Knight Moves: Merriweather Sisters Time Travel (Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Book 2) Read Free Page B

girls.” She blushed. This guy must kill it with the ladies. Nope. Not interested. After Carl, she was off men for good. The Merriweather sisters’ curse of choosing bad men stopped with her. Here and now. England would be the start of new choices, better choices.
    Brad brought in her luggage, carried it up a narrow stairway, and opened a door. The room was small but cute. The four-poster bed looked like she could sink into it.  
    “Loo is down the hall. Let the water run for a few minutes to get hot. My brother, Henry, will make you breakfast in the morning.” He handed her the key. “Fancy a drink?”
    “No, I’m exhausted. Got a lot of work to do before bed.” She gently shut the door.
    The next morning, after breakfast dressed in a sweater, leggings, and boots, Melinda was ready to face the castle again. The first time, just after Lucy fell, she hadn’t really noticed much. A vague impression of stone and the ocean beyond were all she could recall.
    “Heard you’re headed to the castle.” He pointed to the thermos at her feet. “Want some coffee to take along?”
    “Tea would be great.”
    She pulled on her coat and a dark blue hat and scarf Lucy had crocheted for her two years ago.  
    “Here you are.”  
    “Thanks. I’ve been drinking gallons of hot tea since I landed. It’s so cold.”
    “Where are you from? By the accent, I’m guessing somewhere in the South.”
    She tucked her mittens in her pockets along with the key to her room. No need to bring anything else with her; she’d only be gone a few hours.
    “North Carolina. And I was going to say you were the one with the accent.”
    He laughed. “Be careful and stay off the stairs. They’re unstable.” Henry held the door for her. “Car’s warmed up.”
    “Thank you. And don’t worry; I don’t plan on climbing anything. Just need to have a look around.”
    “You’re the sister. Sorry about what happened.”
    Familiar pain lanced through her. “I’ll be back around lunchtime.”
    It was a short drive up to the castle. She had the place to herself. Melinda put the keys in the center console along with her room key, pulled on her mittens, and followed the paved path leading from the car park to the ruins.
    Cold, salty air blew through her hair, pulling a curl loose from the hastily done French braid. She walked along the outer walls until she came to the North Sea. Talk about some serious surf. On the rocks she spotted wreckage. What looked like wood. Maybe from a boat? Or something that fell from the castle.
    Melinda made her way through the courtyard, stopping at a stone bench. It nestled against the wall, blocking most of the wind. She sat down and looked around. This was the last place Lucy had visited. What happened to her?
    A big black bird cawed from above. The raven landed on the wall to Melinda’s left. They stared at each other for a long moment. The wind shifted and a stone fell, landing on her foot.
    “Ow. Thanks a lot.”
    The raven cocked its head, looked at the ground, and, with a loud caw, flew off. She rubbed her foot. Something was in the hole left by the falling rock. Melinda leaned over and pulled out a worn piece of cloth. There was something wrapped in the wool. Slowly unwrapping the cloth, she saw what must have been paper at one time. Given the harsh sea air, the letter could have been written weeks or centuries ago.
    As the breeze blew over her, the fragments scattered to the wind. One piece caught her eye, as it seemed to hover in the air just out of reach.  
    A drop of sweat ran down her side, her heart beat in time to the waves, and black and blue spots formed in front of her eyes. Melinda recognized that handwriting with the swirly S and the smiley face in the bottom of the letter. Her sister had done it ever since she’d learned her letters as a child. No amount of fussing by the teachers would get Lucy to change. She said S was a happy letter.
    Lucy. The word on the scrap of paper was safe. Melinda