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

stop that! It’s most improper.” Cecily pulled away, but then found herself trapped between him and the stone wall. How had he turned her around so? “Let me go by.”
    “You’re playing games, Lady Cecily. You like it—no more pretending you don’t.” He fingered the neckline of her gown with an intensity that made her queasy.
    “Stop it. Let me go by,” she repeated.
    “But I don’t want to let you go.”
    The sound of a heavy footstep made both Cecily and Rafe look over. Alric stood there, his face impassive. “She told you to let her alone.”
    “Stay out of this,” Rafe snapped, his demeanor shifting abruptly, growing darker. “It has nothing to do with you.”
    “It does.” The sound of Alric drawing his dagger erased any idea that he was impassive about the situation. “Cecily kept you out of a fight once this evening. If you don’t leave now, she’ll find all that persuasion for naught, because I’ll put a hole in whatever replaced your heart. Your behavior is not worthy of a knight…once again.”
    “You exaggerate my actions. We were merely talking. Isn’t that so?” he said, turning to Cecily, who was still staring at Alric. “My lady?” he asked, aware he didn’t have her attention.
    “Leave,” Alric said, before Cecily could form any words. “Now.”
    Rafe’s lip curled into a sneer, but he left, conscious of Alric’s anger, and the fact that Alric still had a dagger drawn.
    “By your leave, Cecily,” he said, his voice softer and more insinuating. Then he walked away.
    Cecily waited until Rafe was gone before she spoke.
    “I thank you,” she whispered. She was mortified Alric had seen Rafe kiss her, and dearly hoped he wouldn’t think she invited it. “He…he didn’t ask…I didn’t want…”
    “May I escort you to your room, my lady?” Alric broke in, saving her from having to make an embarrassed explanation.
    She took a quick breath, remembering her task. “If you don’t mind, could you escort me to the gardens?”
    He frowned. “The gardens? Why?”
    “It’s where I was headed when Rafe waylaid me. I have to go. There are some plants which must be harvested at night.”
    Alric nodded in understanding. “Then we go to the gardens. I’ll wait while you work there, and escort you back to your chamber.”
    Cecily sighed in relief. She’d been afraid to ask him to do just that, and she feared Rafe would find her again in the relative isolation of the gardens. “Again, I thank you.” She then added, “You always watched over me.”
    His iron expression softened at her words. “I didn’t think you remembered.”
    Cecily smiled at him, suddenly giddy with happiness. “Alric, you fool. Of course I remember.”

Chapter 7

    Cecily’s simple words sent a shock through him.
Of course I remember.
    Alric couldn’t form a good response, so he just offered his arm. “Show me the way to the gardens. It’s been a while.”
    Cecily took his arm as trustingly as she had when she was a little girl, the warmth of her fingers seeping through the linen shirt he wore. Her gesture awakened so many memories he could hardly begin to sort through them.
    They walked out into the courtyard. It was now late enough so the moon rose silver and white over the trees, and illuminated everything with an otherworldly sheen. From the great hall, golden light spilled out of the opened doorways, along with the sounds of laughter and music. People were scattered about, some walking, some sitting.
    Cecily pointed the way to the gardens, marked by a thick hedge. She led him through an opening in the hedge, and he suddenly chuckled. “I remember now. We all played hide and seek here.”
    Cecily laughed, the sound as silvery as the moonlight. “The children still do. It’s the perfect place for it! I used to worm my way into the evergreens and watch all the seekers go by. No one could see me at all.”
    “A confession, Cecily,” Alric said. “Your hair was so gold that no leaves could