Lord of the Forest by Keysian Elizabeth

Author:Keysian, Elizabeth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical, Romance
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2020-10-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Lancelot awoke with an ache in his gut and a foul taste in his mouth. Where was he? He felt enclosed, so he must be in the hollow oak. But when he moved, there was no rustle or prickle of dried furze, only sliding softness. And the forest smelled wrong, too—not of fresh greenery, but of wood smoke, dust, and a deep, musky scent that was not of his world.

“Lancelot?” A woman’s voice. An image flashed across his mind, that of a pretty female enveloped in layers of clothing, in his arms one moment and the next in the horse trough.

“Zounds! Get away from me, Woman.”

A squeak of alarm met his eruption from the bed. “Lancelot! Don’t you remember me? ’Tis I, Clemence. Lie down—you’re not well.”

He refused to obey. Nobody commanded Hector de Glanville. Catching the wench by the wrist, he demanded, “What are you about? Where am I?”

“Lancelot. Hector. You’re in the Black Bull at Milforde—you ate bad meat. Remember that?”

He blinked, then stared at the young female regarding him, her lovely mouth twisted in annoyance. This was not the one he’d thrown in the water. How fortunate, as she didn’t look like the forgiving sort.

He ran a hand over the back of his head, scratching at the thin skin and uneven surface of his scalp. “Forgive me.” He let go of her wrist. “I was in the forest. You brought me out, and now I’ve regained my memory. Is that correct?”

“A little more complicated than that, but you can be forgiven your confusion—you’ve been sleeping deeply. I’d say your constitution is unharmed by the poison, though you are evidently wearied from fighting it.”

“Poison?” He was instantly on the alert, staring around him for danger.

“If you’re looking for enemies, there’s no one here but me,” she said dryly. “Now settle down, make yourself decent, and we’ll talk.”

Make himself decent? He glanced down. He was clad in braies and nether hose, but shoeless and shirtless. Well enough dressed for the forest.

Then he remembered. “I’m sorry.” He fumbled for his shirt and dragged it on. “It will take some time before the observation of good manners becomes second nature to me.”

Her eyes twinkled. “It matters not to me, but should anyone else come in—”

“Then why do you wear so much?” He waved a hand to indicate her double layer of head coverings, her kerchief-covered shift, her open-fronted gown and bodice, and Lord knew whatever else lay beneath to accentuate her hips and protect her modesty.

Wouldn’t it be a pleasure to find out! To remove the layers one at a time, undoing the lacing of her bodice, untying the garters at her knees and running his hands over her ankles’ soft skin.

“Lancelot. You’re not paying attention.” She sounded like the master who’d taught him and Paris Latin, admonishing them for some misdemeanor. He’d been losing himself in delicious imaginings. Somewhere in the turmoil that thundered through his brain, he knew he’d been celibate for an extremely long time.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been married, though I think I’ve had lovers.

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