“She is not here. I sent her away.”
“Well, bring her back, Brother. I will give the order that if a hair on her head is touched, whoever touched it will die regretting it.”
Nicholas breathed. “Thank you, Richard.”
“You love this woman.”
“Aye.”
Richard smiled. “Finally. I began to fear you were incapable of being in love. Go bring her back.”
Nicholas owed him much. He would explain to Kestrel why he couldn’t allow Henry to belittle the king. She would understand. She would be happy to come home.
But she wasn’t home. They had only been husband and wife for a day. Did she consider his castle her home? Would she ever? He’d finally stopped worrying about Simeon getting his hands on the brooch and her choosing to return to her time. Now, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to return.
He rode to Walter’s and slid out of his saddle in a hurry.
He missed her. He knew it had only been several hours since he saw her last, but it felt as if a hundred years had passed.
He knocked and then pushed the door open.
One of Walter’s servants, (Walter was the only merchant wealthy enough to have servants) who was about to do the same thing from his side, was knocked several feet behind the door.
Nicholas hurried to him and grabbed hold of him before he fell. “My apologies! Have I injured you?”
The servant shook his head. He looked more shaken by speaking with Nicholas than by almost being trampled by him. The older man was afraid of Nicholas. Most people were. He was big and scarred and he rarely smiled.
He didn’t smile now but spoke gently while he patted the man’s shoulder. “What is your name?”
“Jonathan, my lord.”
“Jonathan, I have no reason to hurt you. You must not fear me, aye?”
“Aye, my lord,” Jonathan nodded. His shoulders fell from around his ears.
“My wife,” he finally smiled as he turned to go find her, “would have my head if she thought I went around frightening ser—”
She stood before him, gazing at him as if he were a feast for her eyes. But it was she who ravished his soul. Garbed in her dusty dress that matched her eyes, her dark mane hanging loose around her beautiful face, she made his legs go a little weak.
Without saying a word, he went to her and gathered her in his arms. She clung to him with her face buried in his neck.
“The king has been found. He is denouncing the accusation. ’Tis safe for you to return, my love. Come home.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
It took abit of time to get going from Walter’s, mainly because Kestrel insisted on sayinggoodbyeto everyone, even the stable hand. Walter doted on her as a grandfather would dote on his darling granddaughter. She had won over everyone, especially him.
He’d known to bring one horse. They both loved riding this way, with her body relaxed, her back pressed to his chest, his nose and lips buried in her hair.
“So, Elizabeth orchestrated this entire thing with the king,” she said as they headed off.
What did orchestrated mean? He shook his head. He didn’t need to know. He liked all her unfamiliar words. “’Twould seem so. She won his trust and then enticed him to follow her into Henry Tudor’s lair.”
Kestrel shook her head and sighed. “What a badass she turned out to be.”
He laughed. “Badass? What kind of insult is that.?”
“It’s not an insult in twenty nineteen. It means impressive, tough and dangerous. She almost got the job done. Richard will probably kill her for treason if he wins, won’t he?”