Read Online The Hands of Time by Irina Shapiro - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Irina Shapiro
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desired outcome. I certainly didn ’ t want to be anyone’s whore , and the idea of marrying Finn was ludicrous, especially since I fervently hoped to return to my own time. I wasn’t in love with him. I had just been seeking warmth and comfort from another human being in a time of great confusion and fear. Finn made me forget everything but him for that short time , and I was more th a n willing to let him do it again and again.
Chapter 1 3
Finlay watched Valerie disappear inside , as Robbie led the horses away to be fed and watered and walked into the stable. He was utterly confused , and called back to Robbie to bring back his horse. He needed a good gallop to clear his head and swung into the saddle , tearing through the gate at breakneck speed. At first, he was just curious about the girl. She was very beautiful with her shiny, dark hair and eyes that were more violet th a n blue , and he felt an urge to protect her from whatever it was that sent her to the house of strangers , rather th a n return to her own home. She was obviously educated, intelligent and spirited, not to mention passionate. He had known many women, but most of them were either paid to participate in the act , or lay there just giving themselves to him like a gift to be unwrapped. The older women were more experienced, but he didn’t want them . They did not stir his blood , and he politely refused their advances.
Valerie was young and shy, yet she had given herself to him with innocent abandon, wanting to please him as much as wanting to be pleased. He had just left her , and already he felt himself stirring again, wanting to turn back and run up to her room, catching her in a state of undress and tumbling her onto the bed. He knew he wanted to get married at some point in the future, but he had never actually met anyone he wanted to marry up until now. He reined in his horse, shocked at the thought that had just passed through his mind. Was he really thinking of marriage? Well, why not? She might not have fortune or family, but he did not care about that. She had touched his soul , and her solemn recital of the Pater Noster confirmed to him that she was a Catholic like him, which was an important factor in choosing a wife. Hell, he just might have found himself a bride. Finn dug his heels into the horse’s flanks and flew over the road buoyed by his decision.
Finn rode for about an hour before taking pity on Dante and turning back toward the castle. The horse would no doubt be tired and hungry , and he could certainly use a bath himself. It was a warm day , and he was sweaty, hot , and terribly thirsty. Finlay threw the reins to Robbie and went into the castle, going down to the kitchen first to get a cool drink and charm Cook into giving him a piece of pie or a slice of ham with some bread to tie him over until supper. He had missed the midday meal and he was hungry after his exertions. Finlay smiled to himself as he finished the pie and headed up the stairs to his room. He wondered what Mistress Crane was doing at that precise moment , and if she had any regrets about allowing him to make love to her. She might be worried about the future, but he would soon put everything to rights.
Finlay stripped off his clothes, thankful that Robbie had hauled the water for his bath in record time. The copper tub stood in front of the unlit fireplace, the water warm and inviting. He was just about to get into the tub , when the door flew open and Nell stood on the threshold clutching a towel to her chest. She blushed furiously at the sight of his naked body ,
“ I ‘ave brought y e a towel, s ir.” She curtsied , and Finn nearly burst out laughing at the ludicrous tableau they m u st have made, him stark naked and her curtseying like a loon. He already had a towel, but he took it from her anyway and asked her to leave, holding the towel in front of him to spare her
Chapter 1 3
Finlay watched Valerie disappear inside , as Robbie led the horses away to be fed and watered and walked into the stable. He was utterly confused , and called back to Robbie to bring back his horse. He needed a good gallop to clear his head and swung into the saddle , tearing through the gate at breakneck speed. At first, he was just curious about the girl. She was very beautiful with her shiny, dark hair and eyes that were more violet th a n blue , and he felt an urge to protect her from whatever it was that sent her to the house of strangers , rather th a n return to her own home. She was obviously educated, intelligent and spirited, not to mention passionate. He had known many women, but most of them were either paid to participate in the act , or lay there just giving themselves to him like a gift to be unwrapped. The older women were more experienced, but he didn’t want them . They did not stir his blood , and he politely refused their advances.
Valerie was young and shy, yet she had given herself to him with innocent abandon, wanting to please him as much as wanting to be pleased. He had just left her , and already he felt himself stirring again, wanting to turn back and run up to her room, catching her in a state of undress and tumbling her onto the bed. He knew he wanted to get married at some point in the future, but he had never actually met anyone he wanted to marry up until now. He reined in his horse, shocked at the thought that had just passed through his mind. Was he really thinking of marriage? Well, why not? She might not have fortune or family, but he did not care about that. She had touched his soul , and her solemn recital of the Pater Noster confirmed to him that she was a Catholic like him, which was an important factor in choosing a wife. Hell, he just might have found himself a bride. Finn dug his heels into the horse’s flanks and flew over the road buoyed by his decision.
Finn rode for about an hour before taking pity on Dante and turning back toward the castle. The horse would no doubt be tired and hungry , and he could certainly use a bath himself. It was a warm day , and he was sweaty, hot , and terribly thirsty. Finlay threw the reins to Robbie and went into the castle, going down to the kitchen first to get a cool drink and charm Cook into giving him a piece of pie or a slice of ham with some bread to tie him over until supper. He had missed the midday meal and he was hungry after his exertions. Finlay smiled to himself as he finished the pie and headed up the stairs to his room. He wondered what Mistress Crane was doing at that precise moment , and if she had any regrets about allowing him to make love to her. She might be worried about the future, but he would soon put everything to rights.
Finlay stripped off his clothes, thankful that Robbie had hauled the water for his bath in record time. The copper tub stood in front of the unlit fireplace, the water warm and inviting. He was just about to get into the tub , when the door flew open and Nell stood on the threshold clutching a towel to her chest. She blushed furiously at the sight of his naked body ,
“ I ‘ave brought y e a towel, s ir.” She curtsied , and Finn nearly burst out laughing at the ludicrous tableau they m u st have made, him stark naked and her curtseying like a loon. He already had a towel, but he took it from her anyway and asked her to leave, holding the towel in front of him to spare her
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