Free First Knight: Thornton Brothers Time Travel (A Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Book 3) by Cynthia Luhrs

in the past.
    All the way across the bailey, through the portcullis and across the drawbridge, no one stopped her. There. The spot where she’d painted the ruins. Even as she knew what she’d see when she turned, her mouth went dry. It wasn’t fake. She had been right to believe Edward. There before her stood Somerforth Castle exactly as she’d sketched it, and as he’d shown her before Jennifer had passed out. Her fingers twitched, aching to put the rustic scene to paper.
    Lost in thought and finally truly accepting she had done the impossible, tremors racked her body as she noticed it had grown dark. Nope, it was a massive shadow. The shadow in question cleared its throat.
    “Demoiselle?”
    “Jennifer,” she absently corrected.
    “Jennifer. You are scaring my people. Perchance you could come inside the hall and rest a bit after your…long journey?”
    Solemn green eyes looked at her, and she wanted to burst into tears and throw herself in his arms. But she refrained.
    “You’re probably right. That’s a good idea.”
    Lost. Adrift. Orphan. Words passed through her head as they walked. She was almost seven hundred years away from her family and everything she knew. When the professor found the chamber, would he or one of the students come through the same portal she had? But then, why didn’t she go back right away? Did it only work at certain times?
    Jennifer was so wrapped up in coming to terms with her situation that she tripped again, and would have gone sprawling if he hadn’t swung her up in his arms. Again.
    “Oh. You don’t need to carry me. I can walk.”
    He arched a brow. “You are overtired and I will not have you fall and weep, making my ears bleed.”
    And that was that. He jogged through the hall, ignoring the curious stares. This time he went a different way, and came to a door where he stopped. She peeked out from his shoulder to see one of his men. Alistair or something?
    “No one is to enter.”
    “Aye, my lord.”
    The room was masculine and carried the smell she’d already come to associate with him. It was his study—or solar, it was called. Just think if the professor could see Somerforth in all its glory.  
    Edward bellowed for wine, causing her to flinch at the sound. He sat down in a chair and kept her on his lap, holding her close as she finished warring with herself over her new reality. A delayed reaction after she thought she’d accepted it? Who knew?
    The door opened and a goblet was thrust into her hand.
    She blinked. “Is this silver?”
    “Aye.”
    The wine was chilled and slid down, soothing her scratchy throat. Then her stomach, annoyed there was only liquid, let out a growl.
    He peered at her and bellowed over his shoulder, “I am hungry.” The silence stretched out, not uncomfortable, but like he somehow knew she needed him not to talk while she came to grips with what she had experienced.
    A boy brought a trencher with bread, cheese, and fruit, making her mouth water.
    “Eat.”
    “Will you let me down now?”
    He stood and deposited her in the chair. While she ate, he paced back and forth across the room, glancing at her. Not in a creepy stalker way, more with concern. The goblet never went below half before he refilled it.
    She wiped her mouth with the large linen napkin, squared her shoulders, and made a decision. To stay. For a week. Two at the most.
    During that time, she’d soak up every detail of medieval life she could. Then she’d go down to the chamber, go through whatever portal was located there, and tell everyone about her grand adventure.
    The sarcastic voice spoke up. Great. How exactly are you going to get back to the future? Not like there’s a time machine in the chamber. How do you know there is a portal? Maybe it was some kind of freak accident.
    “I’m sorry I kind of lost it earlier. Guess the whole time-travel thing wasn’t as easy to accept as I thought.” Jennifer jumped up. “Wait. You said there are others like me. How did