Forbidden Night with the Warrior by Michelle Willingham

Author:Michelle Willingham
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Published: 2017-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Warrick asked his own soldiers to accompany him, for their loyalty was unquestioned. ‘Guard my back,’ he murmured to Godfrey and Bennett under his breath. Although it was doubtful that the commander would initiate an attack, neither would the man welcome the changes he was about to impose.

He approached a tall stocky man with a brown beard, the same commander who had ordered Owen’s men to surround him. Warrick kept his hand upon his sword and began with, ‘I understand you are the commander of Lord Pevensham’s troops.’

‘I am.’ The man tried to straighten, but he saw eye to eye with Warrick and lacked a height advantage. ‘Aldred Fitzwarren is my name.’

‘You are relieved of your duties, Fitzwarren.’ Warrick regarded him and added, ‘I have replaced you, by order of Lord Pevensham. I was asked to oversee the troops and ensure that his men are loyal only to him.’

At that, Aldred unsheathed his sword. ‘You have no right to usurp my place.’

‘When you allow Lady Pevensham to be attacked within her own home and prevent her from visiting her husband, you lack the leadership to ensure that your men obey commands.’ Warrick unsheathed his own weapon. ‘There will be no men at Pevensham who are loyal to Owen de Courcy. Only those who have sworn fealty to Lord Pevensham will remain.’

‘I must speak with him,’ Fitzwarren demanded. ‘I will not believe this until I have heard it for myself.’

Of course the man wouldn’t believe it. Warrick hardly expected otherwise. ‘I will escort you to Lord Pevensham’s chamber. But first, sheathe your sword.’

Fitzwarren behaved as if he had not heard him. In a curt voice, he ordered, ‘Warrick de Laurent, take your men and go. Before I have you removed by Lord Pevensham’s soldiers.’

‘It appears he wants to do this the hard way,’ Warrick muttered to his men. He detected a smirk from his man-at-arms. ‘I think we should go and speak to Pevensham,’ he offered quietly to Fitzwarren. ‘It is not my wish to humiliate you before your own men.’

‘You couldn’t if you wanted to, de Laurent. I have trained for over ten years, and I—’

Warrick seized a shield from Bennett and backhanded the commander’s face with it. The man went reeling, and three soldiers charged forward.

Warrick held out his sword. ‘No. This is between us. I am obeying orders from Alan de Courcy. Go and ask him yourself.’ He nodded towards the castle and one of the men departed, likely intending to find out the truth. So be it.

He kept his sword extended as the commander staggered to his feet. Blood dripped from the corner of his lip, and fury blazed in his eyes. He let out a battle roar and charged with his sword. Warrick faced him and deflected the blow with his shield. His shoulder flexed, and he held steady while the man wielded his sword. He was well aware that every man was watching this battle.

He had spent three years training among the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.