The Dragon Lord by Connie Mason Read Free Book Online Page A

slept. She had no intention of letting him bed her.
    “Did your husband not sleep in your bed?” Emily asked.
    Rose’s chin angled upward. “I refused to open the door to him.”
    “God’s toenails, Rose, are you mad!”
    “Mayhap, but I cannot be with a man I do not know. Dragon does not want me, he never did. He is the king’s lackey. I cannot like a man who serves the king who murdered my father.
    “Where do you suppose Dragon went?”
    “Cedric of Waverly said Lord Dragon was acting strangely last night. He questioned Sir Braden, Father Nyle and Sir Cedric about your identity. Why do you suppose he did that?”
    Rose feared she had gone too far last night. Denying Dragon his rights had been something Starla would have been too frightened to attempt. She squared her shoulders. Fortunately, there was naught Dragon could do to remedy his mistake. He had announced his intention to wed Rose, and the priest had blessed their union. Furthermore, Starla was beyond his reach. Rose would be the one to feel the brunt of Dragon’s wrath, but she could handle it better than Starla.
    “Rose,” Emily prodded. “What have you done?”
    “There was a bit of trickery involved,” Rose admitted.“I guessed Dragon would not wed a shrew when a saint was available, and his choice of bride proved me right. Starla and I changed places. He selected the woman he thought was Rose but who was really Starla. I merely pretended to be submissive during the wedding ceremony so Dragon would not become suspicious. Dragon did indeed wed Rose, the real Rose. Now Starla is in the convent and beyond his reach.”
    Emily turned deathly pale.“Blessed Virgin save us all,” she muttered. “I would not want to be in your shoes when Lord Dragon realizes he wed the wrong sister. Think you he will seek an annulment?”
    “It would please me if he did, but ‘tis unlikely. The king ordered him to wed one of Ayrdale’s women, and so he has. Fear not, Emily—I will survive. Starla is where she belongs. That is what really matters.
    “After I eat and bathe, I will join you in the great hall,” Rose said.“There is much to be done. I should meet with the steward and go over the list of stores on hand. We are feeding more mouths than we anticipated and will probably need to set aside more supplies to see us through winter. Michaelmas is the time for candle making and slaughtering and preserving. I will require everyone’s cooperation for those tasks.”
    Lady Emily hurried off, leaving Rose to her bath, her food and her morbid thoughts.

    As usual, the hall was a beehive of activity. Rose glanced about the chamber and noted that Dragon’s men were mingling with Ayrdale’s personal guardsmen without the animosity one would expect, considering the circumstances of Dragon’s appearance at Ayrdale. Nay, her beloved home was no longer Ayrdale. Dragon had renamed it Dragonwyck, lair of the Dragon Lord.
    Rose spied Sir Cedric and hurried over to speak with him. “Has Sir Eric returned?” she asked.
    “Nay, my lady.”
    “And Lord Dragon? Did he mention his destination to you when he rode out this morning?”
    “He said naught to me, my lady. Lord Dragon and his foreign servant left before prime. Mayhap he went to inspect his demesne.”
    Rose took her leave and made her way to the chapel. She had missed morning Mass and felt the need to confess her sins. Though she wasn’t as pious as Starla, she had a healthy respect for her religion. She feared her lie had offended God and she sought His forgiveness.
    She found Father Nyle on his knees before the altar. He heard her approaching and rose to greet her. “You missed Mass,” he chided.
    “Forgive me, Father. I will try to do better.”
    “What brings you here, child?”
    “I seek forgiveness for a grave sin, Father.”
    Father Nyle sent her a sympathetic look and indicated that she should kneel beside him. “What is this grave sin, child?”
    Rose stared at the crucifix above the altar and