“What’s wrong with you, lass? What are ye trying to say?” the woman yelled.
“I need a bath sent up to Dougall’s chambers.”
“I dinnae believe ye should be speaking of the laird’s son with such familiarity.” She tut-tutted about the kitchen. “I’ll have it sent up right away. Now go on. Get ye up there. I’m sure she’ll be needing yer help.”
Helene hadn’t thought she’d be helping this husband stealing woman to a bath. How was she going to do it without dunking her head under water and drowning her? Leaving the kitchen, she made her way back up to Dougall’s room. Much to her surprise, the things she’d brought with her were missing. Where could they have put them? Knowing the way she’d been treated since Dougall left, she wouldn’t be surprised to find that they’d been thrown away. The beautiful dress Ashley had given her for her wedding was in her bag. As soon as she had a moment she would have to search for it. As it was, the dress she was wearing was the only other good dress she owned and now it was filthy from the cleaning she’d just done. No doubt the water from the bath wouldn’t help the way it looked any. There was nothing for it now but to await the arrival ofLady Greer.
Helene sat waitingfor what seemed like hours for Lady Greer to arrive. She was so hungry that her stomach was protesting loudly at the lack of food she’d had to eat this day. As soon as she was finished with the bath, Helene planned to go back to the kitchen for something to eat. She stood gazing out the window and thinking that this must be the worst thing to ever happen in her life when the door opened and a whirlwind of activity entered the room. The two men accompanying her inspected the room from top to bottom before departing.
“Where’s me bath? I asked ye to see that a bath was waiting fer me.” Her Surliness was speaking.
“I’m sorry. I asked to have one sent up and it hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Well, yer already a sorry excuse for a lady’s maid. Go see where it is?”
Helene was reaching for the door just as there was a knock on it. She opened it to find the bathtub had arrived as had the hot water to fill it. While the bath was being prepared she did what she would have done at Breaghacraig and got a fire started in the hearth to warm the room. She instructed the lads to place the tub by the fireplace, taking the tray of soap and drying cloths and setting them on a nearby table. When all was ready she helped Lady Greer out of her dress and into the tub, where she complained loudly about the temperature of the water.
“The water’s too hot.”
“I’m sorry. ’Twill cool off soon enough.” Helene tempered her remarks, so as to sound pleasant when she was feeling anything but. She had a bucket of cold water at her feet, but after years of preparing and helping with baths, she knew that the water temperature would rapidly cool and adding the cold water to it would only speed up the process.
“Well, are ye going to stand there or are ye going to wash me?”
Helene grabbed the soap and a wash cloth. She was just about to start the bathing when Lady Greer spoke again.
“So, I’ve been told yer the wench who thinks she was good enough to marry me Dougall. I can’t imagine what he sees in ye. Yer as plain as can be.”
Helene contained her anger and soaped up the cloth to begin washing Lady Greer’s back.
“Why would he waste his time on someone like ye? Unless, of course, yer the type who lets a man sample yer wares without benefit of marriage.” She laughed long and loud over that remark.
Helene was so embarrassed. She felt the heat creeping up her cheeks. Apparently shewasone of those women. She could never regret what she and Dougall had shared, no matter how this witch of a woman tried to make her feel badly about it. Helene stood and faced Lady Greer.
“Ye are, arenae ye! I can see it on yer face. Was he the first?” It was obvious she was having fun at Helene’s expense. “Of course he wasnae. Yer the type who’s probably been with dozens of men. Ye thought ye caught a good one this time. Made him think he should marry ye, but unfortunately fer ye, he’ll be marrying me. And once he samples me wares, he’ll have nae need of yers.”
Helene couldn’t help herself. She’d had enough and she wasn’t going to listen to this woman insult her and her relationship with Dougall anymore. Picking up the bucket of icy cold water, she dumped it over Lady Greer’s head and then flung the bar of soap and wash cloth into the tub before stomping out of the room and into the passageway.
Lady Greer screamed at the top of her lungs and her two guardians ran past Helene and into the room. “Get out you oafs. Can ye nay see that I’m in the bath? I want that wench arrested. She assaulted me.”
It was then that Helene realized she was in trouble. She probably shouldn’t have done it, but it felt good. She ran down the passageway as fast as her legs would carry her. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she’d be made to pay for what she’d just done. The sounds of yelling and running followed her as she made her way down the stairs and out the doors into the courtyard. If she could only get to her horse, she might stand a chance of getting away.
The bright light outside blinded her as the sun was setting for the day. She took a moment to get her bearings and as she took a step towards the stables she was seized by the two men who had accompanied Lady Greer. They dragged her back into the great hall where Laird MacRae stood, his face red with anger.
“How dare ye mistreat a guest in me house? Ye’ll pay fer this lass.” He glared at her, hatred in his eyes. “To the dungeon. She’ll stay there until we can try her for the crime of assaulting Lady Greer.”
This day had gone from bad to worse. There seemed no way out of this horrible ordeal. The two men dragged her down a passageway to a stone stairway that led down and then down again. It was dark, cold and damp down here. The only light came from torches set here and there on the wall. They encountered another man as they entered another narrower passage. The men handed her off to him, with orders to lock her up and left. It was good that she had nothing in her belly, because the stench of this underground prison had her stomach roiling. He took her to the very end of the passage. To the darkest corner. She could hardly see her hand in front of her face. He opened a door and shoved her through, slamming it in her face.
“Please. Don’t leave me here. You’ve got to help me. Please,” she begged.
The only answer was the sound of his receding footsteps. Why hadn’t she simply done what she’d been asked to do. As much as Lady Greer deserved what she got, she should have ignored her venomous taunts and then she would have been able to leave perhaps after everyone had gone to sleep this night.
“Oh, Dougall. Where are ye? Please come back for me.” Once again she wondered why he’d left her. Was he here somewhere not wishing to see her? Had his father convinced him he’d be better off marrying Lady Matheson? There was no explanation she could find for him to leave her at the mercy of his horrible father.
Despair overcame her as she realized there was no way out of this. She was stuck here until Paddraig MacRae saw fit to release her and she doubted that would happen. No one here cared about her enough to listen to what he had to say and to let her leave. She promised herself if given the chance to go, she’d never return. For now, this hole was where she would stay.
She couldn’t see a thing, but she could hear the scurrying of rodents in the dark. Afraid to sit down she instead leaned on the damp stone wall of her prison. Desperation turned to resignation as she realized she was stuck here for the foreseeable future. She had a moment of hope, when she believed Dougallwouldcome for her, but as the hours slowly crawled by, doubt began creeping into her mind. Doubt about Dougall. He’d left her here, alone. Why hadn’t he come to tell her he was going? Was it because he couldn’t bear to face her and tell her he was going to marry that shrew, Greer Matheson. That was the only thing that made any sense. He would never have left her if he truly loved her and planned to spend the rest of his life with her. The longer she stayed in this cold, dank prison, the darker her thoughts became.
Chapter 9
