Free Medieval Ever After by Kathryn Le Veque, Keira Montclair, Emma Prince, Barbara Devlin

wanted to say something more but the words would not come. She came closer and closer until she brushed against him, her sweet, warm body against his hard mail. Stephen watched her, electrified by her close proximity, wildly curious about her behavior, when she reached up and gently put a hand behind his mailed neck. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pulled gently, bending him down until his face was almost level with her head. Stephen waited for a slap or a punch, unsure of her motives, when she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. The unforeseen gesture was enough to send his heart wildly racing.
    “Thank you,” she whispered, her lips against his rough flesh. “For the kindness you showed my mother, I thank you deeply.”
    With that, she let him go and he watched, his heart in his throat, as she silently ascended the stairs to the chamber above. He could hear the fawn bleating and eventually a door closed softly. Still, he continued to stand there, feeling her kiss upon his cheek as he had never felt anything in his entire life.
    All thoughts of anger, retribution and punishment were sucked right out of his head with that one tender gesture. When he emerged from the keep, it was to disband the search party and thank Norfolk’s sergeant for his escort.
    “What is your name, sergeant?” he asked.
    “Lane de Norville, my lord,” the man replied. “I serve Norfolk.”
    Stephen nodded shortly. “Sergeant de Norville, you have my thanks for tending my wife. I will make sure Norfolk knows of your diligence.”
    The sergeant saluted smartly and was gone. Even as Stephen went about his business, thoughts of the blue eyed, dark haired lady filled his brain until he couldn’t see or think of anything else.

THE SAVAGE CURTAIN

    CHAPTER FOUR
    The Scots weren’t finished yet.
    Stephen had never doubted that and was therefore not surprised when he mobilized about two hundred men from the castle to attack a section of the city that was experiencing a weak resurgence of rebellion. He and de Lara rode to the northwest section of Berwick’s walled city to quell a group of about one hundred Scots who were attempting to retake the city section by section. Although it was not a particularly brutal battle, it was long and frustrating and went on well into the night. By the time they were finished, they had killed about thirty Scots and lost eleven men.
    Stephen assigned extra men to protect that area of the city at night, before returning to Berwick. It was well after sunset and the castle blazed with the ghostly glow from hundreds of torches. The great hall was lit up, light from inside the room streaming out through the lancet windows. Exhausted, Stephen and Tate dismounted their chargers, turned the beasts over to the grooms, and headed for the hall.
    “I shall check that portion of the city again after dawn,” Stephen told Tate. “From what those rebels told us, there are more of them than we know still in the city.”
    De Lara nodded wearily. “I would imagine it is nothing tremendously organized. There are die hard rebels in any conquered people.”
    “Aye, but it will only take one or two strong men to organize them and then we will have to worry about the Scots retaking the city,” he shook his head. “At least we have brought the suspected leader back with us and I fully intend to bleed the man dry of any information he might have. But I am nonetheless thinking of asking the king for more reinforcements to flush the rebels from the city altogether.”
    “You already have almost one thousand men.”
    “Indeed I do, but we had over eight thousand just two days ago. Most of the English commanders have already left and headed for home.”
    “True enough,” de Lara rubbed his eyes. “I can send for another five hundred from Carlisle. Henry of Lancaster can send another five hundred. Perhaps you should ask Norfolk to leave a detachment; he is leaving on the morrow, you know.”
    “I know.