Iny Lorentz - The Marie Series 02 by The Lady of the Castle Read Free Book Online

girl.
    Unsure as to his motives, the girl anxiously backed away from the knight. Falko jumped out of the saddle, grabbed the shepherdess, and dragged her into the forest, stuffing his glove into her mouth to stifle her screams.
    At the same time, Michel noticed Falko’s absence and turned to look for him. At first thinking the knight had fallen behind to relieve himself, he then spotted his horse in the goat meadow, where it was enjoying the fresh grass. When Michel realized that the shepherdess was also nowhere to be seen, he cursed, wheeled his horse around, and rode toward the herd of goats. A sound not coming from an animal told him where to look, and so he spurred his horse past shimmering green beech trees into the semidarkness of the forest canopy, soon spotting Falko debasing the shepherdess. The girl’s face was twisted with fear and pain, and she struggled against the man on top of her as much as against the glove in her mouth, which threatened to smother her.
    “Let go of the girl immediately!” Michel roared angrily as he approached, but Falko continued, unperturbed. He finished before Michel reached him, slowly rose to his feet with a taunting stare, and ripped the glove so roughly out of the girl’s mouth that blood dripped from her lips.
    Michel’s hand shot to his sword, and for a moment it looked as though he’d draw his weapon and strike Falko down. “You’re the foulest brute I’ve ever met!”
    Instinctively, Falko ducked and took a few steps back. But then he straightened up again and waved dismissively. “You’d be a fool to pick a fight with me over a worthless farm girl.”
    “At least give her a few coins for her lost virginity.” Even as he spoke, Michel regretted his words because it sounded like he was condoning the knight’s actions.
    “Pay a filthy maid? She should be happy to have been with a real man.” With a nasty laugh, the knight turned around and walked back to his horse.
    Michel clenched his fists helplessly, looked down at the crying girl, and got off his horse. “I should have bashed his head in,” he cursed, holding out his right hand to the shepherdess. “Come on, girl. Get up! I won’t hurt you.”
    The girl pulled her skirt down, curled up, and covered her face with her hands. At that moment Michel wished Marie were there. She would have known how to deal with such a brutally ravaged creature. Eventually he opened his purse and took out some coins.
    “Money can’t give you back what you’ve lost today, but maybe it can help you in some other way.” Since the girl didn’t react, he took one of her hands, placed the coins in it, and closed her fingers around them. “May God be with you, little one. He surely hasn’t left you, even if it feels like it right now.”
    The shepherdess pushed herself farther away from him, and Michel’s fury at Falko von Hettenheim grew until it almost choked him. He knew that there was really no way to make the man account for his crime; that would have been the responsibility of the local lord or governor, or the girl’s owner if she was a serf. But nobles didn’t usually start a fight over a peasant girl with someone of their own rank.
    Michel left the sobbing girl, took his horse by the reins, and walked back into the clearing. He saw a few peasants coming toward him, their picks and axes clear signs that they realized something was amiss. He jumped into the saddle and pressed his spurs into his horse’s sides. He was annoyed he had to flee, but otherwise the villagers would assume he was the rapist and vent their anger on the wrong person.
    A man on horseback was faster than any peasant, even if their steps were fueled by anger, and the sight of marching soldiers didn’t particularly encourage the villagers to pick a fight. They soon stopped their pursuit, cursed the noble lords who’d seen their girl as fair game, and thanked God that the entire troop hadn’t come and savaged their village and women. Gathering at the