Free Heart of a Knight by Barbara Samuel Page B

when he arrived. We ate very well when the king came, even if it was a poor season, with many special treats they saved only for him. And he is fond of children, so he brought presents from court for me—a special pair of slippers or some bauble for my hair."
    "He sounds kind. I had not thought a king would be kind."
    "'Tis not a very great virtue in a king."
    He glanced down at her. "No."
    The forest was still and smelled of sap and spice and generations of leaves that made a carpet beneath their feet. Light dappled through the overhanging greenery in gold swathes, and dust danced in the fingers of sunshine. Lyssa felt the vague disquiet of the morning leave her. "Once," she said, "I saved the king's life—or so he says."
    "Now there's a tale I'd hear."
    "It isn't a very grand story. Because everyone made such a fuss when he came, I brought him presents as well. A handful of wilting flowers or a pretty rock I'd found by the river. But once, it was the feather of a free hawk, and it pleased him very much. He said it would bring him special luck in the hunt, and put it in his hat before the party went out."
    "Ah. That is a special gift. Hawks are wise creatures."
    "When they came back, Edward told a dramatic tale of a boar, injured but not yet dead, who'd gored one man and came after him. There was no escape, and although the other men had tried, the creature was crazed."
    "There's no animal more terrifying. Have you ever seen one?"
    "Only to eat it," she said with a light smile.
    "Go on. What magic saved the king?"
    "No magic. A hole in the forest floor. The beast ran into it, and tumbled and broke its legs. But Edward told all it was my feather that saved him."
    "No wonder you are fond of him."
    "Aye." She sighed. "As long as he finds me no husband, I will be fonder."
    "You do not wish to marry again?"
    "I found no joy in it," she said simply. "And I am certain I wish to take no more children into my care. Isobel and Robert have been difficult for me."
    He paused to step over a fallen tree, and turned to hold a hand out to Lyssa. "Do you not wish for babes of your own?" There was a faint melancholy to his words.
    "Once, I did." She considered. "Mayhap, I still do, in the odd moment, but not enough to—" she halted abruptly, realizing that she confided too freely in this stranger.
    But Thomas was astute. "Not enough to bed another husband?"
    She lifted a shoulder in agreement.
    He extended his hand then, to help her over the tree. Lyssa hesitated, then moved forward and allowed him to put his hands on her waist, and lift her clear of the log as easily as if she were a kitten. For one breath, while she was in the air, she looked down and saw that his eyes were the color of sapphires, that deep, pure, bottomless blue, and his hair spilled backward from his face, glinting in a ray of sunlight. Her heart caught. As he set her down, his thumb brushed the side of her ribs, and a kindling tingle moved through her lower belly. It surprised her enough that she stared up at him, wondering—
    "My lady?" Thomas asked.
    Lyssa shook her head. "You lifted me as if I were a child. I have known many knights, but few of your size."
    He inclined his head, and bent to pick up the basket. "Ever have I been so. I know not how it would be to be so small as you."
    "Is your father large, sir?"
    "He was. 'Tis his mail and helmet I wear. 'Twas made in Spain for my grandfather."
    "Is all your family gone, then?"
    A faint hesitation, so faint she might not have noticed it but for the sudden color in his cheeks, punctured the air before he spoke. "Aye," he said gruffly. "In all the manor and village, only Alice and I were standing when the plague left us."
    Lyssa thought she should remember something about that. Some detail that was not quite right, but it eluded her. "Did you lose a wife?"
    "Nay." He lifted a hand to point to an open grove nestled at the edge of the river, the banks lined with bushes. The river glittered green and gold in the warm