Heroes Live Forever (Knights in Time) Read Free Page A

ghost?” Elinor asked, as they walked out the door.

Chapter Four

    Basil waited until the women drove away, and then drifted with Guy into the drawing room.
    “Did you hear? The Lucy woman called me, ‘devilishly handsome,’” Guy said.
    “Her assessment is clearly impaired by the fact she only got a glimpse of you,” Basil said.
    They busied themselves examining unpacked boxes. An open one contained vacation photos of Elinor. Guy removed one of her in a hot pink bathing suit and tipped it so Basil could see.
    Unlike most women he’d known, Elinor’s complexion was sun darkened, at least in the picture. “It’s pleasant, this color on her face. I wouldn’t have thought so, if I hadn’t seen for myself. The exposed skin is another boon.” He began his own search of the box it came from. “Have you ever heard of this Sean Connery?”
    “Scottish fellow as I recall.” Guy wrinkled his nose. “An actor, I think.”
    “Scottish,” Basil grunted in disapproval, “a savage lot.”
    Guy leaned back on his heels, arms resting on his knees. “Before he joined my knights, Stephen first squired with a knight who lived near Carlisle. The incessant reiving on the part of their Scots neighbors presented never-ending problems. He used to say it wasn’t a Scots fault there were Scots, no more than it’s the fox’s fault he’s a fox. He claimed the problem lay with the Romans.”
    “The Romans?”
    “According to him, they should have built their wall higher.” Guy moved to a pile of albums stacked by the stereo. “So, what’s this plan of yours? Personally, I don’t see why we can’t just pop in the kitchen like we did with Theresa.”
    “Not much put Theresa off. She took most anything, including us, in stride. The last thing I want is to frighten Elinor. I’ve decided on a different plan from my original, and it came from the lady herself. When she’s alone and gone to bed, we’ll make our entrance.” Basil couldn’t resist a smile at his own cleverness. “You heard her. Mounted knights in shining armor, jousts, chivalry, childhood fantasies she still holds onto. We can be her dream knights come true.”
    “When?”
    “Tonight.”

Chapter Five

    Basil kept an eye on the stairs watching for Elinor. She’d returned from lunch that afternoon and finished emptying all the boxes in the kitchen. Afterward, she’d gone upstairs but left the lights on in the drawing room. He hoped she’d return to unpack the boxes in there.
    Elinor didn’t disappoint him. He looked up as she came down and went straight to the stereo. He joined her as she rifled through the stack of albums and pulled one out.
    “She’s playing that plague music again,” Basil said to Guy. “The one about Saturday night fevers.”
    The knights leaned over to get a better look at the cover. A man in a white suit posed on colored boxes, while a mirrored ball appeared ready to drop onto his head. Elinor lingered over the picture before removing the black disc.
    “Surely, she can’t find this skinny fellow handsome. He’s so—common,” Basil said.
    “Probably French,” Guy said with a measure of disgust.
    The record dropped down and as the first notes played, Elinor began to hum and sway. The white man’s shirt she wore covered all the essential spots, as long as she stayed moderately still. She danced over to one box, opened it, and then moved to another. The shirttail flipped back and forth as she sorted through their contents. Flashes of lacey panties popped into Basil’s view where the garment rode high.
    Guy’s gaze slid from Elinor back to Basil. “Do you think it odd we find ourselves, such as we are , so drawn to some mortals? I’d have thought that sort of feminine attraction might have ended or have no validity for us now.”
    “Elinor has joyousness, a generosity of spirit, a kind nature. That’s in and of itself, a strong enticement.” Basil followed her as she worked, moving nearer as she sorted through the