Page 29 of Chivalry in the Meadow
Mia continued fussing with her costume as she finished dressing.
“God almighty, how am I supposed to bend in this bodice?” Mia complained as she picked up the black and gold cotton ankle-length skirt, to shake the wrinkles out of it.
She slipped it over her head, then tried twirling around ineffectually to see how it looked. But without a mirror, she couldn’t tell.
“Well, it will have to do.” Mia sighed. “All I wanted was a chance to get away for a bit, a chance to find a good man, and where do I end up? Cinched into a bodice. Now I’d better hurry if I’m going to eat breakfast.”
She heard a thundering noise in the distance, and wondered what that was, as it didn’t sound like the kind of thunder that came with rain.
Skirt finally in place, she stepped out of the tent, and hearing that thundering noise closer, turned her head to look toward the sound, stepping straight into the path of a galloping steed heading right for her.
The white shape loomed up from the left side of her vision and as she turned to face what it was, she saw the large white horse with a man on its back.
She spun to her left toward the tent to escape being run down.
Suddenly a strong muscular arm reached around her waist, from her right side, scooping her up.
She screamed.
Mia was plopped onto her rear, on top of a muscular thigh, as she continued to scream. The horse reared up, making her scream even more, as the man holding her pulled hard on the reins to stop.
The horse’s hooves landed hard as he stopped. With that, Mia stopped screaming and tried to catch her breath.
The man, she realized now that they were so close, was Sir Cedric.
Close as they were, he was even more handsome. And she was sitting on his muscular thigh which she’d so admired yesterday.
“You bloody idiotic fool!” Sir Alaric, the handsome, dark-haired knight, came running as he yelled and then swore at Sir Cedric, a word Mia wouldn’t have repeated.
As they stopped, he stalked closer, his eyes narrowed in anger.
Mia tried to get her breathing and heartbeat under control.
“Stupid! What the hell did you think you were doing?” Sir Alaric scowled at Sir Cedric. You know not to ride through here like that! You could have killed someone! Are you completely daft, or do you just look it?”
Mia stared at Sir Alaric as Sir Cedric held onto her tightly. She sensed that Sir Alaric was angry because she could’ve been harmed.
How mortifying. My first morning at the Faire, and already I’m being almost run over by a big, handsome knight on his steed.
The other knights had now gathered around them as they’d come from the knight’s tented area at the other end of the row.
She felt she’d made a spectacle of herself in front of them all. Her cheeks heated.
“Having a bit of trouble with your wench?” Sir Thorne asked, his voice dry and sarcastic. He held back further than the other knights, as if he wasn’t a part of their group.
“Let go of her, you damned fool,” Sir Elias said as he approached.
“Clearly the lady wants away from you,” Sir Gareth said. “A fact that illustrates her obvious good taste and intelligence.” He directed his attention to Mia. “My lady” he bowed. “I am your humble servant. If you’ll allow me to remove you from the knave Sir Cedric’s slug of a horse, I shall assist.”
Sir Alaric said nothing but reached for Mia to help her down.
Mia felt his warm hands upon her as he pulled her toward him, but she didn’t move far.
She was still held tight by Sir Cedric, as he tugged back. “If it is not obvious to you, I saved her,” he said. “And clearly, she shoved her breasts at me. Which she certainly wouldn’t have done if she didn’t want to be near me.”
Mia gasped. “I did no such thing!”
“Let go of her before you hurt her,” Sir Alaric said, his voice low with a warning of what he would do should Sir Cedric hurt her.
