Read Online A Kiss in the Night by Jennifer Horsman - Free Book Online

remaining, however, all stopped to stare at her. A plump woman with a broom, a butcher carrying two bloodied deer heads, a group of children playing marbles, a hot pie seller closing her shop window, two roofers, another group of women, they all stopped to stare at her. She appeared as a strange and beautiful creature dressed in a blue velvet gown, the matching cloak draped loosely about her waist, as she rode a man's war-horse down the cobblestone street towards Chateau Gaillard.
    The tailor's wife drew back and whispered to her friend, "The lady doth not wear shoes.”
    "Who can she be?"
    "Look at the gold light falling on that long hair..."
    Linness held her head high, staring straight ahead. Calihab, sensing their destination, fought the bit and broke into a less than enthusiastic gallop. His hooves pounded across the wooden bridge over the moat, then they passed through the gatehouse and beneath the arch of the entrance. The horse ran in circles around the courtyard.
    This was the first time Linness had ever mounted a horse, and as any first-time rider quickly learns, mastery over the creature does not come effortlessly. Once she drew back on the reins, she had exhausted all means known to her of stopping him. She almost screamed as the galloping jousted her innards like a chambermaid pounding out a rug. Calihab at last sensed this and, tired anyway, he came to a stop as two guards rushed to grab the reins from her small, red and sore hands.
    "My lady!" The young man stared aghast at the woman's disheveled appearance as he held the reins. The other guard fitted hands around her small waist and lifted her to the ground. "Who might ye be?"
    Her heart banged in her chest. She was aware that this was a determining moment in her destiny, that once she spoke Belinda's name, she could never go back, and she felt her strength gathering and collecting inside. She tilted her head regally—like a highborn lady—and squared her shoulders as she pronounced in her flawless convent-learned French: "I am the Lady Belinda Saint de Beaumaris."
    She heard their gasps. She faced their shocked appraisal. She carefully fitted the velvet cape about her waist. The real Lady Belinda had been a slightly smaller woman. No matter how she had pulled and rugged, the gown would not reach to cover her bare feet. To make matters worse, it had barely spanned her bosom. She felt she was one breath away from spilling immodestly from her bodice. No slippers had come close to fitting either—her cursed, too-large feet.
    She had selected one dress and the cape and set fire to the rest so no one living could ever find this wardrobe and produce it to condemn her. The ill-fitting gowns might provoke suspicions. She needed the cape to hide this discerning fact, hoping it would shield her until she could secure new garments somehow.
    "Sound the trumpet,” one of the guards shouted up to the battlements. The other guard quickly led Calihab away toward the stables. "Michaels, milady," the blond-haired young man said as an introduction with a slight bow. His face was heavily marked by the pox but was otherwise handsome "Please this way."
    Linness, dizzy with this first success, followed him up the stone steps to the castle. They passed by two stone lion heads and through the great wooden doors. Torchlight filled the entrance hall. She stared at the scrumptious carpet beneath her bare feet. She had never before seen an inside carpet to cushion the weary foot as it touched the stone floor, and it was a wonder. The guard spoke rapidly to an approaching servant, who understanding who the lady was, rushed ahead to tell his lordship. "This way, my lady." he said again.
    My lady, my lady, my lady—
    The title echoed through her mind as they continued down the corridor and finally through the doors of the main hall. Her eyes lifted in awe at the sight that greeted her, at the wealth and opulence of this magnificent room, while the footman approached the table to bring