Read Online Word of Honor (Knights of Valor Book 1) by Lauren Linwood - Free Book Online Page B

to speak, he’d turned bright red, as red as his
hair and beard. The soldier was Geoffrey’s opposite in every way, from coloring
and size to personality. She wondered if he wished this Symond to be her
marriage partner for that very reason, so no resemblance would remind her of
her beloved husband.
    The king
had been more than patient with her. Most widows remarried quickly under his
order. Only the rapport that had been struck up between them had saved her from
doing so.
    Till now.
    Merryn’s
head told her it was time to move on. But not a day went by that her heart
didn’t cry out for Geoffrey. She fingered the sapphire brooch pinned to her
cote-hardie, affixed next to her heart. It remained a daily reminder of him and
his love for her.
    And the
king was wrong. It wasn’t a husband of a single day that she mourned. It was
her best friend of many years. The boy who had grown into a man. The man she’d
waited for years to marry. The husband who’d introduced her into the hidden
mysteries and passion of lovemaking.
    The only
one who would forever hold her heart.
    Tears
sprang to her eyes. She didn’t indulge in them often. She had too much to do
and too many people dependent upon her. She believed tears a sign of weakness,
though she’d cried a river of them in those first weeks as they scoured the
countryside for Geoffrey.
    But the
king’s missive gave her the excuse to pull off the scab that never seemed to
heal. Merryn flung herself onto the bed and sobbed. She raged at God for taking
her beloved and not allowing her to know why He’d done so.
    Then she
dried her tears and composed herself. She wrote a response to her king, telling
him of her delight at his upcoming visit in a month’s time. She promised to
serve him his favorite dishes and told him she looked forward to a private chat
with him. She even stated she would be interested in talking with Sir Symond
Benedict if it pleased her king.
    She made no
promise to take this Symond in wedlock. But Merryn knew that by the time Edward’s
progress moved on, she would be a wedded wife once again, a new husband in her
bed.
    She sealed
the letter and returned to the Great Hall. The messenger flirted with a servant
girl. She caught his eye, and he came to her at once.
    “Here is my
reply to the king’s missive.”
    “Thank ye,
my lady, and for the brief respite and meal I received. I’ll be off.” He bowed
to her and left.
    Tilda came
and joined her. Hugh had been kind enough to allow Tilda to come to Kinwick in
those first bleak months when Merryn had been out of her head with grief.
Having the familiar servant nearby eased her. Once she decided to move on with
her life, Tilda stayed at Kinwick. She was fond of the old woman, who mothered
her to no end.
    Thinking of
Hugh, she told Tilda, “I need to look in on Milla. Her eyes are most weepy when
spring arrives in England. Mayhap I can create a concoction to bring her some
comfort.”
    The servant
frowned. “She’ll be weepy till she gives your brother a child, that one will. I
say she’s barren. Lord Hugh should ask her to remove herself from Wellbury and
have her go to a convent so he can seek a new wife who will give him babes.”
    “Sometimes
a child is a long time in coming. Look at Geoffrey, for instance. His two
sisters were half a score older than he. Lady Elia had given up hope of bearing
a son when he appeared. Mayhap the same will happen for Hugh and Milla.”
    Tilda
touched her arm briefly in comfort. Merryn had learned to speak Geoffrey’s name
calmly to the outer world, but inside a torment of rage and passion rumbled
each time she did so. Yet she brought him up in casual conversation from time
to time. She did not want him to be forgotten.
    Her
mother-in-law appeared in the doorway and came straight her way.
    “A
messenger brought this,” Elia said. “He did not stay since he was from
Winterbourne. He said no reply would be expected.”
    “Hmm. I
wonder what the earl might want.” The