Her Dark Knight by Sharon Cullen Read Free Book Online Page A

Madelaine it hurt to look at her.
    He turned and his heart constricted. The sun bounced off her deep brown hair, picking out the reddish strands. She was looking up at him and something passed across her face. A hint of the confusion she was feeling inside. Mon Dieu, he needed to get out of here to tend to the wounds opening up inside him in the only way he knew how. Only the haze of alcohol would dim his memories and make them less poignant.
    “Yes?”
    “I…” She still clutched the envelope with the blasted papers in them. Papers she would take to Lucheux, his enemy.
    He had the sudden urge to grab on to her and never let go. To protect her with all the resources he lacked centuries ago. Instead he tilted his head, his gaze roving over her body, drinking in the sight of her while his heart broke all over again.
    She must have sensed something inside him, or saw the pain he was valiantly trying to control because she took a step back. “Never mind,” she whispered.
    Once again he watched her walk away, studied the swing of her slim hips in the tight skirt. Again he had the almost overwhelming urge to run after her, but he kept his feet planted and let her leave.
    In the darkness of the night and early morning hours he’d done his homework. He knew where she lived—in an apartment building owned by Lucheux. He knew where she worked—for Lucheux. He knew all about her father, the farm the Alexanders owned for generations and she grew up on. The battle she fought alongside her father to keep the government from taking over the farm. He knew to the penny how much she paid in nursing-home costs and the extent of her student loans.
    He knew Lucheux held a powerful hold over her, offering her enough money to work for him that would put a considerable dent in those loans and bills and keep her father in the expensive home she’d chosen for him.
    At the corner her steps faltered and she hesitated. Christien held his breath, waiting for her to turn around but she didn’t. She squared those shoulders and marched out of sight.
    And he let her go.
    But he wasn’t worried. He’d put a man on her to watch her and report back to him.
    Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. It was a motto he lived by and believed in.
    Except he was finding it difficult to think of Lainie Alexander as his enemy. Her eyes were too expressive and she was a terrible liar. There had been moments when he glimpsed her fear and confusion. There had been a few times he swore she remembered him, but she’d quickly squashed those memories and the confusion had doubled.
    But he would not let himself be swayed by the copper-colored eyes or the thick hair. He would not forget he was here for a larger purpose. He had to remember she worked for Lucheux, reported to Lucheux. Was she a plant? Most definitely. Of that he had no doubt. Whether she knew it was another story.
    Yes, he had to be on his guard despite the fact his heart told him otherwise.

Chapter Three
    France, 1307
    Keeping to the edges of the corridor, Madelaine, Countess of Flandres, stepped carefully. Her heart beat heavily against her ribs as her gaze swept the wide corridor, searching for the count amongst the large crowd entering the hall. She was late. Again. And if her husband discovered this she would be punished.
    She rounded a corner and bumped into someone. With a startled gasp, she stepped back.
    “Countess.” Lucien, her husband’s confidant and the man who led the household in all things religious, moved in front of her. His smile was charming, the flash of his small eyes anything but.
    “Brother.” With head bowed she tried to step around him but he slid in front of her, blocking her escape. He herded her into a small alcove, effectively separating her from the others. She swallowed but did not look up at him.
    “You are quite beautiful tonight, my countess.” He touched her cheek.
    She jerked back so fast she hit her head on the stone wall. “If you’ll excuse