“Nae too far,” he replied as he pushed some bushes aside and stepped onto a hidden path. “If I remember correctly, it’s right here…” his voice trailed off as he walked up ahead. “Aha!” he exclaimed, making her jump. “I kent it was around here somewhere.”
“Lucky that we stopped so near,” Melissa said as she fought her way through a bunch of overgrown thistles, scratching her skin in the process.
“Aye.” His smile seemed to broaden as she stepped onto the path. “Very lucky, indeed.”
Melissa took a step back and looked at the man, there was something in his eyes that made her uneasy, but she pushed back the feeling. It was only when she caught a glimpse of the cottage that the fear began to build in the pit of her stomach once again.
The building seemed rundown and derelict, with giant cracks in the walls and a broken window at the front. What seemed like an old garden was overgrown with weeds and thistles as far as the eye could see. The surrounding trees were growing dangerously close to the foundation of the house as if they hadn’t been chopped in years.
“Are you sure she lives here?” She stepped back as she examined the place.
“Aye, I’ve been here ‘afore,” he replied as he pointed at the chimney that was almost entirely concealed by an overhanging tree. “There’s smoke coming from the chimney,” he said. “Perhaps she will make ye a cup of tea while ye wait.”
The thought of a hot beverage did little to ease Melissa’s concerns as she followed Ewan up the path, every instinct in her body telling her to run.
“Perhaps, I should go back and wait by the cart.” She almost turned to leave.
“Nonsense,” Ewan said and sharply rapped his knuckles on the wooden door. “We’ve come this far already.”
A sudden scuffling sounded from inside the cottage as whoever was inside hurried to reach the door, knocking what sounded like a table over in the process.
Deciding to trust her instincts, Melissa said as her heart pounded in her chest, “I don’t feel comfortable with this.” She turned on her heels.
Suddenly, her wrist was seized in a vice-like grip, and she was yanked around.
“Ye willnae be going anywhere, Me Lady.” Ewan’s demeanor completely changed as a dark veil fell over his face. “I’ve had just about enough of yer complaining today,” he snarled.
“Let me go,” she cried and clawed at his hand in an attempt to free herself.
“What’s all this fuss out here?” The door suddenly swung open on its hinges, revealing the irritable face of George Young. “You’re late,” he barked at Ewan as if Melissa weren’t there.
“It wasnae easy convincing yer daughter to come,” Ewan grumbled.
“That’s why I told you to just take her by force,” George grunted and shook his head. “You never listen to me.”
The shock of seeing her father in the middle of the woods suddenly wore off as she realized what was happening to her. “You!” she yelled and attempted to yank her wrist free once again. “I thought you wanted a second chance! I knew we should never have trusted you!”
Rolling his eyes, George stepped aside and held the door open. “I don’t have time for this,” he said and shook his head. “Just bring her in.”
Fighting as hard as she could but failing, Melissa felt herself being dragged into the cottage despite her best efforts. “Avery!” she gasped as she finally stopped struggling and spotted her sister at the other end of the cottage.
“There will be more than enough time for a family reunion later on. Tie her up, McCollin,” George ordered.
“I’ll get you for this!” Melissa angrily spat in his face as she saw the way her sister was bound to a chair.
“And for heaven’s sake,” George added as he rubbed his temples with his fingers. “Don’t forget the gag.”
19
The ropes cut into the tender flesh of Melissa’s wrists as she attempted to free herself from them.
Ewan had placed her on a chair beside her sister and bound her hands behind her back, and then tied her feet to each leg of the chair.
“We’ve wasted enough time with your insistence on doing things the ‘nice’ way,” George grumbled as he sat at a table that had been placed in front of the fire.
“I told ye, the risk of being seen if I simply dragged her from the castle was far too high,” Ewan said irritably, rubbing his forehead as if he were nursing a headache.
Melissa had watched the two men bickering back and forth over the past two hours as they argued over who had been right and what needed to be done next. She wondered how Ewan had come to be involved with her father. As far as she knew, the man had been working at the castle for many years.
