“I don’t know, Dragon. I think I stopped intimidatingyoua long time ago—or you wouldn’t be such a pain in my arse.”
It was an acknowledgment of sorts. A recognition that despite the imbalance between them at the start, the scales had started to even. They might never agree on the war and how it should be won, but as a warrior and a partner, Seton had his respect.
Seton nodded. Though a small acknowledgment, Robbie could see it meant something to him.
After a moment, his partner asked, “Do you want to tell them the good news or should I?”
They both knew there was more to the question than first appeared. He could let Seton continue in the role of champion or…
Robbie held his partner’s gaze. “I’ll do it.”
He didn’t know what kind of claim he’d just made, but he knew that he’d made one.
Nine
The sight of a pillow nearly made her weep. The fact that one small, lumpy, linen-covered pillow could bring her to tears was a testament to how tired Rosalin was and how grateful—and surprised—she was that Boyd had agreed to let them stop for the night.
Although once she saw the place, she understood. The old wooden tower turned fortified farmhouse was auspiciously situated on the edge of a steep ravine. With the only entrance well guarded, escape would be nearly impossible.Nearly. But she was determined to try. With her ribbon plan foiled, it was up to her.
She and Roger had devoured the small bowl of bland beef pottage and day-old crust of bread they’d been given by the farmer as if it were ambrosia, before being escorted up the two flights of stairs to their garret chamber by Boyd.
It was as she’d anticipated when she’d first seen the building: they were given the room at the top of the house overlooking the ravine. If the height and position of the room weren’t enough, as an added deterrent to escape Boyd would be sleeping right outside their door.
Their host had been surprisingly thoughtful, providing not only water to wash but paste to clean their teeth and—she said a prayer of gratitude—a comb to run through their hair. A small iron brazier in the corner provided a pleasant warmth to the room that made it easier to ignore the earthy smell of peat.
There was a small bed tucked under the one shuttered window in the room, and through an adjoining door a few mattresses were tucked under the eaves for servants.
It was the bed and window that had given her the idea. After they’d washed and readied for bed, she shared it with her nephew.
Roger looked at her with increasingly widened eyes. “You want to dowhat?”
Cognizant of the man on the other side of the door, she put her finger up to her mouth to warn him to keep his voice low as she continued to explain her plan. “Like Queen Matilda,” she whispered. “Do you remember how she escaped Oxford Castle? If we tie the bedsheets together to make a rope, we can tie one end to the bedpost”—she hoped it was strong enough to hold them—“and climb out the window.”
When Queen—or Empress—Matilda was under siege by King Stephen at Oxford, she’d escaped in a similar fashion by being lowered down the wall by her men, famously wearing white to blend into the snow-covered surroundings.
“Didn’t you see the ravine? It must be forty feet from here to the ground.”
“Then we will have to use lots of sheeting.” She took the solitary candle in the room and cracked the shutter enough to look outside, ignoring the cold blast of air that seemed to remind her of the warmth and safety of the room she planned to leave. Peering down into the fathomless darkness, she tried—unsuccessfully—not to shiver. “See, it doesn’t look that bad. I don’t see anyone guarding it.”
“For good reason,” Roger pointed out. “Who in their right mind would climb out this window?”
Rosalin knew he was right and was just as scared as he was, but they had to at least try. This might be their only chance. She wouldn’t let Boyd use them against Cliff. “It won’t be that bad. You’ll see. And once we are down, it’s not that far to the castle we passed earlier.”
Roger nodded. “I saw it, too. I wish I knew where we are. But if you are right that they are taking us to Ettrick Forest, it is probably Melrose, Selkirk, or even Peebles—all of which are held by the English.”
She nodded. “Your father is probably racing to one of them right now.”
Roger seemed to be warming to the idea. “Perhaps you are right. We have to at least try. It will be much harder to try to find our way out of the forest. If we do this, though, I have one condition.”
She tried not to smile at his authoritative posturing and nodded.
“I will go first.”
“Absolutely not—” She started to object, but he cut her off.
“If something goes wrong, I can jump farther than you.”
If something went wrong, jumping was the last thing they needed to worry about. She wanted to refuse, but she could see that stubborn look of Cliff’s on Roger’s face. She considered him for a moment. “Very well, but you will give me a promise as well. If something goes wrong, you will not stop and wait for me but go for help.”
