The Iron Knight (The De Russe Legacy Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

It had not been a happy moment in the life of a man who had known more than his share of unhappiness.
    Colton felt a good deal of pity for Lucien; he truly did. The man wanted nothing more than to live a quiet life, alone, and die old and warm in his bed. But that was evidently not to be. The king had other ideas about one of his favorite warriors.
    Ideas that this particular warrior was not receptive to.
    “Well,” Colton said thoughtfully, “I can always have a horde of soldiers ambush her and her father on the road and chase them home. Would that be your pleasure, my lord?”
    Lucien scowled. “It would be, but I would be in a good deal of trouble if I let you do that,” he said. Then, he lifted his dark eyebrows as if a thought had just occurred to him. “Why don’t you charm her, Colton? You are much better looking than I am. Why don’t you make her fall in love with you so that she will not want to marry me?”
    Colton saw very little humor in that suggestion. “Not I.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because I am too young to marry.”
    “I could command it, you know.”
    “Nay, you cannot. I will refuse.”
    “You would refuse a direct order?”
    Colton nodded firmly. “I will run straight to Henry and tell him what you have done.” He pointed a finger at Lucien. “You may be able to force me into submission, but Henry shall have the last laugh, Lord Tytherington. Mark my words.”
    Lucien’s scowl grew. “Cheeky bastard,” he grumbled. He watched Colton stand there with a rather triumphant expression on his face and it infuriated him. “Do what you like, then. I am going on a ride to clear my head before this… this succubus arrives with her father. She is going to bleed me dry, I know it.”
    Colton bit off a grin. “She very well may be a nice girl.”
    Lucien simply growled and rolled his eyes, turning to quit the chamber. Colton, now grinning, followed.
    They were in the keep of Spelthorne Castle, a bastion that had been built much in the style of Sherborne Castle to the southwest. The land in the area, as a whole, was rather flat with great groves of trees and wild growth. There were no hills to speak of, at least hills enough to constitute the high ground, so Spelthorne had been built in the middle of a flat plain, built up on a mound of earth that had been dug out from the moat which surrounded it. Twenty-foot walls surrounded the grounds, which were comprised of a three-storied keep, square and broad, a hall, stables, an enormous troop house, kitchens, and even a garden. The garden, however, was for vegetables and herbs, not flowers, and the kitchen servants tended it. It was fairly extensive.
    In all, Spelthorne was the seat of the Tytherington Barony, something Lucien was quite proud of. The king had gifted it to him several years ago as a reward for meritorious service to the crown and Lucien kept the peace for Henry from Shaftesbury to the west and Salisbury to the east, Warminster to the north and Fordingbridge to the south. It was quite a large territory but Lucien had over a thousand men sworn to him alone, plus he also housed another one thousand of Henry’s troops. Combined, he had more than enough men to cover the territory and the Tytherington Barony was one of the most powerful in southern England. Where The Iron Knight reigned, men were naturally respectful.
    Men were naturally wary, too, of a knight who was more apt to show action first and talk later. Lucien had that reputation. He always brought might to any disturbance or contention to secure the situation before getting to the meat of the crisis. Lucien had lived too long and had seen too many things to behave in any other fashion. He hadn’t time for men’s foolery or politics. His job was one of service and peace, and he did both admirably.
    At the moment, however, he was in a situation where his usual forthright manner or an armed force would do no good, unless he wanted Colton to send out men to ambush his betrothed and her