Falcon's Love. Denise Lynn
Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу Falcon's Love - Denise Lynn страница 5

Название: Falcon's Love

Автор: Denise Lynn

Издательство: HarperCollins

Жанр: Историческая литература

Серия: Mills & Boon Historical

isbn: 9781408916094

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ be best for all if this was the king’s chosen man. It would be easier to learn the ways of one man and be done with it, than to learn his ways only to have yet another man to deal with later.

      Marguerite narrowed her eyes. Dangerous or not, she’d soon learn his weaknesses. Everyone had at least one, and she’d discover his quickly enough.

      A movement from one of the other approaching men caught her attention. Curious, she stared as he lifted and unfurled a brilliant green banner.

      Her heart lodged in her throat. Curiosity quickly became horror. She had wondered if life could get worse? Here was her answer.

      Yes. It could, and had.

      Of all the men serving King Stephen, why did the king have to send him to Thornson?

      The man seated in the center of the approaching group could be none other than Darius of Faucon. The green banner, bearing the black falcon at rest, whipped in the stiff breeze above his head. If it did not scream his identity to anyone else, it did to her.

      Against all common courtesy, Rhys, the Comte of Faucon, would display a royal golden eagle on his banner. Gareth, the second brother, would fly his deceased father’s falcon with talons extended in a posture of war. But she knew Darius’s standard well—the falcon at rest had a double meaning to her, one she’d not forgotten.

      She no longer had the option to defend her keep. Marguerite could not, would not be responsible for this man’s injury or death.

      Marguerite raised her voice so the men gathered on her walls could hear her order. “Hold your weapons.”

      “My lady?” Sir Everett made no effort to conceal his disappointment.

      She pinned him with a stare, silently daring him to disobey. He motioned the others to hold.

      Certain they would follow her orders, she gestured to the men at the gate tower. She lifted her fist in the air, with her thumb pointed down. All at Thornson knew the signal to surrender.

      Whispers raced from man to man along the walls. The murmurs of disbelief and disgust reached her ears. She wanted to apologize to each and every man who’d pledged to protect her from harm. But she could not.

      She held firm to her orders, but even she cringed as the plain white flag rose slowly above Thornson keep.

      Marguerite wrapped her arms about her stomach, in an attempt to quell the sudden spasms. If any discovered the secret she and Thornson had so carefully hidden, her whole world would shatter. Her future would be lost before it began.

      This could not be happening. Not Faucon. Not now.

      “My lady?” Sir Everett stepped closer to her. “Shall we raise the gate?”

      “No!” She nearly choked on her shout.

      The men on the walls turned to stare at her sudden contradictory order. She wanted to slap herself for her sudden outburst. Instead, Marguerite slapped at the skirt of her gown again. She needed to be more careful. It could do much harm to let all know how nervous she felt.

      “No, not yet.” She took her time and kept her voice steady. “Let us see what they want first.”

      She already knew what they wanted; her men probably did, too. But she needed a way to gain time to think, and this was the only tactic she could devise at the moment.

      Darius and his men stopped within shouting distance. The man next to Darius yelled up at the gate tower. “Darius of Faucon demands entrance.”

      Marguerite bit her lower lip to stop the unbidden smile from crossing her mouth. Sir Osbert’s voice was a little deeper, a little older, but it still carried true and strong—an ability that had helped earn him a place at Darius’s side.

      Sir Everett, the captain of Thornson’s guard asked, “On what authority?”

      Faucon held up a rolled missive. “On the authority of King Stephen.”

      “For what purpose?”

      “To hold this keep for your future lord.”

      “My lady?” Sir Everett looked to her for his orders. “Do you wish to grant them entry?” A wicked smile lit his face as he grasped the hilt of his sword. “Or do we send them away?”

      She shook her head. “No, we have already cried truce. Sending Faucon away will do no good.” Marguerite spoke more to herself than to the captain of Thornson’s guard. “He would only find another way to gain entry.” She frowned, desperately seeking a way to protect herself and those in Thornson.

      She could not deny Faucon and his men entrance—no matter how much she wished to do so. Everyone would then know she had something to hide, and she could not permit that to happen.

      All was not hopeless or lost. Her stomach calmed and her racing heart slowed to a more normal rhythm. There was something she could do.

      She gave Everett his answer. “Nay. Do not send them away. Tell them to hold for a time.”

      “Are you certain, lady?” Sir Everett sounded incredulous, as if he could not believe what his ears had heard. “You know what this will mean for Thornson? For all of us?”

      Marguerite narrowed her eyes and stared pointedly up at him, refusing to have her orders ignored. “It means Stephen’s men will have charge of the keep…for now.” She pushed passed Sir Everett. “If it does not happen today, it will happen tomorrow or the day after. Let us see this through now. Tell them to hold. Permit them entrance only after I send you word.”

      “And how do I keep them at the gates until then?”

      She paused before descending the ladder to the bailey. “I care not. Discuss the weather. Just do as I say.”

      Everett nodded in acceptance of her wishes, but his wide eyes gave away his doubt at her wisdom. “Aye.”

      Marguerite paused on the ladder. “It will not be for long. No more than a few moments. Once they are inside, direct them to the hall. I will greet them there.”

       Chapter Two

      After delivering the body to the captain of Thornson’s guard, Darius strode up the stairs leading to the Great Hall. Each step made him wish he’d left his helmet and mailed gloves on. Right now he was more than ready to do battle. If the Lady of Thornson thought to try his patience, she’d succeeded thus far.

      She knew full well that he was here on the king’s business. Yet for most of the morning, she’d kept him and his men pacing outside Thornson’s walls like unwanted beggars.

      King Stephen was right. Someone did need to take charge of Thornson. It was obvious by the way the men on the walls acted. No guard in his right mind would have thought to use trite conversation about the weather as a ploy to detain a company of men from the king.

      And no guard who possessed even the minimum knowledge of warfare would have kept them waiting after hoisting a white banner signaling surrender. Their notion of surrender needed much revising.

      Darius wondered СКАЧАТЬ