The Hellion (The Lady Knights of Barony Book One ) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“I am disturbed at the thought of Barony’s women being sold into slavery. I can only imagine the sort of places they are likely to end up.”
    “More than likely they will be sold to brothels,” said Hanako, her input blunt as it often was. “The more attractive ones may go to the higher priced places, you know the ones where they dress whores like ladies. The others will not be so fortunate.”
    “None of them is fortunate,” Ava snapped. Honestly, as refreshing as she found Hanako’s frankness, at times it bordered on tactlessness. “We must intercept the ship before it leaves Cardenas.”
    Isabelle stood and sighed, rubbing her lower back distractedly. “As much as I’d hate to suffer his wrath for my involvement in today’s skirmish, I must inform my husband. He is bound to find out anyway.”
    Ava nodded her agreement. She secretly hoped that King Serge would find a way to convince his wife to remain home and allow her and the other ladies to handle the kidnappers. While she was usually the first to defend a woman’s right to fight for home and country, a pregnant woman was an inconvenience as well as a potential target for their enemy. She quite possibly carried the heir to Barony’s throne and anyone who captured her held two valuable lives as bargaining chips. Ava didn’t want to risk it.
    “We will escort you to Guthrie Hall then,” Ava said. “We will await our orders from the king.”
     
    ****
     
     
    “We understand each other then, Mr. Vincent?”
    Julian Vincent nodded silently before accepting the heavy sack of coins from his latest employer. He didn’t bother to count them, for he knew he hadn’t been cheated. There wasn’t a man within one hundred miles of Barony who would dare.
    “How long?” Julian asked as he pocketed the first half of his payment.
    “One week,” the man answered from his place in the shadows. “I want her delivered to my vessel, The Raven . She is docked at Cardenas.”
    Julian studied the man who had sent for him, curious as he always was about the type of person that had a need of his services. This man had asked for him by name, declared that he would consider no one else for the job.
    He was obviously wealthy. Julian could see this by the cut and quality of his clothes. A light accent belied French ancestry, yet brown, sun-kissed skin suggested that he came to Barony from a much warmer climate. The cold, hard gleam in his dark brown eyes told Julian that the man was as calculating as he appeared; not a person to be trifled with, not that Julian had any plans to.
    “I’ll need a description of her,” Julian said, “to ensure that I don’t grab the wrong girl.”
    Dorian Blake’s shadowy figure moved fully into the light. The hard lines around his mouth softened and he sighed wistfully. “You could not possibly mistake her for anyone else, Mr. Vincent. She is a heavenly vision, the epitome of feminine strength and beauty. She is what dreams are made of, this woman. Her hair is as black as the sails of The Raven , her eyes the mysterious color of smoke and ash.”
    The man paused and shuddered, visibly affected by the mere thought of the woman. Julian fought the urge to roll his eyes. No woman was that beautiful, especially not inwardly where it truly mattered. They were all vain creatures, the lot of them, useful for no more than sating a man’s needs and bearing children. Besides that, there wasn’t much else to recommend them. Julian had never been so consumed by one.
    This man was willing to pay him handsomely to deliver the woman and that was exactly what Julian planned on doing. Whatever the woman had done to enchant Dorian Blake so thoroughly was none of Julian’s business. If she knew what was good for her, she’d have never tangled with a man like Blake in the first place.
    “You will find her in Gladstone, in the female regiment’s compound. Be warned, Mr. Vincent, the woman has deadly aim with a bow and wields a battleax like a man