Grasso, Patricia by Love in a Mist Read Free Book Online Page B

hall and watched her father and a barefoot Earl of Basildon disappear down the corridor. "What's happened?" she asked the passing countess.
    "Devereux has come to court you," Lady Dawn answered, giving her a feline smile. "The earl has very attractive toes, if that sort of activity appeals to you. I heard from Lady Mary and Lady Jane that the Earl of Basildon has more to offer than meets the eye."
    Morgana Talbot's gaze narrowed on the other woman, but her curiosity overruled her animosity toward the voluptuous countess. "What does he have to offer me?"
    "Devereux sports a freckle on the tip of his—" With that, the Countess of Cheshire chuckled throatily and strolled into the great hall to await the men's return.

Chapter 3
    English hedges and gardens misted with purple Michaelmas daisies and their strange fragrance wafted through the air, announcing the full Harvest Moon and the autumnal equinox, when day and night balanced perfectly. London's Christians prepared their Saint Michael's Day feast, and the farmers in the surrounding countryside prepared to celebrate their Harvest Home.
    Others prepared themselves for a different kind of observance. They knew Saint Michael's true identity—the pagan saint previously known as the Sun God.
    Early evening, the quiet time before twilight, drifted from east to west across England. In the midst of a secluded oak grove on top of Primrose Hill stood three people, two giants and a petite dark-haired woman.
    "Now, little girl, I don't like this," Odo said.
    "You'll be burned as a witch if anyone sees us," Hew added. "I don't doubt we'll be burned as warlocks with you."
    "These kings and queens of the forest will protect me," Keely said, gesturing to the oak trees. She donned her white robe over her violet wool skirt and white linen blouse, then drew its hood over her head to cover her ebony mane, adding, "Robbing that lord in Shropshire has placed us in grave danger. Whatever harm we cause others returns to injure us tenfold."
    "Damn," Hew muttered. "We said we're sorry."
    "How many times are you going to scold us, little girl?" Odo asked. "We did leave him that carnelian stone for protection."
    Keely's lips quirked, but she gave him no answer. Instead, Keely took the eight rocks that Odo held out to her and said, "Madoc Lloyd wounded my soul. Failing to observe Alban Elued, the Light of the Water, will make the wound fester and poison me."
    Keely walked to the center of the oak grove and used the rocks to make a large circle, leaving the western periphery open. Between each of the rocks, she set wild berries of elder, whortles, sloes, and damsons.
    "Will you join me?" Keely asked her cousins. "Safety lies within the circle."
    Both Odo and Hew shook their heads. Protecting her from possible intruders required alertness.
    Keely entered the circle from the west and closed it behind her with the last rock, saying, "All disturbing thoughts remain outside."
    After walking to the center of the circle, Keely turned in a clockwise circle three times until she faced the west and the declining sun. She closed her eyes, focused her breathing, and touched the dragon pendant, its sapphires, diamonds, and ruby sparkling in the dying sunlight.
    Keely shivered as a ripple of anticipation danced down her spine. She loved the rituals her mother had taught her; however, without Megan's special talent, Keely felt uncertain about their effectiveness.
    "The Old Ones are here, watching and waiting," Keely spoke in a soft voice into the hushed air. "Stars speak through stones, and light shines through the thickest oak." Then, in a louder voice, "One realm is heaven and earth."
    Keely walked clockwise around the inside periphery of the circle and collected the wild berries, then set them down beside her in the center, the soul of the circle. "I store the good and cast out the useless. Thanks be to the Mother Goddess for the fruit of the earth. Thanks be to Esus, the spirit of sacrifice embodied in these