Julie Garwood - [3 Book Box Set] by Gentle Warrior:Honor's Splendour:Lion's Lady Read Free Book Online Page A

befell her was becoming an obsession. He admitted as much but could not explain it. He only knew that seeing her in the forest before the battle to regain Montwright Manor was indeed an omen, and the omen had become reality, had it not, when he awakened to find her caring for him? His reasoning reeked of superstition, yet he was powerless to control it, and for the first time in his twenty-seven years, he found himself ruled by emotion. It was a chilling admission. Emotion had no place in hislife. It clouded reason. Discipline and logic, as cold and sharp as the blade he swung for power’s sake, ruled his every action. And it would be so again, he pledged, just as soon as the girl was found. Found and claimed.
    “Here he is, my lord,” Roger said from the doorway. He shoved the trembling servant to the floor in front of the lord.
    Lord Geoffrey turned from his position in front of the hearth and gave the servant a hard look. “Your name?”
    “I am called Joseph, my lord. Loyal servant to Thomas,” he added. The servant knelt and bowed his head, showing his respect.
    “You have a strange way of proving your loyalty to Thomas,” Geoffrey said in a hard voice. “Trying to take his heir to the outside could well cost you your life.”
    “I meant him no harm, my lord,” Joseph whispered. “I was trying to protect him.”
    “Protect him from me?” Geoffrey’s bellow fairly unnerved the servant.
    He shook his head and tried to find his voice. “Nay, my lord! We only thought to keep little Thomas safe until you were recovered.”
    “And you thought him unsafe here?” Geoffrey asked.
    “It was overheard that Belwain, uncle to little Thomas, had been sent for. My mistress believes that Belwain was behind the murders of her family. She did not want Thomas here when her uncle arrived.”
    “And that is why she has left?” Geoffrey asked, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful gesture.
    “Aye, my lord.” Joseph sagged his shoulders and chanced a look at the fiercesome man before him.
    “And are you loyal to me?” Geoffrey asked.
    “Aye, my lord,” Joseph answered, placing a hand on his chest where his heart beat a wild pace.
    “Stand and prove your loyalty,” Geoffrey demanded in a harsh voice.
    Joseph immediately obeyed. He stood with his head slightly bowed and waited for the next order. It was not long in coming.
    “Tell me where your mistress hides.”
    “Near the waterfall, about an hour’s ride from here, my lord,” Joseph answered without hesitation. “When she learns that you are awake, she will return to talk with you,” he predicted.
    “Her name?” Geoffrey demanded, though his tone was not as forceful now that he knew the servant would cooperate.
    “She is Elizabeth, and she is youngest daughter to Thomas,” Joseph answered. His hands began to ache, and he only then realized he was gripping them. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he tried to calm himself.
    “Was she here when the attack began?”
    “Yes, my lord,” Joseph replied, shivering with the memory. “All but Lady Elizabeth and her little brother were killed. I was able to help them escape but not before they both witnessed their mother—”
    “I know,” Geoffrey interrupted. “I was given the body count. . . and the way of their deaths was recounted to me.” His mouth settled into a grim line at the memory of Roger’s recent description of the mutilated bodies. “And you say she witnessed this?”
    “Both she and the boy. The little lad has not spoken a word since, until today,” he amended. “And he seems to have no memory of the event.”
    “Do you know who was behind the attack?” he asked the servant.
    “I did not recognize any of them, for several wore black hoods, but my mistress believes Belwain responsible. With your permission, my lord, I will bring her to you.”
    “No,” Geoffrey answered. “
I
will bring her back.”
    Roger’s voice interrupted the discussion. “My lord? The priest has