Shocked, she turned in the direction the arrow had come from in time to see Thomas emerging from the cluster of birch trees. He had a wicked-looking crossbow in his hands and as the skies lit up with lightning, he rushed to Maitland and pulled her off of the ground.
“Thomas!” Maitland gasped in utter shock. “You’re here!”
He was already running away, pulling her with him, as the reivers over in the barrel vault realized something was terribly wrong. Men were spilling out into the storm, shouting the alarm.
“Hurry,” Thomas said as he pulled her into the birch trees. “No time to talk.Run!”
Maitland didn’t need to be told twice. She was already running, leaping through the foliage and launching herself through the hole in the wall where the children had gone. Thomas was right behind her and they began running, as fast as they could, across the wet field that stretched to the east.
Thomas had Maitland by the hand, but she was running faster than he was. Terror fueled her stride and by the time they reached the river, she plunged into it, sloshing across it as Thomas kept pace with her. His horse was tethered to a tree on the other side and he grabbed Maitland, practically tossing her up into the saddle as he mounted in front of her.
“Thomas, the children!” Maitland cried as he reined his horse around. “We must find the children!”
Her hand was on his shoulder and he grasped it, kissing it quickly. “I already have, sweetheart,” he assured her. “The children are safe, I promise.”
Maitland didn’t say anything more. She was stunned and overwhelmed with Thomas’ slick rescue, hardly believing he’d been there to save her at just the right time. It seemed like a miracle. As he spurred his horse away from Castle Heton, coming towards them over a rise was a massive army. Maitland caught sight of the mounted army, hundreds and hundreds of them, and as Thomas charged through their lines, they continued on towards Castle Heton.
But that wasn’t all.
To the north, she could see another army moving towards Castle Heton and then, to the south along the road Hobelar had wanted her to take to Wark, she could see yet another line of men. It seemed like an entire army was surrounding them from all sides, all of them converging on Castle Heton.
It was a rescue the likes of which no one had ever seen before.
After that, Maitland pressed her face into Thomas’ back and held on, weeping softly now that she was safe. They were tears of thanks, of joy, and of fear that hadn’t quite left her yet.The children are safe, I promise, he’d said. She wasn’t even sure she believed him until they reached an enormous castle and charged through the gates, and there she saw several big, wet men standing with her children near the entry to an inner ward.
Desmond was among those wet and weary men, and as Thomas pulled his horse to a halt, Desmond was there to pull his sister from the beast and embrace her tightly. When Maitland caught a glimpse of Lady de Wolfe emerging from the keep with little Dyana in tow, the tears Maitland had so recently stilled returned with a vengeance, and she sank to her knees, opening her arms to the seven children she’d come so close to losing.Hugging them all, alive and well, was one of the sweetest things she could have imagined.
God had been looking out for those children, for once.
Finally, they were safe.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
There was asoft knock on the chamber door and Maitland, half-covered in soap and water, went to open it.
Thomas stood out on the landing, smiling weakly at her, and she waved him inside.
“Come in, Sir Thomas,” she said, indicating seven children and two big copper tubs filled with hot, soapy water. “We were just cleaning up all of the Castle Heton filth. Care to lend a hand?”
Thomas’ smile broadened and he shook his head as he caught sight of Artus and Phin in one tub, dunking their heads underneath to see who could hold their breath longer. Artus popped up, wiped water out of his eyes, and spied Thomas.
“Watch me, Sir Thomas!” he cried. “Watch me!”
His head went back under quickly and water sloshed over the sides. Thomas pointed to the boy. “He is not going to stay under too long, is he?”
Maitland laughed softly, wiping her hands off on a linen towel. “Nay,” she said. “He becomes frightened after only a few seconds. It will not last long.”
The two of them grinned at each other as the door opened again and in swept Jordan and Caria, carrying piles of garments between them into the warm and slightly damp chamber.
“Tommy!” Caria cried, dumping off the garments on the only bed in the room, a rather big bed, and then rushing to Thomas, who picked her up and squeezed her. “How long are you going to stay? I want you to stay a very long time. Will you?”
Thomas gave her a hug and she gripped his neck enthusiastically. “I cannot stay too long, but you know I will return as soon as I can,” he said, spanking her affectionately on the buttocks before setting her to her feet. “Look at all of these children you have to play with. What fun you shall have.”
He said it to distract her and it worked. Caria saw Marybelle, Nora, and Dyana in one of the big copper tubs and she ran to it, trying to take her clothes off as she went.
“Matha!” she said. “I want to take a bath!”
Jordan was over by the bed, separating clothing out by size, and saw Caria as the little girl tried to pull her dress over her head. Dropping what she was doing, she rushed to her.
