Hearts Across Time (The Knights of Berwyck: A Quest Through Time Novel ~ Books 1 & 2) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Sherry Ewing
king. Riorden’s goodbyes were brief and to the point, for there was no sense dwelling on what this place had come to mean to him. Dristan lifted his hand in farewell, and he returned the gesture. Gathering the reins of his mount, he turned his mighty war horse and proceeded through the inner and outer baileys.
He looked back only once to see Berwyck off in the distance, afore he turned his attention to the road ahead of him. At least, he was not alone with only Patrick for a traveling companion. Aiden had joined his company.
Chapter 3
Bamburgh, England
Present Day, Spring
K atherine pulled into the car park of the inn. With a heavy sigh of relief, she turned off the rental car. Leaning her head back, she gratefully closed her eyes amid kudos from her friends for her driving skill. Skill…that word was almost a joke, considering her hands felt as if they were still clenched in a steely grip on the wheel. Driving on the wrong side of the road with everything she knew about driving being backwards was no small feat, and she was glad to have this last leg of their journey at an end.
The four women unloaded their luggage and started making their way to check in. The hotel was small, cozy looking, and fashioned in a lovely Tudor style. Upon entering, Katherine could almost envision the dark paneled room from days of old, filled with locals as they drank their mead or lounged near the fireplace that took the chill from the room. Although exhausted, she took a moment to look with longing out the window at a small portion of Bamburgh Castle in the distance. As much as she wanted to rush there to see its sights, it would have to wait until the morning. With the coming sunset, visiting hours would soon be over for the day.
“Katie,” Juliana called as she waited on the stairs with Emily. “Are you coming?”
Brianna came up next to Katherine and gently took her bag. “It’s been standing there for centuries waiting for you, sis.” Katherine’s face must have shown her desire for where her heart really wanted to take her. “It will still be there for you tomorrow.”
Turning her gaze from the window, she slowly made her way up the stairs, feeling as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. Brianna opened the bedroom door, since it was their turn to share a room. It was quaint with tiny lavender floral wallpaper on the walls, rich mahogany bedposts, and easy-on-the-eye, pale blue quilts for bedspreads. Katherine went to one of the beds and lay down as visions of their trip flashed in her memory.
To say this had been a dream vacation would be an understatement. Between the four of them, they had spent a small fortune, but it had been worth every penny. Traveling throughout Scotland and England, they had hit as many sights as they could cram into one day and gotten a good taste of what life here was all about. Emily had looked as though she felt she had tasted heaven itself, Brianna had been busy composing a song, Juliana’s pen never seemed to stop its writing unless she was to take her turn at the wheel, and as for herself…well…Katherine felt that if she were to die tomorrow, she would be content.
There had only been one time that had marred an otherwise perfect vacation for Katherine. The ruins of Warkworth Castle, where they had stopped on their way to Bamburgh, had brought her to her knees in grief. She had no clue as to why such was the case. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t seen other similar ruins that had also saddened her in their travels within the past week. But for some unknown reason, she couldn’t find any comfort in the hollow shell of the keep, which the ravages of time had been rather unkind to over the centuries. She had almost felt as if a piece of her, inside, had died that day, especially when her friends had to help her from the ground.
Was that really only yesterday? she wondered, not for the first time this day. What was it about those ruins that could have affected her so?
He looked back only once to see Berwyck off in the distance, afore he turned his attention to the road ahead of him. At least, he was not alone with only Patrick for a traveling companion. Aiden had joined his company.
Chapter 3
Bamburgh, England
Present Day, Spring
K atherine pulled into the car park of the inn. With a heavy sigh of relief, she turned off the rental car. Leaning her head back, she gratefully closed her eyes amid kudos from her friends for her driving skill. Skill…that word was almost a joke, considering her hands felt as if they were still clenched in a steely grip on the wheel. Driving on the wrong side of the road with everything she knew about driving being backwards was no small feat, and she was glad to have this last leg of their journey at an end.
The four women unloaded their luggage and started making their way to check in. The hotel was small, cozy looking, and fashioned in a lovely Tudor style. Upon entering, Katherine could almost envision the dark paneled room from days of old, filled with locals as they drank their mead or lounged near the fireplace that took the chill from the room. Although exhausted, she took a moment to look with longing out the window at a small portion of Bamburgh Castle in the distance. As much as she wanted to rush there to see its sights, it would have to wait until the morning. With the coming sunset, visiting hours would soon be over for the day.
“Katie,” Juliana called as she waited on the stairs with Emily. “Are you coming?”
Brianna came up next to Katherine and gently took her bag. “It’s been standing there for centuries waiting for you, sis.” Katherine’s face must have shown her desire for where her heart really wanted to take her. “It will still be there for you tomorrow.”
Turning her gaze from the window, she slowly made her way up the stairs, feeling as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. Brianna opened the bedroom door, since it was their turn to share a room. It was quaint with tiny lavender floral wallpaper on the walls, rich mahogany bedposts, and easy-on-the-eye, pale blue quilts for bedspreads. Katherine went to one of the beds and lay down as visions of their trip flashed in her memory.
To say this had been a dream vacation would be an understatement. Between the four of them, they had spent a small fortune, but it had been worth every penny. Traveling throughout Scotland and England, they had hit as many sights as they could cram into one day and gotten a good taste of what life here was all about. Emily had looked as though she felt she had tasted heaven itself, Brianna had been busy composing a song, Juliana’s pen never seemed to stop its writing unless she was to take her turn at the wheel, and as for herself…well…Katherine felt that if she were to die tomorrow, she would be content.
There had only been one time that had marred an otherwise perfect vacation for Katherine. The ruins of Warkworth Castle, where they had stopped on their way to Bamburgh, had brought her to her knees in grief. She had no clue as to why such was the case. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t seen other similar ruins that had also saddened her in their travels within the past week. But for some unknown reason, she couldn’t find any comfort in the hollow shell of the keep, which the ravages of time had been rather unkind to over the centuries. She had almost felt as if a piece of her, inside, had died that day, especially when her friends had to help her from the ground.
Was that really only yesterday? she wondered, not for the first time this day. What was it about those ruins that could have affected her so?
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