Music for My Soul Read Online Free Page A

of him. Although she was very tall, she was slim, as light as the rushes covering the floors of the Great Hall. She shifted, obviously uncomfortable at first, until he shifted her back closer to his chest. He felt her stiffen at the contact, her back ramrod straight, holding her lute out to her side.
    “My lady, I fear you think me forward, but I must know that you are secure,” he assured her. Gently, he added, “I would like to hold you in place. The road is bumpy at times, and you have had enough mishaps this night. I would not want you to take a sudden spill.”
    She turned and eyed him with suspicion for a moment. Then she seemed to come to a decision about him. Her posture, though still erect, seemed to relax a bit, as did her facial features. For a moment, Garrett thought he caught a glimpse of a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth.
    “I’ve no interest in flying off and landing in a ditch, Sir Garrett. How would you have me sit?”
    He hesitated, finding her an enigma. One minute she was shy and unsure of herself, the next haughty and arrogant. Just like a Montayne, he thought wryly.
    “More like this, my lady,” he answered, and he moved her slightly to one side, bringing his arm about her waist lightly to hold her in place.
    She became still as a stone. He could not even detect a breath coming from her.
    Concerned, he asked, “Can you ride thus, my lady?”
    She remained motionless for a long moment. Finally, he felt her exhale. “Of course, Sir Garrett. Shall we start?”
    “We need to secure your lute,” he told her. “Obviously, it means a great deal to you. May I allow Sir Ashby to attach it to his saddle? I don’t think I can manage it and you, Lady Montayne.”
    She shook her head and tightened her grip on the instrument. “I’ll vouch for my friend, my lady. He’ll take good care of it.”
    With a sigh, she nodded curtly and allowed him to slip the lute from her hands. He handed the instrument over to Ashby. “Attach this to your saddle, Ash. And guard it with your life.”
    His friend nodded agreeably, a ghost of a smile still hovering about his mouth. Both men spurred their horses and set off.
    Although headed toward a popular city such as London, the road was neither large nor smooth. Thick, green foliage lined the pathway, with an occasional tree limb having blown across the way. Boulders littered the thoroughfare and were difficult to see in the moonlight that came and went in odd snatches.
    Garrett found it hard to keep Ebony at a canter with so many bumps along the way. The woman sat straight as a board in front of him, only touching him the few times the holes in the road forced her to tighten his hold on his passenger’s narrow waist. He found her slender build deceptive. She had soft curves that melted into him when Ebony sidestepped a piece of debris or tried to avoid a rut.
    Garrett found the contact pleasurable, yet it filled him with guilt. Though he’d not led the life of a monk since Lynnette had left, having such sweet temptation literally in his lap caused his mind to race in directions he knew it shouldn’t go. He willed himself to concentrate on the road and not the woman in his arms, though it seemed an impossible task.
    The night wind grew cooler as they rode, and as she shivered, Garrett noticed for the first time that she was without a cloak. Rather than listen to another outrageous tale of how she’d lost it, he simply drew his own cloak from where it whipped in the wind behind him and wrapped it around them both. She went rigid at his touch, but he tucked the cape securely about her, nonetheless. Immediately, her chills ceased, and he sensed the tension draining from her.
    A faint, “Thank you, my lord,” swept back to him, so soft that he wasn’t sure if she had spoken or if it was the whistle of the wind.
    After an hour of silence, the road smoothed once again. Gradually, Garrett felt her become limp in his arms. Instinctively, he cradled her till she