Allyson dismounted among a cluster of trees and hid in the foliage until after the sun set. She nibbled at some food she carried, but she was careful to ration it. When she saw no one who might question her, she eased away from her hiding place and guided her horse into a stable. She scanned the area and found there weren’t any horses in the small building, but there was some hay that looked edible for her mount. She looped the reins around a post, then huddled in the shadows until she drifted off, but she stirred at every sound and every time her steed shifted. It was well before sun up when Allyson left the building as quietly as she entered.
While the Lowlands didn’t have the same landscape obstacles as the Highlands, Allyson encountered several bodies of water that proved impossible to ford because of their size or the current’s strength. It forced her to double back a few times and alter her course more and more. The sun was nearing the western horizon after another full day in the saddle when she glimpsed the top of a tower. She pushed herself and her horse a little further until the keep came into sight.
Bluidy bleeding hell! How can this be? How did I end up at bluidy Hermitage Castle? Wonderful. I do everything I can to escape my father and end up at a keep under the control of King Robert’s illegitimate son. The very man named after him. As though that isn’t bad enough, who did the king task with the keep’s guardianship? My father! Bluidy sodding hell.
Allyson fumed as she realized the blunder she’d made. In her attempts to remain far from Elliot land, she’d stumbled upon it. While her family didn’t reside at the Hermitage, plenty of people would recognize her. It was more because she stood out in her family than because she resembled anyone, but her blond hair and blue eyes were memorable. She’d approached their territory from a route she’d never taken, so she hadn’t realized she’d brought herself so close to home. Avoiding the castle wouldn’t even guarantee her freedom, since the people in Liddesdale were also likely to recognize her. She’d brought herself within five miles of the border and had nowhere safe to spend the night. Several more oaths and curses crossed her mind as she tried to decide what to do next. In the meantime, she turned her horse away from the castle and rode a short distance to ensure guards who had an elevated vantage point wouldn’t spot her.
As dusk settled into night, Allyson didn’t dare seek shelter anywhere near the town or the keep. She remained outside where the temperature dropped, and her teeth chattered, but exhaustion overrode the discomfort. She fell into a deeper sleep than she expected and was startled awake when someone grabbed a handful of her hair through her hood and lifted her onto her feet. Her eyes snapped open as pain ripped across her scalp. She scanned her surroundings and understood in an instant that a band of border reivers had discovered her hideout.
“Look what we have here.” The clipped English tones came from behind her, and she grimaced that she hadn’t had at least a little good fortune to have Scots find her. The danger she faced grew exponentially now that she was in the hands of an English group of thieves. “Why would a young woman be sleeping alone in the woods with a keep and a town so nearby? She’s avoiding someone, or they’ve left her to struggle on her own.”
“I bet she’ll struggle. Struggle when she’s beneath me,” a deep voice boomed from somewhere to Allyson’s right. She twisted one way then another as she tried to count how many men were in the party.
“Let me go and take the horse. That’s all you want.”
“The horse may be what I want,” came the voice of her captor. “But what I need is to leave no witnesses.” A blade appeared in the moonlight before it pressed against her throat. Allyson considered stating her name, hoping they might ransom her rather than kill her, but she wouldn’t bring these men anywhere near her home, her family, or her clan.
“I haven’t even seen any of your faces. You’re English and will be back across the border before daylight. There is naught to fear from me,” Allyson reasoned.
A man emerged from between two trees, tugging the reins to her horse. He took one glance at her, then paused and gave her a much longer assessing look. He stepped forward and pushed her hood all the way off her head and yanked her shawl from her head and the scarf from her face.
“Bloody hell, if it isn’t Lord Elliot’s daughter,” the third man announced. He was the only one whose face she’d seen. And he was the one who gave away her identity.
“Elliot’s daughter? What’re you doing out alone?” The man who held the blade against her throat muttered. “Never mind the horse. We just gained something far more valuable.”
Allyson sensed more men were in the surrounding area, but none materialized. Within moments, they bound her hands in front of her and tied her scarf as a gag. They tossed her onto her horse, and she almost sailed over the other side with her hands unable to steady her. The man who recognized her kept her reins, and while they kept the pace slow to reduce their noise and to keep her from tumbling off the horse, she had to squeeze her thighs with all her might to stop herself from sliding from one side to another. She assumed they would cross the border and arrive at a small keep, where the reivers would deposit her until someone demanded a ransom from her family. She was unprepared for hours of riding through the dark as they headed east after crossing the border. They rode parallel to her clan’s land, but on the wrong side of the border. When Allyson realized they had no intention of stopping near the Hermitage, she used the dark to hide her movements. She pulled the shawl from around her neck and frayed the edges, dropping pieces of bright colored yarn on the ground. No one could see them in the dark, but in the sunlight, they would leave a trail. She prayed her father made it far enough south to return to their land. He might assume she’d gone home, and he might even look for her across the border since he knew she had a terrible sense of direction. At least she hoped he knew. She was unconvinced her father was any better acquainted with her than most strangers; he’d never taken the time to get to know her. Perhaps someone in their clan would suggest they look in England.
The sky was lightening as the air changed, and Allyson was certain it smelled like the sea. She strained her neck to look around, but she soon wished she hadn’t. She recognized the enormous fortress they were approaching, and she saw stars before her eyes. They were nearing Chillingham Castle, not only home to the Greys, descendants of William the Conqueror but also home to John Sage, King Edward’s chief torturer. She glanced at the men surrounding her, and several grinned at her discomfort.
“You recognize where you are,” the man who woke her stated. “You know who awaits you.”
“Why did we come this far? Or rather why were you reiving so far from here if the Greys support you?” Allyson yanked the gag from her mouth to question them.
“We go where the money is, and there will be plenty of money for handing you over.” The man who still held her reins tossed over his shoulder.
Allyson remained silent as they arrived at the gates to one of the most notorious castles in Northumberland. King Edward, the Hammer of the Scots, had stayed in the castle on his way to fight William Wallace. He’d left behind his most trusted soldier, giving him carte blanche to rain down terror on all Scots near and far. She could only imagine the vile depravities and pain that awaited her. Marrying Ewan became more appealing by the minute. Her impetuous decision would probably get her raped and killed. Allyson entered the bailey with her hands still bound, but her shawl no longer existed. She’d dropped the remaining length when she recognized where they were taking her but before they would notice her actions. Allyson remained motionless until a guardsman pulled her from the saddle. She stumbled and pitched forward, landing hard on her knees. No one offered assistance as she struggled to get to her feet, her skirts twisted around her feet.
The massive castle doors opened and two men along with a woman emerged. The woman was stunning, willowy, with graying hair. Despite her age, she was still remarkable, and Allyson couldn’t look away until movement in her periphery distracted her. She looked at the man who walked with a limp and gasped. She was watching Sir John Sage coming to greet her or, more likely, assess how he would torture her.
“Who is this?” The man who stood next to the elegant woman demanded. Allyson deduced they were Sir Thomas and Lady Agnes Grey. The older knight had an illustrious career fighting on behalf of King Edward. He’d moved through the ranks, surviving one battle after another. While John Sage might have a sadistic streak, Sir Thomas wasn’t to be underestimated.
They’ve brought me to hell on Earth. This is where I shall breathe my last.
“One of the Elliot daughters. She hasn’t said which one.” Allyson wished she could stick a dirk in the man who kept announcing her identity. Lady Grey approached, and a chill ran down Allyson’s spine when she noticed the gleam in the older woman’s eyes. It was lascivious and calculating. The woman swept her fingers along Allyson’s jaw before grasping it in a tight grip, turning her head one way then another. Allyson felt like a horse at market, waiting for Lady Grey to curl her lips back to test Allyson’s gums. She braced herself not to flinch or cower. She looked over the woman’s shoulder until Lady Grey curled a lock of hair around her finger and tugged to bring Allyson’s head closer to her.
“You’ll do well here,” Lady Grey purred. Defiance crackled between Allyson and her new tormentor. “You haven’t told us your name. Where are your manners?”
Allyson glanced at the woman and offered her a practiced court smile. It was coy and suggestive at the same time. “Wouldn’t you like to know, my lady?” Allyson’s voice matched the saccharine sweetness of Lady Grey’s.
“Playing the coquette won’t endear you to me, even if the men find it alluring. You need an ally here if you wish to survive, so I wouldn’t piss that away.” Lady Grey’s jaw firmed as her eyes narrowed. “Your stay can be one where you are an untouchable and honored guest, or you can be a toy for any man interested in tupping a nobleman’s daughter. Either way, Sir John will ensure you don’t cause any unnecessary difficulty.”
“Perhaps a tour is in order, my lady,” Sir John wandered closer, and once more Allyson steeled herself not to flinch or cower. The man’s reputation for sadism preceded him, and Allyson was well aware of the torture chamber that lay in the castle’s dungeon. After William Wallace’s attack that killed much of the surrounding village’s women and children, Sir John arrived to instill fear in everyone within a day’s ride of either side of the border. She’d heard his name before she left home; parents used it like the bodach—the bogeyman—to scare children into listening to them. Now she stood face-to-face with the monster of her childhood nightmares. He was an intimidating figure despite his limp, but upon first glance, no one would guess the horrors he perpetrated. There was a haunting emptiness in his eyes, as though he were devoid of a soul, and Allyson supposed that must be so, for him to be capable of the atrocities she’d heard of. She didn’t want to imagine the ones she hadn’t heard.
“I believe once we know this young lady’s name, we’ll find her more agreeable. Your reputation appears to precede you once more, Sir John. I don’t expect to have many problems from her now that her memory has been jogged. I suspect she’s familiar with what lies in our dungeon.” Lady Grey chuckled as she glanced at her husband and Sir John.
Allyson nodded once before clearing her throat. “Lady Allyson, my lady. My name is Allyson, and I am Laird Elliot’s youngest child.” She watched the looks exchanged between the lord and lady along with the ones that passed to and from the retired knight.
“I will have her shown to a chamber where she can bathe and ready for the morning meal.” Lady Grey spoke to everyone and no one before turning to Allyson. “You’re in time to break your fast.”
