(MSRP: 6.0000)
Available in Print
As France prepares for the Hundred Years War, the king sends Squire Nicholas to relocate the occupants of Clairmonde. The estate is in a strategic location and will house troops for the duration of the war.
This is not the first time that Jeanne, heiress of Clairmonde, has been uprooted. She vows to petition the king for exemption, but to reach Paris, she must join forces with her evictor.
Undeterred by Squire Nicholas' wrath and warnings, she joins his troops as they make their way to Paris.
A growing attraction develops between Jeanne and her squire, but each of them is burdened by a past that keeps them apart.
As they travel snow-covered roads to the capital city, they are stalked by the enemy and the Black Prince himself. Can their love endure imprisonment, ambush, and hardships? And will false accusations at the French court ruin Jeanne's dream of regaining her land?
292 Pages, Sweet
Print ISBN: 1-60154-503-7
Excerpt:
"Majesté." He lowered his lance before the queen. "With your permission, I would ask the lady to your left for a token."
Jeanne was horrified, first because she had no idea what a token was, secondly because she was afraid the whole scene would anger the queen and cause her to lose her favor. Ooh, she would have him for this.
The queen leaned to face Jeanne. "A token, for the squire."
Jeanne trembled, hating to have everyone stare, but what was she to do? She felt color rise to her cheeks.
A moment later, the lady behind her unwound the linen piece covering Jeanne's hair and dropped it in her lap. She glanced down. This, evidently, was a token. She wondered briefly if she would ever see the lily again, but for now, she had no choice. The queen waited.
She lifted her chin and walked to the front. A strong breeze flapped the canvas covering of the pavilion. Wind snatched at the linen.
He leaned toward her, reached for the cloth, and smiled. He looked so handsome and endearing that she smiled back in spite of herself.
He wound the linen 'round his right arm, never taking his eyes from Jeanne's, and pulled it tight, then spun the horse around and returned to his starting position.
The crowd roared, enthused by the pageantry and romance they witnessed, and began chanting for the final joust to begin.
"Charge!"
She could hardly watch as they drove their steeds in a straight line, each man's lance aimed at his opponent's chest. Metal clashed in mid-air and both contestants retreated to opposite ends of the field only to turn back, again and again. At one point Nicholas drew his great destrier to a halt, and his opponent, sensing a weakness, lunged, but both warriors rode off, only to return with new resolve.
She had about decided they were evenly matched when she saw the bridle on Nicholas' destrier snap. Horrified, she watched the reins go flying as he slipped sideways on the horse, one foot caught in the stirrup.
