Page 167 of Wicked Highland Heroes

Chapter Five

Rhoslyn hoped they would get no farther than the great hall before someone discovered them. Surely, some of Sir Talbot’s men had gone back to sleep there.

Dayton stopped when they reached the dimly lit second floor. “Where is the passageway?”

“In the scullery, there are stairs leading to the dungeon. From there, a passageway opens outside the walls.” She had never been a good liar. Did he believe her?

“Act naturally,” he said. “We do not want to attract attention.”

“This is a dangerous plan.” She feigned fear.

“Aye, but I see no other way. You must escape before Talbot has an opportunity to consummate your union. Unless—he has not yet bedded you?”

“He had to ride for Longford Castle. My grandfather is under attack,” she said, then wished she hadn’t answered so quickly. He might not have been so insistent upon helping her if he thought his brother had already consummated their marriage.

“So I heard. I am surprised that he left any ends untied.”

Was she an untied end? Even Sir Talbot’s remote manner didn’t make her feel so cold.

Dayton frowned. “Perhaps it is best you not wear a cloak. Anyone we encounter is sure to wonder why you are dressed as if to leave.”

“You are right.” She yanked the tie loose and swung the cloak from her shoulders, then tossed it near the wall. Cool air enveloped her and she shivered.

“I will see to your comfort once we are away.” He pressed a hand to the small of her back and urged her forward. “You need not fear, my lady.”

Rhoslyn realized her hand trembled. Curse her nerves. She had spent too much time in the peace and safety of the convent and her courage now flagged.

“Are you well, Lady Rhoslyn?”

His question startled her. Had she given away the truth in her expression? Surely, he couldn’t read her face in the meager light? Nay, but the man wasn’t stupid.

“Forgive me, I am no’ accustomed to fleeing in the middle of the night.”

“Aye, lady, I understand.”

Rhoslyn heard in his voice the same charming smile he’d worn upon his arrival. That smile had gotten him far in life and he knew it.

When they reached the stairs leading to the kitchen, Rhoslyn mouthed a prayer to Saint George that either someone worked in the kitchen or she could break free and reach the great hall.

Dayton grasped her arm. “I am sorry.”

She looked up at him. In the near-total darkness, she still couldn’t discern his expression. He shifted and her heart jumped. In the next instant, the back of his hand struck her cheek with mind-numbing force. Pain splintered across her face. She jerked with the force of the blow and fell forward. She crashed into a hard body and arms closed around her as the world went black.

Pounding pain penetrated the darkness. Rhoslyn groaned, then winced at the way the sound reverberated against her skull. Where was she? What had happened? She couldn’t focus.

“Do not move. It will be easier.”

Rhoslyn jerked at hearing the deep voice and snapped open her eyes. Light bore into her eyeballs like a needle and she jammed her eyes shut with a cry. A hand grasped and gently squeezed her shoulder. The pounding in her head intensified. She gritted her teeth until the roar subsided to the duller sound it had been a moment ago.

“Where—” she swallowed against a dry throat, the simple action difficult. “Where am I?”

“Safe in bed.”

Bed? She struggled to remember what bed and why she felt as if she had run headlong into a stone wall. Rhoslyn touched her face and winced at the tenderness in her cheek. She released a shaky breath and slowly opened her eyes. Light pierced her vision, but with less severity than a moment ago. She turned her head away from the direct light and blinked the unfamiliar room into focus.

“Where is this place?”

“A cottage near Stonehaven,” the man said.