Free To Capture Her Heart by Ginny Hartman Page A

overly hot shop. She paced back and forth, anxious to speak with Jarin so she could return home.
    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jarin came out of the shop. “Gwendolyn, you can't just come into the shop. We are busy in there; 'tis dangerous inside. 'Tis no place for a lady, that's for sure.”
    “But I needed to speak with you,” she explained, coming to a stop. “I just posted a letter to my brother. My mother has written him to arrange my entrance.”
    His eyes lit up expectantly, his face breaking into a wide, lovestruck grin. “'Tis excellent news. When will it be held?”
    “We don't know yet, but I'm desperately hoping that Terric will agree to hold it in three weeks’ time.”
    Jarin clasped one of her hands into his own, “I can hardly wait.”
“Nor can I. Everything will be perfect---”
    He cut her off, “I quite agree. Perfect.”
    “It will be so much easier to escape to the magic festival from there. But I need your help.”
    “Of course,” he said readily. “Then mayhap I could speak to your brother about courting you.”
    “What?” she looked at him oddly.
    “You know,” he said sheepishly, “after your entrance has been granted and all, I thought that mayhap I'd ask King Terric for his permission to court you.”
    Gwendolyn didn't want to disappoint him by outright refusing his pursuit. She needed his help if she wanted to get to the magic festival.
    “Mayhap that can be arranged,” she said hesitantly before expertly changing topics. “But first, let's talk about my plan. I will need you to come to Herfordshire Castle. You will ask to speak to my mother, but of course I will come as well. You will tell her that you have heard of her extraordinary healing abilities and that your mother is dangerously ill. You will beg her to come heal your ill mother.”
    “I fail to see how this will help your plight.”
    “Let me finish. After we have listened to your case, I will beg my mother to let me go be the one to heal your mother. I will convince her to let me go by telling her that I am eager to work on my healing, that I am starting to realize it may be my given gift after all. Surely she won't refuse. I will meet up with you to travel to your home and while she thinks I am off caring for your poor mother, we will really be going to the festival.” Her face lit up in a satisfied smile. “Isn't it a brilliant idea?”
    Jarin rocked back slightly, running one hand nervously through his hair. “Do you really think it'll work?”
    “Oh Jarin,” she was gripping his arm now. “It just has to. Please say you'll help me.”
    Just like she had figured, it didn't take much pleading before he agreed. “Very well. Of course I will do it. I just need to figure out what I will tell my own family. Surely they wouldn't be pleased to find out I ran off with a girl I was not married to, to attend a magic festival nonetheless. Mayhap you'd agree to marry me first, then we could do as we wished without anyone's interference.”
    “Don't be silly; there wouldn't be time for a wedding. Besides, you have several weeks to figure out an excuse. I have faith in you.” Gwendolyn was almost positive that Jarin's chest puffed out at the praise.
    “Now get back inside before you get on your father's bad side. As soon as I've heard from my brother, I will send word.”
    With a nod of his head, Jarin quickly returned to the shop, the wheels in his mind turning furiously as he tried to figure out how to pull off Gwendolyn's grand plan.
    ***
    “You swag-bellied brute!” Gavin swore as the fawn-colored mastiff, that was his latest in a long list of undesirable assignments, came barreling towards him, nearly knocking him over as he wiped a trail of drool across his midsection.
    The beast called Talbot was King Terric's latest addition to his new family. He had explained to Gavin that he was eager to own a dog for the first time in his life. His former life as a defender did not allow him to have