Darkest Knight (11 page)

“Aye. I do. But I will not have her in danger. With me, Anna is not safe. She is kind and decent and deserves better.”

“I would woo her.”

John was about to strike his brother when he saw Robert grinning.

“Do I tell Anna about Melinda and her sisters?”

“Who’s Melinda?” Anna said as she stepped into the room.

The tone of their voices stopped Anna from entering the room. John and Robert were speaking in low voices. Standing still, she closed her eyes and listened. While she knew you shouldn’t eavesdrop unless you wanted to hear something you might not like, she couldn’t help herself.

After a long, hot bath, she felt human again. Two of the women Robert had brought with him helped her undress, gaping at her bra. Their looks had made her so nervous that when they left the room to let her soak, she tossed it in the fire, happy she was small-chested. At least if she put her old clothes back on, it wouldn’t be too obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra.

The steam rose up around her, making her drowsy. The women bustled in, soaping and washing her hair. Bits of leaves, twigs, and straw floated in the tub. It was heavenly to feel and smell clean again. The dress they provided was stunning. A deep brown with embroidery at the bottom and all over the sleeves. She felt like a princess. One of the women dubiously eyed her clothes, saying she’d launder them. Anna wondered if they were headed for the fire.

A younger girl had braided her hair, trying the end with a gold velvet ribbon. Anna felt beautiful for the first time in a long time.

John raised his voice. She caught something about someone named Melinda. Did he have a girlfriend? He hadn’t mentioned one so far. Why would someone as good-looking and rich as him want someone as poor and plain as she? He had been nothing but kind to her. Gave her no indication he had deeper feelings. He was a knight before becoming a bandit and was helping her. Even if he was the first man who had ever looked at Anna like he saw her for who she was. A person of value.

Smoothing her hands over the dress, she took a deep breath and stepped into the room. “Who’s Melinda?”

They both stared at her, their mouths hanging open. Robert recovered first.

“A vision of loveliness. Methinks you are a fairy princess come to live among the humans.” He pretended to swoon.

She laughed, not believing a word he said.

“Sit here by the fire. Away from my dolt of a brother.” John helped her to the chair. They sat after she did.

“You are the most beautiful woman in the realm, mistress.”

Robert was a total playboy. “Please, call me Anna.”

“Then you must call me Robert.”

He slid John brother a look. One Anna had seen between the brothers of her ex-boyfriend. It always meant one of them was about to tease the other one. And they would usually end up rolling around on the floor punching each other.

“Are you married?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“John says you have family awaiting your return.” He tapped a finger against his chin, ignoring John, who was making faces at him. “I have to wonder how you came to be in the Tower of London, alone and unescorted?”

She looked at John. “Didn’t you tell him?”

He fidgeted. “A bit. ’Tis your story to tell. Robert is a bothersome lad, but he has a good ear. He will keep your secrets.”

She looked at Robert, who pressed a hand to his heart.

Anna rolled her eyes. These two together were going to be more trouble than a pool full of alligators. “Okay. Here goes.” She sat upright in the chair, afraid to wrinkle the dress. Anna told Robert the same story she’d told John. This time, though, she told them the rest of the story. The part she had left out before.

“I am an only child. My mother died after a long illness when I was eighteen. I was away at college…university. In my first semester, I had to drop out to take care of my dad. He had a stroke when my mother died.”

She sniffed but did not cry. A cup was thrust into her hands, and she gave John a grateful smile as she took a sip.

“Water. You remembered.”

Robert looked horrified. “Why did you not give the lass wine?”

“She prefers water.” He looked at his brother and smirked. “’Tis what she prefers, and she shall have what she desires.”

“So I found a full-time job. But it still wasn’t enough. So I also found two part-time jobs to help pay for the facility.” She saw the look on their faces and clarified: “My father was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. It’s where you start to forget things and no longer recognize those you love. A stroke is when you lose control of part of your body. My dad can no longer move the left side of his body, and requires someone to watch over him day and night. There are places to help with his care. But they cost a great deal of money.”

“You worked? For money?” They both looked extremely interested. Feeling self-conscious, she continued.

“Yes. For forty hours a week I worked as an assistant.” She looked at the blank looks on their faces and added, “It’s where someone tells you they need things done and you do them. So the full-time job I worked Monday through Friday, all day. In the evenings I worked in a small shop, and on the weekends I worked as a waitress in a diner. It’s like the tavern we stopped at. We take people’s orders and bring them food.”

“A serving wench?” Robert pursed his lips.

“No. There are no serving wenches anymore.” She paused. “Well, there are, but if they’re like the ones I’ve seen so far, we call them hookers.”

Her throat was dry from talking so much. She was used to sitting on the sidelines, not being the center of attention. It was discomforting having two men such as the Thornton brothers turning their full attention on her. But she was almost through with her story, and she had to get it all out before she lost her nerve.

“So you can understand why I have to get back. The place where my father stays, I have paid for this month and the next, but after that, if there is no money, they will make him leave and he will have nowhere to go. Then they put you in a place the state pays for, and the one near our town is a terrible, dreadful place. I must go home.”

“I’m sorry you lost your family,” John said. Robert looked at John, who nodded. “We may know someone who can help you.”

“The Melinda you heard us talking about when you came in has two sisters,” Robert said. “I am not certain, but I believe they may also come from the future. ’Tis something about their speech, they use the same words you do. Such as
whatever
. A most useful word for many occasions.”

Robert held his hands up.

“Do not get excited. We do not know if they can travel forward to their own time. But we will find out. Our brother Henry is married to the third sister, Charlotte. He is on his way and should be here on the morrow. We will ask.”

She couldn’t help it—the excitement filled her entire being. A possible way to go home. And the chance to talk to others who had traveled through time. To find out how and what their experience was. And if they could go back, had they all stayed of their own free will? Was it for the men they married?

The three of them stayed up late talking. The deep voices were comforting, lulling her into a state somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness. Anna couldn’t stop yawning, and thought she’d close her eyes just for a moment.

“I fear I care for an witless woman.” John lifted Anna out of the chair to carry her upstairs.
 

“If her story is true, she is not witless. You could marry her.”

“You know why I cannot. Her life would always be in danger.” John opened the door to the chamber and laid her on the bed.

“Have you shared a bed with her?”

His brother looked furious, and John tried not to laugh.

“The other chambers are in disrepair. I have behaved honorably and slept with the horses.”

“’Tis a clear night. The other chambers will do. Edward is sending his mason and men. Henry will be here in the morning. You must take care with her. Though she is not noble, she is a lady.”

John rolled his eyes. “Cease with your witless babbling. I would not take advantage of her.”

Robert clapped him on the shoulder. “You do more than care for her. You love her. When will you see it yourself?”

Anna was walking around Blackmoor with John while Robert slept in.

“Riders approach.”

“Come. We’ll go up on the battlements for a better look.”

She followed John. It was a long way down. With a hand up to shade her eyes, she wished for sunglasses. They were around in some form in ancient China and Rome. Imagine gems for sunnies. If she was stuck here maybe she could create sunglasses for the rich. It wasn’t like she could rely on John to support her. Anna would have to find a way to make a living and a place to live.

“Wow. That’s a lot of people.”

The man with gorgeous blonde hair she’d recognize anywhere waved to them. A beautiful blonde beside him. Behind him walked men and women. There were men who looked like soldiers and wagons bursting with stuff. In one of the wagons, she spied pigs and chickens.

“He looks like you. Which brother is it?”

John’s words were gruff. “Henry has grown to a man. I have missed so much time.”

Anna knew the feeling all too well. As the group entered the courtyard, the level of noise rose to a crescendo. The blonde man dismounted from his horse, and helped a striking woman do the same. She was tall and thin, blonde, and looked like Barbie come to life. Anna was completely intimidated.

“I should have known you were still alive. The bandit of the wood. Well done.” Henry hugged John. His voice was rough. Anna stood close enough to hear him say, “You should have told us you were alive. I have missed you every day for the past ten years.”

“I could not. Our family was dishonored. The loss of our lands, titles, gold. So much lost because of a jealous girl. If Letitia had kept quiet, the king would not have turned his wrath on the Thorntons. There is a large price on my head. You should not have come.”

“Our father would have been gladdened to know you were alive.” Henry released John and stood back, looking at Blackmoor. “Robert let it fall to ruin. Too busy drinking and whoring.”

“I heard that, whelp.” Robert clapped Henry on the shoulder.

John looked a bit overwhelmed. “I’m grateful you’ve here, Henry. But we are bound to attract undue attention.”

“Our people are loyal. Others in the surrounding countryside are loyal to the Thorntons.”

Robert rocked back on his heels. “And many others to the bandit of the wood. News has traveled fast. Everyone knows ’twas you. Do not worry, brother. None will betray us.”

John grimaced. “Betrayal comes when we least expect it.”

“What an awful thing to say.” Anna wished she could take it back. Now everyone was looking at her.

Henry’s mouth twitched. She blushed where she stood. “You have obviously made her miserable with your foul moods.” He made her a little bow. “I am the most charming and handsome brother. Henry Thornton, at your service.” He pulled the gorgeous woman forward, interrupting her conversation with a group of women.