Darkest Knight
Authors: Cynthia Luhrs
Darkest Knight
A Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Novel
Book 1
Cynthia Luhrs
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Darkest Knight A Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Novel
Copyright © 2016 by Cynthia Luhrs
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my fabulous editor, Arran at Editing720
To all the dreamers.
Prologue
Melinda held Emma Pittypat Rivers on her lap. The door opened and a messenger staggered in. James took the message and called for the healer. Two of his knights took the man to the kitchen. James read the missive, his face turning a grayish color. Alarm spread through her.
“Call William and Henry in from the lists.”
Melinda took Emma and put the sleeping baby in a cradle so she wouldn’t wake and start crying. “What’s happened?”
“I must speak with Henry.”
“I am here,” Henry said as he strode into the room, the rest following behind him.
James looked grim. “You should sit.”
Melinda looked at him, and some kind of unspoken message seemed to pass between them. She was glad both her sisters were spending the summer at Falconburg.
“I swore I would never breathe a word. He didn’t want you to go around stirring up trouble.”
Henry looked confused. “What the bloody hell are you on about?”
“’Tis your brother. John.”
“John is dead.”
James shook his head. “Nay. He is alive. John is the infamous bandit in the woods. He has been betrayed. Your brother is imprisoned in the tower, awaiting death.”
Present day—London, England
Anna caught a glimpse of the jewels through the crowds. The moving walkway slowly inched closer, bringing her within drooling distance of the jewels safely protected behind glass. Not paying attention, she tripped, heard a few nasty remarks, and found herself jostled back at least twenty feet. Her toe throbbed where the tall woman in front of her had stepped hard on her foot. The black canvas shoes were comfortable for walking around the city but certainly not made to protect your toes from grouchy tourists.
A large tour group pushed and shoved, and the next thing Anna knew she was at the exit. Some days being petite totally stunk.
A hand on her arm startled her. “Miss. Step aside.”
Before Anna could protest, the guard winked at her. He leaned close. “Stand here a moment, miss.”
With a deep, booming voice that reminded her of a bell, the guard called out, “The tower is closing. Walk on.”
While she waited for everyone to finish going by the jewels, Anna rubbed her ankle. It was chilly in the room and she took a moment to zip up the hoodie she’d brought with her. A t-shirt wasn’t going to cut it. She swore the woman in front of her, who looked rather like a giant possum, purposely stepped on Anna’s foot with her stiletto heels. Who wore heels to sightsee?
Her foot throbbed.
Guess that’s what you get for wearing comfortable shoes to walk around London.
The last of the crowds filed out, the woman snootily looking Anna up and down as she exited the room. The guard’s light blue eyes twinkled beneath his hat as he smiled down kindly at her.
“You remind me of my granddaughter. Lives across the pond. Married an actor.” He scratched his ear. “I’ve seen his films,” he said. “They’re all rubbish, if you ask me.”
Unable to hold it in, Anna giggled. “It sure gets crowded in here.”
“Aye. It’s almost closing time, miss. I can give you ten minutes to take a closer look.” He motioned to the jewels winking in the light.
Grateful for his kindness, she moved closer. The dark backdrop showed off the jewels to perfection. What would it be like to hold the stones in her hand? Other than the guard, she had the room to herself. Anna swore she could feel the history in the room permeating the walls. Kings and queens over the centuries looking down from above.
What must they think of the people gawking at their jewels? Likely the same as when they were in power. People then probably gaped and gawked to get a closer look at royalty and their belongings just as they did today.
It only seemed like a few minutes had passed when the guard cleared his throat. “It’s time to close up. I’ve let you stay rather longer than I should have.” He pointed to the left. “Go through the door; you’ll see signs directing you to the exit. Stay on the path. Odd things have been known to happen on the grounds after hours.”
Barely resisting the urge to hug him, Anna shook his hand instead. “You’ve been very kind to me. Thank you. It must be wonderful to come here every day to work.”
The guard, who reminded her of a kind grandfather, ducked his head. “One certainly sees interesting folks come through.” He looked at his watch. “Hurry along now. Don’t want either of us to get in trouble.”
Walking at a brisk pace down the corridor, Anna looked for the exit signs. The sound of the steel shutters reverberated down the empty hallway. Her phone told her it was a quarter after four. Fifteen minutes until everything would be locked up tight for the night. The wind rushing over the stone sounded a bit like a moan.
Anna picked up the pace, the rubber soles of her shoes quiet against the stone. Where was everybody? The workers must be pretty efficient to get everyone out so quickly. She seemed to be the only tourist left.
The signs led her outside. Where were the guards? Maybe they were locking up. She better be quick. Following the walk, she turned right to make her way back to the street exit. As she passed the White Tower, Anna hunched her shoulders. The guide said it was built to strike fear into the hearts of mere mortals. It certainly worked on her. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be imprisoned here.
Another quick glance at her watch told her she had a few precious minutes left. When she came in, Anna missed the raven’s graveyard. If she didn’t see them now, she never would. Tomorrow she planned to visit Stonehenge. Surely she would have time to take a super-fast look.
The guide said there were seven ravens in residence at the tower, the required six and one to spare. She’d always been fascinated by the big blackbirds. Though she thought what they ate was a little bit disgusting. Biscuits and blood. Gross. The man said the birds ate raw meat every day, plus the bird biscuits soaked in blood. So not a job she’d want. No way would she ever complain about picking up dirty dishes after customers left the diner.
Black feathers caught her eye and she squinted to make out the marker the raven sat atop. The bird seemed to be saying,
Aren’t I fabulous?
Raindrops spattered the screen of her phone as she snapped a picture to post. The dark clouds overhead made her hurry.
Somehow she must’ve turned left when she should have turned right, because now Anna found herself far from the main exit. It was plenty warm outside, but with the rain she started to feel chilly. Where was a guard or guide when you needed them? Thunder cracked overhead and Anna looked for a place to shelter until the rain stopped. Great, just great. Ever since she was little, Anna hated thunderstorms. Surely they wouldn’t mind if she waited a few more minutes?
The plaque informed her she was in the Bloody Tower. The next boom made her jump. The air smelled like wet stone and something electrical burning. She hunched her shoulders and leaned back against the wall inside the doorway, trying to make herself small.
Something clicked. Anna fell backward into darkness.
“Ouch.”
She landed awkwardly on her sore ankle. With her thumb she slid the phone on to use it as a flashlight. A rat scurried by, making her shriek. There was the faint outline of a door. With a finger, she traced the lines of cold stone, looking for a way to open the secret door.
No matter what she did, it wouldn’t open. Anna screamed and pounded on the stone but no one came. They probably couldn’t hear her behind the stone walls, especially with the storm raging outside. While Anna hoped the history of the tower would seep into her pores, this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.
The bright light of the phone showed her a set of stairs. Up or down? No way up would lead outside. Down, then. The narrow steps curved to the right. Good—if she kept to the right she out to come out near the gates. Fingers crossed.
The stairs ended in a small room with two doors and an open corridor. Neither door would budge. She kept walking down the hallway, looking for a way out. It seemed like she’d been here an awful long time. At first Anna thought maybe the guards used the passages to travel between the buildings. But when she shined the light on the floor, it looked like the dust hadn’t been disturbed in ages. Cobwebs brushed her hair and she saw two more rats while she made her way through the stone passageways.