Darkest Knight Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Reading List

  About

  Want more

  Darkest Knight

  A Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Novel

  Book 1

  Cynthia Luhrs

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Darkest Knight A Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Novel

  Copyright © 2016 by Cynthia Luhrs

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks to my fabulous editor, Arran at Editing720

  To all the dreamers.

  Chapter One

  Prologue

  Melinda held Emma Pittypat Rivers on her lap. The door opened and a messenger staggered in. James took the message and called for the healer. Two of his knights took the man to the kitchen. James read the missive, his face turning a grayish color. Alarm spread through her.

  “Call William and Henry in from the lists.”

  Melinda took Emma and put the sleeping baby in a cradle so she wouldn’t wake and start crying. “What’s happened?”

  “I must speak with Henry.”

  “I am here,” Henry said as he strode into the room, the rest following behind him.

  James looked grim. “You should sit.”

  Melinda looked at him, and some kind of unspoken message seemed to pass between them. She was glad both her sisters were spending the summer at Falconburg.

  “I swore I would never breathe a word. He didn’t want you to go around stirring up trouble.”

  Henry looked confused. “What the bloody hell are you on about?”

  “’Tis your brother. John.”

  “John is dead.”

  James shook his head. “Nay. He is alive. John is the infamous bandit in the woods. He has been betrayed. Your brother is imprisoned in the tower, awaiting death.”

  Chapter Two

  Present day—London, England

  Anna caught a glimpse of the jewels through the crowds. The moving walkway slowly inched closer, bringing her within drooling distance of the jewels safely protected behind glass. Not paying attention, she tripped, heard a few nasty remarks, and found herself jostled back at least twenty feet. Her toe throbbed where the tall woman in front of her had stepped hard on her foot. The black canvas shoes were comfortable for walking around the city but certainly not made to protect your toes from grouchy tourists.

  A large tour group pushed and shoved, and the next thing Anna knew she was at the exit. Some days being petite totally stunk.

  A hand on her arm startled her. “Miss. Step aside.”

  Before Anna could protest, the guard winked at her. He leaned close. “Stand here a moment, miss.”

  With a deep, booming voice that reminded her of a bell, the guard called out, “The tower is closing. Walk on.”

  While she waited for everyone to finish going by the jewels, Anna rubbed her ankle. It was chilly in the room and she took a moment to zip up the hoodie she’d brought with her. A t-shirt wasn’t going to cut it. She swore the woman in front of her, who looked rather like a giant possum, purposely stepped on Anna’s foot with her stiletto heels. Who wore heels to sightsee?

  Her foot throbbed. Guess that’s what you get for wearing comfortable shoes to walk around London.

  The last of the crowds filed out, the woman snootily looking Anna up and down as she exited the room. The guard’s light blue eyes twinkled beneath his hat as he smiled down kindly at her.

  “You remind me of my granddaughter. Lives across the pond. Married an actor.” He scratched his ear. “I’ve seen his films,” he said. “They’re all rubbish, if you ask me.”

  Unable to hold it in, Anna giggled. “It sure gets crowded in here.”

  “Aye. It’s almost closing time, miss. I can give you ten minutes to take a closer look.” He motioned to the jewels winking in the light.

  Grateful for his kindness, she moved closer. The dark backdrop showed off the jewels to perfection. What would it be like to hold the stones in her hand? Other than the guard, she had the room to herself. Anna swore she could feel the history in the room permeating the walls. Kings and queens over the centuries looking down from above.

  What must they think of the people gawking at their jewels? Likely the same as when they were in power. People then probably gaped and gawked to get a closer look at royalty and their belongings just as they did today.

  It only seemed like a few minutes had passed when the guard cleared his throat. “It’s time to close up. I’ve let you stay rather longer than I should have.” He pointed to the left. “Go through the door; you’ll see signs directing you to the exit. Stay on the path. Odd things have been known to happen on the grounds after hours.”

  Barely resisting the urge to hug him, Anna shook his hand instead. “You’ve been very kind to me. Thank you. It must be wonderful to come here every day to work.”

  The guard, who reminded her of a kind grandfather, ducked his head. “One certainly sees interesting folks come through.” He looked at his watch. “Hurry along now. Don’t want either of us to get in trouble.”

  Walking at a brisk pace down the corridor, Anna looked for the exit signs. The sound of the steel shutters reverberated down the empty hallway. Her phone told her it was a quarter after four. Fifteen minutes until everything would be locked up tight for the night. The wind rushing over the stone sounded a bit like a moan.

  Anna picked up the pace, the rubber soles of her shoes quiet against the stone. Where was everybody? The workers must be pretty efficient to get everyone out so quickly. She seemed to be the only tourist left.

  The signs led her outside. Where were the guards? Maybe they were locking up. She better be quick. Following the walk, she turned right to make her way back to the street exit. As she passed the White Tower, Anna hunched her shoulders. The guide said it was built to strike fear into the hearts of mere mortals. It certainly worked on her. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be imprisoned here.

  Another quick glance at her watch told her she had a few precious minutes left. When she came in, Anna missed the raven’s graveyard. If she didn’t see them now, she never would. Tomorrow she planned to visit Stonehenge. Surely she would have time to take a super-fast look.

&
nbsp; The guide said there were seven ravens in residence at the tower, the required six and one to spare. She’d always been fascinated by the big blackbirds. Though she thought what they ate was a little bit disgusting. Biscuits and blood. Gross. The man said the birds ate raw meat every day, plus the bird biscuits soaked in blood. So not a job she’d want. No way would she ever complain about picking up dirty dishes after customers left the diner.

  Black feathers caught her eye and she squinted to make out the marker the raven sat atop. The bird seemed to be saying, Aren’t I fabulous? Raindrops spattered the screen of her phone as she snapped a picture to post. The dark clouds overhead made her hurry.

  Somehow she must’ve turned left when she should have turned right, because now Anna found herself far from the main exit. It was plenty warm outside, but with the rain she started to feel chilly. Where was a guard or guide when you needed them? Thunder cracked overhead and Anna looked for a place to shelter until the rain stopped. Great, just great. Ever since she was little, Anna hated thunderstorms. Surely they wouldn’t mind if she waited a few more minutes?

  The plaque informed her she was in the Bloody Tower. The next boom made her jump. The air smelled like wet stone and something electrical burning. She hunched her shoulders and leaned back against the wall inside the doorway, trying to make herself small.

  Something clicked. Anna fell backward into darkness.

  “Ouch.”

  She landed awkwardly on her sore ankle. With her thumb she slid the phone on to use it as a flashlight. A rat scurried by, making her shriek. There was the faint outline of a door. With a finger, she traced the lines of cold stone, looking for a way to open the secret door.

  No matter what she did, it wouldn’t open. Anna screamed and pounded on the stone but no one came. They probably couldn’t hear her behind the stone walls, especially with the storm raging outside. While Anna hoped the history of the tower would seep into her pores, this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.

  The bright light of the phone showed her a set of stairs. Up or down? No way up would lead outside. Down, then. The narrow steps curved to the right. Good—if she kept to the right she out to come out near the gates. Fingers crossed.

  The stairs ended in a small room with two doors and an open corridor. Neither door would budge. She kept walking down the hallway, looking for a way out. It seemed like she’d been here an awful long time. At first Anna thought maybe the guards used the passages to travel between the buildings. But when she shined the light on the floor, it looked like the dust hadn’t been disturbed in ages. Cobwebs brushed her hair and she saw two more rats while she made her way through the stone passageways.

  The only good thing about rats was that if they were here they must know a way out, right?

  Boy oh boy, wouldn’t Hattie laugh when she heard about this. Her poor friend. Jilted at the altar. Anna remembered standing there, in the bright lemon dress, watching her friend crumple. It had been awful. She despised Ben for what he had done, yet if he hadn’t jilted her best friend, Anna wouldn’t be here. How could you be angry and happy at the same time?

  A week after the failed wedding, Hattie had popped over for a glass of sweet tea. As they lounged by the pool on one of Anna’s extremely rare days off, her friend slid an envelope across the table. Hattie had cashed in both tickets for one business-class ticket to London and insisted she go. Hattie was moving back to Indiana to be close to her family and would never think of England again without thinking of Ben. It had been their dream vacation. Anna would miss her terribly.

  When Anna arrived in England, she swore the very air was filled with history and possibility. Who could have dreamed she’d be locked in the infamous Tower of London after hours?

  Another door loomed in front of her. She tried it, and wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the door seemed to move slightly. With everything she had, which wasn’t much, given she was only five foot four, Anna leaned against it with her shoulder and pushed with every ounce of strength she had.

  No luck. “Oh, come on. This is what you get for eating pancakes for breakfast instead of a healthy green smoothie.”

  With a deep breath, she leaned back and shoved the door again. It gave way and she went sprawling onto the floor. She started to shiver but resisted the urge to look over her shoulder. Whatever room she was in, the air felt full of menace and anger.

  It was almost six. The tower was closed and no one had found her. The room she found herself in was dusty and full of cobwebs. Not a single footprint to be found in the thin layer of dirt on the stone floor. Obviously there weren’t any cameras either. Otherwise someone would have come and found her and scolded her as they escorted her out. Or more likely had her arrested.

  “I can’t be stuck here until morning. It’s beyond creepy.” Anna shined the light of her dying phone around the room again. “If there’s an axe murderer hiding in here or a ghost intent on killing me, I haven’t done very much yet with my life, so how about a pass?”

  It was silly talking to the darkness, but it made her feel better. At least wherever she was the stone muffled the sound of the storm. As she was thinking happy thoughts, a moan made the hair all over her body stand on end. “Please tell me that was the wind.”

  Anna felt a breeze coming from the stone near her head. As she ran her hands over the wall, something clicked and she fell through another passageway.

  Chapter Three

  England—July 1331

  “There is trouble afoot. We cannot go north now that the Scots are allied with the French. Who knows how long this war will be. ’Tis long overdue for us to find a new home. Make everyone ready to travel in a fortnight.”

  “Too many are ill. They cannot travel now. Once they heal we will go south. Be wary. There is an ill wind tonight, John.”

  He spoke sharply: “Do not call me by name. That name died with the man a long, long time ago.”

  The healer pursed her lips and pointed to two men running as fast as their legs could carry them.

  “A fat noble in a richly appointed carriage is trespassing though the wood. We could use the horses.” The man leaned over, hands on his knees, sucking in deep gulps of air.

  The other man hopped from foot to foot. “I smell a large purse of gold. Perhaps jewels and furs. Shall we take him?”

  John’s mood lifted. A prize was exactly what he needed. Thinking of war made him irritable.

  “Lead on.”

  A small band of men made their way through the wood, silent as the creatures that shared their home.

  “My lord. ’Tis not wise to enter the dark wood. Many who do are never seen again.”

  The noble made a rude gesture. “I am in a hurry to see my mistress. The path through the wood is the fastest route. Move on.”

  The carriage jolted forward, the horses jerking on the reins. The animals smelled John and his men hiding in the brush. With a wave of his hand, chaos ensued.

  “What have we here? A fat noble trespassing through my wood.” John pushed off the tree and sauntered up to eye his prize.

  The man looked nervous, sweating and wiping his brow. “How dare you stop me? Let me pass.”

  John didn’t bother to answer. Instead he nodded to the men, who made quick work of unhitching the horses.

  “You should have listened to your driver. Fortune is with you this day. I am in a magnanimous mood and will let you live.” John eyed the man’s plump hands, the jewels sparkling in the sunlight. An ornate ring adoring every sausage-shaped finger. “I will take the jewels. Every single one.”

  The noble spluttered and swore as he removed the jewels. As he handed them over he sneered at John. “The king will hear of this treachery.”

  “Don’t forget the chest.” John inclined his head. “I care not what you tell the king.” He pulled the man from the carriage, tossing him to the ground.

  “Let them go. Keep the belongings. The horses we will make use of. Sell the carriage.”

  He turne
d to the red-faced noble. The fool carried not a single blade upon his person. How could he be so arrogant?

  “Go now and I will let you live.”

  The man opened his mouth then shut it with a snap. He trudged out of the wood muttering, the driver following behind.

  Back at the camp, the men were in good spirits. ’Twas a good catch. A fat purse, a large trunk containing jewels and gold and many furs. John could feed his people and provide all they would need.

  “Archie. Take the carriage to the Boar’s Head Inn. You’ll easily sell the carriage. Take three men with you to bring the horses back. I will meet you there later this eve.”

  “Is that wise? The bounty on your head has been raised yet again.”

  “Let them raise it. I will not live my life in fear of other men.”

  The boy stood inside the door of John’s hut. “A message from Archie.”

  John opened the missive and squinted to read the handwriting. Archie was barely literate, and he had a hard time making out the words. “Bloody hell.”

  Magda appeared as he was striding across the clearing.

  “Do not go out this night. Send one of the others.”

  “I cannot. You know we have many sick with fever.” He patted her arm. “I trust you above all others to lead them to safety if anything should happen. We have discussed this many times. You know what needs be done.”

  She threw up her hands. “I will not argue with you. It would be wiser to talk to one of the horses.” Her voice softened. “Promise you will take care.”

  Minutes later he was riding for the inn. By now he knew every path through the wood. Moonlight shone down, turning the night to day. From a distance, he could see light from the windows. Riding into the courtyard, he called for the stable boy. John dismounted and tossed the reins to the sleepy boy. “I shall not be long.”