Darkest Knight Read online

  Anna half laughed, half sobbed as she too wiped her eyes. “When I go back to my own time, I’ll never forget you.”

  Charlotte patted her arm. “Oh, sweetie. I hope you can get back. Though a part of me wishes you would stay. I think you’re good for John, and I can see how much you care for each other.”

  “I do. A great deal.”

  “Has the work reduced both of you to weeping?” John stood there, hands on his hips.

  Anna winced. Please don’t let him have heard what she said.

  “No. We were just talking about our families,” Anna said as she and Charlotte shared a look. Her heart skipped a beat. It was a look she had seen many times over the years, but never one she’d shared with anyone. It was a look between family that said, I’m here, sis. I’ve got your back, no matter what.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Three days later, Anna stood in the courtyard saying goodbye to Charlotte.

  “Thank you so much for all you’ve done. I won’t forget it.”

  Charlotte whispered in her ear, “If it’s what you truly want, I hope you can go back. But if you can’t, know that you have sisters here who care about you.” She leaned back and waggled her eyebrows. “Not to mention that gorgeous hunk of a man who is totally smitten with you.”

  Henry helped Charlotte onto the horse, and then pulled Anna into a hug. “Take care of my brother.”

  “Thank you again for everything.”

  There was a low stone wall nearby that would be the perfect vantage point for watching them leave. As Anna made her way over to the wall, she couldn’t help but overhear John talking to Henry.

  “…I care not if she stays or goes back to her own time. Every moment she is by my side, I am responsible for her. Nay, Henry. I do not want her here.”

  She pressed a fist against her mouth, trying to hold in the gasp. Why didn’t people realize how deeply words could cut? While she knew she shouldn’t have been listening to their conversation, she heard what John said to Henry. He didn’t want her here and didn’t care for her.

  Somehow she managed to sit next to him on the wall as they watched Henry and Charlotte depart, the empty wagons rumbling in a line behind them. A large number of men had stayed behind and would remain until Edward’s men arrived. It seemed quiet after the busy comings and goings of the past week. Henry left Sara, two of the girls, and two boys to help out with whatever needed to be done. Thank goodness for Sara. The woman was a terrific cook.

  Her voice stuck in her throat. Anna coughed. “I’m going to spend the afternoon pulling weeds in the garden. It’s a beautiful day and I want to finish before it rains again.”

  “I will see you for supper.” He nodded absently as he made his way to the stables.

  No. No he wouldn’t. Anna planned to be long gone by then.

  It was time. Five weeks. In three more there would be no more money for her dad’s care. She was out of time. The economy was tough. By now, she’d certainly been fired from all three of her jobs. The full-time job would be the hardest loss. It paid the most and offered modest benefits. The two part-time jobs would sting. If she made it back, she would be faced with being unemployed and homeless.

  By now Anna figured the landlord had sold her stuff. The guy managed the building for his father. In his twenties, he was more concerned with partying than doing anything for the tenants. She’d called numerous times to get the air conditioning fixed or have the place sprayed for roaches. And in Florida they grew to the size of toy cars. The guy always had an excuse. But let a tenant be late on the rent…the second time it happened, you found yourself evicted.

  Yep, Anna was sure he’d sold her stuff. So if she did make it back, she would be broke and homeless, but at least she’d have her dad. Somehow she’d find more work and keep paying the fees. Maybe she could clean the facility or do other work there to keep him there until she found something. He was her father; she’d do anything for him.

  How different might her life have been if she’d been able to stay in college? Get her degree and a better-paying job? Anna would never know.

  To think she’d actually considered staying here with John.

  In high school she’d had boyfriends but no one serious. There was one guy that summer. Then in college, it was only one semester and she hadn’t met anyone she really liked. The years passed, and with working three jobs she didn’t have time for friends, let alone boyfriends. Now at the ripe old age of twenty-three, she wondered if she would end up alone for the rest of her life.

  She ripped up another handful of weeds and flung them to the side. So what if she was plain? She wasn’t ugly or hard to get along with. The mousy girl never got the Hollywood hunk…except in the movies. It had been ridiculous of her to think John would ever want her. When she made it back home, Anna would make an effort to find a guy who was right for her. Who didn’t care what she looked like on the outside. The inside was all they’d have when they were old and wrinkled.

  Time to take control of her life. She was done waiting for John to decide when the right time was to take her back to the tower. He had no intention of taking her back. She would feel the same way, but couldn’t he have provided her with a horse or a man to accompany her?

  Fine. He thought she was such a bother, she would go alone. He wouldn’t even notice. John and Robert were occupied with figuring how to get the king to pardon him. Not a soul would notice if she left.

  Wiping dust and grass from her skirts, Anna felt a little better. Being in limbo took a lot of energy. Now she had a plan. She made her way through the hall, stopping by a small room that was really more of an alcove. Three of the boys had made a makeshift chamber with a pallet on the floor and a chair to throw clothes over.

  The laundry was done, so she knew she would find something clean. With a peek over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, Anna took a tunic and hose from one of the boys Henry left behind. He was just about her height. John and his brothers were all over six feet tall, so she’d be swimming in their hose.

  She rolled the clothing and tucked it under her arm. Back in her chamber, she quickly washed and took the cloth covering the pillow. It would do as a makeshift bag. John had given her a small dagger to keep in her boot. Hopefully she’d only use it to eat. A quick look out the window to see the men and boys practicing swordplay in the lists. By now, preparations would be underway for tonight’s meal. It was the perfect time to go.

  Hurt feelings bubbled up. No, she wouldn’t cry. This was for the best. Why stay where you weren’t wanted? Knowing he didn’t want her, didn’t care for her, would make it much easier to go back. In time she would forget him. He would become a distant a memory. Fading to a dream over the years…at least, that was what she kept telling herself.

  With a peek down the hallway, Anna crossed to the chamber where John was sleeping. She’d liked sleeping curled up next to him on the journey here. In this day and age it was inappropriate, even though nothing had happened. She rummaged through a small trunk at the foot of the bed. Something clinked. She came up with a heavy bag. Opening it, she saw the gold within. She’d never even stolen a pack of gum. Anna felt horribly guilty, but she saw no other way. There were a lot of coins in the bag. A big handful should be plenty. The rest she put back. She had to have some way to purchase food and shelter on the way back to London. If it worked, if she could travel back through time, there was no way she could ever repay John.

  If she found herself stuck in the past, it likely wouldn’t matter either, as she would be imprisoned in the tower for helping him escape in the first place. And then she would definitely need the money to pay for her accommodations. There wasn’t any paper to leave him a note, so she had to hope he would understand when he found the gold missing.

  Anna stopped in the kitchens. “I know we’ll be eating in a few hours, but I missed dinner.”

  One of the girls pointed to bread cooling on the stone. The rest were too busy going about their chores to pay her any attent
ion. She packed up food for a week and took an empty ceramic jug. On her way out, she’d fill it with water from the well.

  Outside, she passed the girl who’d helped her dress that morning.

  “Tell John my head aches. I will eat in my room and go to bed early.”

  “Shall I bring you a bit of ale and bread, mistress?”

  “No. I just need to sleep and I’ll be right as rain on the morrow.”

  “As you will.”

  Anna bypassed the lists and made her way to the ruined chapel. She sat on a slab of stone and listened. John sounded happier and younger after spending time with his brothers. She could hear him jesting and cursing with the men as they hacked away at each other.

  How she wished she’d had brothers and sisters. Not only for the company. But to know you weren’t alone in the world. That they could help take care of her dad if she couldn’t return. The thought of being stuck here for the rest of her life made Anna want to cry. And it made her cry to think of leaving. No, she had to believe Charlotte.

  It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t hearing the sound of ringing steel or the men’s voices. Risking a peek around the doorway, she exhaled. All clear. She filled the bottle with water from the well and, keeping to the wall, made her way out of the gate.

  The men Henry had brought were already inside. Over the past few days she’d noticed the man guarding the gate always fell asleep when he was supposed to be on duty. Seemed like eating made him sleepy. She wasn’t complaining; it made her task of leaving undetected much easier. She slipped out of the gates and ran across open ground, only slowing her pace slightly to make sure she was staying on the path. The last thing she needed was to end up stuck in a bog or to fall off a cliff and die before she made it back to London. She’d seriously considered stealing a horse, but not being confident in her abilities to care for the animal, she decided against it. The trip would take so much longer. She hoped she’d find someone with a wagon who would be going the same direction and she could catch a ride.

  Anna knew others had difficulties with directions. She’d overheard people when she worked in the diner. Someone up above had seen fit to give her a strong sense of direction. If she’d been to a place once, she always remembered how to get back.

  Coming to a small wood, she stopped inside the tree line, panting, doubled over, hands on her knees. Once she caught her breath, Anna sat down with her back against the rough bark.

  She never got lost. So how had she ended up lost in the Tower of London? A snort escaped. “Secret passages don’t count. Not like you’d been in one before.

  “Still, I should have found my way easily enough when I made it back outside.”

  Great. Now she was arguing with herself. Out loud.

  Anna rolled her eyes like an annoyed teenager.

  She recapped the bottle and stood. Time to get going and put as much distance between she and Blackmoor as she could before dark.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As Anna picked her way across the moors, she had plenty of time to think about how she’d ended up in the past. She replayed the conversation she had with Charlotte. They both experienced being caught in a thunderstorm. What else was similar?

  She thought back to her visit to the tower. The locket. It was definitely old. She’d run her finger across the rough edge where half the picture was missing. And then she’d fallen, skinning her palm on the rough stone. The blood on her palm was the same hand in which she held the locket. That was when the horrible ringing noise filled her head. The bright, brilliant blue light filled the room, pulsing around her and penetrating and every cell of her body.

  Here was a problem. While she could re-create the blood by scraping her hand on stone, and she could wait until a storm blew in. What did she do about the locket? It was important from what Charlotte told Anna of her own experiences. John hadn’t given her any such piece of jewelry, and it wasn’t like she would have enough money left to buy one by the time she reached London. Who was the man in the portrait? Based on Charlotte’s experience, it had to be John. She’d looked through the trunk, and there was no such locket. Could it still be in his cell at the tower?

  Anna stretched out on a flat stone next to a brook, greedily drinking water while she thought about her chances. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember if she still had the locket in her hand when she appeared in the past or had dropped it when the blue lightning flashed around her. The biggest unknown was: how important was the jewelry? Guess she’d find out soon enough. Anna looked to the south. Okay, not soon. It would take her almost three weeks if she had to walk the entire way to London. Not acceptable. She needed to be home sooner, and who knew how long she’d have to wait for a storm and to sneak into the tower? Though she’d bet it was much easier to sneak in than out.

  Thankful she was used to being on her feet for long hours working at the diner, Anna was happy to stop for the night. She found some scrubby trees and rocks. Curling up under the trees, she listened. Nothing but the wind. She draped a cloak over her. His cloak. While she hadn’t taken his clothes, she did swipe the cloak. It was big and warm, and she thought it could serve as a blanket or a pillow or whatever else she might need.

  The food would last a week, so whenever she saw a home, she could buy food as John had. The villagers could be suspicious, and she stood out. They knew she was different. At least now she was dressed appropriately, wearing one of the dresses. The other dress and tunic and hose were packed with her food supplies. Why hadn’t she thought to bring anything to start a fire? Matches. That was another thing that would have come in handy.

  “Look at it this way, it could be winter and then you’d freeze your butt off. At least it isn’t cold.”

  Her voice sounded loud in the silence. Anna wrapped the cloak tight and curled into a ball. It was different sleeping out on the ground when she’d traveled with John. They’d been together, had each other’s back. Now she was alone and it was a lot scarier.

  A small snort escaped as she remembered when she was a little girl and had desperately wanted to join the Girl Scouts. It had been all fun and games until it was time for the camping trip. Not only had it rained, but one of the girls woke up to find a small black snake curled up at the foot of her sleeping bag. It was on the outside, but still, all the girls went shrieking out of the tent.

  Then they heard a hissing noise and two red eyes glowed in the beam of the troop leader’s flashlight. It was an alligator walking across the campsite. He ambled along, tail swinging back and forth. They all slept in the cars. After that, Anna swore she would never go camping again.

  Now her idea of camping was a motel without a hair dryer. And yet here she was. At least here in England she wouldn’t have to worry about alligators or snakes.

  No, dummy, but you’re going to have to worry about bandits slitting your throat while you sleep.

  Great. She certainly didn’t need the voice in her head coming up with all kinds of ghastly scenarios while she tried to fall asleep.

  Where was Anna? John had been so busy with the repairs, he couldn’t remember the last time he saw her. He stopped one of the wenches from the village who had come to see the men.

  “Have you seen Mistress Waters?”

  The women pushed her shoulders back, showing off her breasts. She leaned close. “Nay, my lord. ’Tis her womanly time of the month. She will be spending the next fortnight in her chamber.”

  He thanked her and went about his business. But when she did not appear after a fortnight, John grew worried.

  He asked every man, woman, and child, and none had seen her. One of the girls spoke up.

  “I saw Mistress Waters the day Lord Ravenskirk left.”

  “You are certain?”

  “Aye, my lord.”

  He knew Anna did not depart with Henry and Charlotte—they sat together as his brother left. Where the bloody hell was she?

  As he was poking his head into the chapel, the wench from the village ran, ski
rts flying around her legs.

  “The king’s men, three villages over.” She ground out the words, staring at a spot over his shoulder.

  “Tell me, woman.”

  The woman blubbered. “I wanted ye for myself. Thought if I got rid of her, you would take me to your bed. I watched her leave Blackmoor the day your brother and his woman left.”

  “A fortnight. She’s been gone a bloody fortnight?” John bellowed. “Damnation. Saddle my horse.”

  Fear clawed at his insides. He knew where she was going. The daft woman was going back to the tower. To go home to her own time. If, by the fates, she made it to London, the guards would throw her in a cell after they used her ill. He cursed in three languages as he galloped through the gates.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The days quickly turned routine. Anna wished for a car. Wished for a hotel and a hot shower. And, most of all, wondered why John had not come after her. Wasn’t he supposed to be a knight? More like a dark, fallen knight. He knew how important going home was to her. He could have at least sent someone to take her as far as London. But no one appeared. As the days passed, she too passed, from sadness to anger.

  This morning she’d taken the time to wash. She debated forever then undressed and washed the dress and chemise as best she could. Her best dress she would save until she was almost to London. After dressing in tunic and hose, she laid the wet garments over the rocks to dry. As she sat in the sun, warmth put her to sleep.

  When she woke, Anna guessed it must be around lunchtime. The rocks were too exposed. She needed to find somewhere safe to sleep tonight. Not by water; too many people or animals would pass by. A quick bite and then she packed up her dry clothes and trudged along the path. Maybe a few more hours and she would stop for the night.

  How dare he not help her after she had freed him? The risk she had taken. Had it meant nothing? Was he so self-absorbed all he could think about was himself? Anna ranted and raved until she was exhausted. Deep down, she knew he was a good man. But it certainly made her feel better to scream and yell and say all kinds of hateful things about the man.