Keeper of the Stone by Lynn Wood Read Free Book Online

of the table next to his wife.  Matilda merely patted his hand where it rested next to hers on the table. Rhiann concluded that while the king was apparently willing to overlook her prior insolence to him he would not tolerate any towards his wife.
    The queen accepted the stone from her outstretched hand.  Rhiann saw the surprise in her eyes and guessed it was from the unexpected weight of the stone and the way the color swirled vividly within its depths.  “I have never seen such a stone.  Where did you come by this?’
    “The stone has been in my family for many generations,”
    “I am surprised I have not seen more Saxon ladies wearing them.  Look how it swirls with color as if a storm is brewing in its depths.”
    “The stone does not pass through the Saxon side of my family, your highness.”
    The queen raised her glance in surprise at her comment. “Your mother was not Saxon?”
    “Only by marriage. “
    The queen nodded and returned to her perusal of the unusual adornment.  “The colors are gone. The stone has gone dark.”
      Rhiann wasn’t surprised. “Somehow it knows when it passes outside the family.”  Her explanation was not exactly true, but she thought the queen might take offense if Rhiann told her the stone recognized its rightful owner and would go dormant in the hands of any other.
    “It knows?”
    “A poor choice of words perhaps, but the stone reacts thusly when held by another.”
    The queen glanced back at the stone which now lay dark and lifeless in her hand. It appeared as a shiny black onyx set in fine silver; still beautiful, undoubtedly still valuable, but dead after the life it displayed against the maid’s fair skin.  “Do you know anything of the history of this jewel?  How did it come to your mother’s family?”
    “As a young girl I heard many stories of the amulet’s history.  There were fanciful tales about the stone becoming wayward and dangerous in the wrong hands.  No doubt those were invented to discourage potential thieves.  To be honest I never paid much attention to the myths surrounding it. The stone should not have come to me.” 
    “Why not?”
    “It passes through the eldest daughter on my mother’s side of the family.  The stone was meant for my sister.”  Rhiann let her voice trail off as she wondered about her sister’s fate.  It was the amulet’s acceptance of her, Rhiann, more than anything else that convinced her Melissa was dead.  If her sister was still alive the stone would lay as black and lifeless against Rhiann’s skin as it appeared in the queen’s hand. Shaking herself away from her dark thoughts, she turned to the queen with a forced smile. “It matters little now. I am certain the stone’s new owner will start their own traditions.”
    Rhiann was not disappointed to give up this particular bequest. She would be relieved to be rid of its constant weight and the memory of it lying in a pool of her mother’s blood.  She thought foolish the old legends surrounding the mysterious jewel.  If the stone held the power it was rumored to hold her mother would still be alive. 
    The queen offered the necklace back to her.  “I think it is best for such things to remain in the hands of their true owners.”
    Rhiann made no move to accept the queen’s offering.  “Are you certain there is not a Norman lady you would like to make a gift of the stone to?  Perhaps one of the king’s loyal knights would like to make an offering of the jewel to his lady.  I believe it is quite valuable.”
    Matilda smiled at her barely veiled attempt to distance herself from the necklace. “I think not, Lady Rhiann.  I believe we have demanded enough from you.”
    Rhiann sighed resigned.  She suspected the stone would not be so easily gotten rid of.  Reluctantly she accepted the necklace from the queen’s hand and slid the fine silver chain around her neck. “As you wish, your highness, but it is an uncomfortable inheritance.”
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