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neck, feathered fetlocks giving the impression of winged hooves.
Philippe hobbled as fast as he could to get out of the way. The
rider wrenched his steed s head over hard in an attempt to veer
around him. Between them, they nearly succeeded, but the horse s
shoulder grazed Philippe. Off balance, he toppled, arms
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windmilling, and landed in a ditch full of thorns and bracken.
While the horse thundered past, Philippe sat staring at his
scratched and bleeding hands. Damned noble lout. As if he owned
the road.
To his enormous surprise, the hoofbeats returned at a saner
speed. The rider, hooded despite the heat, carried a long, well-used
sword strapped to his side. Philippe hoped he wasn t the
belligerent sort.
The voice that called out as he approached was friendly
enough, though. My good man, are you hurt? My sincere
apologies. I didn t see you in time.
That voice& Philippe raised his face, unwilling to believe his
ears. Tien?
Mother of God. The rider vaulted from his mount and shoved
his hood back. Philippe?
His heart skipped and staggered at the sight of that beloved
face, though it shocked him as well. Étienne was so thin and pale.
Yes, now that you ve nearly killed me, he managed with only
the slightest quake to his voice.
Philippe! Oh, dear Lord& Étienne raced across the road and
pulled him up without so much as a by-your-leave. He stood with
his hands gripping Philippe s forearms, eyes searching his face.
Whatever are you doing here?
All the planned speeches fled and Philippe blurted out, You
never sent for me.
What?
I waited and hoped. But you didn t. Why did you never send
for me, Tien?
Tien s brow creased in obvious confusion. Why would I send
for you?
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The words stabbed deep into Philippe s already abused heart.
Of course. Why would you? he echoed softly. I have the answer
I came for, then. Goodbye, Tien.
He yanked his arms free, though the movement threatened to
topple him again. When he caught his balance, he turned and
limped back the way he had come with the shards of his dignity
pulled close around him.
Philippe? Damn your eyes! Philippe!
He hadn t gone more than five steps before Étienne flung
himself to his knees before him, sending up a cloud of dust, and
impeding his progress. So much for dignity.
Don t do this, Philippe! We can t have this serendipitous
meeting only to have you fling me away again!
Fling& you? What the devil are you blithering about?
I don t understand you! Why would I have sent for you when
you refused to leave Amiens?
Philippe stared at him, open-mouthed. I never refused. I
agreed to wait, to see if you would still want me with you when
you were home again.
A light of understanding seemed to dawn in Étienne s eyes,
followed swiftly by a blaze of fury. He surged up, pacing the
roadway. That ass! That currish clay-brained bull s pizzle!
Who?
My oh-so-high-and-mighty brother Henri! Étienne s arms
waved in wild gesticulation as his agitation grew. He tells you to
wait until I send for you! He tells me you refused to come! Of all
the rotten, pig-headed& I wanted to die when I thought I d lost
you!
Philippe watched in alarm as Étienne s face grew bright red
and then purple. Tien& Tien! You grow overwrought.
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Étienne halted in mid-flail, those beautiful green eyes shining
with unshed tears. His voice was raw with anguish as he asked,
Philippe, if you believed I had abandoned you, then why are you
here? Why walk all this way, when you can ill afford to do so?
A hard lump threatened to swallow Philippe s throat. I needed
to hear why. From your own lips, I needed to hear why you had not
sent for me.
A choked sound caught in Étienne s chest and he buried his
face in his hands.
Please, Tien, please don t& Philippe s anger and confusion
melted under the weight of Étienne s pain. He hobbled the two
steps forward that brought him within reach and folded him in his
arms. Hush, hush. I m here now. He let his crutch fall so he
could stroke Étienne s hair and back. Where were you off to
today in such a mad rush?
Étienne s voice rose muffled from his shoulder. I was riding
to Amiens. To find you. To ask you why you had stayed behind.
My poor, foolish Tien. And what would you have done if you
hadn t ridden me down today? If you arrived only to find me
gone?
I would have asked where you had gone. Étienne lifted his
head to nuzzle at Philippe s cheek. And ridden back like the devil
himself to find you again.
Philippe tangled his fingers in Étienne s hair and tugged his
head around for a tender kiss. Heat spread down from his mouth
with unexpected ferocity, brushfire on frozen land. He whispered
against those soft lips, Tien, why did it take you so long to ride
out?
I ve been& unwell, Étienne muttered, unable to meet his
gaze.
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That much I can see. You ve been sulking and pining and
made yourself ill, eh?
Étienne nodded, bottom lip caught between his teeth.
So, I m at the point where I can barely stand. You re barely
risen from your sickbed, and here we stand, in the dust of the road
and the heat of the midday sun.
Would you like to come home with me, mon ange?
Will your family be able to bear the sight of me?
Étienne wiped a sleeve over his eyes. If you ignore Henri,
then they would be pleased to have you.
Then I believe I would, monsieur. But if that monstrous beast
of yours dumps me in the ditch again, I may never forgive you.
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AUTHOR S NOTES
For our history buffs:
During an innovative laser cleaning and restoration of Amiens
Cathedral in the early 1990 s, polychrome decoration was
discovered on the stone portals of the western façade. With
painstaking care and research, the restoration staff found that all of
the stone carvings of the three doorways had been painted in vivid
colors in the 13th century, completely revolutionizing the way we
look at gothic stone sculpture.
The cathedral, which took several centuries to complete, would
have lacked its towers and its remarkable choir and organ in
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