Gift of Honor by Alexa Aston

Gift of Honor by Alexa Aston

Author:Alexa Aston
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Medieval
Publisher: 0
Published: 2018-07-16T16:00:00+00:00


Chapter 14

ELINOR HELD A lethargic Cleo in her lap. For two days and nights, the peregrine had mourned her life mate. The raptor did not preen and refused to eat or drink. Elinor feared Cleo would soon follow Horus into death. She didn’t know how much her heart could take. She’d only left the falcon to feed Bess and Tris, neglecting to eat much herself. Because of that, her head pounded fiercely while her stomach churned noisily.

A rap at the door startled her. No guests ever came to the cottage. Elinor sat silently, not bothering to acknowledge the visitor’s presence.

“Elinor!” a muffled voice called from outside. “’Tis Father Leo. Open up.” More knocking ensued.

She did not respond. Hopefully, he would go away. Then she noticed that she had not bolted the door when she’d come in from feeding Bess and Tris. Would the meddlesome priest try to enter without permission?

He did.

“Elinor?” he called out as he came through the door. He squinted and caught sight of her. “Oh.” He closed the door behind him and crossed to her, a grave look on his face. “Is your bird ill?”

“She is,” Elinor said dully. She had no wish to carry on a conversation with anyone, much less a priest. Her anger at God had built slowly over the past few days. If Father Leo did not watch himself, he would take the brunt of it.

The priest sat on the floor beside her. “I have brought Gerald with me. He is the new falconer from the far north who arrived yesterday. Lady Rohesia would like you to work with him today and tomorrow and then report to her at the keep on Gerald’s progress with the falcons.”

His words confirmed her suspicion that the noblewoman had already sent for a falconer and had merely planted the idea of bringing in a new one with her husband since it would have been impossible for this Gerald to arrive so quickly from so great a distance. Anger now boiled inside her at Lady Rohesia’s deception.

“I will do my duty,” she ground out. “See if this man is capable of working with my raptors.”

Father Leo looked to Cleo. “Will she live?”

“I doubt it,” Elinor said harshly, regretting her tone as Cleo shuddered.

“Life and death are all a part of God’s plan, Elinor,” the priest said placidly, as if he remarked upon the recent weather.

Rage poured through her at his thoughtless words.

“What else is a part of your God’s plan?” she demanded in a low tone so as not to upset Cleo any more than she already had. “He must be an angry God, for He has shown me no mercy.”

“Our Lord Jesus Christ is full of mercy,” Father Leo countered.

Tears of fury spilled down her cheeks as she asked, “Then where was He when a young, motherless child was turned out of her home? Why did He allow that to happen to me? My mother died. Died! And yet my father, who never once referred to me by name since I was an insignificant girl, offered me no comfort.



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