Allyson faltered and didn’t know where to look as Elizabeth licked her lips and arched her back, forcing her breasts forward.
“I asked you the last time you were here if you’d ever wondered what it would be like to watch a woman’s breasts sway as her body accepted a lashing.” Sir John stood behind Allyson once more and cupped her shoulders as he pressed his lengthening rod against her backside. Morbid curiosity tempted Allyson to gaze at the other woman’s body. She’d seen her sisters and roommates undressed, but she’d never paid attention. She glanced at the woman and failed to see anything appealing, but as Elizabeth twisted, Allyson could see deep scars and welts along her ribs. It disturbed Allyson to imagine what type of events led to these marks, but as Sir John removed a whip from the rack, then ran the handle down the front of Elizabeth, she understood. Without warning, Sir John spun Elizabeth around, and the whip cracked through the air. The sound it elicited from Elizabeth was a mixture of pain and pleasure and made Allyson jump. She shied away when Sir John offered her the whip but forced a casual expression of disinterest. The last time she’d been to the chamber, she’d insinuated such a pastime intrigued her. She couldn’t go weak in the knees now. Not if she hoped to leave without becoming Sir John’s next victim.
“I shall be an observer as you suggested,” she demurred.
With Elizabeth’s and Sir John’s backs to her, she stared at the floor as the whipping continued. The sound of the lash whizzing through the air nine more times filled her ears before there was a rustling and the sound of the manacles being released. She glanced up as Sir John carried his mistress to the rack in the center of the room, and for a moment, Allyson feared he would rip the woman apart. Instead, Sir John unlaced his breeches and climbed on top of the table and Elizabeth. Allyson inched back to the door and pulled on the handle, praying Sir John hadn’t locked it. She’d never been more grateful for small mercies than when she fled the terror chamber.
Allyson ran until she reached her chamber where she dropped the bar across the door. She trembled as understanding washed over her. She’d been in too much shock earlier to process all that she’d seen or attempted not to see. Allyson had never seen a man and woman couple, but she understood the fundamentals. She’d also heard of those men and women who liked their joinings rough with spankings and restraints, but she’d never imagined anyone would want to inflict or receive such agony as foreplay. She’d never seen a man’s rod before either, and she wished her first glimpse had been of the man she married. Her mind leaped to Ewan and the question of what his rod would look like skidded across her mind. She attempted to push it aside, but the curiosity of whether it would be proportionate to the rest of him took hold.
Allyson shook her head and crossed the room to where she’d hidden the quill and parchment. She assumed their games would occupy the lovers at least long enough for her to drop another note for Ewan. She scrawled a brief update of what she’d learned at the evening meal and prayed the information would improve her chances of rescue.
Sage is depraved beyond reason. Whips mistress and she enjoys it. I saw too much and am sickened by it but remain untouched. Her father’s a reiver nearby. Mayhap the one who brought me here. Lord Grey’s riding out in the morn to meet the Earl of Northumberland and will be away for a fortnight. Taking Lady Grey, too. Thirty knights and sixty warriors here now. Taking three score with him. Fears ambush on the road and is serving part of his forty days as vassal. Leaving me to Sage. E, trust none here.A.
Allyson dared a longer note with more detail this time. If they discovered her missive, she was as good as dead anyway. She figured in for a penny, in for a pound. She would do whatever she could to keep her rescuers safe while they endeavored to free her. Allyson moved to the window and looked at the men in the lists. She’d assumed Sir John would go there that morning, but he’d had very different plans. While Lady Grey had intimidated her when she arrived, the woman had turned into an ally of sorts. She hadn’t lied when she said she could arrange for people to treat Allyson as an honored guest or as little more than a whore. So far, she’d been an untouchable guest, at least to all the men but Sir John. The warriors and servants left her alone, and she wondered if she could sneak more freedom once the noble couple left and Sir John had the responsibility of the entire keep and Elizabeth as a distraction. The sun was overhead, and the sky was cloudless. While it was beautiful, it provided no protection or cover for Ewan if he attempted to approach the retaining wall again. She clasped her hands, careful not to crush the parchment, and bowed her head.
Heavenly Father, I realize I am to blame for all that has befallen me, my father, Ewan, and the men who accompany them. I’ve endangered more than my life and done far more than inconvenienced those men. They have families with whom they should share proper meals and beds in which they should sleep. I doubt I can ever make up for what I’ve caused, but I am remorseful for what I’ve done. I pray for Your forgiveness and believe I shall receive it as my heart is truly repentant, but I don’t expect to receive anyone else’s. I’m not sure that I deserve it. Lord God, I am but at your mercy. Amen.
Allyson sat in the window embrasure as she stared once more at the sky. A sense of calm washed over her, and a weight lifted from her shoulders. She’d always believed as a child that the peace she experienced after prayer was the Holy Spirit delivering God’s forgiveness or guidance. She looked at the missive in her hand and tore a corner from it, then dipped the quill in ink she’d stolen from the steward’s solar the previous afternoon.
E,I can’t deny this is my fault. Fear drove me to run and now fear drives me to escape not for my sake but to get you, your brother, and your men, and my father and his men as far from here as possible. It all seems so pointless now. Our conversation, my rejection, my cowardice.
The words I’m sorry seem so inconsequential now, but the apology I wish to give you when next I speak to you will come from the depths of my heart and my conscience.I’m so sorry,A.
When the ink dried on both notes, she cut a strip of ribbon from what was left and hid everything in the pocket of her kirtle. She waited for the storm she saw coming before she donned her cloak and headed for the battlements.
* * *
Ewan paced as close to the tree line as he dared. His glance shifted to the castle each time he turned. The Elliot spy returned at daybreak with distressing news. The man’s words replayed in Ewan’s mind.
Sage brought in new prisoners and the dungeon now holds four score captives. The man brought them for the sheer entertainment and satisfaction of killing them, not because of any true crimes. His mistress is as depraved as the bastard. People speak in the village of how they enjoy torturing one another, how it arouses them. The tavern wench said they make people watch and sometimes force them to join in. Never heard of such twisted shite, but it’s no secret.
Ewan was apt to agree. He’d had his fair share of partners and explored various forms of pleasure, but never had he considered beating a lover. He gazed at the castle as he stopped his pacing. He wondered what they’d forced Allyson to endure. His stomach turned over as he imagined Allyson being the victim of such perversion. While the predilection wasn’t unheard of, nor had he passed judgement on it in the past, the urge to protect Allyson pulsed within him. He was certain she would never be a willing participant, and that was what infuriated him when he considered her being subjected to such sights.
“Weather’s rolling in,” Eoin pointed to a distant thick cloud cover. It was what Ewan needed to ensure his safety when he approached the castle.
“I’m going alone,” Ewan announced.
“Like bluidy hell you are. I’m coming at least.”
“Nay. I’m scouting. I’ll go once I see Allyson on the wall walk, and it’ll only be to retrieve a missive if she drops one.”
“And if she doesn’t drop aught? Will you leave her to wonder if we’re still here?”
“Of course not. The missive is the only reason to get that close to the keep. Otherwise, I’ll remain hidden until I can signal to her, then I’ll retreat.”
“We will retreat. You aren’t going alone.”
“I am. If aught happens to me, someone must be our father’s heir.”
“I’ll land my fist in your face if you say such rubbish again. Where one of us goes, so does the other.”
Ewan recognized he was fighting a losing battle, and while he’d do anything to protect his brother, his dissent was half-hearted. He’d feel better with another set of eyes and ears guarding his back when he approached. He didn’t intend to wait for nightfall again now that he’d learned more about Sage and his mistress. The additional Elliot warriors would be there by then, and he wanted a plan in place to strike that night.
Ewan and Eoin waited another hour before the heavens opened, and the sky was dark enough to offer them cover.
“Do you think she’ll come out in such weather?” Ewan asked Kenneth.
“Aye. She’ll understand this is the best time to contact you. The guardsmen will huddle together and not expect anyone to go for a stroll. She’s hunted enough times to remember the cloud cover will disguise your approach. My lass will be there.”
