dragon archives 02 - pursued by a dragon Read Online Free Page B

far end of the hall was a raised dais on which stood a covered table that ran the width of the room. There was a screen behind the table, half hiding the musicians seated behind it, some of whom strummed on lutes and citoles, while others accompanied them on timbrels. More tables flanked with benches ran along the length of the hall, stopping a few yards short of the dais.
    As Cathryn and her father entered the room, they were greeted by Thomas and Elise Bradshaw. Within moments, Thomas and Father were deep in conversation about the upcoming delegation to the king, while Cathryn and Elise shared an amused smile.
    “Come in, Cathryn,” said Elise, waving her into the room. “Most of the younger people are over there,” she said, gesturing to a crowd of people at the far end of the hall. “Why don’t you go and join them.”
    “Thank you,” Cathryn said with a smile. The group of people were laughing, and as Cathryn approached she saw that most of the crowd were familiar to her. A tall, willowy woman, strikingly dressed in a crimson gown, glanced over her shoulder; observing Cathryn’s approach, she walked over and hooked her arm through her friend’s.
    “Peggy,” Cathryn said by way of a greeting.
    “You have to come meet this most interesting man,” Peggy said softly, pulling Cathryn into the circle. “He has just returned from travels abroad, and has been entertaining us with some stories.” The bustle of Cathryn’s arrival in the group attracted the attention of the man seated in the center, and he paused to glance up at the newcomer. As Cathryn turned to look at the stranger, dark blue eyes met hers, sparkling with amusement; she felt her eyes widen in surprise.
    “Cathryn, this is Favian Drake,” announced Peggy. “Master Drake,” she said, turning to Favian, “this is Mistress Cathryn Forrester.” Cathryn stared at the man sitting before her, the color rushing to her cheeks as Favian’s mouth stretched into a slow smile. Pushing himself to his feet, he made a small bow in Cathryn’s direction before turning to the people around him.
    “Mistress Cathryn and I are already acquainted,” he announced to the circle. “In fact,” he added mischievously, casting a quick glance in Cathryn’s direction, “we became quite well acquainted when I rescued her, uh, derriere, from becoming too familiar with the mud!”
    There was a ripple of laughter through the group as Cathryn fought the blush that rose to her cheeks.
    “Really?” Peggy said, laughing. “You didn’t tell me, Cathryn!”
    “There wasn’t really anything to tell,” Cathryn said with an airy wave of her hand. “The incident was barely worth remembering. My packages were quite ruined, so everything else was forgotten.”
    Turning to Favian, she gave him a sly look. “So it was you who was my rescuer, Master, er, Drake? My apologies, I had quite forgotten.” She grinned as Favian gave a mocking salute of defeat. “Now if you will excuse me, I am in desperate need of some libation.” Turning on her heel, Cathryn walked away, her hands trembling slightly as she tried to calm her chaotic thoughts. Behind her she could hear her friends laughing, while someone chaffed Favian at his put-down.
    A long passage ran down the length of the hall, leading to the kitchens at the back of the house. There were numerous doorways between the passage and hall, and it was to one of these that Cathryn made her way now, cup of wine in hand, as she sought a moment’s privacy to regain her composure. She had just stepped into the passage when she felt warm fingers curl around her arm. Startled, she glanced around, relaxing only slightly when she saw who it was tugging her towards a small nook in the passage.
    “Oh, it’s you,” she said.
    “Yes, you do remember me, don’t you?” Favian asked. The passage was dingy, with the light from the hall providing the only illumination, but even so, she could see the flash of his eyes as he spoke. They