CHAPTER ONE

1667 AD, Cumbria, England

"Here, my lord," cried Gaylon. "The hounds have found something." Lord Bravin Hawke eased himself off his horse and strode to Gaylon's side, flicking the edge of his cape over his shoulder as he moved.

At the edge of a small clearing, partially hidden under a fallen tree and wide fern fronds, was a pool of red and gold, the center of which was occupied by an unconscious woman. Honey colored hair spilled all around her and her dress, of obvious quality, was torn in many places to expose bits of creamy flesh.

Bravin could only stare in disbelief.

He was pulled out of his astonishment as Gaylon moved to cut away the fronds so that the woman could be more closely examined. Even through the many cuts and bruises that marred her delicate features it was clear to Bravin that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Gaylon's hands roamed quickly yet carefully over the woman's body searching for signs of life and wounds.

"She is alive," Gaylon announced. "Just. There is a gash on the side of her head. The bleeding has stopped, but if she is to remain alive we must take her from this place and get her home as quickly as possible. She needs Meggie's care."

"I will carry her," Bravin stated as he climbed back into his saddle. At Gaylon's sideways glance Bravin added, "If she's to live, there's no time to waste waiting on a carriage."

Gaylon nodded his agreement then motioned for his men to step into action. A quick snapped of his fingers sent several men cut the brush clear of the area so that Gaylon could lift the woman out of the brush and into Bravin's arms. Gaylon then produced a wide bit of cloth to drape around the woman to keep her warm until they could get her home. The castle was just over the rise.

The procession they made their way back to the castle in silence. Gaylon rode at Bravin's side, as always. The wolfhounds followed with their heads lowered, knowing that something was dreadfully wrong with the woman they had found.

As they rode, Bravin caught Gaylon's side-glance. Bravin ignored it though. He knew Gaylon's concern was for his lord as much as for the injured woman. Bravin also knew that Gaylon had only two concerns. They were the same as Bravin's own. Why this woman was on his land and why she was hiding under that fallen tree? The forest was a dangerous place to be. Not just for a woman but for anyone without means to protect themselves.

The castle came into view and Gaylon called to the guards at the gatehouse. Slowly, the huge doors creaked open on their hinges. The procession continued through gates and up the graveled path to the inner courtyard to the front of the keep.

Once a fortified tower, the castle had been remodeled as a family home in more peaceful times. The original tower remained at its center with wings full of rooms stretching out at right angles to each other.

The tower keep had been imposing in its day, but it was more so now that it had been enlarged. Architects built the matching wings by using stones from the same quarry that had been used to build the original tower. The effect left the new enlarged structure look as if it had been constructed at the same time.

Crenellations were added to the roofline and mock arrow slits graced the façade of the newer corner towers to give the overall structure the appearance of defensive castle of the grandest proportions. Large windows were set in place to give the house a sense of lightness against the deep gray of the stones, and indeed, to let more sunlight into the rooms.

Ruby red ivy clung to the face of the corner towers and bunches of colorful roses had been planted near the windows. Otherwise the exterior of the house was sparse of adornment.

A tree-lined path lay to the south side of the house and wound it's way to the secret garden. Not so secret that it couldn't be seen from the upper floors of the towers on that end of the house, but it was protected from the elements by the high walls that surrounded the garden.

Large gardens had been laid out by design behind one wing of the house in an abundance of bright roses and leafy trees. Nearer to the kitchen was a walled garden full of herbs, fruit trees and other items that were used in the preparation of meals.

Behind the other wing of the house stretched the Irish Sea.

The courtyard was unremarkable, but the ground in front of the house had been cobbled. As the procession made it's way into the courtyard the horses' hooves seemed to echo off the castle walls. Was the estate really that quiet, or was it the pall that had fallen around the hunting party since finding the woman?

Even though the castle was still maintained within the original bawn walls and guarded by the great guard tower from days of old the house was still a welcoming sight to travelers. Even if the occupants were not.

If there was one thing Bravin learned in life it was that appearances could be very deceiving.

Bravin allowed Gaylon to take the unconscious woman from his arms while he dismounted before taking charge of her once more to carry her inside. Without looking, Bravin knew that Gaylon was following him. As his lead guard it was Gaylon's duty to be at his lord's beck and call when needed. This was one of those times.

Gaylon followed Bravin up the steps into the castle, through the entry hall and up the winding staircase that hugged the nearest wall. Bravin entered the chamber across from his own before Gaylon was sent to find Meggie. The woman was put to rest on the bed and Bravin dismissed the men who had followed, closing the door behind them.

He brought a basin full of water and a clean cloth from his own chamber and set it on the sideboard at the bedside, and gently began to cleanse her face. He studied her as he worked. Her identity was beginning to gnaw at him almost as much as the unanswered question of what she was doing in his woods.

She seemed to be a woman of breeding though she appeared but a slip of a girl. Her heart shaped face was pale, which accentuated the rosy hue of her full lips. High arched brows would ultimately frame perfectly shaped eyes. He smoothed back the tendrils of honeyed hair that hung across her cool cheeks and resisted the urge to caress her perfect features.

Just then the door opened causing Bravin to jump with a start. He suddenly felt like he had been caught stealing a tart from Cook. Straightening, he turned to see Meggie enter the chamber followed by Gaylon.

"I see ye've wasted no time in gettin' her cleaned up. 'Twill save me valuable time," Meggie said in her thick Irish accent. She moved to stand next to the bed and looked down at the fragile woman, feeling her forehead with the backs of her fingers. "She's a bit of a fever. I'll need one of ye to stay and help me with her. " She looked over her shoulder from Bravin to Gaylon and back again. She grinned to herself at the different expressions she saw race across both men's faces.

Gaylon's eyes widened at the thought of undressing this beautiful woman. Bravin's face darkened, as if night had descended upon it. If it were possible his features grew even more obscure than the expression he always wore. "I will stay," Bravin said firmly. Gaylon release a pent up breath and quickly left the two of them to tend with their work.

"Fine. Now I want ye to help me undress her so we can wash the rest of her. From what I was told of where she was found she's no doubt crawlin' with somethin' that ain't natchral."

While Meggie mixed one of her healing potions Bravin started undressing the woman. Her dress was torn in many places and its ties were difficult to get to so he used his knife to cut the fabric from her body. He exposed small bits of the woman's skin at a time, washing each bit as it appeared. His fingers worked with the cloth as he traced the delicate lines of her shoulders and neck, tracing the supple lines of her skin.

"Yer not makin' love to the woman," Meggie chided, obviously startling her lord. "Ye'll have to work faster than that if ye want her to live. Remove the gown and wash her quickly. I'm almost done here." Scowling, Bravin did as he was told and the dress fell away with one quick cut of the blade. He gasped at what he saw.

Meggie came running to see what had startled her lord so. She smiled as she turned to see Bravin leave the room. "I will send a woman to help with the task," he mumbled as the door slammed behind him.

Meggie laughed to herself, glancing quickly over the woman and said, "Aye, m'lady. Yer indeed beautiful. I don't believe lord Bravin will sleep this night after seein' ye." She laughed again as she pulled the blanket over the woman's body and went back to work administering her concoctions.

Meggie found Bravin in his study a few hours later. He was bent over his ledgers with a writing implement in one hand and a glass all too full of amber liquid in the other. Except for the fat candle that burned on his desk the room was enveloped in darkness. The shelves that contained his few books and the walls where colorful tapestries hung were swallowed in the void.
"M'lord, may I enter?" she asked, knowing that no one entered this chamber without Bravin's permission.

"Yes, come. What is it?" he asked huskily. Meggie's breath caught in her throat as he looked at her through shadowed eyes. The sliver of them seemed to gleam through his hooded brows in the candlelight.

She stepped into the room and withdrew a small gold chain from her pocket. Handing it to Bravin she said, "I found this on the young lady and thought ye'd want to see it."

Bravin took it from her and held it up before him. He let it dangle from his finger and watched as it spun, untangling itself, sparkling as it danced in the dim candlelight. There was a pendant hanging from the chain and he caught it in his other hand. The inscription read 'Becca'.

"Do ye suppose it could be her name, m'lord?" she asked curiously, rubbing her aching back.

"It is possible. When she awakens we will ask her." He dropped the pendant to the desktop and looked back to Meggie. "How is she?"

"She'll live, if that's what yer wonderin'. I coaxed a potion down her throat and tended to her cuts. The one on the side of her head was a nasty one but once it's heeled her hair will hide the blemish. When she wakes, she'll be sore but happy to be alive. Sleep will keep her a while yet."

"Good," was all he said. Bravin took a long swig from his glass and Meggie could see his eyes squeezed tight as the liquor seared his throat.

Meggie watched her lord and felt her heart sink. It hurt her to see him treat himself so. She had been with the Hawke family for most of her years. She had been the midwife when Bravin was born and had lived through the family's happiness's and tragedies right along with them. But could a man's mourning go on so long?

"M'lord . . ." she started, beseeching.

"What?" he snapped.

Meggie stepped back, catching herself before she spoke the words he had forbid anyone to speak every again. "Never ye mind," her voice barely audible. "I'll go see to the young lady. Her bandages will need changin'." She turned to leave but was halted by Bravin's voice, softer now.

"Meggie, thank you. Take this back and put it where you found it. No doubt she will look for it when she awakens." He tossed the pendant in the air and Meggie caught it in her hand.

"I will, m'lord."

Bravin watched her leave the room. When he heard the door close he allowed his head to fall on folded arms. With a deep sigh he closed his eyes and recalled, for the thousandth time, the night that Blythe died.

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