Read Lady Fortune for Free Online Page A

as possible.
    “And if you’re concerned about dealing with Father Paulus in the future, let me give you a bit of advice. Listen chastely, never talk back, and then follow your heart. You have a good heart, my lady—anyone can tell that at a glance. I sense that the fool does as well, no matter what game he’s playing. Just keep clear of the abbot and you’ll be fine. If I know the good abbot, he’ll be concentrating on the earl and his new lady. He’s an ambitious man— he’s never had much time for those without power.”
    “And I’m definitely without power,” Julianna murmured. “Good night, Brother Barth.”
    “More likely good morning, my lady,” he said gently.
    She could see the first light of dawn tingeing the sky beyond the arched stone windows as she looked past him, and in the distance she could hear the faint sound of plainsong. The monastery was awakening, a new day was dawning, and her new life was about to begin.
    “Morning, indeed,” she said. And she would make the best of it.
    The courtyard was a mass of organized activity when Julianna emerged a few short hours later. The grim abbot was already astride a sturdy donkey, with a serene-looking Brother Barth beside him. Sir Richard was pacing back and forth, and Nicholas was nowhere to be seen. There was no horse waiting for her, and she accepted her future gloomily, moving toward the litter.
    “There you are, my lady,” Sir Richard said grumpily. “We had almost given up hope of you. Father Paulus, may I present her ladyship, Julianna of Moncrieff, daughter to the Countess of Fortham? This is Father Paulus, the abbot of Saint Hugelina.”
    In the cool light of dawn the abbot failed to look any more welcoming. He stared down at Julianna from his perch on the donkey, his bright, colorless eyes blazing down. “I rejoice in the knowledge that I can help lead this stray lamb back into the fold,” he intoned.
    Even Sir Richard looked startled. “Lady Julianna hasn’t strayed anywhere, my lord abbot,” he muttered.
    “We all have strayed in our hearts, Sir Richard,” the priest replied. “I will show Lady Julianna the way to forgiveness.”
    Oh, Christ
, Julianna thought miserably. It only needed this. She caught Brother Barth’s warning look and belatedly remembered his advice. She ducked her head dutifully, keeping her gaze downcast. “I look forward to your wise counsel, Father Paulus,” she murmured.
    She stole a glance at him as she was helped into the litter, but Father Paulus had already dismissed her from his attention, concentrating instead on Sir Richard.
    The litter was empty, and she told herself it was relief that swept through her, not disappointment. She hadn’t been able to rid herself of that vision of his flesh, vast expanses of golden, muscled skin, and she was just as glad someone else would have to put up with him for the final leg of this too-short journey.
    Unless Father Paulus had had his way and Master Nicholas had been whipped to a state where he was unfit to travel.
    A moment later the curtains of the litter were pushed open, and the fool was dumped inside. They moved forward immediately, before Nicholas could regain his balance, and in the curtained dimness of the litter she could barely make him out Sir Richard, or someone, had been as good as his word.
    Master Nicholas Strangefellow was bound and gagged, his saucy mouth sealed by a strip of cloth, his hands and feet tied closely with thongs of leather. He was even blindfolded, his wicked, mocking eyes sealed shut with another strip of cloth.
    She stared at him in silence as they moved forward. He had dressed, or someone had dressed him, but she could still see the golden skin of his chest as it rose and fell with the calm evenness of his breathing. He barely moved, seemingly at ease in his trussed-up state, and she told herself she should be profoundly grateful. He was in no condition to bother her during the final hours of her journey home.
    And he