The Ballad of Rosamunde (7 page)

Authors: Claire Delacroix

Tags: #kinfairlie, #rosamunde, #pirates, #fantasy, #claire delacroix, #deborah cooke, #ravensmuir, #pirate queen, #faerie, #ireland, #darg, #lammergeier

The lead horse was so pale a silver as to be
nearly white. Its mane and tale were as dark as pewter. Its
trappings were deep blue, and the tabard of the knight riding it
was of that same deep blue. He wore chain mail and a long full cape
as dark as midnight flowed from his shoulders. As he drew nearer,
Isabella saw that his tabard bore no insignia. His hair was black
and long enough to curl over his ears.

The second horse was a chestnut with a white
star on its brow and white socks. It was no less handsome than the
first. The man riding it was older and garbed in the plaid favored
by the highlanders. He wore a leather jerkin and a white shirt, and
his hair was both short and grey. A seasoned warrior, Isabella
sensed that he was aware of all that surrounded them, but kept his
expression impassive.

Her gaze returned to the younger man.

They galloped directly to the gates, the
horses stamping and snorting when they were compelled to halt
before the gatekeeper. Their breath sent plumes of white into the
air.

“I am Murdoch Seton,” cried the man with the
dark hair. He was handsome enough to make Elizabeth’s heart
flutter, Isabella was certain of it. His voice was so rich and
deep, his confidence so beguiling that Isabella herself thought to
shiver. His manner was audacious, which snared Isabella’s interest.
“I am come to deliver a message to the Laird of Kinfairlie.”

The gatekeeper, a doughty man who seldom
smiled, barred the entry with his spear. Isabella heard the rumble
of his voice but could not discern his words.

The pale horse pranced in impatience. “My
brother’s request will not be surrendered to the gatekeeper and
forgotten,” Murdoch Seton said, a surprising hostility in his tone.
“I will speak to the laird and tell him of it myself.” His gaze
danced over the tower and Isabella withdrew slightly, fearing that
he would spot her.

There was something about him that held her
gaze, though, a vitality that was uncommon among men.

“I will send word to my laird and you will
wait.”

“I will not be deterred from this mission,”
the knight said with a determination that was surprising. “I have
but a message to deliver, and no man of integrity would turn such a
missive aside.”

“But…” It was clear to Isabella that the
gatekeeper did not trust this Murdoch Seton.

Why? Did he know of him? Or did he simply
dislike the man’s imperious manner? Isabella drew back the shutter
a little more. It seemed almost that the knight expected to be
refused or turned aside. Why?

“I see you do not send word and perhaps you
do not mean to,” the knight said with impatience. “I will take word
of my arrival to the laird myself.”

The gatekeeper obviously protested, but this
Murdoch Seton dismounted, casting the reins of his steed to his
partner. He made to push past the gatekeeper’s spear, and Isabella
saw that he was both tall and muscular. There must have been
purpose in his gaze, for the gatekeeper took a step back. He kept
the spear lowered, though.

“You will not enter this hall armed!” he
declared.

Murdoch cast a wry smile at his companion,
then unbuckled his belt and scabbard. Instead of surrendering it to
the gatekeeper, he handed it to his companion, then stepped close
to the gatekeeper.

Isabella leaned out the window to hear his
words.

“I leave both steed and sword in the custody
of my companion. Should he be divested of them in my absence, or
should he not be here when I return, I shall take word to the king
of the treachery that has claimed Kinfairlie.” Then he pushed aside
the spear with a gloved fingertip and marched toward the
portal.

Isabella’s mouth dropped open. He threatened
the gatekeeper? But he was the one who sought admission. Why was he
so resolved?

The gatekeeper turned and looked after the
knight, his astonishment clear. The older man, the companion of the
knight, appeared to be amused.

Why did the knight assume his message would
be refused?

Isabella had to know.

She spun and ran for the door, thinking she
would listen in the great hall as the knight made his argument. She
flung open the door, but there was no sign of Elizabeth. Isabella
had no sooner concluded that her sister must have descended to the
great hall when she heard boots on the stairs, approaching quickly.
It sounded as if a man took the stairs two or even three at a time.
She might have retreated but the dark–haired knight crested the top
of the stairs.

He slowed his pace to consider her. His
eyes, Isabella could now see, were a clear and deep blue and he was
ruggedly handsome.

Even though she was tall, he was taller. He
strode toward her with such care that she thought of a wolf hunting
its prey. His gaze was unswerving and a crooked smile lifted one
corner of his mouth.

Isabella felt hot, right to her toes.

“The maiden from the window,” he murmured
and the appreciation in his low voice made Isabella flush. “Yet
more curious than I imagined.”

“While you, sir, are more bold than might be
expected.”

He smiled outright then, the expression
softening his features in a most attractive way. Isabella could not
avert her gaze. Indeed, it seemed she could not breathe.

THE RENEGADE’S
HEART

is now available in a print and digital
edition.

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by entering the monthly contest on her blog. There are two contests
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Reviewer Contest
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Knitting blog
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About the Author

Deborah Cooke sold her
first book in 1992, a medieval romance that was published in 1993
under her pseudonym Claire Delacroix. Since then, she has published
more than fifty romance novels and numerous short stories.
As
Claire
Delacroix
, she has written
historical romance, romance with fantasy elements, fantasy with
romantic elements and future-set urban fantasy romance. As
Deborah
Cooke
, she has written
paranormal romance and paranormal young adult fiction. She also
wrote briefly as Claire Cross - the time travel and paranormal
romances originally published under that name have been re-released
as Claire Delacroix books, while the contemporary romances have
been re-published as Deborah Cooke books. She tends to include
fantasy and paranormal elements in her stories and likes to write
linked series of books. Her stories include a blend of action,
adventure, romance, humor and deep emotion.

THE BEAUTY by
Claire Delacroix
, part of her
successful Bride Quest series, was her first book to land on the
New York Times List of Bestselling Books. She has been nominated
for numerous awards (as
Claire
and as
Deborah
), including
Publisher’s Weekly’s Quill Award, and has won some, including the
Booksellers’ Best Award. In 2009, she was the writer-in-residence
at the Toronto Public Library, the first time the library has
hosted a residency focused on the romance genre. In 2012, she won
the RWA PRO Mentor of the Year Award for her support of aspiring
and new writers. Her blog,
Alive &
Knitting
, includes her weekly
column on the changing landscape of publishing called
Wild West Thursdays
and a
post each Friday about her
knitting
.