Page 12 of Seduction in a Kilt

It was a relief when he sighted the towers of the castle up ahead. He veered down the road toward the gatehouse, glad to see no signs of any recent attack. As they drew closer, the great gates creaked open and he guided the horse through them and into the cobbled courtyard.

The courtyard was bustling with martial activity, with many soldiers gathered there. Knox was talking with them, but when he saw Liam, he cut the conversation short and hurried over to greet him. As Liam slid from the saddle, the two men clapped each other on the back in greeting. Then, Knox stood back and stared up at Amy with obvious bewilderment.

“Where’s the lad?” he asked Liam.

Liam jerked his head at Amy. “Right there.”

Light seemed to dawn on Knox. “Ye mean tae say ’twas nae a lad at all but a lassie?” he asked, apparently unable to take his eyes off the young woman looking down at him stoically from the saddle.

“Aye. Her name’s Amy,” Liam replied, turning and lifting her down. For all her courage, her face was white and pinched, her lovely eyes wide with fear. His heart went out to her. The urge to protect her rose up strongly in him, but he knew an interrogation was inevitable.

“Well, well, well, Amy, is it?” Knox murmured, taking off his hat momentarily and scratching his head as he continued staring at her. Liam could sense he too was perplexed at finding their prisoner was a lass. The woeful look she shot him pricked at his conscience, but he told himself he had to fulfill his duty to Knox.

“I’m pleased tae see there was nay attack last night,” he observed, relieved all was well.

“Aye, thank the Wee Man,” the Laird answered. “I cannae tell ye how glad I was when I got back. But MacAlister could attack at any time, so we havetae be ready.”

“Aye,” Liam agreed as Knox led them past the guards and into castle keep. “Amy here might be able tae tell us somethin’ about that,” he added, ignoring his doubts. He held her arm firmly and steered her along beside him.

Knox led them along a tapestry lined hallway to the door of his study. “Aye, bring her in. Let’s see what she’s got tae say fer hersel’.” He opened the door and waved them inside.

A few minutes later, with Amy now tied securely to a chair and a sneer on her lips, they began to question her. But all she would say was what she had already told Liam in the forest, that she was running from her own wedding because she did not want to be married to her groom. She insisted he was a cruel man who would make her life miserable.

“And what about that ring, eh? How did ye come by that if ye’re nae MacAlister spy?” Knox demanded for the umpteenth time.

“I told ye, I stole it, from a man’s pocket at an inn!” she cried in obvious distress. Liam felt sorry for her and willed her to give up.

“A likely story,” Knox said, echoing his own disbelief. “I dinnae wantae hurt a woman, but if ye refuse tae tell us the truth, ye’ll force me tae lock ye up in me dungeons and see how ye like that. ’Tis nae very pleasant down there,” he warned her.

“I’ve told ye the truth!” she exclaimed, looking irritated yet also a little bit scared at the prospect of being thrown in the dungeons.

“Come on, Amy, if that’s yer real name,” Liam tried again, hoping to avoid putting her in the dungeons, “tell us what yer connection is tae Carson McAlister and why ye wear his clan insignia on yer finger.” But it did no good. They grew increasingly frustrated when she just kept on stubbornly repeating what she had already said.

“Right, I’ve had enough of this. We’ll see if a spell in the dungeons will loosen yer tongue. Come on, Liam. We’ll take her down there ourselves and see how she likes it,” Knox declared, winking at Liam so she could not see. Liam knew Knox was hoping the threat alone would scare her into submission. However, from the little he knew her, he was skeptical that it would work.

They untied her, and each took her by an arm and whisked her through the castle, along a dimly lit stone corridor, down some steps, and through a large, studded door of oak, into a reeking hallway lit by torches. Cells were ranged on either side. Someone somewhere was moaning softly.

Liam shivered. Not only did it stink of human waste and misery, but it was also dark, dank, and freezing. He heard rats scuttling about nearby and the sound of dripping water.

His heart clenched when he heard Amy gasp in shock. She moaned and sagged in their arms.

“Aye, ye dinnae like that, d’ye?” Knox said.

’Tis nae place fer a young lassie tae be left all alone, Liam thought, heavy with misgiving as Knox pushed her into a dark cell, with dripping walls and rotten straw on the floor, and slammed the door shut.

The sound of the cell door slamming echoed off the dank stone walls of the dungeons. “Ye can stay there until ye decide tae talk,” Knox told the captive through the grill in the door, leaving her in pitch darkness except for a small shaft of light coming in from a ventilation hole somewhere above.

As Knox turned to leave, Liam paused, looking back at the cell door, imagining her inside, terrified. The urge to let her out was almost overwhelming.

“Come on, man, let’s see how long it takes her tae change her mind,” Knox urged him from the doorway.

But Liam’s conscience was troubling him badly. “Knox, we cannae just leave her here like that,” he said to his friend in a low voice as they were about to exit the dungeons. “She’ll either die of cold or fear.”

“Look, I ken how ye’re feelin’, Liam, and I feel the same. She’s a wee young lassie, and ‘tis nae pleasure fer me tae lock her up in this God-awful place. But I figure if we leave down here fer an hour or two, it might just scare her intae tellin’ us what we need tae ken.”

“But what if she’s already tellin’ the truth?”

“What? Are ye jestin’? Ye believe that codswallop about runnin’ from her own weddin’ while stealing and wearing the MacAlister ring and accidentally ending up in the MacAlister’s foe’s lands?” Knox exclaimed.