A Dishonorable Knight - By Morrison, Michelle Page 0,155

had ordered her departure. If she were not calmly gathered and ready to go when her escort came for her, it would look suspicious indeed. Oh curse Gareth! she thought. He would put her in just such a predicament.

Pushing herself away from the stable, she rushed back to the main keep and hurried up the back staircase to her room. To her great relief the room was empty and she quickly smoothed her hair and washed her face. She had only just closed the lid on her trunk when a loud pounding on the door startled her. Taking a deep breath and willing herself to remain calm, she crossed the room and slowly opened the door. "Yes?" she said to the three men standing in the hallway.

The one closest her spoke up. "We have come to escort you to your father's home on order from His Majesty, King Richard."

"Of course, " she said pleasantly and stepped back to allow the men room to enter. "That is my trunk there. Let my gather my cloak and I shall be ready."

"The King did not say we were to take your trunk, lady."

Elena laughed, hoping the men did not detect the nervous hysteria in the sound. "Don't be silly. Of course I shall take my trunk. It contains all my clothes--you wouldn't want me to go without my clothes now would you?"

The men looked at each other awkwardly and then two of them moved to retrieve the leather case. The third seemed to be suppressing a grin, but Elena paid him no notice as she quickly gathered her blue cloak and a cloth pouch in which she carried her small personal things. Without another glance back, she preceded the guards out of the room and down the main stairway. The few people she passed in the main hall fell silent and watched her as she made her way towards the huge door. Elena willed her warm cheeks to cool. She would not give these gossipmongers the satisfaction of seeing her depart in disgrace. She would make it appear as if she were all to happy to be leaving Richard's court, which in fact, she was. Smiling and nodding at the gawkers, she walked slowly and gracefully outside where the huge, mangy horse she had ridden from Wales awaited her. The guards carrying her trunk loaded it onto the packhorse and then climbed on their own mounts, paying no heed to Elena who was waiting for assistance. The third guard--the one who had seemed to find the way she had handled the other two men upstairs amusing--hastened to help her onto the sturdy beast. He was tall and lanky and his brown hair, though short, was also lanky. A thin mustache and beard covered his face but did not disguise his friendly smile. His shoulders were narrow and looked bony even through his rough tunic but he swung her up onto her horse with little effort. Though he looked nothing like Gareth, something about the man reminded her of him. When she was settled, she smiled prettily at him and then gathered the reins. The helpful guard quickly mounted his horse and led the way towards the main castle gates. They rode through the opening in the thick stone walls and Elena breathed a sigh of relief. She had not had to see Richard, Brackley, or even Catherine. Within two days, she would be home. Though she had not thought of her parents much in the last few months, she now looked forward to seeing them and spending time in the peaceful quiet of her father's substantial library or the neatly tended gardens where flowers, fruits, and vegetables grew in neat, even rows and beds. Yes, in two days she would be home and she could only be happier were Gareth with her. No, not Gareth. He was an evil cad who constantly toyed with her emotions and reason! Elena pursed her lips and refused to think of him further. He absolutely did not deserve the ache of worry lodged beneath her breastbone.

Chapter 29

Gareth looked over his shoulder, fully expecting to see a contingent of armed men hot on his heels. He was pleasantly surprised to see nothing but hazy fields of wheat and flax dotted with an occasional serf or farmer finishing his tasks. The sun was just touching the horizon and when Gareth turned back to his course, its golden beams warmed his face and filled his eyes with their radiance. For