Page 3 of Promises Made at Midnight
Bridgette momentarily got lost in the memory of a gorgeous man who had dressed as a knight. His mannerisms while at the fair last year had been exemplary. It would make any woman sigh, which would explain why several women had been following him the entire weekend. But he had given her his undivided attention, when he had not been competing in the sword play. Brad had been tall and muscular, with light brown hair you just wanted to run your fingers through, green twinkling eyes that drew you in, and a personality she had thought at the time matched her own. “You have to admit he made one handsome knight. What a shame he wasn’t the same person once the costume came off.”
“You mean too bad he didn’t have a chivalrous bone in his body,” Megan commented, as she drew out a few bills from her wallet to pay for their late meal.
“That, too.”
“Really, Bridgette, he turned out to be such a creep. Stay away from him and his kind, will you? You can do so much better than the likes of him.”
They began making their way back to the car, careful of their surroundings, especially since this wasn’t the best part of town. She clicked the key and the horn sounded while the car unlocked and the headlamps went on to light their way. “Well, he’s got to be out there somewhere, doesn’t he?” Bridgette asked with a hint of longing in her voice.
Megan got in the car and a frown marred her brow before the interior lights went off, casting them into shadows. “Who? Not Brad, I hope?” she mumbled.
“No, not Brad, but my soul mate. That one guy who will turn my world upside down. I’m pretty damn sure wherever he is, that we’re hiding in the same place,” Bridgette answered, starting the car and putting it into drive.
“You’re looking too hard, sis. He’ll show up when you least expect him, and hopefully he’ll have a friend for me.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Bridgette said, with a short laugh.
“I still don’t know why Zoe didn’t want to wait and drive up north with us,” Megan replied, before quickly fastening her seat belt.
Bridgette thought of the other friend she had known for years. Zoe was, in many ways, an odd sort, not that Bridgette ever held that against her. She still remembered last Christmas when she and Megan went to Zoe’s apartment and they were introduced to another woman named Jade.
“You know Zoe… she wanted to be sure her booth was all set up. She’s never one to miss an opportunity to tell someone their future,” Bridgette answered as she pulled out of the garage.
Megan pulled a pillow from the back seat and got comfortable. “I suppose… whatever happened to that gal Jade? Considering how much Zoe wanted the two of you to meet, I would have thought the two of you would be BFFs until the end of time.”
“No clue. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.”
Megan made herself comfortable. “And by the way… first dibs on the purple court gown. I call it fair play for you dragging me to the game instead of sleeping in a comfy bed tonight. You can be the serving wench for the first day.”
Bridgette huffed. “Fine… whatever.”
“It’s Karma getting back at you, dear,” Megan replied with a smirk, and leaned her head back onto the seat. “Be sure to wake me if you want me to take over driving, otherwise let me know when we get there.”
“Night, Megan,” Bridgette replied as she lowered the music on the radio.
Pulling onto the highway, she headed north, knowing the weekend ahead would be so much fun.Who knows what the days ahead would bring?she thought. Maybe, just maybe, Karma would do her a favor for a change and send her the knight she had always wanted to call her very own. There was still a small amount of hope deep within her heart that somewhere he existed. She just needed to find him.
CHAPTER3
Lightning lit the interior of the Great Hall from the windows set high above in the stone walls of the keep. ’Twas not unusual for the rain to fall in huge sheets of water that pelted the earth, leaving puddles that quickly turned to something resembling a fast-running stream.
The only thing out of place was the bit of grumbling from the three new knights, who had been told that they would train come rain or shine. Mayhap the rain would wash away their sour disposition. If not, Ulrick would take great pleasure in booting them from Berwyck with a swift kick to their sorry arses. Their unmanly behavior would not be tolerated by Dristan, nor the guards who had been by his side for more years that most could remember.
Ulrick’s vigilant gaze swept the chamber whilst he shook his head, wondering where the past eight years had gone. Had it really been that long since he took part in the siege of Berwyck Castle here in northern England? Looking about the room, ’twas not hard to notice the absence of some of the original people who had resided within the keep’s walls.
One, in particular, hovered near to the lady of the keep in a ghostly display that only a few would be able to see. The image of Sir Rolf glistened in the light of the torches whilst his hand hovered near the lady’s shoulder. She must have felt his presence since she smiled over her shoulder. Rolf looked up, feeling Ulrick’s stare, nodded his head and disappeared.
Several had wed, including his liege who married the eldest daughter of Berwyck, Amiria. They had sired two children with another on the way. Amiria’s youngest sister Lynet and her husband Ian now made their home in the northern realms of Scotland. Amiria’s twin Aiden had left the estate to make a name for himself whilst traveling abroad for King Henry II. Even now, his sister fretted over his whereabouts. One of Amiria’s guardsmen, Thomas, had but recently wed and left with Lady Jade, a woman who had mysteriously showed up at Berwyck’s gates one day over the winter.
Even his comrades in arms, Riorden and Fletcher, were now enjoying wedded bliss, their brides also finding their way to Berwyck by mysterious methods. But the loss of Dristan’s closest guardsmen had pushed his desire to replenish his dwindling knights to guard his back. There was another brother and sister of the MacLaren clan. Patrick, who was now ten and seven, continued his service as Riorden’s squire. Sabina, aged a score and six, had moved to Habersham Abbey after the siege of Berwyck, but had yet to take her vows as a nun.
At times, he envied those who had found someone to love and share their lives. He knew that, if he were to one day lay claim to his birthright, he would be wise to wed a lady with lands of her own along with monies to fill his coffers. The women who attended the Lady Amiria held no appeal to him in any romantic fashion and left his options in that direction to nothing. They flirted with any of Dristan’s guardsmen, hoping to catch a husband, and Ulrick wanted more from a potential wife than one whose gaze often drifted.
More!Aye, he wanted more than just some mild infatuation with a pretty face that might fade with time. He wanted to find deep and abiding love with a good woman whom he could love for the rest of his lifetime. Dristan, Riorden, and Fletcher had found such a miracle, although there were rumors about the odd way in which Riorden and Fletcher had come upon their fair ladies. But that was of no matter and ’twas only of import that they had found what he himself wanted. He would not besmirch the name of Lady Katherine, her lady friends, nor Lady Jenna by spreading possible falsehoods of time travel. Aye, he had seen such wonders presented before his very eyes, but he refused to imagine that they were true. Who would believe such a thing anyway? ’Twas unimaginable.
He was nudged and turned his attention to Bertram, who now claimed the title of Captain of the Guard. There was no living near the man now he boasted such a high position of importance.
“What?” Ulrick muttered, pondering what part of a possible conversation he had missed.
