Read Forever Knight: Thornton Brothers Time Travel (A Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Book 2) for Free Online Page A

grinned. “And archers on the battlements.”
    “Exactly.”
    “The walls are forty feet high and fifteen feet thick. The portcullis is closed every night, so if you’re not back by eleven, you’ll be stuck outside.”
    She touched the grooves in the wall, imagining the gate slamming closed, trapping her. “What are they made out of?”
    “Oak and iron.”
    Unfortunately, she could imagine all too well the iron spikes on the bottom landing on the enemy. Picking up the pace, she passed the driver, ignoring the chuckle. Maybe in the spring she could come back to see the gardens in bloom. In the pictures they’d looked breathtaking. Now the landscape was sleeping, waiting to come to life again when the weather turned. The gardens were laid out in a formal design, and she itched to walk through them, positive there would be a secret garden waiting to be discovered.  
    The huge wooden doors to the castle opened, and an older man wearing a dark suit came out to greet them. He looked to be in his mid-seventies.
    “To the rose room?”
    “Thank you, Francis.”  
    The driver smiled at her. “I’ll take your bags up, miss. Have a lovely stay.”  
    “I will, thank you.”
    The man in the dark suit with bright blue eyes clasped his hands before him. “Miss Elizabeth Smith. Welcome to Highworth.” He sounded very serious when he said, “I am Featherton. My family has served Highworth since ’twas built.” His eyes twinkled, “I read your essay. A lovely piece. We’re glad to have you for the week.”
    “I still can’t believe I won.” To his credit, he pretended not to notice her hair. Sure, she could have gotten it colored back, but she’d run out of time and decided to take care of it one day when she was out and about or when she returned home.
    She followed him inside the castle, telling herself to close her mouth and not act like a country mouse come to the city for the first time. It was as ornate and over the top inside as it was outside. There were priceless tapestries on the walls—walls covered with elaborate wainscoting and what looked like silk fabric in a vivid shade of royal blue. From the inside she almost forgot she was in a castle, which was slightly disappointing. A small part of her had hoped for gray stone walls and torches. Perhaps a big, shaggy dog in front of the hearth.
    The space was luxurious, the smell of hothouse flowers scenting the air. This wasn’t at all what she’d expected. It was like being inside a mansion. The floors were tiled in ornate patterns and covered with sumptuous-looking rugs that she was afraid to step on, for fear she’d soil them with her muddy boots.
    “This is the great hall. After you’ve unpacked, perhaps the lady would like to sit by the fire. Martha will bring tea and biscuits.”
    “That sounds divine. This place is amazing.” There were dining tables lined up in a row with benches and high-backed chairs. Enough to easily seat fifty or more people. At the end of the cavernous room was a raised dais where she could easily picture the lord of the castle sprawled out in a chair, looking down on all that was his. Resisting the urge to shout “off with their heads,” she followed Featherton through the ornate room.
    “The kitchens are there. Breakfast is served at eight, luncheon at noon, cocktails at five, and dinner at seven.” The man sniffed. “The cleaning women were here yesterday, so other than Martha and I, you won’t see anyone about.”
    He opened a set of doors, through which she spied a masculine-looking study. More rugs from faraway lands, dark green walls covered with paintings surrounded by thick gold frames, and the desk. The desk alone made her drool, pulled a thread inside, unraveling a need to put down roots with this desk at its center. She wanted this desk something fierce.
    “If you’ll follow me, the library is this way.”
    Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from the desk, the temptation of a library pulling her