Page 17 of Highlander’s Devious Ally

“Why do you not just seize me and force me to marry you?” she asked. “You are quite able to do that.” She tried to be appear calm but Jock’s words had scared her.

“And have a sullen, defiant wife for the rest of my life?” His tone was bitter. “Oh, no, my dear. I want someone quiet and compliant, and I will break your will as a horse is broken to a rider. You WILL wed me. You WILL love me.”

“You are a callous coward,” she said, and her voice throbbed with rage. “And a bully. I choose death over a life with you.”

“As you wish,” he bowed politely and left, and as the door closed behind him, engulfing her in complete darkness, Ailith felt more terrified than she had ever felt in her life. She swallowed a scream, not knowing if Jock’s men were there, then she heard voices coming faintly from outside. He had left guards behind him, and strangely, the thought made her feel a little better; at least she was not totally alone in this benighted place.

She felt her way to the candles and discovered there were six. She decided to ration them and only use them when she was eating and, hopefully, washing, although she had seen no water. The rest of the time she would have to pass by trying to find a means of escape.

Escape? she thought. That is impossible. She had seen four soldiers outside. He had presumably sent the rest home, but they could be summoned at any time. She wondered what Lyall would do when he found out she had disappeared. He would be devastated, she knew, but she could not think of any way he could find her, so it was up to her, Ailith, to find her way out.

By the next day, she had eaten all the food and had drunk all the water. She banged on the door and told them that she needed more, but there was no answer. An hour later, the door opened, and Ailith covered her face as she flinched at the unaccustomed daylight. One of the soldiers brought more bread and porridge and another jug of water, took away her slop bucket to empty it, and was about to close the door on her.

“Please may I have a little water to wash?” she pleaded. He avoided her eyes, shook his head, and shut the door with a slam. She heard the bolt and lock being applied from the other side.

If there was one thing Ailith could not stand, it was being dirty. They gave her just enough water to drink, but not enough to clean herself. It was one or the other, and she had to drink, so she stayed grubby. At night she wrapped herself in her cloak and the thin blanket and tried to sleep, but found it impossible.

The next day Jock visited again, chewing a chicken leg as he came in. Ailith’s mouth watered but she said nothing, and stood defiantly in front of him with her arms crossed.

“Have you changed your mind yet?” he asked. He waved his hand in front of his face and screwed his face up. “Ailith, my dear, you smell terribly!”

She shrugged. “They will not give me any water to wash,” she said flatly.

“That can be easily remedied,” he reminded her. “Marry me, Ailith, and all this will stop.”

“No.” The word came out like the crack of a whip. “Not if you were the last man on Earth.”

For a moment they stared at each other, but Jock looked away first. “You will regret saying that.” His voice was a low, mean growl. “Have it your own way. Stay dirty. Stay hungry. We shall see whose will is stronger.”

She could hear him chewing as he walked away.

10

The Search

Lyall was worried sick. He had gone to Ailith’s house in the evening, only for the maidservant to tell him that she was not there, and had not been seen since that morning. She had not been missing long, and could return at any minute. It could still be something perfectly innocent, but he felt instinctively that it was not, and he could see Jock’s hand in it.

“You did not see her with Laird McCauley?” he asked urgently. “Or Laird McCauley himself? Please, Mhairi, this may be important.”

The little red-haired woman was trembling with fear. “Naw, M'Laird. I havenae seen naebody.”

“If you do, please tell her that I have been looking for her,” he pleaded. “I am worried for her.”

“I will pray for ye, M'Laird,” Mhairi said, wringing her hands together. She had never seen Laird Stevenson looking like this before, and now she was desperately worried too.

Lyall did not want to make a fool of himself by accusing Jock without cause, so he made as many enquiries as he could amongst friends and acquaintances, then returned to his castle. He was too worried to eat, so he drank two glasses of wine and a cup of valerian tea, and managed to sleep fitfully till dawn, when he hastily grabbed some bread and cheese for breakfast and headed out to look for Ailith, but not before ordering twenty of his best men to scour the surrounding countryside and speak to estate workers and tenant farmers.

As the day wore on and he had asked dozens more people, he began to feel a deadly anger and hate boiling up within him. He was absolutely sure that this was Jock’s doing, and it was that feeling that drove him towards Jock’s castle almost without his own volition. Lyall was desperate to see Ailith; she had become as necessary to him as the air he breathed, and he could no longer imagine life without her.

Taking two of his men with him, he rode towards Inverleith Castle. When he reached the courtyard and asked for the Laird, Jock came out to meet him, smiling pleasantly. “Laird Stevenson!” he greeted him, bowing low and smiling. He put out a hand to grasp Lyall’s but he batted it away, glowering at Jock. Lyall took a step forward and Jock tried to hold his ground, but Lyall was too big and intimidating, especially now that his eyes were smoldering with rage.

“Where is Ailith?” he growled.

“I have no idea!” Jock replied, sounding hurt. “She has ended our betrothal and I am no longer in contact with her. I have not seen her for days.”

“I do not believe you,” Lyall ground out. “You are a coward and a liar, and I think you know exactly where she is.”

“Laird Stevenson,” Jock said grimly, “you are welcome to search every inch of my castle, but only if you speak respectfully. You are not on your own property now!” It seemed he was determined to make Lyall eat humble pie and at that moment Lyall would have kissed Jock’s feet if he had to.