The next three days passed in a miserable haze of cold, hunger and bone-weariness. Agnes seemed to have forgotten about them, and the guards basically ignored them, bringing only meager rations of bread and watered down ale.
When she could sleep, she woke several times during the night, bad dreams and worry keeping her awake for hours. At times she dreamt of home, of being back with William and her children. Only to wake and find herself once more trapped in this hellhole.
On that third night, after she’d heard the guards talking that Agnes was away with several men, Callan waited until the guards were drunk, yelling outside and sparring with swords, before he spoke.
“It won’t be long until they come for us. Me, they will hang.” She could feel the weight of his gaze as he continued. “You, they will ravish and then kill.”
Lucy knew he was right. Agnes had decided she wanted a front-row seat when some of her hired thugs killed William, so she’d gone with them, leaving the undisciplined guards behind to watch over them, figuring she could then come back and kill Lucy once William was dead.
“I’ve scoured every inch of this space. There isn’t anything to use as a weapon.”
“Bloodthirsty lass, eh?”
She heard the laughter in his voice.
“Never you mind, lass, I’ve a way to get us out of this place.”
Not wanting to get her hopes up, Lucy forced herself to stay calm. “How?”
“When they are in their cups, I’ll use a strip of my shirt, make a loop and pull the door open, then we will escape.”
There was a pause.
“Ye canna travel alone. They will find you.”
The man made a distinctly Scottish sound in the back of his throat.
“I will see ye safe to your home or husband, and then I must take my leave, for I have a long journey ahead.”
The ember of hope caught, burning brightly in her chest. “I don’t know how to thank you.” Then a low laugh escaped, making her face hurt. It had been so long since she’d laughed or smiled.
“Actually, I do know how to thank you. My husband is wealthy. He will reward you for bringing me to him.”
There was a low chuckle from the other cell. “I could use a bit o’gold, lass.”
The sound of boots scraping against the stone made her think Callan was sitting on the stone floor next to the door.
“Patience, lass. It willna be long.”
Patience was so not one of her virtues. As she slid down the wall to sit on the floor, she pictured William at court, then at the stables in York, deciding which horses to buy, and then riding home unaware of what had transpired.
When he walked into a room, sometimes she would forget to breathe. Even after four years, he still made her heart beat faster. The thought of never seeing him again, the look on his face when he found out everything that had happened in his absence, made her throat close up.
Lucy knew she was filthy, dressed in the same rumpled, stained clothing she’d been wearing since they’d taken her. Her hair was a knotted mess, greasy and itchy, and there was dirt caked into her skin, not that William would care if, no, not if, when, she saw him again.
Never again would Lucy take the thick stone walls of Blackford Castle for granted. She only hoped the men would be onguard, especially the passages in the castle and down by the cove, so Agnes and her men couldn’t take her children.
“I swear, if that woman takes my children, I will haunt her for eternity.”
With that, Lucy bit the inside of her lip until a drop of blood filled her mouth. For a moment she went still, worried she might trigger the whole time travel thing, but when nothing happened, she nodded to herself, made the vow again and swallowed the drop of blood. A blood vow was something the fates would listen to, and right now, she needed all the help she could get.
Okay, sure, worrying about how she looked when she saw William was silly given her situation. She certainly had more pressing worries than a bath. Although the thought of a hot bath with lovely lavender scented soap made her dizzy.
The truth was, a savage smile filled her face, Lucy wanted William to see her looking her best … when she drove her dagger into Agnes’ black heart.
CHAPTER 16
Unable to sit still,Lucy paced back and forth, stopping halfway across the room each time, craning her neck to peer out the small window to see what the guards were up to. It sounded like they were gambling, their voices louder and louder as they shouted insults at each other. The smell of wine filled the corridors, wafting into the room, making Lucy smirk. Agnes was away, so the mercenaries figured they could slack off.
