Her sister stirred, blinking up at her. “Lavina?”
“Get up. Now.”
Maisie sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Is it mornin’ already?”
“Nay,” Lavina hissed, wrapping a cloak around her sister’s thin shoulders.
“Let me sleep,” Maisie whimpered as she turned back to her pillow. “It’s too early to get up.”
“Maisie, we’re leavin’. I’ve found someone who has agreed to give us a horse and food.”
Maisie froze. “What’s happened?”
“There’s nay time to explain,” Lavina said, stuffing clothes into a satchel. “We’ll talk once we’re far away from here.”
She shoved boots onto Maisie’s feet and pulled her toward the door.
“Lavina—wait! Where will we go?”
“Anywhere that isnae here,” Lavina said fiercely. “We’ll find shelter beyond the borders. I’ve studied Faither’s maps. I ken the land.”
Maisie hesitated. “What about Uncle? Ye ken as well as I do that he’ll nae let us leave easily.”
“I dinnae care what that man thinks. He’s vile and evil.”
“But he’s family,” Maisie said as Lavina grabbed the small purse of coins she had stashed in the side drawer. It wasn’t enough to get them but a meal or two, but at least it was something.
She pulled an extra pair of stockings out of the dress in a frantic rush to fill the bag with all she could to get them through their journey. Lavina still wasn’t certain where exactly she was goingto lead them. All she could do was pray for a supernatural hand to guide their way.
“Maisie, please, ye need to get movin’. Ye cannae be leavin’ in just yer nightgown. At least put on somethin’ a bit warmer.”
“Ye cannae be serious. It’s the middle of the night. Where exactly are we goin’, anyway?”
“Anywhere is better than here, trust me. Our uncle… he’s lost his mind,” Lavina snapped. “He wants to marry ye off, as if ye are some cattle. I willnae see ye married to such a man. I’ll nae let that happen. Our parents would never have allowed such a union. And neither will I.”
Fear and trust warred in Maisie’s wide eyes, but in the end, she nodded.
Together, they crept down the servants’ stairwell, avoiding the guards’ torches. The castle walls loomed around them like a tomb, but Lavina felt alive for the first time in years.
They slipped through the side gate and into the stables. Lavina saddled the fastest stallion—her father’s old black steed, Rowan, still lean and fierce despite the years.
Maisie clambered up first, clinging tightly to her sister as Lavina mounted behind.
The night air was frigid, the wind sharp as knives. Lavina took one last look at the stone towers silhouetted against the moon, then dug her heels into Rowan’s flanks.
The horse shot forward, its hooves pounding against the earth as it galloped into the darkness. Behind them, the castle loomed like a shadow waiting to consume them.
“I willnae let him have ye,” Lavina whispered, her arms tight around Maisie’s trembling frame. “I’ll burn the whole bloody Highlands before I let him take you.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Come on, ye beast. I ken ye can go faster. Ye would race with me faither on yer back and fly like the wind. We need ye to be that grand again. Please,” Lavina begged the horse as if it could understand.
But the truth was, she needed the encouragement. The chances of leaving unseen were slim to none. If they were to make it through the night, they’d need speed and distance.
Lavina glanced up at the sky, and for the first time in her life, she was grateful for the heavy clouds. Although the rain was icy and pricked her bare hands like needles, it was better than the lashing she’d get if they were caught.
“Come on, ye mule,” she grumbled.
