Read Online She Owns the Knight by Diane Darcy - Free Book Online

Gillian hurried to intercept her. As she approached, the woman’s eyes widened, she stopped, and dipped a quick curtsy.
    “Excuse me.” Gillian halted in front of her. “I’m looking for a ride into town? Could you help me out?”
    “My lady.” The woman stared at the ground, then bobbed another curtsy.
    Impatient, Gillian said, “Could you at least point me in the right direction for some help?”
    The woman pointed toward the keep and Gillian turned to see That Man in the doorway, watching her. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe. She swallowed, turned away and walked in the opposite direction, feeling very much on display as everyone stared as she passed. She was positive she could feel the knight watching her.
    She went around to the back wall, looking for the parking lot. If someone had left keys or a cell phone in a car, she might not even ask for permission to borrow one or both items.
    She came to a stop. There was no parking lot inside the inner walls, which made sense. Spotting a spiral staircase situated at the bottom of a corner tower, she quickly climbed the rough stone stairs, getting her second or third workout of the day. Panting, her skirt pulled up to her knees, she finally reached the top, and looked over the edge.
    There was a huge outer courtyard, enclosed within a high stone wall, with more stables, a stream, an orchard, and a garden. Some men were fighting with swords in the far corner. Beyond the outer wall, she could see nothing but more fields and trees. Not a car, or anything else for that matter, in sight.
    From her high position on the wall she turned and looked over the castle and its inner courtyard. She had to admit it was beautiful with its imposing exterior and fairy tale flavor.
    She noticed three little boys watching her from below. They pretended indifference when she looked their way and it made her smile. And that, in turn, made them run away.
    There were no movie cameras, no overt drama. It looked as if people were simply going about their daily business. No one was wearing modern clothing, and there was nothing to indicate this was the twenty-first century.
    She didn’t see any phone wires, electric lines or anything like that and she was getting more than a little freaked out. It was almost as if she’d tumbled into the past.
    That thought jarred her memory.
    Gillian’s college roommate, Sophia, had honeymooned on a western cattle drive with her husband. It had been touted as a ‘heading back in time’ experience and had sounded to Gillian like a very odd way to start a marriage.
    Gillian wondered if she’d inadvertently stumbled on a similar vacation package. To the extreme. It would explain why everyone stayed in character. It wouldn’t really explain what had been done to her, but . . . maybe they truly were die-hard fanatics? What would they have done if she hadn’t been a virgin? Burned her at the stake? Gillian couldn’t help a shiver. She had to get out of there.
    She climbed back down and a girl hurried toward her. Breathless, she stopped and gave Gillian a slight curtsy. “I am Beatrice. I am to be my lady’s maid, assigned by his lordship.” The girl actually looked excited at the prospect.
    “Oh. Okay. A maid, huh? You’d think that if your parents are paying for this vacation you’d get a better part, but you probably weren’t given a choice.” Gillian waited for the girl to comment, but she simply stared, uncomprehending.
    Impatient, Gillian decided to try the straightforward approach. “Look, honey, can we step out of character for just a moment? I need a phone. Do you have a cell?”
    The girl looked confused. “I sleep with the other girls and have no room of my own.”
    “Ah . . . okay . . . look, I just need to know if you have a phone I could use to make a local call. I need to call a cab or something. Also, where exactly are we? I’m lost and don’t know where to direct the driver.”
    The girl smiled. “I will take you to his