Read The Chevalier (Châteaux and Shadows) for Free Online Page B

caught her eye and turned sharply away.
    She dabbed more along her collarbones and let it drip a bit, too.
    His eyes darted to her neckline, and he squirmed in his seat.
    She had not felt this power over a man in years. Even the few who had tried to seduce her hadn’t seemed susceptible to her charms but were interested in her out of boredom or for her connections to the baronesse and her cabal.
    Perhaps a dalliance, after all.
    ****
    Emmanuel kept his gaze on the outriders. Not that he had any reason for concern: they were his father’s men. He had trained with some of them at Dom’s château. After the events of twelve years before, when evil men had taken over the château-fort and held Aurore prisoner, the family scrutinized and trained their guards and servants more carefully than ever. He glanced at the sleeping Mademoiselle de Fouet, wedged into the corner, her head flopping, and wondered if his mother had told her anything about that particularly dark episode in the family’s history. Much of it was common knowledge, but even Manu didn’t know exactly what the bastards had done other than scar Aurore’s face. And still no one knew who had tried to kill Dominique with a crossbow bolt.
    Mademoiselle de Fouet snorted inelegantly and turned her head to place it cheek-first against the padding of the carriage, which looked extremely uncomfortable.
    Manu swung himself around to sit next to her, leaning against the other side. He eased her over until her head rested on his shoulder, his arm around her waist. It was too hot to be pressed against each other, but there was nothing he could do about the heat.
    ****
    He woke with a start when the coach slowed and the heavy, hot lump on his shoulder pulled away. “Jeannine?” he grunted. The soft fabric wrenched out of his sweaty hand.
    “What are you doing?” demanded a lady’s voice.
    Mademoiselle de Fouet. Not pretty Jeannine from Poitou.
    He blinked and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then grunted as he rotated his wrist and bent his elbow until the pins and needles started.
    “Well?”
    “Well what?” he asked.
    “What were you doing?” Half her face was wrinkled and red, which almost made him smile. Almost. The rest of her face scowled at him.
    “You looked uncomfortable, so I was your pillow.”
    Her face flushed deeper red. “I am sure I was just fine.”
    He shrugged. “Riding backwards doesn’t do my stomach any favors.”
    “So it really had nothing to do with me.” Her eyebrows shot up, her dark brown eyes opened wide.
    He grunted in frustration. “I could have sat over here without trying to help you. The seat isn’t extremely wide, but it’s certainly enough for us each to huddle in a corner.”
    She let out a hmph and smoothed the wrinkles from her clothing, then wet her handkerchief from her wineskin and pressed it against her hot, wrinkled cheek. She took a few swallows of watered wine and stared fixedly out the window as they pulled into the inn. Manu climbed out first to hand her down, and she marched off to relieve herself. Or just to escape him.
    He sighed as he watched her brown skirts swish from side to side.
    ****
    Another day of this torture.
    Catherine sent Marie the maid scurrying to find out where they could refresh themselves while the horses were changed. She paused in the inn doorway and looked around at the clean, tidy dining area. Whatever was cooking smelled wonderful in spite of her faint nausea at being bounced around.
    She heard a step behind her and turned to see Monsieur Emmanuel.
    “We could stop here for the night,” she blurted out.
    He rolled his eyes and sighed. “We have five hours of daylight yet and can cover ten leagues more. There’s a perfectly nice inn where we will dine and sleep.”
    “We’ve been traveling for ten hours already. Surely we’ve gone farther than that.” She was rather desperate to stop jolting around. “When I rode out to la Brosse with your mother, we took it in three