Knight Moves: Merriweather Sisters Time Travel (Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Book 2) (15 page)

Melinda’s heart broke in two. She heard the pain in his voice, wanted nothing more than to make it go away. It wasn’t pity; she was angry at those who’d destroyed his face. The violence made her think the wounds were inflicted on purpose.

“No woman in all the realm will wed the beast of Falconburg.” The look of surprise must have shown on her face, for he said, “’Tis what they call me.”

“They’re hateful, silly women. Your looks are merely an outer shell. Looks fade as we age. They are ours to keep for only a short time. It’s what is inside that counts.”

Melinda could’ve said more, but she had a feeling she should give him small doses. If she told him she found him attractive, he wouldn’t believe her. Lucy was her priority. Part of her yearned to see what would happen with James. A relationship? Something more? They’d only been together a short time, yet she knew more about him than anyone she’d ever dated. They spent all day together.
 

Melinda felt she’d known him forever. He was solid and steady. Not a man who would go chasing after another woman. A huge point in his favor: he listened to her, asked what she thought. And he didn’t tell her a hundred times a day how beautiful she was. For that alone, Melinda would be forever grateful. Carl used to tell her she was like a painting, something pretty to look at, but of no substance.

Three long, frustrating days passed before the healer pronounced Melinda healthy enough to travel. James stayed by her side night and day. She learned about his childhood, fostering with another family. While he told her it was normal for children to foster, she thought it sounded a bit sad and lonely. Melinda couldn’t imagine being separated from her sisters at such a young age. Of course, he hadn’t had a choice. To have your entire family taken from you at age two. The difficulty in remembering their faces and voices. Melinda was so thankful for the time she’d had with her family. She only hoped in finding Lucy they could go back. Not leave Charlotte alone in the world.

Yesterday James had walked with her through the gardens. New life appearing in the first flowers and plants. Tomorrow was April Fools’ day. She’d been here almost a month. As she sat bundled up in blankets watching James and his men train in the lists, she had to admire the ferocity and grace with which they fought. Kind of like ballet with swords.

Back home… It was odd to keep thinking of it as the future. For it seemed now her future was here in the past. People always complained how busy they were. How stressed out. And the difficulties they faced. She shook her head. They had an easy life compared to these times. It wasn’t like you could run to the grocery store and pick up a few things if you ran out. Here if you ran out during winter, you were out until spring.

James had told her of the years of bad harvests and how he tried to keep his people fed. She couldn’t imagine going hungry. Sure, she’d gone on a few crazy fad diets, been so hungry she’d looked longingly at cardboard, but it was different. Hunger by choice wasn’t the same when you could simply get in the car and drive to the store. Melinda knew there were children at home who went to school hungry. Relying on backpack programs and the local food pantry to ensure they had something to eat on the weekends. But here. She could see firsthand what it was like not to have enough.

It was harder living in the past. At the same time, there was a sense of purpose and peacefulness. The days had a rhythm. And while she’d always been a proponent of technology, Melinda found the lack of it strangely exhilarating. It was nice not to constantly check in and see what everyone else was doing on social media. Here no one called on the phone, wanting something. If you needed to talk to someone, you went to see them or you wrote a letter. And letters could take ages before they were delivered, depending on the various hands they traveled through to reach their destination.

When she’d asked James if he’d heard back from the spy he sent to Blackford, he sat her down and explained how long it could take. She hadn’t realized how long it took to do the simplest things. With a car, one could drive coast to coast in less than a day. The thought of traveling by horse to Blackford had her rubbing her backside.

“Mistress? My lord is ready.”

She touched her necklace for good luck and followed the boy out of the solar, into the cold.

Melinda patted the big black horse. “I brought you a carrot. Now don’t be jealous, I brought a carrot for my horse. I have to treat him nice too.” The horse flicked his ear and nosed her hair. She kissed the side of the horse’s face and whispered, “But you’ll always be my favorite.”

She eyed the dark brown horse. He wasn’t as big as the black. James said the animal was even-tempered and wouldn’t throw her. Comforting thought. She leaned close to the horse, whispering in his ear, “I hope bribes work with you too. How about a nice, tasty carrot?”

The horse happily munched his treat. A good sign. One of the boys helped her up on the horse, and she looked around the courtyard of the place she called home. Excitement filled her.

Finally. She would find out if Lucy was at Blackford. And if she wasn’t, where was she? She knew deep in her gut that Lucy made the scarf. What were the chances people were crocheting here in England before it had been invented? Not likely.

If she found Lucy and they couldn’t get back? Somehow they would leave clues for Charlotte and hope she would find them and also have the ability to travel through time. Melinda still didn’t know how she’d done it. She’d ask Lucy what she thought. Between the two of them, they ought to be able to come up with a theory for Charlotte.

It was a punishing day riding through the rain. James watched Melinda for any sign she was unwell. She never complained. Not even as they rode through a stream and several muddy roads. He admired her spirit. The time he’d spent with her while she was unwell with fever, James would never tell anyone how he worried he was she would die. Melinda Merriweather was the only woman in the realm who looked upon him without making him feel she pitied him. She never flinched from his face.

Might she consider the beast of Falconburg for a husband? Hope had left him long ago, until she came into his life.

The ground was muddy and slow going for the horses. It would likely take them a fortnight to travel to Blackford. Plenty of time to think on his meeting with William Brandon.

James would not take Lord Blackford’s head until Melinda found out if her sister were there. If she was Lady Blackford, she’d been so for a score of years. He’d seen many unhappy marriages. He stole a glance at Melinda. If her sister were anything like Melinda, James thought she would not accept remaining with a man who wasn’t kind to her.

“Halt. We make camp here.” It was early afternoon. James would’ve pushed on for several more miles, but Melinda looked tired. He still didn’t believe her tale of traveling through time from the future, but he did know she was unused to riding. Children sat a horse better, yet she laughed and talked with his men, getting to know each one. The Red Knight and his fearsome warriors reduced to babes around the enchanting Melinda Merriweather.

“Thank the stars. I think my butt is numb.”

His knights chuckled as Melinda stretched to ease her sore body.

James’ leg did not pain him as much. He could now mount and dismount his horse without assistance. If only the scars on his face would disappear. William would take pleasure out of seeing the damage done to him.

When James had finished telling Melinda the story of his family, he wondered why Lord Blackford didn’t seek him out and kill him. He knew James lived, was the Lord of Falconburg. Blood feuds lasted hundreds of years. It made no sense why his enemy would leave him alive these many years. Was it possible there was more to the story than his father’s trusted advisor and servants had told him?

“I made sandwiches.”

He looked at what Melinda held in her hands. It appeared to be two pieces of bread stuffed with cheese and fresh meat from the boar they’d killed and roasted before leaving Falconburg. James took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and nodded.

“’Tis good. An easy way to eat while traveling. I never thought to put meat and cheese between bread.”

One of the knights called out, “The mustard is what makes the food taste so good.”

“No, ’tis the honey,” another of the men said, chewing his sandwich.

Renly held up a hand. “Spicy and sweet together is the secret.”

“You get the extra sandwich.” Melinda handed James’ captain the remaining morsel. James was jealous of food. What a dolt.

“The men do not believe she is a spy.” Renly spoke in a low voice so she would not hear.

“Aye. Their stomach wants to believe.” James watched her as she moved easily among the men.

“Then how did she come to be on my lands, alone? You see how she cannot find her way.”

“Mayhap her story is true. I have oft wondered if there were truth to the stories of faeries and spirits.”

James snorted. “You believe her tale?”

Renly looked at Melinda. She was singing a song to the men. It was unlike anything James ever heard, something about letting things go. The tune made him want to tap his feet.

“Aye. What she thinks shows on her face. If she were lying, we would know. Think you her sister is Lord Blackford’s wife?”

“The Lady Blackford is old enough to be her mother. Melinda said her sister vanished at midsummer in the year 2015. And ’twas February 2016 when Melinda traveled through time. Her sister was twenty-four. But Lord Blackford’s wife must be forty or forty-five, and ’tis said she was a beauty in her day with flowing brown hair. Look at Melinda’s red hair. No, the Lady Blackford is not her sister.”

“Mayhap they traveled to the past and ended up in different years?”
 

James thought about it. Who knew what powers were at work to bring a person through time? The explanation made sense. If it were true, Melinda would likely faint from fright when she saw her sister aged.

“Make sure the men are ready to kill Lord Blackford’s guard when I give the word. I am undecided whether to talk to the man first or run him through and then talk.”

Renly rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Kill them, not kill them. Makes no difference to me.”

James pulled Melinda close as they bedded down for the night.

“You will catch an ague.”

She yawned. “It’s nice to sleep next to you, like having my own electric blanket.” A soft sigh escaped her lips as she fell asleep.

What was “electric”? He noticed when she was tired or excited she spoke words he’d never heard before. For Melinda’s sake, James would talk to William and then take the man’s head. He was a man of reason. He would hear the tale from the lips of the man who had massacred his family. Then James would end William where he stood. And if it wasn’t true? He didn’t want to think upon all the years he’d wasted hating a man who perchance didn’t deserve his hatred.

James rolled over and fell into an uneasy sleep, his dreams full of dark and evil things.