A Bit of Heaven on Earth Read Online Free

is with his sword. A son any mother would be proud of. I have kept my secret all these years, Father. ‘Twas my sin to bear. I have suffered in silence so that my son would become lord of Ashgrove.”
    The priest murmured soft words of absolution, but Berwyn blocked them out. He forced his clenched fists to open and took a calming breath. His face now a blank mask, he strode through the room and placed a hand on the clergyman’s back.
    “Forgive my earlier outburst, Father. I regret the harsh words I spoke to my wife. I have come to beg her forgiveness, as she is so near to death.”
    He gave Gillian a soft smile before looking again at the cleric. “Would you allow us some privacy?”
    Father Michael turned and shuffled from the room, shaking his head as he mumbled to himself. Berwyn waited till he heard the door close before he looked at his traitorous wife.
    Her beauty had faded long ago. Only her eyes burned brightly in her shriveled face. They held his, questioning, unsure why he would offer her an apology.
    “You’re right, my dear,” he said almost tenderly. “I won’t beg your pardon.” Berwyn moved closer to the bed, breathing from his mouth so as to keep the scent of death from him.
    He placed his hands upon her bony shoulders and gripped her tightly as he brought his face close to hers. The fear in her eyes brought a smile to his face.
    “I am here to tell you one thing, Wife. Your bastard child will never be master of Ashgrove. Never .”
    Tears sprang to her eyes as he watched the realization seep through her.
    “Yes, I heard your confession.” Berwyn lifted a hand from her shoulder and wound his fingers around a lock of her graying hair. “I may have been fooled for years, but no more. Gavin is as good as dead to me.”
    He smiled at her. “As are you.”
    With a swift movement, Berwyn pulled a pillow from behind Gillian’s back and pressed it to her face. She struggled briefly, but the disease that ravaged her body had robbed her strength. When she ceased moving, he lifted the pillow and returned it from where it came.
    She lay with eyes open, full of fright. Berwyn steeled himself and brushed his palm across her face, closing her lids. He straightened the bedclothes and then went across the room. Opening the casket that contained all of her jewels, he pawed through the contents, choosing a circlet to place inside his tunic. Clarine’s golden tresses would look lovelier than usual now.
    He returned to the bed and knelt next to it. He took one of her hands in his. Already it was cool to his touch. He bit his tongue hard to give him a pained look, one that he hoped would pass for sorrow, and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
    “Sweet Jesu! Come quickly! My wife is dead.”

 
    CHAPTER 2
    France, 1356
    Gavin of Ashgrove awakened quickly, as always, his body instantly tense, hand upon his sword. Well before daylight, he would once again follow the Black Prince into battle against the French.
    At five and ten years, he had stood as large as any grown man a decade ago when he acted as squire to Lord Aldred, who gave him permission to ride into the skirmish that lay ahead.
    “If young Edward can lead troops into battle only a year older than you, Gavin, I suppose the time has come for you to ride by my side.”
    Gavin fought valiantly that day, Aldred serving as his guide. Young Prince Edward had been far outnumbered by French troops, yet the royal youth guided the English lines into holding their position on the hill and on to victory. Gavin continued the fight until Edward’s army, weakened by illness, was forced into battle by a vastly superior French army. Fortunately, the English longbow had again triumphed at Crecy, before the English had returned to England.
    Gavin itched for war again these past ten years, when a lull in the fighting occurred. The Great Pestilence swept across Europe, and no man was safe on the battlefield from its long arm. He’d spent the time at home, happy to be back