2. Borderland Beauty by Samantha Holt

Author:Samantha Holt [Holt, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Medieval
Published: 2013-05-22T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Skimming a finger over some thick velvet, Lucy glanced as a juggler skipped by and laughed as he threw his clubs towards her, only to snatch them back at the last minute. The other women walked arm in arm as Lucy lagged behind. The younger girls were sweet enough, but to them Lucy was far too old to join in with their conversations and she didn’t exactly feel up to joining in with their gossip. Especially as she was sure it was one of them that spotted her and Dominic together that morning.

The streets of Thornewall were busy. Merchants and customers from surrounding villages all braved the snow to buy and sell. The bakers relit their ovens and the smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the air.

A vendor proffered a bowl of figs for her to try and she took one with a smile. The scrawny man watched her with hope as she bit into the juicy fruit and with a roll of her eyes, she bought a little bag.

Dodging past some pigs as a peasant herded them through the street, Lucy peeked at their escort to ensure he followed. She spied another fabric stall and made her way over to it. She smiled feebly at the merchant as he greeted her eagerly. Ack, even shopping could not distract her. The memory of Dominic’s lips upon hers remained and, worse of all, the look in his eyes as he’d left her seared into her heart. She stroked at some blue silk, thinking how very close it was in colour to Dominic’s eyes.

A shrill scream rang out and her head snapped around. The guard must have heard it too as he froze and drew out his sword. The bustle of the market ground to a halt and Lucy shuddered as a chill threaded its way down her spine.

Another scream.

A different woman this time. And now it was followed by the hammering of hooves. A surge of villagers rounded the corner and in an instant chaos reigned. Lucy watched detachedly as merchants scurried for cover in the tight alleyways and villagers ran for the safety of the keep.

Hazily, she realised their guard was shouting to her as he pressed the young ladies into the door of a cottage but it was too late. A stampede of horses stormed up the road, their rugged riders swinging their swords without prejudice, swiping at the beams holding up the stalls and anyone in their way.

What was happening? Lucy gaped as they bore down upon her. Only when a child darted out from under a stall, did she react, barrelling towards the child and scooping the boy into her arms. She flung herself between two cottages as the horses thundered past. Clutching the wriggling child, she curled her quaking body around him until the hooves and whoops of men passed.

Forcing her breathing to slow, she scrambled to her feet, the boy still in her arms, and peered around the building. Sweet Mary, Thornewall was under attack and from the looks of them, it was reivers.

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