Free There Your Heart Will Be Also by Felicia Rogers Page B
Authors: Felicia Rogers
asked to borrow a horse. One was brought to him post haste and he set off after her .
With each clop of the hooves his body shifted on the worn saddle. The stirrups were adjusted for a smaller man and his long legs were bent at an uncomfortable angle. The beast was in no hurry , taking one small step at a time.
Using the reins, Cedric whipped the horse to no avail. Next he kicked the animalâs rump but still it moseyed along. Sighing in frustration, Cedric looked at the woods on the side of the path, and noticed something.
Hidden deep in the woods, as if trying to remain unseen was two of Greenbriarâs knights. Again i t appeared the young lass was being followed. What kind of maid would receive such treatment?
One who held importance or one who was being pursued?
While Cedricâs mind asked these questions, Sarra slow ed her horse down to a canter . Cedric followed suit.
With each deliberate movement of the horse, Cedric wondered why he was follo wing the maid. If the knights rode alongside to protect the lass , then she had no need of his sword. But if they rode beside her with the intent to do harm, what would he do? Would he draw his weapon and defend the lass at the expense of perhaps losing the one thing heâd come for?
As he rode along , h e observed the land. Was it just a week before he had stared at this piece of ground and realized it had been given to him?
At this moment he could ride to the main hall, present his letter from the King, and commandeer all he saw in the MacNeil name. But what would it prove? It would make him like the members of his own family. He would be taking something a family had worked hard to build. Something which didnât rightly belong to him.
Grunting as the horse trotted along the uneven ground, Cedric realized he didnât want to take the land. He wanted it to be given to him freely. It wasnât enough the King had ordained such an action or that the ground had been earned by him . Heâd fought on the Kingâs behalf. This was his reward.
Oh, the Kingâs personal attendants thought it comical he was walking into this situation. But he saw it differently. All he had to do was persuade the mistress she would be better off with the land in his possession than in hers .
It was best just to stick to his plan. In no time the mistress would be begging to marry him. And when it happened, h e would marry the lass. They would have children. And they could both go about t heir separate ways. P ossess ion of the land would occupy his time . And t o occupy the time of the mistress , s he would have children . What more did a woman want?
But what of Sarra? With her position as a maid in the keep , would Cedric be forced to look at her, long for her, ache to hold her, all while married to another?
Following close behind Sarra , Cedric realized he had no idea where she was going. Did she even know ?
Sarra stopped her horse beside a small pond. It wasnât the same one Cedric had bathed in the day before. It was further from the keep and more secluded.
As of yet, his presence seemed unnoticed . Disgruntled , he realized this could be because his horse had continued to move so slow that its hooves had barely made a sound.
Sarra dismounted and walked around the edge of the small pond. On one side sat a row boat. Cedric watched from the reeds a s Sarra plucked a flower from the ground and began removing the petals one at a time. The flower landed on the ground just as she reached the boat and climbed inside . Picking up the oars, she pushed off the side of the bank and stroked out into the center of the pond .
When Sarra reached the middle, she stopped and just s a t there . From his location, i t wasnât clear what she was doing. Craning his neck around a large boulder, Cedric saw her stand.
The boat began to wobble. Sarraâs arms flailed wildly. Then t he tiny boat flipped and she was thrown in the air . When she hit the water, her heavy
With each clop of the hooves his body shifted on the worn saddle. The stirrups were adjusted for a smaller man and his long legs were bent at an uncomfortable angle. The beast was in no hurry , taking one small step at a time.
Using the reins, Cedric whipped the horse to no avail. Next he kicked the animalâs rump but still it moseyed along. Sighing in frustration, Cedric looked at the woods on the side of the path, and noticed something.
Hidden deep in the woods, as if trying to remain unseen was two of Greenbriarâs knights. Again i t appeared the young lass was being followed. What kind of maid would receive such treatment?
One who held importance or one who was being pursued?
While Cedricâs mind asked these questions, Sarra slow ed her horse down to a canter . Cedric followed suit.
With each deliberate movement of the horse, Cedric wondered why he was follo wing the maid. If the knights rode alongside to protect the lass , then she had no need of his sword. But if they rode beside her with the intent to do harm, what would he do? Would he draw his weapon and defend the lass at the expense of perhaps losing the one thing heâd come for?
As he rode along , h e observed the land. Was it just a week before he had stared at this piece of ground and realized it had been given to him?
At this moment he could ride to the main hall, present his letter from the King, and commandeer all he saw in the MacNeil name. But what would it prove? It would make him like the members of his own family. He would be taking something a family had worked hard to build. Something which didnât rightly belong to him.
Grunting as the horse trotted along the uneven ground, Cedric realized he didnât want to take the land. He wanted it to be given to him freely. It wasnât enough the King had ordained such an action or that the ground had been earned by him . Heâd fought on the Kingâs behalf. This was his reward.
Oh, the Kingâs personal attendants thought it comical he was walking into this situation. But he saw it differently. All he had to do was persuade the mistress she would be better off with the land in his possession than in hers .
It was best just to stick to his plan. In no time the mistress would be begging to marry him. And when it happened, h e would marry the lass. They would have children. And they could both go about t heir separate ways. P ossess ion of the land would occupy his time . And t o occupy the time of the mistress , s he would have children . What more did a woman want?
But what of Sarra? With her position as a maid in the keep , would Cedric be forced to look at her, long for her, ache to hold her, all while married to another?
Following close behind Sarra , Cedric realized he had no idea where she was going. Did she even know ?
Sarra stopped her horse beside a small pond. It wasnât the same one Cedric had bathed in the day before. It was further from the keep and more secluded.
As of yet, his presence seemed unnoticed . Disgruntled , he realized this could be because his horse had continued to move so slow that its hooves had barely made a sound.
Sarra dismounted and walked around the edge of the small pond. On one side sat a row boat. Cedric watched from the reeds a s Sarra plucked a flower from the ground and began removing the petals one at a time. The flower landed on the ground just as she reached the boat and climbed inside . Picking up the oars, she pushed off the side of the bank and stroked out into the center of the pond .
When Sarra reached the middle, she stopped and just s a t there . From his location, i t wasnât clear what she was doing. Craning his neck around a large boulder, Cedric saw her stand.
The boat began to wobble. Sarraâs arms flailed wildly. Then t he tiny boat flipped and she was thrown in the air . When she hit the water, her heavy