Return of the Rose Read Online Free

of the ugliest man in the world.
     
    ~~~~
     
    Nightfall had come and gone by the time Morgan awoke. The steady beat of the horse’s gait told her she had yet to return to her time. Every muscle ached. Her bottom felt as if it had been shot full of Novocain. She rubbed her eyes and when she opened them, she nearly fell off the horse.
    Braddock was indeed a castle, a mighty fortress with massive towers surrounded by high stone walls.
    The sun’s morning light peeked over the horizon and thin curls of smoke appeared above the castle. They rode down a hill and passed by an orchard. The scent of burning iron and manure intermingled with the smell of fruit. People stopped to stare. Most of the men had short-cropped hair above the ears. They wore brown tunics, thick hose, and leather boots. The women wore frowns and gave her sour looks.
    Morgan frowned. “What’s wrong with them?”
    “I told you before,” Emmon said. “Nobody betrays his lordship by running away. ‘Tis unheard of.”
    Shivers coursed over her. If these people truly believed her to be the woman who had betrayed their lord, would she be sliced and diced? Hung by a thick scratchy rope from an ancient tree? Maybe his lordship would spare her her life and relieve her of only a finger or two. She eyed her pinky with misgiving.
    “My lady! My lady!” a woman shouted, pushing her way through the crowd.
    Emmon pulled back on the reins while Hugo rode on toward the stables.
    “Young knight. Help her ladyship down,” the woman ordered.
    Emmon obeyed, dropping Morgan into the plump woman’s arms before clicking the reins and heading toward the stables.
    Tired of being thrown around like a sack of potatoes, she glared at Emmon’s backside as he rode off.
    “Lady Amanda, did those blackguards hurt you?”
    Gray strands of hair stuck out from beneath the woman’s headgear. Her long shirt-like dress was stained and her hands were callused. Both eyes appeared cloudy as if she had cataracts.
    “Nobody hurt me,” Morgan assured the woman before lowering her voice. “And my name isn’t Amanda. It’s Morgan Hayes.”
    The woman wagged a finger in her face. “Your father warned me of your spoiled ways, my lady. Although we’ve had only a short time to become acquainted, I am not so easily fooled. If you believe, I, Odelia Beaumaris, will fall for this newest ploy of yours, you are gravely mistaken.” She clutched onto Morgan’s arm and firmly ushered her through the growing number of onlookers.
    “You have gone too far,” the woman said under her breath, “dragging me across the countryside, letting me dry your tears. And what do you do to thank me? You run away, leaving me with Lord Vanguard’s men. And all the while you meant to meet with Robert?”
    “Robert?” Morgan asked.
    The woman huffed. “So this is the game you wish to play?”
    Morgan didn’t know what to say to that so she kept quiet while the castle folk gawked and pointed, stealing what little optimism she was trying hard to hang on to. The outer gates were open. She could run, but where to? This was a crazy horrible nightmare that refused to end. Dismayed, she decided once again that it may be in her best interest to play the part of Amanda for a bit longer. Feigning remorse, she looked to the ground and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what has gotten into me lately.”
    A smile crossed Odelia’s face, revealing a row of gray-brown teeth. “Oh, my lady, I am glad you are safe. Verily you try my patience but you are here and you are safe. Now tell me, when did you learn to speak in such a curious fashion?”
    “Well, you see…when I left you and those men, I-er-I think I fell. Yes, that’s it. I fell and hit my head on a rock. More like a boulder,” she amended when skepticism crept into Odelia’s hazy eyes. “When I awoke, a gang of foul-smelling men surrounded me. And then…Van Gogh’s men came.”
    “Vanguard’s men,” Odelia cut in, eyeing her