Free Lonely is the Knight (Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Book 3) by Cynthia Luhrs Page A

telling her she needed to eat now. As if thinking of him conjured him, Henry brought her bread and cheese. Then he handed her a cup. She sniffed. Ale. She wasn’t a fan, but it would do.
    “I didn’t realize how thirsty and hungry I was. Thank you, Lord Ravenskirk.”
    “You will have a proper meal when we reach my home.”
    While she finished her meal, she noticed the men were spread out in a circle, all of them seeming to go about their normal business but looking very alert.
    She watched, fascinated by everything they did, taking in every detail, from the style of their clothing to the weapons, horses, and the sound of their voices. She knew they were speaking Norman French, and was happy Henry spoke to her in English. How strange she must sound to him. It seemed his men also spoke English—she heard one of them saying it was the language the wenches spoke in the tavern. She tried not to take offense.
    The weather was nice. She guessed it was in the low to mid-sixties. She was looking forward to it cooling down a bit tonight. Tonight she would actually sleep in a castle. When they were settled, she needed to figure out how to get Henry to help her find her sisters. While he was attractive, Charlotte had come to accept she would never marry. It just never seemed to work out for her, no matter how much she wanted to find that one guy. It seemed fate had other plans.  
    There was a scuffle at the far side of the camp. A screech made her shiver. One of the scary-looking men dragged a body out. Charlotte clapped a hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t scream.
    “The man was alone. Likely a scout.”
    Henry examined him.
    “’Tis one of Hallsey’s men. Liam, Guy. Ride out, see if any of his men are following us.”
    Charlotte was lightheaded. The man was dead and they were all acting like it was no big deal. Remember, this is medieval England. Things are different here. They are well within their rights to kill that man. To them it is normal. Get it together.
    She opened her eyes to see blue leggings—no, make that hose; that’s what they wore here. You will not faint, Charlotte Merriweather.
    “I am sorry you had to witness violence. He is one of Lord Hallsey’s men. My enemy.” He took her hand in his, the calluses on his palm rubbing against her skin.
    “Do not worry. I will protect you and keep you safe.” And then he smiled at her, a dazzling grin. “After all, you are much too beautiful for me to allow another to carry you off.”
    It had the desired effect. Charlotte laughed. “I’m feeling a bit better, thank you.”
    She wanted to tell him she’d never seen a dead man before. Wanted to tell him she knew what it felt like to stab her knife through a side of beef. But thinking about that made her stomach do flip-flops.
    He was definitely the man to help her. Now the only question was to figure out how to find her sisters.

Chapter Fifteen

    So many questions he wanted to ask the strange woman. Henry believed her tale of traveling to visit her sisters. He found it more difficult to believe she was the only survivor of a shipwreck with no wreckage. Not a single piece of ship or person washed ashore.
    No matter how many tourneys or places he visited, Henry always felt a sense of peace fill him as he clapped eyes on his home.
    “Oh my goodness, is that yours?”
    “Aye. I am the third of five brothers. My sire provided each of us with a castle. Mine is not the largest, but ’tis home.”
    She twisted in the saddle to look up at him. “You have four other brothers and you all have castles? Do your parents live in a castle too?”
    “They did. They died years ago.”
    Oblivious to his discomfort, Charlotte looked about as if she had never seen a castle before. Henry had to wonder, where did she come from?
    “This is a really long bridge. With the castle sitting in the middle of the water, how do you grow anything?”
    “’Tis fresh water. There are two wells inside and a deep pit in the ground for