Chapter 12Nancy was lifted roughly into the canoe by one of the men, another one was sent out by the older man to inform the others that the Lady had been captured so they should return immediately. The old man and the younger fellow with him did not wait for the other men to join them, the younger man pushed the canoe into the river with Nancy and the old man in it and jumped into it to paddle away. The chill morning breeze played with Nancy's features, she reached out and let her hair loose, it flew in the breeze and must have brushed the younger man's face because he turned his head to her and gave her a warning look, Nancy paid him no mind and just stared into the water ahead."What is that with you and why do you have it?" The younger man who was glaring at her asked Nancy in a contemptuous tone. Nancy said nothing and just continued looking at the water, the man reached out and opened the sac containing Victory to reveal its head. Sensing the rough handling and the tension, w

Chapter 14Nancy was allowed to sleep the whole afternoon away, she was surprised when she woke up to find Rosey still in the room. She blinked a few times before she could finally come to terms with her surroundings and in alarm, she immediately reached out to find Victory, who had been waiting patiently for her to wake. Victory ran to her and sniffed her immediately she saw her eyes open, Nancy smiled and rubbed the animal's fur teasingly. "You waited up for Mama, ehh" She said playfully, the animal meowed in response. "I greet you, My Lady" Rosey greeted from where she stood at the far end of the bed.Nancy grunted, for a split second she had imagined she was dreaming this whole castle and estate up. How her life had switched from a normal African girl to a rich English Lord's bride was still a mystery to her, it was something to marvel at"I suppose you have been waiting for me to wake up, then?""I was instructed to, My lady. You had nothing to eat before sleeping" The maid rep

Chapter 16When neither Rosey nor any of the family were around to tell her no, Nancy spent the day lazily in the house, getting to know the servants. She had managed to put Victory to a short nap, she knew this because the cat rarely took naps since they arrived here and it's been well over two weeks already. Nancy kissed the cat's head hastily and left the room after she dressed, stealthily opening the door to avoid any noise that might draw the cat's attention, Victory had gotten so attached and grown fond of this place. Probably because it was big enough for it to roam about with no fear of falling or jumping into the ocean, Nancy chuckled at the thought. She wondered how the cat would feel when Master Derek finally returns and they have to leave.If she thought the weather back home was nice then this one was far better. Nancy was almost tempted to take one of the horses and go out to explore the rest of this city, but she knew that will be a stupid one on her part, that is if one

Chapter 18Derek stared into the fields absent mindedly as the horses approached the gates of the Lincoln estate. His men wished to cheer and make merry to announce their arrival as they crossed into the Lincoln territory but Derek stopped them. Though the midnight breeze blew over the leaves on the horizon, it was still the middle of the night, and nearly everyone would be sleeping soundly. Derek knew there would be plenty of time to celebrate tomorrow, for their victory and the greetings of old friends and family. But for now Derek only wanted to be home, to sleep through the remainder of the night in his own bed.The men would stay the night at the Lincoln's estate house. In the morning they would return to their homes, collect their families and return to the estate for a gala welcome celebration. They were all as exhausted as he was because they had fought a storm that ended only hours earlier.Two men were elected to stay with the horses since the stable boy had gone to bed alrea

Chapter 20Unlike many men, spending the night with his soon to be bride was not something Derek looked forward to or even enjoyed. Last night had been nothing short of hell for him, he was too pissed to even partake in any of the parties that were going on around the house. His men were jubilating and joining in on the celebrations, many even stopped by to congratulate him on his betrothal and soon to hold marriage.Anger and frustration. That was the only feelings that surged through his body as he listened to the chattering going on and on about him and his ebony bride. Involuntarily, Derek's mind wandered back to Nancy, she had come into his life uninvited and occupied everything; his life and his thoughts. Somehow, Derek found that he could not keep his thoughts straight without thinking about the woman, the beginning of his sorrows.She was nothing like he had seen before, feisty and fiery as hell herself. With her foul temper and sharp mouth, she was going to drive him crazy i