Protected by the Knight's Proposal by Meriel Fuller

Author:Meriel Fuller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-07-10T14:13:03+00:00

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Cecily’s eyes opened; she blinked, licking her lips. Her throat was sore, scratchy from lack of water. She needed a drink, but her limbs were idle, so reluctant to move. Wrapped in both her cloak and Lachlan’s blanket, a delicious warmth slowly started to envelop her, her body pillowed by the dense pile of dry hay smelling sweet. Tentatively, she stretched her legs out, wriggling her toes, enjoying the easy pull of her muscles. The wonderful sensation after so many cold, arduous hours of riding was sublime.

A deep rumble filled her ears. Cecily turned her head on her makeshift pillow of hay, slowly, not making a sound. She had no wish to wake anyone. Tucked up against the opposite wall, two figures were rolled into blankets. Both knights, snoring loudly. And sitting cross-legged by the fire, awake, was Lachlan.

The fiery glow bathed his face in a golden light, flickering over the rugged contours, the hard slash of his cheekbones. He rested his arm on one knee, twisting a stick between his fingers. He stared at the piece of wood, his eyes holding a strange, haunting glimmer. A look of deep and utter sadness.

Her breath snared, tangled in her chest.

She must have made a small sound. Lachlan’s head jerked up, a muscle in his jaw tensing, then releasing, when he realised she was awake. He snapped the twig decisively between his fingers and threw both ends into the fire. The flames crackled, sparks flying up.

Cecily sat up abruptly, yanking the blanket around her shoulders. Her plaits tumbled down, over her chest. Pulling the bag towards her, she rummaged inside the soft leather for her circlet and veil, extracting the hairpins. She began to wind her plaits into a loose bun at the back of her head, jabbing the long pins in to secure her hair. She reached for her veil.

‘You needn’t bother with that.’ Lachlan’s mouth quirked at her sense of propriety.

‘Oh, but...’ She glanced over at the knights in the corner.

‘You’ve spent the whole day with your hair loose in plaits, Cecily. Why worry about it now?’

She flushed at his perception. ‘My hair has been covered by a hood all day. But now...’

His long eyelashes flickered upwards. ‘They don’t care about you, Cecily. They are in the employ of Lord Simon and they do as I say. You’re a single woman, sleeping alone with three men. It matters not whether your head is covered or not.’

Cecily stood up, moved over to the fire. She knelt down opposite him, shuddering in the waves of heat thrown off by the flames. ‘You make it sound as though I should be worried.’

‘They won’t touch you if I’m here.’

‘They wouldn’t touch me if you weren’t!’ Cecily flashed back at him. Her cheeks flushed pink. What was he saying? That if he hadn’t accompanied her, they would have raped her?

His eyes narrowed suddenly, pinpricks of light. ‘Are you completely naive, Cecily? What do you think happens to most female prisoners? They have no protection, no rights.

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