His assurance that they meant her no harm did nothing to quell the fear or ease her pounding heart. Had she not just had the hell nearly beaten out of her, she would have fought and struggled. She wished for no more.
“Lady, I swear it to ye, we truly mean ye no harm,” he tried to reassure her. “We ken ye hurt. And were we able, we would have gutted Blackthorn for ye. If I let ye go, do ye promise no’ to call out?”
Arline nodded her head realizing that had they meant her any harm, they would have done away with her by now. She breathed a sigh of relief when he carefully lowered his hand from her mouth. Had he not still been holding her about the waist, she would have fallen to the floor.
“I ken ye hurt, m’lady and fer that, I be truly sorry. I am Frederick of Clan Graham and this is Daniel,” he said, still holding her closely. “Are ye well, m’lady? Can ye stand?”
Arline nodded her head again, her voice frozen in her throat. Slowly, the arm around her waist loosened. Suddenly a memory of Carlich flashed in her mind. Her first husband, a sweet old man who had died eight years past. He told her that a man’s heart could be seen in his eyes. She wished she could see his face so she could better judge his sincerity.
She felt woozy and lightheaded but managed to push it aside by taking a few deep breaths. Finally, she was able to speak. “I do no’ ken why ye be here, and frankly, I do no’ care.” She was wasting valuable time and needed to get to her chamber next door, to Willie and somehow come up with a plan to get the child out.
“If ye’ve come here to kill Blackthorn, ye have me blessin’, now please, I must leave.”
Frederick stopped her with a light touch to her arm. “M’lady, we are here to find our laird’s daughter.”
It took a moment for his words to sink in. Hope rose again, washing her body in warm relief. Praise God! “Ye’ve come for Willie?” she whispered excitedly.
“Willie?” Frederick chuckled. “Her name be Lily, m’lady. But she canna say her l’s verra well, so it comes out Willie.”
Arline rolled her eyes, feeling dumb that she had not figured it out sooner. “Lily!” she repeated, much relieved to learn the child had been given such a beautiful name. It made perfectly good sense, now that she could think on it. Lily.
“I’ve been takin’ care of her,” Arline told him. “She is a most precious little girl.”
“We thank ye kindly, m’lady,” Daniel finally spoke from the shadows. “Her da will be verra grateful to ye.”
“Och, ’twas the only right thing to do,” she told him.
Arline was about to take the men through to her room when a knock came at the door. Fear rippled up and down her spine. She whispered to Frederick and Daniel to remain quiet as she stepped to the door and slowly opened it.
“Ye best hurry if ye wish to leave the castle alive.” Gunther had returned. “The laird sent me to check on yer progress.”
Arline stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her. The presence of the two men behind her gave her hope as well as energy to press forward.
“I will only need a few moments,” she told Gunther. “Ye may assure yer laird I shall be gone from this place verra soon.”
Gunther smiled down at her, but it was anything but pleasant. “I hope ye be no’ afraid of the dark, lass.” He took a step forward and reached out to touch her hair. “Pray tell. How do ye plan on gettin’ back to Ireland?”
Arline did not like what she saw in his eyes. He looked at her as if she were a succulent leg of mutton or a slice of sweet cake. Her stomach recoiled.
“I ken the laird has no’ warmed yer bed. Ye must be longin’ fer a man’s touch. I’d be willin’ to see ye to Ireland if the price were right.”
The thought of this young man with the crooked teeth and dirty hair touching her was revolting. For a moment, she considered inviting him into the room behind her and asking Frederick and Daniel to cut his throat on her behalf. Although the thought was a tempting one she could not risk it, no matter how appealing it might be.
“Go tell yer laird I’ll be gone shortly. And do no’ ever touch me again.” Her words were clipped and to the point. Her tone warned him that she would not be fooled into thinking he would help her with anything. She spun and slipped back into the room, shutting the door and locking it behind her.
She took a few steps into the room and was about to whisper to Frederick and Daniel to follow her when once again, she was grabbed around her waist and a hand covered her mouth.
She was utterly confused as she was dragged away from the door and slammed hard against the wall. In the next moment, a hand covered her mouth and she could feel the cold sharp edge of a dirk as it pressed against her throat. Had Frederick and Daniel suddenly changed their minds? Did they think she had somehow betrayed them?
“Do no’ utter a sound,” a harsh and unfamiliar voice growled at her. “I have no’ problems with cuttin’ a woman’s throat.”
“Rowan!” Daniel and Frederick whispered harshly at their laird.
“Rowan! Do no’ harm the lass!” Frederick said as he grabbed Rowan’s arm. “She has been takin’ care of Lily!”
Daniel stood on the other side of Rowan now and tried to grab his laird’s arm. “Rowan, she is injured! Hold care with the lady.”
Rowan paused for a moment. He had come into the room from the balcony at the same time the woman had come through the door. He hadn’t known the situation or that Frederick and Daniel were within. He moved his dirk away from her throat and loosened the pressure on her chest.
“Where is me daughter?”
Arline began to wonder if she would ever survive this night, let alone make it safely out of this castle. Strange men seemed to be lurking everywhere. Her heart pounded against her sternum, blood rushed in her ears as the pain in her ribs increased with every heartbeat.
When she didn’t answer immediately, Rowan pressed his arm against her chest again. “I will no’ ask ye again,” he warned. His voice was low and menacing.
“Rowan!” Frederick admonished him. “I tell ye the lass is injured! If ye do no’ show her some kindness, I’ll have to kill ye.”
The seriousness of Frederick’s tone caught Rowan by surprise. Either Frederick had said it only to gain his attention or he meant every word.
“Me laird,” Arline managed to find her voice. “I mean ye no ill will. I have been takin’ care of yer wee one. She is asleep in the next room. I swear, I have let no one harm her.” Arline hoped he was not too overcome with anger to hear the sincerity in her shaky voice.
“Take me to her then,” Rowan seethed. “But if this is some kind of trick,” his words trailed off, heavy with warning.
Frederick stopped him again by placing a hand on his shoulder. “Rowan, the lass speaks the truth. We will explain it to ye later, but fer now, ye must have faith that no’ all those within these castle walls mean us or Lily any harm.”
Rowan shrugged Frederick’s arm from his shoulder. He knew he was too angry to act rationally. His primary concern was getting to his daughter and leaving this place without any further obstacles or problems.
He let go of Arline and returned his dirk to the leather sheath on his belt. “Take me to her,” he ordered.
Arline was not about to waste any more time or take the chance of angering this man further. She took a few steps along the wall with her arms outstretched to feel for the door. She found the iron latch and carefully opened the door and quickly led the men into her sleeping chamber.
Thankfully, Lily still slept, curled into a little ball. Arline stepped out of the way to allow the men to enter. She watched as they reluctantly stepped through the door and scanned the room.
The light from the low fire and the candle Arline kept lit during the night cast the room in a soft white light. When she turned her gaze from Lily to the three men in her room, she nearly collapsed from the shock.
“Daniel!” Arline whispered loudly. “Is it truly ye?”
Daniel and Frederick tur
ned to look at her, but Rowan’s gaze remained transfixed on his sleeping daughter.
Arline could see the recognition as it grew in Daniel’s eyes. After a moment, a warm smile grew and he came to her. Taking her hand in his, he knelt on one knee. “Lady Arline,” he said before giving a slight kiss to the back of her hand.
“Och! Stand ye foolish man!” Arline tried to return he smile, but it made her cheek hurt.
Daniel smile and stood before her. “I canna believe me eyes, m’lady. Is it truly ye?”
Arline nodded her head and gave his hand a tight squeeze. It had seven years since last she’d seen him. She had been married to Carlich Lindsay at that time.
It seemed a lifetime had passed. She had been a naïve young woman, married to a man three times her own age. Arline had been instrumental in helping to stop the unjust deaths of two men.
“Ye are a site fer sore eyes, m’lady,” Daniel said. “How on earth did ye come to be here?”
“’Tis a verra long story, Daniel. I’m afraid there be no time to tell it. We must get ye out of here and quickly.”
Daniel nodded and turned back to Rowan and Frederick. “Rowan, do ye ken who this be?”
Rowan was too focused on his daughter. The relief he felt at seeing her was immeasurable. She was alive and she looked quite well, even in her sleep. He knelt beside the bed, one hand tenderly caressing the back of her head. He could not help it, but tears of relief and joy filled his eyes.
“Rowan,” Daniel repeated. “I asked if ye ken the lady?”
Rowan finally turned to look at the woman. Anger swelled when he saw the blood on her night dress, her cut lip and red, swollen face. Unruly auburn hair framed her face and cascaded down her shoulders. Guilt enveloped him for having treated her so harshly before.
He thought she looked vaguely familiar but he was having a difficult time placing her face with a memory.
Arline however, knew him. Good lord! she thought to herself. ’Tis him.
She had never known his name but his face had been permanently burned into her memory. Theirs had been a very brief encounter in a dark hallway seven years past. He had come to thank her for helping save the lives of his friends, Angus McKenna and Duncan McEwan. Nothing else had happened other than the stranger thanking her for what she had done.
It had been his beautiful face and dark brown eyes that taken her breath away back then. Time had done nothing to lessen the affect he had on her.
He still wore his dark brown hair long, past his shoulders. His face, though seven years older now, was still beyond handsome. If anything, time had only added to his good looks. Arline felt her legs grow weak as his dark brown eyes stared up at her.
“This be Lady Arline Lindsay,” Daniel explained.
“It be Lindsay no more, Daniel,” Arline corrected him.
Daniel gave her a thoughtful nod. “Aye, I heard what Blackthorn said in the hallway, m’lady. But ye no longer be married to the whoreson, so I think we can call ye a Lindsay again.”
Arline supposed it was better than being referred to as the former Lady Blackthorn and decided now was not the time to argue it further.
Daniel turned back to Rowan who continued to stare at Arline. “She be the one that helped Angus and Duncan back in ’47,” Daniel explained. “She was married to Carlich Lindsay. Do ye remember now?”
Rowan’s eyes grew wide with surprise. He remembered. She had been younger then and not quite as skinny as she was now. She had saved Angus and Duncan from hanging. Angus was the chief of the clan that Rowan had fostered in, the clan MacDougall. Duncan was married to Aishlinn, Angus’ eldest daughter. To this day, he and Duncan remained as close as brothers.
Had it not been for Lady Arline Lindsay, Angus and Duncan would be dead. Rowan had told her seven years ago that he would be forever in her debt. Now, it seemed, he was beholden to her again.
His face suddenly turned ashen with embarrassment. “Me lady, please, forgive me,” he began.
She stopped him with a wave of her hand. “Do no’ worry it, me laird. There is no time now. Ye must away this place now!”
Rowan stood, looking perplexed and torn. Frederick stepped forward to speak. “Rowan, there be no time fer explanation. But we must take Lady Arline with us. Blackthorn has annulled their marriage and is casting her out this night. Without escort or even a horse.”
Rowan blinked in disbelief. “Ye canna be serious,” he exclaimed. Although he had known Garrick Blackthorn for many years and knew him to be a selfish bastard, this bit of news shook him.
“Aye, I am,” Frederick said.
“Nay,” Arline interjected, finally pulling her eyes away from Rowan. Had circumstances been different, she wouldn’t have minded staring at him for say a few short decades. “I canna go with ye! Garrick is sending a man back at any moment, to escort me from the keep. If he returns and finds us both missin’, we’ll no’ be able to survive this night!”
Arline made her way to the closet and pulled out the dress, cloak and stockings she had made for Lily. She had no time to think about the pain shooting down her side or her legs. Quickly, she made her way around the wall of men and to the bed. “I was plannin’ on taking Willie--” she corrected herself quickly, “Lily, away this night. I found a way out just last night!” She explained her plan to the men as she carefully drew back the blankets and began to dress Lily.
“There is a secret corridor that leads to a set of hidden stairs. Ye’ll take those to the bowels of the castle. There is a metal gate at the end. The water spills out into the stream. Ye can follow that east, to the forest.”
Lily fussed and slowly opened her eyes as Arline pulled the dress over her head. “Will -- I mean, Lily, please lass, do no’ make a sound. Yer da is here to take ye away,” Arline explained as she wrapped the cloak around the child’s shoulders.
With sleepy eyes, Lily began to look for her father. Before she could squeal with delight, Arline held a finger to her lips. “Wheesht, child. If ye make a sound, the mean man will hear. I need ye to promise not to utter a word or a sound until yer da gives ye permission. If we’re found out, Garrick will be verra, verra angry.”
Tears welled in Lily’s eyes as she listened carefully to Arline. “I do no’ want him to hurt ye again,” Lily whispered, looking quite fearful.
“Wheesht, sweeting!” Arline told her, forcing a smile. She tied the cloak and gave Lily a kiss on her forehead. “There is no time to waste, lass. Ye must go with yer da, now.”
Lily held out her arms and Rowan lifted her to his chest. He hugged her, kissing the top of her head. “Och, child, how I’ve missed ye!”
“I missed ye too, da! The mean man took me. But Lady Arline took care of me.”
“I ken, Lily. I be forever in Lady Arline’s debt. Now, no more talking. We have to hurry.”
Arline made her way around the men again and went to the small closet. She pushed the trunk away and lifted the tapestry. “In here,” she directed the group. “Ye will turn right here. Ye will turn left in about twenty-five paces, then left again when ye come to the T. Not long after ye will find a door on the right. There is a stair case that winds all the way down. Once ye reach the bottom, ye’ll be in water to yer ankles. Turn right and follow the water until ye reach the gate. ’Tisn’t locked, but it is old and squeaks a bit. Remember, it leads to the stream that runs through the forest to the east.”
She pushed Frederick through first and then Daniel. Rowan paused briefly. “Me lady, what of ye?”
“Do no’ worry over me! Ye must get Lily away from this place and quickly. Hurry, before they come fer me.”
She gave Lily a kiss on her cheek and pulled the hood up. “Please, child, remember to be quiet, no matter what happens, aye?”
Lily looked positively forlorn. “Yer no’ comin’ with us?” she asked.
“Nay, I canna come with ye, babe. But we’ll see each other some day.” Arline felt her heart shattering like fragile glass slammed against an anvil. She would mi
ss the precocious and sweet babe.
“But,” Lily began to protest. Arline held her finger to her lips once again.
“Wheesht, sweeting. I shall write to ye soon, I promise. Now, be a good lass and listen to yer da!” She turned her eyes to Rowan’s. “Please, hurry me laird,” she told him as she pressed down on his shoulders. Rowan bent to his knees and handed Lily through the opening.
Turning back one last time, he said, “If ye ever need anything, me lady, anything at all, ye need only ask it.”
And with that, he turned, crawled through the opening and disappeared into blackness.
Six
Originally, Rowan and his men had planned to escape with Lily by the same route as they entered. But with most of the castle unexpectedly awake, they decided not to take the risk and use the means Arline had given them. After losing themselves within the walls more than once, they began to question their choice.
But once they found the correct staircase and made their way to the dark recesses of the castle, it took very little time to make their way out and into the frigid stream. The water was quite cold, stinging their feet and ankles.
It had been an unexpected change of plans. Thankfully, Rowan had allies waiting on all sides of Blackthorn lands. They waited until they were well within the forest before climbing out of the icy water.
Rowan was quite proud of his daughter for she had remained quiet throughout the entire ordeal. Even when he had stumbled on slippery rocks and fell to his knees. Lily had gasped when the cold water hit her feet and legs, but she did not cry out. Instead, she tightened her hold around his neck and buried her face against him.
By the time they met with Caelen McDunnah and his men, Lily’s teeth were chattering and she was trembling from head to toe. Rowan removed her wet stockings, overdress and cloak before handing her up to Caelen.
Caelen was not accustomed to small children, but he was not completely inept. He pulled a fur from the pack of his saddle and wrapped the trembling child in it and pulled her into his chest.
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