord of the
castle less than a year, and yet he'd quickly adopted an imperious attitude.
    She
smiled as sweetly as she could manage under the circumstances and gave Rand's
arm a doting squeeze, as if he were a favorite cousin.
    "Do
none of you remember Rand?" She glanced at them expectantly. "Well, I
suppose that's no surprise."
    Then
she gazed fondly into Rand's exquisite eyes and explained to him, "You
see, Lord Pagan was terribly
distracted, it being his first tournament at Rivenloch. Sir Colin? He was
half-blind with his affection for my sister, Helena. And Deirdre...
well..." She confided in a whisper. "She is with
child." Then she tapped her forehead, indicating that Deirdre's condition
might have addled her brain.
    "What?"
Deirdre squeaked.
    Before
her sister could whip out a weapon and challenge her for the insult, Miriel
ran a finger affectionately along Rand's sleeve. "But I couldn't possibly
forget Sir Rand. He was injured in the first melee, you see, knocked witless. I
took care of him in the Morbroch pavilion. We became... friends."
    To
her satisfaction, Rand followed her lead. "Great friends," he said,
giving her a wink. "Forsooth, I believe this lovely damsel saved my
life."
    Pagan
wasn't swayed in the least by their touching story. "Why have you come
back?"
    Rand
hesitated only a heartbeat. "Miriel, my sweet, did you not tell
them?"
    She
smiled weakly. By the Rood! What was he up to?
    Clucking
his tongue, he covered her hand on his arm with his own. "My timid little
angel." Then he told the others, "Lady Miriel asked that I return to
court her."
    "What?"
Pagan blurted.
    Miriel
held her breath.
    Colin
began shaking his head in bemusement.
    Deirdre
stared pointedly at Miriel, as if to divine the truth from her.
    Before
anyone could speak, Miriel filled the silence. "That's right. I wished him
to return. In fact," she added, her courage bolstered by virtue of having
an accomplice, "I insisted he return. Now if you don't mind, the poor man
has traveled all morn and hasn't had a morsel to eat." Tugging him in the
direction of the keep, she shook her head. "Some Rivenloch hospitality
we've