The Untamed Warrior's Bride
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Michelle Willingham
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Prologue
‘Now, remember who you are. Say it again.’
Wenda of Grevershire stared down at him, her blue eyes revealing a stony indifference.
‘I’m the true heir to Penrith,’ Piers replied. He tried to sound brave, though a chill threaded through his guts. His stomach gnawed with hunger, but he knew better than to ask his mother for food. She’d cuffed his ear when he’d mentioned it last night. They had travelled for three days, and now they stood outside the castle keep and the surrounding walls of Penrith.
‘This is where you belong,’ Wenda told him. Though his mother’s gown was made of silk, it had worn down over the years. The hem had frayed, and the blue colour had long since faded. Even so, she carried herself as a lady. ‘You are going to live here in the castle and work at whatever tasks they give you. Learn this place,’ she insisted. ‘You’ll have to if you intend to rule over it one day.’ Her eyes gleamed with intensity, laced with anger.
Piers stared at her, not knowing what she meant by that. He could never rule over Penrith, despite her claims. He couldn’t be anything more than what he was—a bastard son his father knew nothing about.
Wenda handed him the small bundle of his belongings, and he suddenly realised what was happening. ‘You’re leaving me?’ His voice revealed his uncertainty, and he tried to stand up straighter. He was eleven years old, and somehow, he’d thought she was coming too.
‘I must,’ she said. ‘But heed my words and remember them. I was betrothed to the Earl of Penrith before you were born. A betrothal is the same as a marriage, binding in the church.’ Her eyes glittered with fury, and she stared at the fortress. ‘He may have abandoned me, but you are his true heir. You were born first before he set me aside and took that harlot as his wife. And I will have my vengeance on Degal. I swear it on my life.’
Her words bordered on madness, and Piers looked down at the ground. Wenda gripped his hair and forced him to look at her. ‘Learn about the family, all their secrets. Find the whore’s son Robert and befriend him. Earn his trust.’ She smiled slowly. ‘And when the time comes, you will take your place at Penrith.’
When the time came for what? He didn’t ask her but gripped the bundle in his hands.
Then Wenda rested her hand on his shoulder. ‘Gleda will help you. She used to be my maid, years ago. She will give you a place to sleep.’
A hollow feeling of loss surrounded him. She truly planned to leave him here with these strangers. The iciness tightened, numbing him deep inside. ‘Will I see you again, Mother?’
‘You will,’ she agreed. ‘But not for some time. They need to accept you first. Let them believe you are alone.’
Piers wanted to hug her, but Wenda pulled away when he tried to step towards her.
‘There’s one more thing.’ Her voice held a coolness, and something about her tone made him want to shrink away. ‘The harlot’s son has been ill. I’ve sent a vial of special medicine for Robert. Give it to Gleda along with the letter I wrote.’
‘She can read?’ he interrupted. He had never learned how.
‘Yes, she can read. The letter tells her of the medicine and how to make more. Tell her to burn the letter after she’s read it.’
Wenda rested her hands upon his shoulders and bent down. ‘It is very important that the harlot’s son takes his medicine every day. He may be ill, but this medicine will help him.’
The slight smile on her face made him uneasy. Something about her words did not sound truthful, but Piers dared not accuse her of lying.
‘Now take this letter with you and go to the gates,’ she said. ‘Tell the guards you have a message for Lord Penrith. Deliver it to him and then find Gleda later that night.’
‘What does the message say?’ he asked.
‘It tells him that you are his son. You will meet your father for the first time, and he will allow you to stay.’
His nerves turned his skin cold, and Wenda straightened. ‘Go now, my son. And I promise that one day, you will be Lord of Penrith. It’s time for your new life to begin.’
She gave him no embrace, only a slight push. Piers forced back his fears, knowing he had to be strong. He didn’t understand why his mother was sending him away, but he wanted to believe that one day she would return.
But despite her vow, he never saw her again.
