“Northumberland?” Jamie repeated. “Bloody hell, why take them that far? Do they know who he is? Do they know they have a Douglas?”
“She doesn’t think so. She thought it was a precaution. With your men in Roxburgh, the English patrol didn’t want to take a chance with Jedburgh being so close.”
Elizabeth felt the blood drain from her face. She’d been to Bamburgh Castle once as a child when her father had been keeper of Berwick Castle, and the knowledge of where they’d taken her brother filled her with despair and horror. She didn’t need to hear the men below discuss the difficulty of a rescue; she understood it. Bamburgh’s location perched on a steep, rocky cliff made it virtually inaccessible and the perfect place for a prison.
But these were the Phantoms; surely if anyone could free Archie from an impossible place they could?
“We can attempt a rescue,” MacRuairi said. “But we’ve never done anything like this before. Without a long siege, our only way in is up that cliff. It’s not like climbing a thirty-foot wall with grappling hooks and a ladder. It’s over a hundred and fifty feet of sheer basalt rock without a tether. Success is far from guaranteed, and we could make the situation worse.”
Jamie echoed the question in her head. “How could it be worse? He might as well be in the Tower of London, damn it.”
“A rescue attempt could alert the English to the importance of one of the prisoners. If they start questioning your brother, how long will it take for them to discover his identity? And if they do...”
He didn’t need to finish. They all knew what that would mean. If the English learned they had the brother of one of the most hated men in England in their possession, the man blamed for countless “black” deeds and reviled as the Devil, they would hang Archie from the nearest gallows—or worse.
But what if they already knew? What if the prisoners were already being questioned? Tortured? How long did Archie have then? He was only sixteen!
The men went back and forth, but Elizabeth knew they couldn’t take a chance and wait. They had to try. Especially when there was someone who could help them. As soon as MacRuairi had mentioned the sheer rock, she’d known. Jamie would know, too.
She kept waiting for her brother to say something, but when it was clear he wasn’t going to, she knew she had to act.
She didn’t give the man at the door a chance to stop her. She brushed by him, ignoring his protests, and burst into the meeting.
Ignoring the men looking at her with surprise, she stared right at her brother. “You know someone who can help. You have to ask him.”
The guard spoke at the same time. “I’m sorry, my lord. I tried to stop her.”
“Not very well, it seems,” James said, addressing the man first. He sniffed in the air, his eyes narrowing on the fireplace. The smoke had given her away. “I will speak with you later, Elizabeth. Now isnotthe time.”
The calm, low voice didn’t fool her. She knew he was furious at her for eavesdropping—she didn’t blame him—but this was too important. “But Thom can help.”
“No, he can’t. This has nothing to do with him.”
“But—”
“Damn it, there are no buts! We don’t need his help. Climbing trees and hills around Douglas is a far cry from trying to sneak into one of the most formidable castles in England. MacGowan has been a warrior for three years. He isn’t cut out for something like this. These are not normal missions. His inexperience will only make the rest of our jobs more difficult and could put the rest of us in danger.”
Jamie was blind when it came to Thom. She knew her brother was too proud to ask Thom for anything, after the falling-out between them. She started to argue but he stopped her.
“This is supposed to besecret, and it’s important that it’s kept that way. There are many lives at stake, including Archie’s. Do you understand?”
Wide-eyed, she nodded. Suddenly conscious of all the eyes upon them, she turned around to leave. She wasn’t about to give up, but she knew her brother well enough to know that she would not convince him like this.
But he knew her well, too. He followed her to the door and said in a low voice so that no one else would hear, “Stay away from him, Ella, I mean it—I don’t want you anywhere near MacGowan. You will be on the first horse back to Blackhouse in the morning, and he will be on the other end of my sword.”
Her brother’s warning echoing in her ears, Elizabeth hesitated for about thirty seconds. She did not doubt that Jamie meant what he said, but she would gladly return to Blackhouse if it meant Archie was safe. And although Jamie was irrational when it came to Thommy, he would not kill him just for talking to her. Besides, she was confident she could prevent a battle between the two men if need be. She’d done so many times before.
No matter what Jamie said about Thommy’s lack of experience, there was no question in her mind that he could help. He could climb anything. How many times had she watched him scale cliff sides when they were younger? Not to mention the tower houses. He could help the Phantoms, she was certain of it. Just as she was certain he would help.
6
BLOODY HELL,ITwas cold. The padded wool arming coif that covered Thom’s head and neck beneath the steel bascinet was scant protection against a wintry Scottish wind. Hell, it wasn’t much protection against asummeryScottish wind, which could be almost as frigid. His ears were frozen.
Why the hell hadn’t he brought an extra plaid? He paced the ramparts as much to keep warm as to keep watch on the darkened countryside.
Guard duty at night was a special kind of hell. Long, lonely hours trying to stay alert and not freeze to death. Who would have thought he’d be longing to swing a hammer? But this was his “reward” for saving the princess. Unable to help with the taking down of walls for the next day or two while he rested his blasted shoulder, he’d temporarily been re-assigned to the night’s watch. But in a day or two, as soon as additional men arrived from Edinburgh, Carrick had given him leave to return to Rutherford Castle and Lady Marjorie.
Focused on movement beyond the castle walls, he didn’t pay much attention to the footsteps coming up the guardhouse stairs, assuming it must be the officer in charge. It was, but Carrick’s lieutenant wasn’t alone.
