Page 11 of To Honor

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“Thank you, my lady.”

Evelina smiled at the woman, a farmer’s wife who had lost her husband in an unfortunate accident last harvest. Though she earned coin from assisting the alewife, with three young children, she’d had a difficult winter. When their bread maker baked extra loaves, Evelina came here first before giving them to any others.

“I am glad to see you all well,” she said in parting, closing the door behind her.

Amalia pulled on her arm so suddenly, Evelina was certain she nearly pulled it from her body.

“What do you mean by—”

“Quickly,” the maid said. “Over here.”

It seemed she’d saved Evelina’s dress from being ruined. No sooner did they step to the side of the road than the first of a line of mounted knights rode past.

“Were they planning to ride into us?” she asked as two became four and, as they watched, a riding party as large as any she’d seen continued to roll past them. There were few in the village that did not know of the Guardians, but none spoke of them aloud. If strangers came through, they would simply see the Baron of Blackwood’s men riding past.

Except, there was no such man. Castle Blackwood had been secured collectively through the nobles who believed in Lady Maude’s cause as a training ground for its secret order. The crest was not any one baron’s, but one with a heraldry that spoke of a secret, and dangerous, message.

That the King of England was not their country’s rightful leader.

“Do you suppose Sir Gareth is among them?”

Amalia rolled her eyes. “If only I could have seen this paradigm of knighthood you’ve been speaking about for days.”

As the sound of the horses’ hooves thundered past, she looked at each and every man but could not discern one from the other. Their helms completely covered their faces.

“Where do you think they are heading?” she asked.

The training grounds were within Castle Blackwood’s walls, and though individual knights could be seen in the village, they did not often travel together so openly in this way. It was unusual, to be certain.

“I do not know. Perhaps—” Amalia froze. As she spoke, one of the men broke off from the others and guided his mount toward them. It was a magnificent horse, one of the finest she’d ever seen.

And then she realized . . .

A fine horse for a fine tourney player. The best, if some were to be believed. Sure enough, the moment she thought it, the knight removed his helm.

Sir Gareth.

His visage had been ingrained in her memory, so often did she think of him. Amalia had been correct in accusing her of as much. There was something about the man she could not stop thinking about. Perhaps it was the way he looked at her, and how much she liked it. Surprisingly so.

“My lady,” he said, his mount dancing beneath him as men continued to ride past. Was it all of the Guardians’ men that took this journey? It seemed so.

“Sir Gareth,” she said, attempting to breathe normally. He was even more handsome than she remembered. More than that, his gaze somehow managed to be admiring without expectation. She could look at the man all day. “This is my maid,” she said, suddenly remembering Amalia. “My friend, Amalia.”

“Greetings, Mistress Amalia,” he said as if he had all day to speak to them. But, of course, he did not.

“Should you not be rejoining your men?” Evelina asked.

“Aye,” he said, though he made no move to do so.

She wanted to ask where the men were heading, but having spent years around the Guardians, Evelina knew she’d get no answer. They were as secretive as anyone, mostly staying inside the walls of Castle Blackwood.

Though there was no reason for them to see each other again, Evelina had wished for nothing more since he’d come to Ashcroft Manor. She and Amalia had even discussed how to make such a thing possible, even as the maid attempted to dissuade her from the plan.

“Do you find yourself in the village often?”

“I do,” she said. “We were delivering bread and will continue to do so until it is gone.” Evelina lifted up the basket in her arms.