The Bride of Windermere Read Online Free PDF

her.
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    â€œGerhart.”
    Though she dozed comfortably as they rode, Kit heard a rough voice as one of the soldiers rode abreast of them. She saw no reason to make them aware that she was awake, which she barely was, anyway. She needed to think about getting away and returning to wait for Rupert somewhere near Somerton. Kit tried to keep track of their progress so she’d be able to find her direction when the time came. However, it was difficult to pay attention because she was so drowsy, her head ached and her eye socket throbbed abominably.
    â€œIt will be dark soon,” the man said, speaking to the man she knew as “Wolf.” Kit wondered why the soldier called him “Gerhart.” “The old woman is nearly falling off her mount.” His words were strangely accented, though not unpleasant to Kit’s ear. He was a tall man, quite powerful in the saddle, and he was as blond as Wolf was dark.
    Kit repressed the urge to turn and see how Bridget fared. Wolf didn’t respond to the soldier immediately, and Kit wondered if he was trying to decide whether or not to let her old nurse fall by the wayside.
    â€œWe’ll stop soon,” Wolf finally said. “Send two men ahead to scout a likely campsite.”
    Kit felt a long sigh escape the man. He must be in a terrible hurry to get to London to be so irritated by this slight delay. Didn’t knights need to rest, too? Weren’t they hungry as well? She felt his arms tighten securely around her. In contradiction to her thoughts, Wolf didn’t seem weary at all. She thought he must have the stamina of a workhorse. Kit was weary, though, and while her spirit was tenacious, she knew she couldn’t keep up with this Wolf. At least not now.
    It seemed so safe and secure in his arms that Kit snuggled back into him. Maybe later she would think about escaping to get back where Rupert could find her. She dozed off again until some time later when Wolf spoke.
    â€œThere was a woman last night at Somerton.”
    At first, Kit was astonished, thinking he’d spoken to her. But before she could reply, she realized that the man who had addressed Wolf before was riding next to them again.
    â€œJa?” the man replied. Kit wanted to get a better look at him. She continued to feign sleep instead.
    â€œAfter we get the girl to London and I settle with Philip, I’m going back to find her.”
    â€œWho is the woman?”
    â€œI don’t know. But she was...interesting. Intriguing.” Wolf seemed at a loss for words.
    The man laughed. “I’ve never seen you quite so ...intrigued, Cousin.” He waited for Wolf to explain but got no response. “Ladies have fallen at your feet for years yet you—”
    â€œNot this time,” Wolf interrupted. “It was strange. She was... different.” Kit could hear puzzlement in his voice. She experienced an odd sense of satisfaction as a result of her effect on him. She couldn’t think of any man, other than Rupert, who had ever found her interesting, much less intriguing. On the other hand, the thought of Wolf coming back to Somerton for her was alarming. He was not a gentle or charming man like her Rupert.
    â€œWhat was her name?”
    â€œShe wouldn’t say.”
    â€œThat’s promising.” Through her lashes, Kit saw the man’s eyebrow go up. “I’ll assume it wasn’t the charming and seductive Lady Edith.”
    â€œHmph.” Kit felt the sound he emitted, more than heard it.
    â€œIt’s likely to be months before we finish our business, Gerhart,” the man said with amusement. “Do you suppose she’ll be waiting for you?”
    â€œWhat difference whether she waits or not? She’ll be mine,” replied Wolf with utmost confidence, and Kit’s sense of satisfaction vanished. How dare he assume she would fall at his feet when he arrived?
    She gritted her teeth to master her irritation