The Heat of the Knight Read Online Free PDF Page B

to override her good sense?
    Though he was cast in the predawn shadows and his features were barely discernible, she still avoided looking at him. She was thankful for the darkness as she felt a scarlet blush firing from her throat to her face.
    “I didn't imagine it. You were in my room last night.”
    “Not by choice,” she retorted. “'Tis vipers you have in your employ, setting me to a task they knew would cause humiliation.”
    “So, you've finally had it confirmed for good and all.”
    “What?” she asked.
    “That I'm a heathenish beast.”
    Yes, a supremely skillful, handsome beast, she thought. “As long as your harem appreciates your talents, what does it matter what I think?”
    “Well, you never thought much of me anyway,” he said, his voice gruff.
    “Once I believed you made of the most heroic stuff. I'm merely amazed to find Colin the warrior and you the hedonist.” She sensed him flinch at her judgmental words.
    “That's not to say I don't think you manage your estate wonderfully, and you've no rival in hunting. No man has ever bested you at swordplay. And tilting at the quintain is surely…”
    Even in the dark, she could see that his face was getting paler with every new compliment she uttered. He looked nearly bloodless.
    “I beg you, no more. I've had my fill of your flattery.”
    Barking, the dogs raced past them, hailing a newcomer. Colin greeted Christiana with an endearing smile.
    “I thought to join you today, cousin.” Colin made no pretense to stifle a wide yawn.
    “I've men enough. Go back to bed,” Beckett said, and headed back to his waiting horse.
    Colin shrugged and turned his attention to Christiana. “Odd. My cousin's temper seems to grow shorter whenever you are about.”
    Beckett drew his destrier to a quivering halt in front of them, and his companions followed suit. The horses stamped impatiently, their breath steaming white. Curiously, the dogs had not been leashed. Christiana had never known a hunting party to ride out from the castle walls unaccompanied by hounds. With apprehension, she turned to Colin, but he'd left her side and was walking toward the dairy.
    She glanced back at the party of brutish men outfitted with weaponry enough for a small war. A scarred and scowling man at Beckett's side offered her what she supposed was meant as a seductive smile. His bared teeth only served to make him appear more menacing. Arnulph, the man who'd seen to her welfare when she'd first arrived, was among the group. His visage, with the single gleaming orb and the lid pulled taut over the hollow socket of the other eye, added to the fearful impression. She couldn't help thinking that it was Beckett and his men that looked the battle-hardened soldiers and not Colin.
    “Stay out of trouble,” Beckett said in parting, nearly growling the demand.
    * * * *
    Using the damp stone wall for support, Christiana trudged up the narrow, spiraling stairwell. Each step seemed steeper than the last, and each corner led to deeper shadows.
    The chill air, like the breaths of ghosts, lifted goose bumps on her skin. The sickly yellow light of the candle she carried did nothing to dispel the gloom. No wonder Maud had not clamored for this duty as she had every other one assigned to Christiana. It did not matter if Christiana was delivering the slop to the swine, or on her hands and knees scrubbing treacle from the floor, sly-eyed Maud would shrilly proclaim that the master was favoring Christiana.
    Yes, quite the choice task she would be facing today. She expected to find the furnishings and tapestries dust encrusted. How many years, she wondered, had it been since the uppermost chambers of this tower had been occupied?
    At the landing, Christiana stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Finding the room unlocked, she pulled open the massive wooden door and stepped inside. The rushes on the floor smelled stale, but there was only a light sprinkling of dust on the furnishings.
    She blew the dust