Darkest Knight (5 page)

The words were coming out of his mouth, but she was having a hard time processing what he was saying. The voice in her head kept screaming she was no longer in present-day London, but she couldn’t believe it. Breathing in shallow gasps, she went over every second. Starting from the moment she found herself locked in the tower.

The locket. Where was it? Anna checked all her pockets and came up empty. Had she dropped it? She couldn’t have imagined it, could she? When she opened her hand, the scratches on her palm and wrist were still there. She let loose a sigh of relief.
 

As much as she wanted to believe the man sitting next to her was an actor, a terrible feeling swept through her. Every explanation she could come up with didn’t ring true. And she realized it was because of the lack of modern-day sights. Streetlights, vehicles, people milling about. Electric light. All missing. Everywhere she looked, the city was basically dark. And what light she could see seemed to come from torches or candles. Not a single rumble of a truck or horn of a car.
 

When all else failed, one must believe the most rational explanation. Somehow she had traveled through time.
 

Anna didn’t know how long they were in the boat. Her phone was also missing, not that it would have done her any good. It was weird not knowing what time it was. The boatman let them off, and she took Hollywood’s hand and blindly followed him down the dark street.

The smells reinforced the fact she was no longer in the twenty-first century. She seemed to be watching a movie in which she was one of the characters. Maybe she was in shock or her mind had simply decided to shut down, unable to deal with what was happening. As Anna stepped in a big pile of poop, she smelled horses. The guy led her to some kind of rickety-looking stable. Coins clinked together, a man with no teeth grinned at her, and her feet left the ground again as he lifted her up on a horse. He settled in behind her and they rode off into the night.

After what seemed like hours, the fog in her brain started to clear.

“Why were you…in the tower?”

He started as if he’d forgotten she was sitting right in front of him. The warmth of his body against her back made her drowsy. Anna had the sensation of not be rooted to the earth. That any moment the fragile string would snap and she would float off into the clouds.

“I stand accused of treason. Of speaking against my king.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Where I come from, half the country would be imprisoned.”

He chuckled then exhaled sharply. His thighs clenched as he shifted positions.

“Are you hurt?”

“Broken rib, courtesy of the king’s soldiers. Never fear, lass. I’m on the mend.”

The ease with which he rode, the inflection of his words, the accent, and what sounded like some kind of French before he realized she didn’t speak French and switched to English. Not to mention his clothing…all those things added up and reinforced the fact she had somehow traveled back in time.
 

The only question was
when
. He already thought she was some kind of escaped lunatic. She had to tread carefully. This man was her only connection to this world. And Anna needed him. There was no way she could stay in the past. She had serious obligations waiting for her. The well-being of her dad was at stake.

While she was on vacation her friends were checking in on her dad. Her first vacation in five years. Why had she let Hattie talk her into going? She should’ve stayed put. Her dad needed her. She quickly calculated in her head. The fees at the memory care facility were paid through the next month. But after that… If she wasn’t back by then, her dad’s fees would be due, and without her there to cover them, he wouldn’t be able to stay at the facility. No matter what, she had to get back. Panic welled up inside her. The man’s hand touched her shoulder.

“Do not fear me.” He patted her hard enough on the back to make her almost fall off the horse.

“How about not letting me fall?”

“I gave my word to keep you safe and to aid you.”

“You can’t help me. No one can.”

Henry Thornton, Lord Ravenskirk, stomped up the steps and into his hall. He’d run through every knight and able-bodied man in the castle and still his anger burned bright.

“Whilst ofttimes pacing, stomping about, and throwing things is helpful, in this situation I don’t think it’s doing any good. I know I don’t feel better.”

“Are you trying to sound like me? Did you not tell me it isn’t very nice to mock?” He scowled at his wife. Why did Charlotte have to point out what he already knew?

“My accent is getting better, don’t you think? I’m still working on the fearsome scowl.” She finished arranging the new chairs in his solar.

He rolled his eyes as he’d learned from his wife. Whilst Henry found it annoying when Charlotte did it, he couldn’t wait to use the look on his brothers, especially proper Edward.
 

“The king refused Edward an audience. Lord Denby has his ear and is set to make trouble for all the Thorntons. I still cannot believe James kept the knowledge from me.” Henry snorted. “Robert is the only one who does not yet know John is alive. He is recently returned from his traveling about, and we did not dare trust the news to a message. They are too frequently intercepted. Christian will make the journey to inform him in person. I wish I could be there to see his face. He will likely drink for the next fortnight.”

Charlotte took his hand, pulling him out of doors, into the sunshine. She didn’t stop until they reached her favorite spot in the gardens. When she pulled him down on the bench, she turned to face him with her serious look.

“You know why James did not tell you about John. He gave his word.” She sighed. “I wish Robert would find a wife to settle him down. He seems perfectly content to drink and wench for the rest of his life.” She leaned back, tilting her face up to the sunshine.

Henry was struck again by how lucky he was to have found her. He would never admit it, but he believed the fates had sent her from the future just for him. And every day he gave thanks she was by his side.

“Robert will one day find his match. Too bad there aren’t any more of you. I think a future girl would be the one to make him change his idle ways.”

She laughed. “I’d like to see the look on his face when he meets a girl that doesn’t swoon over the infamous Thornton looks and charm.”

“But I am the handsomest of them all.”

“Of course you are, husband.” Her look turned grave. “You would have made the same choice as John. I’m sure he believed it was the best way to keep all of you safe. From what you told me, all that your family lost…can you not understand why he would make the choice he did?”

He made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. “Aye. But I have missed him. I would have done all in my power to procure his pardon.”

She kissed him on the cheek. “I’m sure he knew. It was probably part of the reason he chose to live the life he has. Think how much he missed all of you. Knowing you all were alive and well and he couldn’t see you. When you see him, you can ask him why yourself.”

To see his brother John after so long…the thought made Henry weak in the knees. The old king was dead. It was past time for John to come home. Rejoin the world of the living. Charlotte’s sisters, Lucy and Melinda, were married to two of the most powerful men in England. Well, beside the Thorntons. Between the six of them, surely they could come up with a way to aid John?

They had to. For if they did not, his brother would die a traitor’s death.

For the first time in his score and eight years, Henry was grateful for the war with Scotland. For war meant the king would be in need of men and gold, both of which the Thorntons had plenty to spare.

“If the king refuses to pardon John, I will ally with Scotland.”

Charlotte turned him in surprise. “Would you truly?”

He shook his head. “Nay. But it does make me feel better to say so.”

She held him tight. “I have never seen such devious minds as you and your brothers and my sister’s husbands. Not to mention my sisters and I. Between all of us, we will come up with a plan to save John.”

Henry hoped so. For he could not bear to lose his brother again. Not after finding out he was alive. A smile spread across his face.

“I cannot believe John is the infamous bandit of the wood. The tale of him stretches from one end of England to the other.”

“I’m sure he will have many stories to tell.” She started to laugh. “The story Melinda told us, about carrying James out of the wood.” She was laughing so hard her eyes leaked. “I would’ve loved to see the look on James’ face when Melinda picked him up.”

And with the image in his head, Henry’s foul mood blew away on the wind. Charlotte always knew how to make him laugh.

The betrayal from Lord Denby would be paid in full. Letitia had caused enough problems when she was alive, and now it seemed she was still causing problems through her husband from the grave. It was time to put an end to the swine.

The smell of woodbine drifted back to John. The strange woman in front of him had been silent since their escape. He could almost hear her thinking. He held in a chuckle as he remembered how angry she was when he called her daft.

Why did she help him?

He meant what he’d said. He might have been stripped of his title and his lands, but he still took his knightly vows to heart. This time a snort escaped. Mayhap not all of them.

“Something funny?”

“Nay, lass. Now that we are away, care to tell me who you are?”

“My name’s Anna. Anna Waters.”

“John Thorne. At your service, lady.”

“You don’t have to call me lady. It’s just Anna. You said you were locked in the tower for treason.” Her voice trailed off. She was such a tiny girl that for an instant he wondered if she was a fairy who’d appeared in the dark tower to save him.

Her slim, delicate hands trembled as she stroked the horse, giving away her mood.

“So I was wondering, what year is it?”

He was glad she could not see the surprise on his face. Mayhap she had escaped from her cell and was addled in the head. Though she didn’t seem to be witless.

“’Tis the Year of Our Lord 1331.”

He felt her flinch. Her fetching backside nestled in between his thighs made him think of home. A wife and babes. Things he thought he would never have. And no longer deserved.

“You know not what year it is?”

She was silent for so long that John opened his mouth to repeat the question, but she finally spoke. He had to lean forward, straining to hear her. Her voice came out as whisper on the wind.
 

“I guess I forgot. I fell and hit my head earlier. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t remember.”

He heard the lie on her lips. John knew when people were telling the truth or not; the skill was useful in dealing with pirates and thieves. She was lying, but to what end? For now he would let her keep her lies until he learned her intentions.

“Where are you from, Mistress Waters?”

She waved a hand about, almost hitting him in the nose. “It’s a long way from here. I’m visiting London on holiday.”