Read Online Daughter of Time: A Time Travel Romance by Sarah Woodbury - Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Woodbury
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Dafydd matched my movement, following me.
“My brother is very fortunate,” Dafydd said.
I looked away, completely at a loss. The man was flirting with
me—this strange, gorgeous, armor-clad man was flirting with me on
the top of a castle in God-knows where.
“Why don’t you like him?” I said.
Dafydd stopped short. “He’s my brother and
the Prince of Wales. I would die for him.”
I stared at him, completely befuddled by his
statement. I hadn’t thought he would tell me why, but that he would
deny, with all sincerity, that he hated Llywelyn was so out of sync
with his words or actions both in the past and in the future that
it left me speechless.
A shadow moved below me and I turned to look
down. Even from the back, I recognized Llywelyn coming down the
stairs of the keep. Dafydd must have seen him too, because he
straightened and pulled away from me, perhaps not so sure of
himself after all. Another man had followed Llywelyn out of the
keep and at his call, Llywelyn turned. In doing so, he glanced up
at the battlements and saw us looking down at him. He stood, his
hands on his hips, head thrown back, and met my eyes. I gave a
little wave and then felt stupid to have done so, but Anna mimicked
me and turned it into something cute.
“Hi!” she said.
Anna could melt any man’s heart, no matter
how severe, and Llywelyn was no exception. I could see his smile,
even from fifty feet above him. He spoke to the other man, sketched
a wave at us, and continued across the courtyard and through the
enormous gatehouse that marked the entrance to another courtyard.
He’d ignored Dafydd completely. Not sure what to make of that, I
turned to Dafydd to try to read his expression—but he’d
disappeared.
I looked to the doorway; Anna and I were
alone again. I’d grown cold—and unsettled. I didn’t want to stay up
here alone any longer. I took one last long look at the mountains
and the sea and then, with Anna on my hip, headed for the door to
the stairs. Before I could reach it, however, another man came
through it, the same one I’d seen talking to Llywelyn on the stairs
to the keep.
“Madam,” he said, with a slight bow,
speaking in French. “I am Goronwy, counselor to the Prince. He asks
that you come inside. Plans have changed and we will leave before
the noon hour.”
“Where are we going?” I felt really
disoriented now.
“Brecon,” he said.
A chill settled in my stomach that had
nothing to do with the air around me. I knew what Brecon meant to
me—a dorm at Bryn Mawr College where my sister went to school—but
Goronwy meant the real thing: Brecon, Wales.
“May I ask where I am?”
“You don’t know?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a good memory
of last night.”
“Mine is very clear. Lord Llywelyn has some
questions for you on that score, but they will keep. For now, I can
tell you that we are at Castell Criccieth, in Gwynedd.”
I’d never heard of it. “How long will it
take to get to Brecon?”
“At least a week,” Goronwy said. “Lord
Llywelyn wishes to depart before the rains come. If we ride inland,
we can reach his manor in the forest of Coed y Brenin by evening,
with a move to Castell y Bere the day after that. You will need
warmer clothing.”
Oh. My. God. Anna wiggled and I put
her down. She couched to point out a spider that crawled across the
flagstones. Goronwy bent and spoke to her in Welsh. Watching them,
I put a hand to my mouth, and a wave of hysteria rolled through me.
This time I couldn’t control it. My laughter began as a choke and
then swelled to full-fledged giggles. I swung around to face the
sea and took a stride toward the edge of the battlements. The wind
caught at the cloth on my head, but I let it go, instead wrapping
my arms around my waist to try to contain myself. Finally, I gave
up and let the tears come.
“Madam?” Goronwy spoke from behind me. I
glanced back to see him staring at me, Anna’s hand in his. Anna,
fortunately, was used to
“My brother is very fortunate,” Dafydd said.
I looked away, completely at a loss. The man was flirting with
me—this strange, gorgeous, armor-clad man was flirting with me on
the top of a castle in God-knows where.
“Why don’t you like him?” I said.
Dafydd stopped short. “He’s my brother and
the Prince of Wales. I would die for him.”
I stared at him, completely befuddled by his
statement. I hadn’t thought he would tell me why, but that he would
deny, with all sincerity, that he hated Llywelyn was so out of sync
with his words or actions both in the past and in the future that
it left me speechless.
A shadow moved below me and I turned to look
down. Even from the back, I recognized Llywelyn coming down the
stairs of the keep. Dafydd must have seen him too, because he
straightened and pulled away from me, perhaps not so sure of
himself after all. Another man had followed Llywelyn out of the
keep and at his call, Llywelyn turned. In doing so, he glanced up
at the battlements and saw us looking down at him. He stood, his
hands on his hips, head thrown back, and met my eyes. I gave a
little wave and then felt stupid to have done so, but Anna mimicked
me and turned it into something cute.
“Hi!” she said.
Anna could melt any man’s heart, no matter
how severe, and Llywelyn was no exception. I could see his smile,
even from fifty feet above him. He spoke to the other man, sketched
a wave at us, and continued across the courtyard and through the
enormous gatehouse that marked the entrance to another courtyard.
He’d ignored Dafydd completely. Not sure what to make of that, I
turned to Dafydd to try to read his expression—but he’d
disappeared.
I looked to the doorway; Anna and I were
alone again. I’d grown cold—and unsettled. I didn’t want to stay up
here alone any longer. I took one last long look at the mountains
and the sea and then, with Anna on my hip, headed for the door to
the stairs. Before I could reach it, however, another man came
through it, the same one I’d seen talking to Llywelyn on the stairs
to the keep.
“Madam,” he said, with a slight bow,
speaking in French. “I am Goronwy, counselor to the Prince. He asks
that you come inside. Plans have changed and we will leave before
the noon hour.”
“Where are we going?” I felt really
disoriented now.
“Brecon,” he said.
A chill settled in my stomach that had
nothing to do with the air around me. I knew what Brecon meant to
me—a dorm at Bryn Mawr College where my sister went to school—but
Goronwy meant the real thing: Brecon, Wales.
“May I ask where I am?”
“You don’t know?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a good memory
of last night.”
“Mine is very clear. Lord Llywelyn has some
questions for you on that score, but they will keep. For now, I can
tell you that we are at Castell Criccieth, in Gwynedd.”
I’d never heard of it. “How long will it
take to get to Brecon?”
“At least a week,” Goronwy said. “Lord
Llywelyn wishes to depart before the rains come. If we ride inland,
we can reach his manor in the forest of Coed y Brenin by evening,
with a move to Castell y Bere the day after that. You will need
warmer clothing.”
Oh. My. God. Anna wiggled and I put
her down. She couched to point out a spider that crawled across the
flagstones. Goronwy bent and spoke to her in Welsh. Watching them,
I put a hand to my mouth, and a wave of hysteria rolled through me.
This time I couldn’t control it. My laughter began as a choke and
then swelled to full-fledged giggles. I swung around to face the
sea and took a stride toward the edge of the battlements. The wind
caught at the cloth on my head, but I let it go, instead wrapping
my arms around my waist to try to contain myself. Finally, I gave
up and let the tears come.
“Madam?” Goronwy spoke from behind me. I
glanced back to see him staring at me, Anna’s hand in his. Anna,
fortunately, was used to
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