Edna felt her numb limbs burn with feeling as she stood, the hood still over her face. She had no idea where she was at, or why, but if nothing more, she was grateful to be off the horse and on her own two feet again.
Her wrists were raw from the ropes, her entire body bruised from the jarring ride that she had been forced to enjoy on her stomach, and all she wished for was some water to wash the dust out of her mouth.
All of that would have to wait, of course. Her captors had barely said two words to her since the loch.
The hood was pulled from her head suddenly, and Edna winced as the light flooded her eyes, blinking her lids rapidly so that she could grow accustomed to the lamplight.
When they finally did adjust, Edna found herself in a great hall, the smell of moldy rushes filling the air. The stones around the fireplace were blackened with soot, and the room was overly warm, causing sweat to roll down Edna’s back under her dress. The tapestries were tattered from age, the chairs from age. Where was she?
The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention, and Edna twisted her wrists against the rope, wincing as it bit into her sore, aching skin.
“Welcome tae Belshes, mah dear.”
Neacal came into her view, and Edna drew back, surprised to see the laird. Surely he hadn’t kidnapped her!
“I see the surprise on yer face,” he replied, a hint of a smile on his face. “I bet ye didnae think I would go tae such lengths tae have ye as mah wife, did ye?”
Edna wet her lips, her throat raw from crying and the dust from the trip. Her silence seemed to affect Neacal, for he frowned, noting the ropes binding her arms behind her back. “Cut them,” he growled.
She felt the ropes fall from her wrists a moment later, and Edna painfully let her arms hang at her sides. The movement seemed to satisfy Neacal, for his smirk returned.
“There. See? Isnae that better?”
“Wot do ye want?” she asked softly.
“Yer hand,” he replied. “Just like I told ye before, Edna. I want tae unite our clans by our marriage.”
“By kidnapping me?” she countered, allowing her hatred to come out in her words. How dare he take her from her home, from her family, and think that she was going to willingly just wed him!
He shrugged, seemingly unperturbed that he had done so. “Sometimes ye have tae take things in yer own hands.”
Edna gaped at him. “I willnevermarry ye!”
His casual countenance disappeared at her words, and he sneered. “Ye will change yer mind, Edna. I promise ye.”
“Ye’re daft!” she shot back, unable to believe that he was truly doing this. While Edna knew there were some lairds that thought they could do whatever they liked, she had never imagined that he would do this.
It was a way to get her father and his warriors to attack him and this keep.
“Nay, just sure of wot I want,” he replied. “Ye will like it here, Edna, once ye get used tae the idea of being mah wife.”
“Never,” she answered darkly. “Never.”
Edna started toward him, but her arm was grabbed, and she was yanked backward, the grip tight. “Nay, lass,” Neacal responded. “Ye wilnae leave mah keep until ye are mah wife.” He turned away. “Take her tae the chamber. See that she is locked in until she is willing tae cooperate.”
“I will never!” she promised him. She would never become his wife, no matter what he did to her or her family. Her father’s clan—herclan—was stronger than the Belshes would ever be.
Neacal didn’t respond, and Edna dug her heels into the floor, refusing to go with the warrior. The moment she did, Edna knew that she would likely not have another chance to escape. Terror seized her, but Edna refused to be pulled forward.
“Come on,” the warrior seethed, tugging on her arm painfully. “Or I will throw ye over mah shoulder.”
Edna continued to fight him, and eventually, he picked her up like he had promised, throwing her over his shoulder roughly so that her head was dangling at his back. Edna kicked and screamed, but nothing helped her, and before she knew it, she was being deposited on a hard bed, her body nearly bouncing off the straw-filled mattress.
“Ye’re lucky,” the warrior sneered as he crossed the room toward the door, “that I havenae hit ye in return.”
Edna rose from the bed, but she wasn’t quick enough, the sound of the door slamming shut vibrating through her body. With a cry, she hurried to the door and tried the handle.
It didn’t budge.
