Page 3 of Halloween Knight (A Knights Through Time Romance #17)
The earth trembled, and dust filled the air as William, and his men thundered through the gates.
Tears filled her eyes, and Lucy couldn’t help but let out a joyous laugh as she raced down the stone steps to greet him.
Some days, she missed cars, planes, and lovely bathrooms with endless hot water.
Not to mention her favorite foods, and how easy it was to pop into the grocery store for a few staples.
While on other days, she was content, cherishing the unhurried pace of life, a life that flowed with the rhythm of the seasons and a deep sense of community, something that she thought had been lost in modern times.
Lucy’s heart skipped a beat as her husband, William, Lord Blackford, dismounted with a grin, green eyes sparkling, the wind ruffling his dark hair as he effortlessly strode over and swung her up in his arms, kissing her soundly. After four years, he still stole her breath away.
“Wife. You look especially fetching on this fine day.”
“My dress matches your eyes.” She grinned, inhaling the familiar scent of him—leather, wool, horses, and the salty tang of the sea. Dust coated his tunic and hose. There was a scrape along his jaw, and he needed a bath. But she didn’t care. She was so happy he was home.
“I missed you so much. I’m surprised the king gave you leave to return so soon.”
His gaze met hers, and in his eyes she saw the answer as he said, “Only because I must travel to York to Silverwood Manor to procure horses for the king. After he saw how well the black did in the last tournament, he wished to know where I found such fine horseflesh.”
“Of course he did.” She grumbled under her breath.
Sometimes kings were a pain in the royal butt, or as her Aunt Mildred liked to say, more annoying than a boxful of ants at a church picnic supper.
Arm in arm, they walked towards the stables as William recounted his time at court.
Lucy was glad she had remained at Blackford.
After being presented to the king and seeing firsthand the backstabbing, intrigues, and listening to endless court gossip, Lucy hoped she never had to attend court again.
Let the courtiers bow and scrape and fight for power.
She planned to stay in her lane here at Blackford and enjoy the coming holidays.
William handed the horse over to one of the stable boys as they lingered, listening to the sounds of the horses and the boys going about their work.
He paused, brow furrowing. “I have seen firsthand,” he said, voice filled with frustration and resignation, “the depths of the machinations of the lords ordainers. They are determined to limit Edward’s power over finances and courtly appointments.
” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’d like to meet the lot of them in the lists. ”
“I remember how awful the courtiers were when we went for Lady Jane’s marriage to that earl.”
She shuddered. “For the sake of the children and our home, tread carefully.” Lucy went up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek, the stubble rough against her lips.
Walking the grounds, William greeted the men he hadn’t seen since his departure, catching up on castle doings.
Her husband wasn’t one to mince words, but he had to play the game when he was at court or risk losing Blackford Castle. It had been gifted by Edward I for William’s service, and could just as easily be taken away by Edward II.
“My lady?” Mary, a girl who worked in the kitchens, stopped in front of her.
“You look lovely today.” Lucy tapped a finger to her lips. “Might it have anything to do with the new blacksmith’s apprentice?”
The girl blushed. “He is most handsome.” Then she lifted her chin. “But he has not yet asked for permission to woo me, so I must not think on him.”
Right. Lucy thought the boy was a good kid and with a job as a blacksmith, he’d do well. They would make a good match.
“I made you more paste for your teeth. I added honey and mint this time.”
“Thank you. Did you put it up high so Jason won’t get into it?”
A month ago, Jason had found the toothpaste Lucy liked and had eaten half the pot before the nanny discovered him, so now Lucy kept it out of reach.
“Aye, lady.”
Lucy watched her go, grinning to herself as young Matthew watched Mary, earning himself a cuff on the ear from the big, burly blacksmith. Though when he thought no one was watching, Lucy caught the grin on Osbert’s face as he watched the boy steal glances at Mary.
Finished talking with a few of the men about repairing a section of the wall, William strode over to her.
“The wall will be completed the day after tomorrow.” He hesitated.
“When do you have to leave for York?”
The king and the court were paranoid about illness so when William said she had a cold, a messenger sent word Lucy was to remain at Blackford thus sparing her from the spectacle of court, though in truth she didn’t have a cold, it was an excuse for her to stay behind and not put her foot in her mouth at court or cause gossip if she behaved differently, which she always did when she was nervous.
“Not for a sennight. Edward wishes me to procure half a dozen horses for him, and I thought perhaps two or three for our own household. Jason needs his own steed.”
So she’d been right, after all. Lucy knew it was a bad sign when he’d returned so soon. But there was nothing to be done, so instead she decided to be grateful that they had another week together before he had to leave.
“I wish you didn’t have to go,” she admitted with a sigh, adding, “Jason is only two and a half. I don’t think there’s any rush to buy him a horse.”
“Aye, the lad will be three soon, ’tis past time he had his own horse. Mayhap I should purchase four, so Peter has his own steed as well.”
Men and their horses. If he lived in her time, Lucy bet he’d already be thinking about getting a truck for Jason.
“You just have horse fever from seeing all the animals in the king’s stables.”
Then Lucy lowered her voice as they walked, to make sure they weren’t overheard.
“I can see it now. You would have had sports cars, a big truck for hauling stuff, and at least a motorcycle or two.”
His eyes lit up, the color reminding her of the lush green of the English countryside in summer.
“Aye. Tell me again of these horseless carriages that go so far and so fast.”
Men and their toys. They talked of cars, trains, planes, and cruise ships, as Lucy told him of the time when she and her sisters took a cruise to Alaska.
How much they loved the wilderness, seeing the wildlife, and the blue color of the glaciers.
They’d spent a week on a cruise, then rented a car and spent a week driving through the interior, eating salmon, and going whale watching.
The tour to watch the bears catching salmon on the water was one of her favorite memories.
One man called William away to see to improvements to the garrison while she made her way to the kitchens to consult with the cook for the weekly menu.
Soon the pace would slow even more, everyone hunkering down for winter, the garden sleeping until spring, the animals warm in the stables, and Thor catching any mice or rats who ventured onto Blackford land, and when he could get away with it, stealing butter and milk from the kitchens.
As the afternoon sun cast a gentle glow through the windows, Lucy’s gaze shifted to the tapestries that adorned the walls.
Each woven thread told a story of knights and ladies, battles, and triumphs.
She traced the intricate patterns with her fingers, marveling at the craftsmanship, knowing tapestries like these would survive through the ages.
A thought sparked. Maybe she could commission a tapestry of their family at the castle? If it survived, maybe her aunt and sisters would see it in their own time? It would be safer than a note in a bottle. It was something to think about.
The solar was warm from the fire crackling in the huge hearth, the laughter of her husband and children banishing the melancholy that had plagued her for the past several days.
Dressed in a simple black tunic and hose, William sat in front of the fire, their toddler, Jason, bouncing on his knee. His giggles filled the room as her husband tossed him into the air, making Jason laugh with delight and Lucy cover her eyes.
Dark hair framed a harsh face, and William’s nose, well, it looked like he’d broken it more than once. He chatted away in Norman French, Jason responding as Peter slept in his cradle.
There was a scar at the corner of her husband’s nose that gave him a rakish pirate look.
After all this time, he still made her toes tingle.
He was over six feet tall, solid with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and strong legs.
The men in this time were built like brick walls.
Her husband had a soft heart when it came to family, though he’d deny it to his dying breath.
The nanny checked on Peter as Lucy worked on her embroidery.
She turned her emerald ring around on her finger as she looked over the tree she was attempting.
It was still difficult, but she was getting better.
The little girls in the castle didn’t laugh as much as they used to at her crooked stitches.
When she’d first arrived at Blackford, William hadn’t allowed women in the castle.
He’d been married before, and the ugly gossip still spread like tendrils of fog throughout the castle and village.
The rumors that he’d killed Georgina refused to fade away, but Lucy believed her husband had told her the truth.
Clement and Georgina plotted against William, and later Georgina and her lover did as well.
Sometimes the villagers or travelers from far away still called her husband The Butcher of Blackford.
While he said it didn’t bother him, Lucy knew now that he had children.
He wasn’t as enamored of the bloodthirsty moniker.
Later that evening, as the children lay asleep in their beds, Lucy and William retreated to the comfort of their chamber, listening to the rain on the windowpane.
A fire crackled in the enormous hearth carved with hellhounds, swords, and warriors on horseback, casting a warm glow that danced across the room.
They sat close together, enjoying a cup of warm spiced wine, sharing stories about the rest of their respective days.
“Lucy,” William’s deep voice broke the silence. “You seem far away of late. Is aught amiss?”
William’s hand found hers, his fingers intertwining with hers. “You miss your world, your family?”
Lucy nodded. “I always feel their absence the most this time of year. In my time, we’d be getting ready for Halloween, decorating the house and carving pumpkins.”
She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’ve been thinking about the changing seasons and the traditions that come with them.”
Lucy let out a long sigh. “Halloween, or Samhain, as you call it, was my favorite holiday. My sisters and I had so much fun. Our aunt always encouraged us to stay up late and come up with elaborate costumes.”
William nodded. “Samhain is a special time of year, a celebration of the changing seasons and the harvest. ’Tis a bridge between our world and the spirit world. ’Twas so different in your time? Tell me again about your customs.”
“Halloween was so much fun.” She told him about trick-or-treating, and dressing up, and playing on the beach under a full moon .
“On Halloween night, after we got back from trick-or-treating, my aunt and all her friends, and whoever lived nearby, would all go down to the beach and celebrate with a huge bonfire. We’d all laugh and dance until dawn.”
He touched her cheek, and when she turned, gently kissed her.
“I would give anything for you to spend one more Samhain with your family.”
A wistful smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I know you would. But you and the boys are my family now, and this time has its own magic.”
He leaned in, lips brushing against hers in a tender kiss.
The flames in the hearth danced, mirroring the passion that had only deepened as the years passed.
As they held each other, surrounded by the ancient stones and the stories they held, Lucy knew that their love was a thread woven through time itself, and she hoped that somehow her aunts and sisters would know that she was happy, just as Lucy was sure they were thriving in their time.
The next morning found Lucy in the bustling castle kitchen, the air thick with the aroma of baking bread and simmering stews.
As the morning passed, her thoughts turned to the village. One of the boys who labored in the stables told her that his friend and their family were ill. The village healer had married and moved away with the traveling merchant she’d met last year during one of the weekly market days.
After kissing the children, Lucy stopped in the lists to let William know she was taking soup to the family .
“Take Thomas and two of the men with you.”
He winked at her and went back to throwing knives with the men as she took a moment to lean against the wall, watching him as sunlight glinted off the blades.
Buttercup, her horse, was waiting in the stables. The boy had already gone ahead in a cart headed for the village. The boy would let the family know Lady Blackford was coming.