Read Online The Knight and the Dove by Lori Wick - Free Book Online

with the servants. I know you will be pleased over this fact, but you will not care for the reason. They did not recognize her as a lady in their midst but believed that Arik had claimed her.”
    Megan’s face paled, and her eyes slid shut. She thought she might actually hate her mother at that moment. She was to live here and become the mistress of this castle, yet they all thought she had some sort of relationship with Arik. For a moment Megan felt beyond despair, but a sudden resolve stiffened her spine. She had risen to countless occasions in her life; would she now allow this one to rule her?
    Both men had been watching her. Bracken was on the verge of speaking when Megan opened her eyes and said, “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen.” She rose gracefully “I feel a need for some air.”
    “Where are you going?” Bracken asked but was roundly ignored.
    Both men watched Megan walk toward the main entrance, her head high, her face serene. At the door she spoke to a guard. Bracken watched the way the man bowed his head in respect as she walked away. She looked in control, but Bracken was not comfortable. With an easy pace that he didn’t feel within, he followed, Lyndon by his side. He knew no physical harm would come to her, but at the moment he wasn’t certain if she would be attacked verbally or not. Bracken would stand for no such thing.

     
    Megan, no longer in convent dress, her hair shining with cleanliness, drew every eye in the inner bailey. She spoke to several folks as she moved along, to people she recognized and some she didn’t. They all seemed to know her, but she didn’t linger; her goal was the creamery.
    Bracken had also come into the courtyard, Lyndon still with him, and in an effort to keep an eye on her and not be too conspicuous, wandered about much as Megan was doing. Things seemed to be going well for the first several minutes, but then he watched as she moved toward the creamery. Bracken’s heart plummeted. Surely she was not going back to work!
    “She’s headed for the creamery,” he commented to the man at his side.
    “So I see” was all Lyndon said.
    They watched her disappear within, and Bracken debated his next move. A moment later the problem was temporarily taken from his hands. Kent appeared at his side to tell him that his men had need of him on the practice field. He walked away with long-legged strides, leaving Lyndon in the courtyard. As much as he trusted Lyndon, Bracken could not stop himself from looking back at the creamery until it was out of view.

     
    “Hello, Eddie,” Megan greeted the man easily as she crossed the threshold. She watched as he removed his cap.
    “Hello, my lady.”
    Megan let her eyes roam the large, clean room and then began to walk slowly around. The women working within slowed some to watch her but continued with their tasks.
    “You run this creamery with excellence, Eddie,” Megan told him sincerely when she stopped at one point.
    “Thank you, my lady. I’m glad you approve.”
    “Hello, Pen,” Megan said as she continued her stroll. “Watch that edge when you pour.”
    “Yes, my lady.” Pen reverently breathed the words. She did tend to be rather clumsy, but right now all she could see and hear was Megan— her dress, hair, her lovely skin, and the husky sound of her cultured voice.
    “I’d like to make a suggestion, Eddie.”
    “Yes, my lady,” the man said. They were back at the entrance now, and Eddie’s heart sank with dread. Would she now take revenge for the way he had treated her? Eddie saw himself grabbing her arm the first day and had to stifle a groan. However, he was in for a pleasant surprise.
    Megan began to make a most logical suggestion concerning the storage of cheese. Her voice was gracious, and her manner unassuming. Eddie felt as if she’d actually left the final choice up to him. She had also waited until the others couldn’t hear. Eddie had not lost face and had gained helpful information in the