Forced By The Knights Bundle

Chapter 1

The sound of the door slamming against the wall when it flew open startled Bridgette and her lips tightened together when she saw her little brother come racing into the small property. His unruly behavior was hardly unusual and she was about to reprimand him for it, but the irritated voice of her mother rang out first.

“Durwin, close that door properly or I’ll tan your behind.”

The seven year old boy ignored the warning and came to a stop in the middle of the room. The flushed appearance of his face revealed his elation and it came out in his voice.

“He’s coming.”

Bridgette looked towards her mother and rolled her eyes before turning her gaze back on her brother.

“What are you talking about?” she asked in a scornful tone.

“The knight,” Durwin blurted out. “He’s coming.”

Bridgette let out a dismissive laugh and looked at her mother again.

“You really should go ahead and tan his behind,” she said. “He needs to learn not to make up stories.”

“I’m not making it up,” Durwin whined in a high-pitched voice. “I saw him and he’s riding towards here.”

“Stop lying,” Bridgette said when she glared at him.

He ignored the accusation to walk across to his mother.

“I’m not lying,” he blurted out to her and his bottom lip trembled. “I saw him.”

She reached out to cup his chin with her hand.

“Your imagination,” she said and shook her head.

“If you don’t believe me come and look,” he replied.

He pulled away from her to hurry back to the door then turned.

“Come on,” he urged and disappeared from view.

“You’re not falling for this, are you?” Bridgette complained to her mother. “He plays his silly fighting games so much it’s affecting his brain.”

“Just go and look.”

“Mother,” Bridgette protested and came close to stamping her foot. “You know what he’s like.”

She saw the disapproving look thrown at her and lifted a hand to rub it across her eyes. Her mother was still staring when she lowered her arm back to her side.

“Alright, alright,” she let out in an exasperated voice. “But I want to be the one that uses the strap on his behind when I find out that brat is wasting my time with another foolish story.”

She stomped across to the door and stepped outside. Her brother was standing by the fence at the boundary of their land and she let out a frustrated sigh before making her way across to where he was.

“See,” Durwin said and pointed.

The surprise of seeing an approaching horseman struck Bridgette dumb and the annoyance of being dragged outside turned to a flicker of fear. It grew stronger as she watched and she found her voice.

“Go and get mother,” she ordered.

“I’m not…,” Durwin started, but the cuff of a hand across the back of his head stopped his words.

“Do as you’re told,” Bridgette snapped and grabbed his shoulder to push him in the direction of the small property.

She ignored his muttered complaints as he walked off and kept her eyes on the man on horseback. It seemed her little brother hadn’t been making up tall tales for once and she was in no doubt she was staring at a knight. The leather shirt he wore was a sign of that and she caught the hint of chainmail armor under it when he drew closer. It wasn’t an outfit a commoner would wear or could afford, for that matter.

A broadsword hung at the knight’s hip and the sight of it was enough to make Bridgette’s fear swell. She suddenly wished her father was at home although she wasn’t sure what protection he could provide against a man who was so obviously a warrior. The sound of her brother running back outside pushed the thoughts aside for a second and she saw the concern on her mother’s face when she turned around.

“Told you I wasn’t making it up,” Durwin said gleefully when he got beside his sister.

“Maybe he’s just passing by,” Bridgette said. “He might not actually stop.”

“We can only hope so,” her mother said and paused before going on. “But you know the code of honor.”

Bridgette was all too aware of the code. It had been decreed by the king that commoners were to extend every courtesy to any passing knight and give them whatever was requested. That might be something as simple as a cup of water, but it could also extend to a bed for the night and there was no knowing what the approaching man would want. The very fact he was heading for the property was a sign he probably wouldn’t simply pass by as they hoped and the tension grew as he approached the fence they were standing at.

“Can I see your sword, sir?” Durwin blurted out when the horse came to a stop.

The knight ignored the question as he stared at them.

“Where is the man of the house?” he asked.

Bridgette’s mother coughed nervously as she stepped forward.

“My husband works as a forester for the lord of the manor,” she said.

“When will he return?” the knight asked.

“The lord permits him to come home once every four days.”

“Will he be here today?” the knight went on.

“No.”

There was silence for a few seconds and Bridgette looked up from the ground to see it was her being stared at. The flutter of her heartbeat was instant and she dropped her gaze back to her feet.

“Can I see your sword, sir,” Durwin piped up again to break the hush.

“Maybe later,” the knight said as he dismounted. “My name is Sir Esmond. My horse needs watered and fed.”

It was a sign of the hospitality he expected and the idea he might just go on his way left Bridgette’s mind. He stepped forward and she felt the elbow digging into her side. She turned to look at her mother before moving forward to open the gate. It allowed Sir Esmond to lead his horse through and she was more aware of how tall and powerful he was as he passed her by. She was closing the gate when she heard her mother’s voice.

“My daughter will see to your horse, sir.”

Bridgette was aware of the way Sir Esmond watched her as she approached him. She reached out and his fingers brushed against hers when he handed over the reins. It made her look up and she saw the smile on his face. Her breathing grew heavier as their eyes locked together for a second, but she looked away when she heard her mother speak to him again.

“Please follow me inside.”

Bridgette kept her eyes lowered until the others moved away from her to walk to the house. It was Sir Esmond she looked at when she raised her head and the prickle of a quickening pulse was unstoppable. The leather shirt and chainmail enhanced what was obviously a powerful physique and she let her gaze linger on it for a few seconds before she forced herself to look away.

She didn’t consider herself experienced when it came to boys, but wasn’t ignorant of the opposite s*x either and her interest in them was growing. Her first kiss was long in the past and her fumbling encounters with a skinny boy from the nearby village had brought to life visceral desires that both excited and unnerved her. She’d yet to give in to them though.

“He’s no skinny boy,” she muttered as her mind filled with the image of Sir Esmond’s muscular physique.

Her pulse quickened further and she cast the thoughts from her head to concentrate on what she was doing. Moving across to a small outbuilding, she tied the horse to a post beside a wooden trough, which she then filled with water from a barrel. While the animal was drinking, she went inside the outbuilding and picked up a small shovel to scoop some oats from a sack. She took them outside and dropped them on the ground beside the trough and watched as the horse finished drinking then began to eat.

“Hungry, are you?” she said when the oats were finished and patted the horse on the neck.

Going back inside the outbuilding, she got another scoop of oats and threw them on the ground when she went outside. She then put the shovel back and closed the door.

“That’s all you’re getting,” she said to the horse and patted its neck again before heading for the house.

The nearer she got to the place the faster her pulse raced and there was no getting it to slow down. She stopped at the side of the window to peek inside and saw Sir Esmond sitting at the table showing Durwin the broadsword. Her gaze settled on the knight as he spoke to her brother and she held her breath as she stared at a tanned, handsome face.

His head came up when he swept his shoulder-length hair back and she was sure he saw her before she ducked out of sight. The way her heartbeat hammered in her chest made her legs tremble and she leant against the wall of the building to steady herself.

“Please go away,” she muttered under her breath as she closed her eyes and tried to compose herself.

An image of Sir Esmond’s handsome face stayed in her mind and those visceral emotions she’d been experiencing began to bubble up. She sucked in deep breaths and forced the feelings away in an attempt to calm herself down, but it proved difficult and a few moments passed before she moved. Stepping quickly past the window, she walked to the door and kept her head bowed when she walked inside.

“Your horse is fed and watered, sir,” she said.

A glance showed he was staring at her and she was aware of his eyes following her as she moved across the room to where her mother was sitting on a stool beside the fire. She squatted down and watched as a pot over the flames was stirred. The sound of Durwin’s elated voice filled the room and it gave the cover for her to whisper a question.

“What does he want?”

Her mother shrugged her shoulders in answer and carried on stirring the pot for a few seconds more before speaking.

“Let’s hope he’ll be happy with some food and that will be the end of his visit,” she said quietly before raising her voice. “Could you get a plate and spoon?”

Bridgette nodded as she straightened up and went to get them. She handed over the plate when she returned to the fire and waited as it was loaded with vegetable stew from the pot.

“Give it to him and get your brother away from the table,” her mother said.

Bridgette nodded and kept her head bowed as she moved across the room.

“This is for you,” she said when she put the plate and spoon down on the table.

She grabbed Durwin’s arm to pull him away and pushed him towards the door.

“Go and play outside,” she said. “Let Sir Esmond eat.”

“Aww….,” Durwin whined as he fought against the shoving.

“Don’t argue,” Bridgette snapped.

Lifting her gaze from the floor got her the sight of dark brown eyes inspecting her and the flutter of apprehensive excitement came alive. There was something about the way Sir Esmond stared that hinted his intensions towards her might not be strictly honorable. That did nothing to quell the sensations taking hold in her body and she felt the slight shame of the impure thoughts that began running through her head. It made her want to put some distance between her and the man staring at her.

“Enjoy your meal,” she blurted out and started to turn away.

“I need your help taking my chainmail off,” Sir Esmond said.

Bridgette glanced across the room towards the fire and her eyes opened wide. The nod of her mother was a signal that she should do as she was told and she brought her attention back to Sir Esmond.

“Yes sir,” she said in a hushed voice and moved around the table.

He was already loosening the hooks of the leather shirt when she got to him and she waited until he finished before helping him take it off. She set it down over one of the other stools then moved behind him.