Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 95326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Cavell waited and when the fool nearly reached him, he side-stepped and delivered a blow to the man’s jaw that sent him stumbling to the ground.
“Surrender while you have the chance,” Cavell cautioned, seeing blood running from the man’s mouth, but, of course, the fool didn’t listen.
He got to his feet, spit the blood from his mouth, and charged at Cavell once again.
Cavell had already judged the man to be a clumsy fighter, charging and throwing punches randomly. He was set to deliver another blow to the man’s face when he caught a flash of a dark brown robe like the ones the monks wore at the abbey. Had his wife been found and returned to the abbey? Had Brother Emanual sent someone to find him and deliver the welcoming news?
His years of fighting kept his senses alert and his nose picked up the man’s foul odor before he reached him, giving Cavell enough time, though barely, to avoid his meaty fists and deliver another blow to his face.
While the man shook his head as he struggled to his feet, Cavell glanced over the crowd looking for the monk. Annoyed he saw no sight of him and annoyed that he allowed his anger to take hold and play with the foolish man like a cat with a mouse before finishing it quickly had him ready to end the fight so he could search for the monk and hopefully receive good news.
When the man finally stood firm on his feet, Cavell said, “I am tired of playing with you.”
He approached the man, and the fool threw a punch before Cavell was close enough for his fist to reach him, though he ducked anyway to deliver a fierce blow to the man’s gut when close enough. He delivered another punch to his face as the man doubled over, then another as his face swung up, and one last vicious blow that sent the man sprawling to land with a thud on his back.
“Get him out of here! And the rest of you get back to your business,” Cavell ordered, and several men hurried to drag the man away.
Cavell glanced around as the crowd dispersed, hoping to catch a glance of the monk. He didn’t see him anywhere. He took another cautious glance around and mumbled an oath when once again he did not spot the monk.
Ale. He needed ale. He turned to head back to the table and saw the monk sitting there.
Cavell sat as soon as he reached the table, hoping to see if it was one of the monks he had met at the abbey, but the hood was pulled too far down on his head.
“Tell me you found her. Tell me I am free of this marriage,” Cavell said and got annoyed when he didn’t receive a hasty reply.
The monk finally shook his head slowly. “Nay, but we received news that she is here in this village.”
“Tell Brother Emanual that I will find her and return her and when I do, he better honor our agreement to dissolve this marriage,” Cavell warned.
“I will take word to him,” the monk said.
“Right away,” Cavell ordered, and the monk took his leave, slipping off into the crowded market.
Cavell drank and ate, keeping his eyes on all that went on around him while keeping watch for a skinny and plain-featured woman.
The day waned and so did the market, merchants and craftsmen alike gathering what little was left of their wares, the day having proved fruitful, ready to return home and count their coins.
Cavell was surprised to see Curdie make her way toward him while Meldon waited in the distance.
“I found a willing lass for you if you’re interested,” she offered. “She knows about your scars and who you are, but she needs the coin to feed her starving family. She can meet you after dark at my place since I’ll be spending the night with Meldon.”
Cavell eyed her skeptically.
Curdie shrugged. “Give her a try. I felt bad for her since she’s desperate, thin from starving herself so she can feed her family. She’ll be there waiting at my place. You were generous with your coin, and I wanted to repay your kindness. My cottage sits at the far end of the village, right past the smithy’s place, in case you change your mind.”
Cavell lingered along with some other men who kept themselves engaged in talk, too far into their cups to pay him any mind. The later it grew the more he thought about the woman who was willing to couple with him.
Desperate.
Was he as desperate for a poke as she was for food? He hated to admit it to himself, but he needed a woman. He needed to satisfy himself with one instead of relying on his hand. He wanted to feel his shaft slip into a wet sheath and tighten around him, roll his tongue across a hard nipple, taste lips ripe for kissing.