One True Knight (The Knights of Honor Trilogy) Read Free

women envied. But unlike her mother, Rowena was not interested in clothing or how she looked in them.
    She draped the emerald fabric on her arm, and caressed the silky material. “The coarse wool will irritate your soft skin,” she said, her disdain evident. “Why would you want to wear it?”
    “Just put it on,” Rowena commanded, her earlier amusement now gone. “I do not hear of the servants complaining about what they wear.”
    Ava threw up her hands in defeat, and looked heavenward as if to ask God for more patience. She set the emerald gown aside. “You are not privy to their complaints,” she said. Then making quick work, she threw the serviceable gown over Rowena’s head.
    Rowena raised her hands to unloosen her hair, but Ava brushed them away. With none-too-gentle hands, Ava undid Rowena’s hair from its braids, allowing her long black tresses to flow down in a soft mass. She then turned her charge around, and clucked her tongue as if she had never seen anything so horrendous.
    “These clothes make you look hideous, child,” she said.
    Rowena draped the worn cloak on her shoulders, and pulled the hood over her head, obscuring her long hair. “That my dear Ava,” she said, smiling with satisfaction, “is my intent. Do I look poor enough to pass as a villein?”
    “Most people want to look wealthy, not poor,” Ava said, placing her arms across her chest.
    “You know me well, Ava.” She smiled, and shrugged indifferently. “Have you ever known me to be like most people?”
    Ava shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “God knows you are a little too different from most people. You used to play sword with the boys rather than focus on your lessons. Even now I suspect that you want to play with weapons, but you are intelligent enough to know that working on softer, more womanly skills is much more desirable.”
    “But you have not answered whether I look like a villein, Ava.” Rowena twirled around in the coarse gown and looked at her nursemaid with uncertainty.
    Ava let out a weary sigh, and sat down on the bed. “Aye, child. You could easily pass as a country maiden, albeit a comely one. However, if someone were to take a closer look at you, they will know that you are not a peasant. You have an unconscious bearing, a bearing that is inborn and that no commoner can emulate.”
    Rowena nodded. “I shall remember that and will be more conscious on how I carry myself.” She frowned. “What do you suppose I should do? Should I hunch my back? Perhaps I should limp a little?”
    “A change of clothes or a physical affliction cannot hide who you are inside, child,” Ava said, rolling her eyes.
    Rowena paid no attention to Ava but stared at the tapestry instead, her eyebrows knitted in thought. Ava put a gentle hand on her arm, reminding her of her presence.
    “Need I remind you that the gates are locked at dusk?” she said. “‘Tis already dark outside, and the porter will not allow you to pass through the gates without good reason.”
    “The porter will not even know whether anyone passes through the gates, seeing that he is likely bloated with drink and probably asleep,” Rowena said.
    “Be that it may be true, however ‘tis still dangerous for a woman to be out wandering outside the castle walls without a chaperone. The outlaws prey on those who are without protection. ‘Tis not safe and I cannot allow you to go alone.”
    Rowena’s eyes flickered with anger. “I did not say that I am leaving the castle walls this night,” she said.
    “You do not have to, child,” Ava said, looking pointedly at the worn tunic on her person. “Your father will more than harm me if I allow you to step out of the protection of this castle.”
    Rowena compressed her lips into a thin angry line, her eyes flashing. Although she didn’t like to admit it, her temper was nearly as great as her father’s. “You need not fear for my safety,” she said. “I can handle a dagger as well as any