Douglas was thankful that she sat between Jock and Will Elliot at the long, overcrowded trestle table. They were able to grab food from the great platters, which were emptied the moment the servers set them down. Her eyes searched the crowded hall for Lance Greystoke.One glimpse of his dark countenance and I shall flee from the hall.
With her attention focused on looking for Greystoke, she did not notice Alex Hume watching her like a hungry predator. When she finished eating, she told her brother she was going up to bed.
Jock reached into his pocket and handed Douglas a couple of gold crowns. “I saw at least a dozen Carlisle merchants arrive earlier. They are setting up their wares in a chamber off the Great Hall. I think it’s time you had another dress.”
Her eyes widened with pleasure. “Oh, Jock, thank you. You are the best brother in the world. Whatever would I do without you?”
Douglas spent the next hour selecting a gown from the array of feminine attire the merchants had on display. They had brought the latest fashions, knowing both the Scots and the English who planned to follow the king to London would spare no expense on their wardrobes.
She finally chose a pale green velvet gown with detachable sleeves. She also bought another pair of sleeves embroidered with pink English roses and silver Scots thistles that she could not resist.
Douglas carried her treasures up to the chamber she was sharing. When she opened the door she suddenly found herself propelled into the room from behind. She swung about to find Alex Hume leering at her.
“What the devil are you playing at? Please leave; I am sharing this chamber with four other ladies.”
“None of whom will be retiring this early. We’ll have plenty of time for dalliance.”
“I am not the least bit interested, Alex. I want you to leave at once.”
“You’ve led me a merry chase, Douglas. I tried to woo you when you were at Court in Edinburgh, but all you did was cocktease and say no.”
“I did no such thing, sir! You are the reason I left the Queen’s Court in Edinburgh.”
Hume grabbed her and brought his mouth down on hers. He held her imprisoned against him. “You play a high-stakes game, Douglas, holding out for marriage with a Hume.” He squeezed her bottom. “If I can’t have you any other way, I warrant I’ll have to offer for you. How about a foretaste? If you are generous, I will help get your brothers released.” His hand slipped into her décolletage and cupped her bare breast.
Douglas raked her nails down his cheek. “Take your lecherous hands from me, pig!”
Two of the ladies who were sharing the chamber with her entered. They saw the couple struggling, and stared at the man’s bloody cheek.
Alex Hume stepped back from Douglas, but before he left his eyes narrowed with thwarted anger. “Since you are a ward of the Crown, I shall speak with the king.” Hume added another threat. “One word from my family could get your brothers hanged if you don’t change your tune.”
Douglas blushed as she explained to the ladies, “His attentions are unwanted. I thank you for saving me.” She hung up her new gown in the large wardrobe. Alex Hume had taken the joy out of her purchase with his threat to her brothers’ safety.He may look like an effete popinjay, but he is deadly dangerous.I must tell Jock what he is threatening.But Douglas was loathe to leave the safety of the chamber tonight. She removed the blue brocade gown and hung it beside the new one.I’ll tell him first thing in the morning.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Douglas was glad she awoke at first light. She had been having a nightmare that King James had consented to her marriage with his Treasurer’s brother, and Alex Hume had come to claim her. In the dream she had not dared to refuse him because her brothers’ lives hung in the balance. She had been trapped with no way out, and as she donned the pale green velvet, and brushed her hair, she sent up a prayer for divine intervention.
She hurried down to the dining hall, assuming she would find Jock at breakfast. “Will, I must speak with my brother, has he eaten yet?”
“Ye just missed him. The king and the Border Wardens are holding Court in the Great Hall. Today and tomorrow the Carlisle prisoners will be tried and sentences pronounced.”
“Dear God, I hope Jock gets Gavin and Rob released before they go on trial.”
Will made room for her at the table. “Sit down and eat. It’ll be a long day.”
“I couldn’t eat a thing. My stomach is knotted with worry.” Douglas hurried in the direction of the Great Hall. Suddenly, to her horror she saw Sir Lancelot Greystoke striding toward her. The thunderous black look on his face, made her step back in alarm.
“Douglas Elliot, you are a thief and a liar.” His accusing eyes swept her from head to foot. In the pale green velvet, her fiery hair looked like flames, and her exquisite beauty infuriated him. “You are a manipulative little bitch, who deserves to be locked up with your thieving brothers. You are damned lucky I am late to Court, but rest assured that when today’s trial is finished, I shall find you, and lay charges against you.”
She was trembling as Greystoke strode off, his spurs striking sparks on the flagstone floors. The antique mirrored pendant pinned inside her gown felt as if it were burning a hole in her flesh. She wanted to flee to the safety of the bedchamber, but the thought of being cooped up all day in the small room, worrying over her brothers’ fate, and now her own, was unbearable to Douglas. She hurried back to where she had left Will, but when she saw that he was no longer sitting at the trestle table, she felt faint.
To give her courage, she drank a mug of small ale, and took an oatcake from a huge platter. It seemed as if the walls were closing in on her, and she found it so difficult to take a deep breath that she felt as if she were suffocating.I must get some fresh air!
She found the massive oak doors to the keep and went outside. She was stunned to see that the sun was shining and she could smell the sweet green grass from the outer bailey. The red sandstone castle was such a formidable stronghold, the rays of the sun never penetrated its seven-foot thick walls.
Douglas hurried to the outer bailey and walked through the sweet spring grass. She nibbled on the oat cake and it seemed to settle her stomach. On impulse she departed through the main gate and when she found herself outside the castle walls, an overwhelming desire to flee came over her. The April weather was lovely and she longed to be riding through the incomparable beauty of the hills and dales of the Borders.I cannot leave my brothers behind. I must find a way to help them.
She looked up and saw the spire of Carlisle Cathedral. She picked up her velvet skirts and hurried toward the medieval church that had been built in the twelfth century. It was rather small, as cathedrals went, but inside there was much to look at and occupy the senses. She gazed up at the barrel-vaulted ceiling, amazed at the skill of the craftsmen who had created such a magnificent building.
