Free Through The Leaded Glass by Judi Fennell Page A

to
her grand inquisitors, pulling her behind one of the scaffold
supports.
    It was about freaking time. She could only
smile and nod and try to pass for pious for so long.
    “ I’ve explained everything to Nick
and Tristan. They’ll help us in our search for the
villain.”
    “ And they believed you?”
    “ Let’s say, they believe I wouldn’t
be so foolish as to take your word without very good reason. That I
believe your story convinces them.”
    “ Can you trust them?”
    “ My lady, you presume too much. I’m
the earl of Shelton. You can depend upon my word. Let this be the
last time I assure you of that.” He shook his head. “You’re either
highly impertinent, or the men of your time have lost their—”he
coughed—”to allow their women to behave so.”
    “ Look here, oh lord and master. You
can just knock off the chauvinistic attitude. This is my life
you’re entrusting to them. I have a right to know.” She put her
hands on her hips, warming to the tirade. He’d pushed the wrong
button with that state-of-the-union speech. “And you can stop
impugning my era. We’ve accomplished quite a bit you can’t even
dream of.” She poked him in his oh-so-expansive chest, making a
point to look him in the eye. “Men and women.”
    A man as big as Alex, with mahogany hair a
shade darker than his tunic, rounded the corner, laughing. “If I
hadn’t believed it before, I do now.” He nodded at her. “There’s
not one woman, nay, person, who’d dare give Alex such a
dressing-down. Though—” The look he gave Alex was smug. “I’m
certain he deserved it.”
    “ I like your attitude.” Kate smiled
and stuck out her hand. “Kate Lawton.”
    “ Tristan Baxter, Viscount
Hambledon, at your service, my lady.” He kissed the back of her
hand, his lips lingering just a smidge longer than was
polite.
    And she only knew that because Alex got a
funny look on his face and tugged her hand back with a look capable
of slicing skin. “If you’ve quite finished, Tris, I must prepare to
meet Farley in the lists. Please accompany Kate to the Shelton
area. I’ll return shortly.” He raised her hand to his lips, giving
her a momentary reminder of what had transpired between them in the
tent. “ After I win.”
    Kate pulled her tongue off the roof of her
mouth, drew in a deep breath, and followed his friends to their
seats beneath the blue banner, scanning the crowd for
Alicia.
    No luck. She wasn’t sure what Alicia hoped to
achieve by her continued absence, but Kate was more than ready for
this nightmare to be over. “I wonder where the little rat is now,”
she muttered.
    “ There,” Tristan pointed to an
orange banner. “Beneath the banner with the phoenix at the center.
Ironic since Farley can never hope to rise above Alex’s
heels.”
    She’d meant Alicia, but yes, the guy Alex was
supposed to have lost to fit that description as well.
    So would Alex win now? Had she altered his
destiny enough by appearing with the ring or was he about to get
hurt in some other way by this guy?
    She hadn’t thought about that.
    Farley rode into the arena, his snorting,
prancing horse nearly as silver as the armor on its back. Orange
and brown plumes rose from the horse’s headdress, and the lance
jutted above its head, aimed at the other end of the
field.
    Alex rode in next to thundering applause.
She’d thought he’d looked amazing in the tent, but now, seated on
his stallion, armor gleaming—he was a true knight in shining armor
out of a fairy tale. The mighty prince riding in on his white horse
to save the day.
    Not that she was into that happily-ever-after
stuff anymore, and, okay, so he was an earl and the horse was
black, but, good lord, he was incredible. All her earlier
adjectives floated off into the breeze as the raw maleness of him
assailed her from across the field. She had to admit, even in her
independent woman’s heart, she felt more than a shiver of
excitement looking at him, knowing he was—for