Honor & Roses by Elizabeth Cole Read Free Book Online Page A

again.”
    “What would they need me for?”
    “The fair folk always like a beautiful young mortal like yourself.”
    Cecily only laughed. “They wouldn’t dare spirit me away from the gardens. They’re too close to the manor.”
    “Don’t mock the fairies, girl,” Agnes warned. “They are not to be trusted.”
    “I’ll tell Father Anselm you said so.”
    Her nurse sniffed. She never respected the priest’s disregard of the supernatural realm.
    Cecily felt more like herself once she was wearing her usual attire. Something about the plain wool gown—dyed with heather branches to make a pretty soft green, and always smelling faintly of herbs and soil—made her happy. Then Cecily let her hair down with a relieved sigh, loosing the braids with her fingers so that her hair fell in waves.
    “Now the fairies will take you for certain,” Agnes declared.
    “I’ll be back in less than an hour,” Cecily said. “You’re not rid of me so easily.”
    Intent on her task, she walked briskly down the curving stairwell and through the ground floor hallway toward the courtyard. When a shape moved out from a darkened alcove, she jumped in surprise.
    “Don’t fear, my lady,” a voice said. “It’s only me.” Rafe emerged into the flickering light of a sconce, his smile putting her at ease.
    She had always thought Rafe was handsome. Even when he was younger, his dark, curling hair and high cheekbones were enough to send many of the local girls into fits of silliness, nearly swooning at his beauty. And those who were not impressed by his face could appreciate his body. Since he was a knight in training, he was in superb physical condition, well-muscled and athletic. He took advantage of his looks quite shamelessly, which was the one thing about him that Cecily never liked. He’d favor one girl for a sennight, then steal a kiss from another.
    But surely the years had made him more thoughtful and mature. Time had made him even more attractive. And by his smile, he knew it.
    “Did I scare you?” he asked.
    “Not exactly,” she said. “You startled me.”
    “Then I beg your forgiveness.” Rafe stepped closer and reached for her hand. “I would never deliberately cause a lovely creature such as you any distress.” The kiss he laid on her hand was proper enough, but it also sent a heat through her body.
    “It’s quite all right, Sir Rafe,” Cecily said, pulling her hand away.
    “I must thank you for your good work earlier,” he went on. “You were right. We should not have brought a petty squabble to your attention, and certainly not at the feast.”
    “Petty?” she asked. “You call it petty, yet you would kill a man over the issue?”
    Rafe shook his head. “Alric envies me. He has for years.”
    “Why should he envy you?” Cecily asked. That made no sense. Alric was not one to dislike another man for no reason. He was one of the fairest people she knew.
    “How should I know?” Rafe said. “Maybe he thinks me a threat to his own military reputation. I won several battles for our company, you know.”
    “I hadn’t heard,” she said.
    “I would tell you all about my deeds, if you like. Some evening soon.”
    The look Rafe was giving her made her hot and cold at once.
    “But what has that to do with Alric?” she asked, striving to stay on the previous course. “Surely he performed such deeds too.”
    “Well, perhaps he’s just jealous that ladies look at me more than him. But is it my fault I’m blessed with this appearance?”
    He drew her closer with every word. By the time he finished, she was only inches away from him.
    Rafe caught her chin with his free hand, and bent to kiss her directly on the mouth.
    Cecily was so shocked that for a moment she didn’t know what to do at all. Her body reacted on some instinctual level to the feel of his mouth on hers. He was far too close to her, his body too hot and too demanding. When his hand trailed to her chest, Cecily put her hands up.
    “Please