Silversword (de Lohr Dynasty Book 7) by Kathryn Le Veque Read Free Book Online Page B

be something interesting to tell his father. He was eager to get to Canterbury and dump the girl off so she would no longer be his problem, but in speaking with her, the situation had him the least bit intrigued.
    “But your cousins would not let the king take you with glee,” he said. “I know Gallus and Maximus and Tiberius personally. They are good friends. If Henry held you hostage, they would take it most seriously.”
    She sighed, hugging her knees again because she was so cold. “I have never met my cousins,” she said truthfully. “They do not know me and I do not know them. I only know they are great warlords. Why would they bother with me?”
    “Because you are their family.”
    “I am insignificant.”
    Chad scratched his head. “You do understand that if Henry is able to capture you, your future is uncertain,” he pointed out. “He will take you back to London, more than likely to the Tower of London where political prisoners are held, and keep you there. If your family refuses to surrender to his will, he would not be beyond sending you back to them in pieces. He did worse to Simon de Montfort and I would not put it past Henry to do the same thing to you. Does this not concern you?”
    She looked at him, her delicate features haunting in the darkness. “I could not stop him if he decided that was to be done,” she said. “I know where my soul is going, Sir Knight. I am not afraid of death.”
    She was a stoic little thing. Rather surprised by her attitude, Chad was determined more than ever to sweep her into the safety of Canterbury where his father could take charge of the situation. Still, there was a small part of him that wanted to stay, too, just to see how everything turned out. This small, wet, and brave young woman was rather intriguing.
    “Mayhap you are not afraid of death, but I do not intend to meet mine anytime soon,” he said, once again turning his attention to the road off to the northeast. “It looks as if those soldiers have managed to remove the horse from the mud and they are heading back in the direction they have come. That being the case, I think we can slip through these trees and join up with the road further to the south. Are you up to it, my lady?”
    Alessandria nodded even though her legs were frozen solid. It was difficult for her to move and try to stand up.
    “I am,” she assured him. Then, she paused in her quest to stand on her feet. “I… I did not have the chance to thank you for saving my life, Sir Knight. I did not mean to be rude and not convey my gratitude, but you must understand that I am in a rather strange predicament.”
    Chad smiled faintly, taking her by the elbow to help her to her feet. This time, she didn’t try to pull away. “And I am not?”
    She grinned, her white teeth flashing in the dim light. “I suppose we both are,” she said. “But you… you extracted me from Newington with all of the grace of a surgeon yanking a rotten tooth. You broke down the door, told the Mother Prioress that men were coming to kill me, and then you forced me to go with you. In an odd chain of events, you saved my life when I fell into the water. As you can see, I am not sure I should thank you for saving my life or slap you for abducting me. How do I know you are telling me the truth about any of this?”
    Chad snorted quietly. “Quite a dilemma, I should say.”
    “Indeed, it is. But will you answer my question?”
    “What question?”
    “How do I know you are telling me the truth?”
    He had her by the elbow, looking down at her in the darkness. He could just see the outline of her heart-shaped face. “You do not,” he said quietly. “You are going to have to go on something called faith. I believe you have heard of it.”
    It was a clever statement. She was studying him, too, in the darkness. She didn’t know why she should trust him, or have faith in him, but, at the moment, she had little choice. “I could run away, you know.”
    He nodded.