BooksBarbecue
Back Master of Dragons Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  2. PROLOGUE
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. EPILOGUE

Evelina would have liked to have ridden pillion with the prince—her arms clasped tightly about Marcus’s waist, her body snuggled against his—but when she suggested it, Marcus refused, adding that he would be riding hard and he did not want her to get hurt. And, indeed, when he left the village, he put his spurs to his horse and galloped off down the road, taking his escort by surprise, so that the knights had to spur their own horses to catch up with him. Sir Troeven ordered one of his squires to remain behind to guard Evelina.

She could have argued and probably got her own way, but, remembering that she might be pregnant, she didn’t want the seed jounced out of her, and so she chose to accept the prince’s decision. She would follow along with the rest of the baggage, as one of the knights remarked. Evelina heard him, but she didn’t mind. So long as the baggage was carried into the prince’s castle, that was fine with her.

She rode behind the servant—a young lad of fourteen who smelled of garlic and had pock-marked skin. Her escort set a leisurely pace. As they sauntered along, they came upon Jorge, sitting on a piece of driftwood, mending his net.

This time, he carefully kept his eyes on his work.

Evelina held her head high, pretending not to notice him. But when they had ridden past, she glanced over her shoulder.

He was a fine-looking man. He would give her a fine-looking son. Evelina sighed a little sigh and then set her face forward. She was pleased. She had Marcus bound by chains of iron that, if he chose, could be chains of silk. Evelina meant what she had said about loving Marcus. She did love him in her own way. Her love was a selfish love, founded on her own self-interest, but, in her experience, that was how love made the world go round. As for Marcus, he would get over his snit. He was a man, and she had never met the man she couldn’t lure into her bed. She could still feel Marcus’s kisses from last night, and she’d seen desire prick him this morning. He’d get over being upset and—once he’d married her—(she was aiming for marriage now, after what he’d put her through last night) she would make him glad he did.

And her son would be a fisherman’s son. Not the son of a monster!

30