Chapter 10

A knock on the door early the next morning pulled Reece from sleep. He was reluctant to move. Naked and sated, Lara was cuddled up against his side fast asleep. He probably should answer the door, but the last thing he wanted to do was disrupt the intimacy between his body and Lara’s. A second knock pulled Lara abruptly from sleep and she sat upright, staring at the door apprehensively.

“Someone’s at the door,” she whispered.

Her mass of brown curls were tangled around her beautiful face and he decided what he really wanted to do was pull the covers up over their heads and pretend no one was home.

“Sir Reginald. It’s Toby. I’ve come with an urgent message,” the voice of a young man called outside the door.

“Who’s Toby?” Lara asked.

With her blue eyes wide and that bewildered look on her face, Reece couldn’t resist kissing her. Just a gentle brush on the lips before he forced himself to climb from the bed. “I have no idea who Toby is. Reg’s squire perhaps? We can only hope.”

Reece crossed the cabin and peeked out the small window beside the door. A blond boy of about twelve years stood on the doorstep with a roll of parchment clutched in his hand. The only other living creature in the yard was a sleek, black horse.

Reece found his discarded pants and donned them. Lara whined in protest and he grinned at her disappointed pout. Reece opened the door, not sure how he was supposed to greet Toby. He was thankful that he’d volunteered his name. “Good morning, Toby. What brings you here today?”

“A challenge has been issued,” he said excitedly and handed Reece the scroll.

Reece accepted the paper and moved into the cabin. Toby followed him inside and closed the door. Reece unrolled the parchment and began to read.

“G-good m-morning, Lady Eleanor,” Toby said.

Reece glanced up to see the kid’s freckled face scarlet with embarrassment. Reece looked over at Lara who was climbing out of bed and trying to keep her nakedness concealed. From Toby’s expression, Reece doubted if the lad had ever seen a lady in such a state of undress. Lara pulled a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself before walking towards Reece.

“Good morning, Master Toby,” Lara returned. “What do you mean a challenge has been issued?”

Toby pulled his gaze from Lara and looked at the parchment. “Lord Abbot has issued a challenge. A tournament of knights. He says the winner shall claim you as his bride, milady.”

“That’s ridiculous!” she said. “I’m not a piece of property. He can’t offer me as the prize of some competition.”

“If we refuse, he will call the law and have me imprisoned,” Reece said, repeating what he’d read on the scroll. “For kidnapping.”

“Then we should run.”

“Milady,” Toby chastised. “A knight would never refuse a challenge. How can you even think to ask Sir Reginald to run?”

“Toby, mind your tongue,” Reece warned.

“You aren’t thinking of running are you?” Toby asked. “I’ll fight him myself, just to watch the pompous ass lose. No prize necessary.” He swung his arm in a wide arc as if wielding a sword.

“I’m not running,” Reece assured him. But he doubted he had the skills necessary to joust a trained knight. Even with Reg’s expertise aiding him, Reece would need more than an inkling to survive. “The joust is to take place tomorrow,” he said, reading the challenge more carefully. Perhaps he and Lara would leap before he entered the arena. “And there will be two other events, one chosen by each participant.”

“No,” Toby said. “This was written yesterday. The tournament is today.”

“Today?”

Lara snatched the paper out of Reece’s hand. “You have to refuse,” she said, glancing up at Reece. Her concern was touching. “There’s no way you can win.” Okay, that was less than touching.

“But, milady,” Toby said. “Sir Reginald is one of the top champions in the kingdom. Of course he can win. Abbot is a fool for issuing this challenge. And his eagerness in this matter leads me to believe he plans to cheat.”

Reece ran a hand over his face. This was not a good situation to be in. Not a good situation at all.

“Can we postpone the tournament for a few days?” Lara asked hopefully.

“For the sake of your reputation, milady, it would be wise to wed Sir Reginald at once,” Toby said. He flushed again. “Meaning no offense, ma’am.”

“So it seems I have no choice in the matter,” Reece said. “And this will make our engagement legitimate, Eleanor. We won’t have to run off to get married.”

“But what of my sister?”

“She doesn’t like Sir Reginald anyway,” Toby cut in. “Everyone knows she wanted to marry Lord Abbot. He does have a better title and more money.”

“Thank you for reminding me, Toby,” Reece teased.

“Meaning no offense, sir.” The young man nodded at Reece.

“Well, I suppose you should get busy polishing my armor, readying my sword, preparing my horse.”

A bright smile crossed Toby’s face. “Yes, sir!”

“And I suppose I should have a bite to eat. It might be my last meal.” He glanced at Lara. She was staring at him as if unsure what to make of their situation. Toby left the cabin to begin his duties and Reece moved to draw Lara into his arms.

“Are you feeling all right?” he asked.

“Reece, what do we do if something happens to you?”

He tilted her chin up. “I’d better teach you the words that activate the amulet,” he said. “I think you should be the one who wears it.”

“No,” she said emphatically, shaking her head. “I don’t want it. You will wear it, and you will recite the words, and you will refuse this ridiculous challenge.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Of course, I’m worried about you. This isn’t some show at a medieval fair. This is a joust, with a real lance, with a real knight who wants you dead for humiliating him.”

“So you don’t think I can win?”

“Reece, this is serious. You could be killed.”

“I am more aware of that than you are, sweetheart. But we can’t mess up Reg and Eleanor’s future together. We have to go along with the chain of events as they transpire. Reg knows how to joust. I’ll just let him take control. Like when you were Helga and you milked the goat.”

“That goat kicked me through the milking shed’s wall.”

“Bad example,” he admitted. “I’ll be fine, Lara. Have faith in me.”

“I’m trying, Reece, but I don’t want you to get hurt.” She swallowed hard. “Or dead...”

He smiled. “You’re starting to care about me, rather you want to or not.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“So you’d stop me if I did this?” He lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips.

His plan to distract her didn’t work. “Reece, we could just stall for a couple of days. Then Reg could retain his honor and win his lady and you wouldn’t have to be in danger. What if you lose? And Reg and Eleanor never get married and have children? And wonder if those children are your ancestors so you’re never born?”

“Easy, Lara,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about that. What’s meant to happen will happen whether we are here or not. If I win, Reg won the first time through. If I lose, then Reg lost.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I’ve been through similar situations as I leapt through time for eight months.”

“You’ve jousted?”

“That’s not what I meant. When it looks like there is no way I’ll be successful, things turn out the way they should.”

“And if you’re meant to lose?”

“Then I lose.”

“And if Reg dies?”

He hesitated. “Then I die.”

“Just until we leap, right? You’d be okay after we leap.”

“I don’t think so, sweetheart.”

She shook her head. “I won’t accept that.” She stomped her foot angrily.

He hugged her to his chest and she relaxed against him. “Everything will work out for the best. There is a feeling of confidence in me that can only mean Reg knows what he’s doing.”

“I hope you’re right, Reece. I’m not prepared to lose you. Not for Reg and Eleanor’s happiness. Not for anything.”