Page 67 of A Touch So Wicked

“Nay, Elissa, you will stay here. Lady Marianne and Lora must be wondering what is going on. Perhaps you should go to them. Tell them not to worry, that I will protect them.”

Elissa stared at him a moment, then spun on her heel and marched off.

“I don’t like it, Damian. Why are you so protective of Elissa?” Kimbra demanded to know. “Deliver her to Gordon and forget about her.”

“I agree with Lady Kimbra, my lord,” Reverend Trilby ventured. “If the Gordon chieftain meant her harm, I could understand your reluctance. But she is his kind; ’tis doubtful he’ll hurt her.”

“I appreciate your concern, Reverend,” Damian said with waning patience. “His Majesty has forbidden a marriage between Elissa and Tavis Gordon, and I but carry out his orders. Now if you’ll both excuse me, my men have need of me.”

The Gordons’ first attack came an hour later, with an attempt to scale the walls. A shower of arrows preceded the attack, but Damian’s men drove them back and they retreated to the relative safety of the forest. But Elissa knew Tavis hadn’t given up. She also believed that Tavis wouldn’t have risked an attack if he hadn’t sufficient men and arms to warrant success. She wished now that Damian hadn’t sent the Black Watch back to London.

Elissa huddled with Lady Marianne and Lora while the battle raged below, but her mind was with Damian. She had to know what was happening. He could be hurt. Or, God forbid, dead.

“I can’t sit here any longer, Mama,” Elissa said. “I’m going below to help Nan with the wounded. As much as I dislike Englishmen, I hate to see anyone suffer.”

“Be careful,” Marianne warned, as Elissa let herself out.

Lady Kimbra accosted Elissa at the foot of the stairs. “Why aren’t you in your chamber?” Elissa asked.

“I was looking for you. Where can we talk in private?”

“Can’t it wait? I’m needed to help with the wounded.”

“This is important. I have an idea that should please you.”

Elissa didn’t think anything Kimbra had to say would please her, but she decided to listen anyway. “We can talk right here, no one is around to hear us. What is it you wish to say?”

“Your home is as inhospitable as these lands. After Damian and I are wed, I will convince him to take me to London. I’m confident I can persuade the king to let us take up residence in town.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I want to help you escape so my wedding can proceed as planned.”

“Damian will never agree to leave Misterly permanently.”

Kimbra gave her a conspiratorial smile. “I’d risk the king’s wrath for Damian. I’m sure you’re aware that Damian’s lovemaking is exceptional.” She preened for Elissa’s benefit. “He pleases me, and I him. I didn’t want to consummate our vows before the ceremony, but you know how persistent Damian can be. You are a distraction he doesn’t need. Therefore, I’ve decided to help you join your intended bridegroom.”

Pain sliced through Elissa. She’d suspected that Damian and Kimbra had been intimate, but hearing the truth from Kimbra’s lips made the hurt even more unbearable. Armed with that knowledge, Elissa knew she couldn’t…wouldn’t refuse Kimbra’s offer. It would mean leaving her mother and Lora behind, but she was convinced that Damian wouldn’t harm them. Once she was gone, Kimbra would probably convince him to send her mother and sister to the convent.

Elissa nodded slowly. “Verra well. Tell me how you’ll help me.”

Since Damian already knew about the secret tunnel and had stationed a guard near its entrance, Elissa was willing to listen to Kimbra’s plan. She was convinced that joining Tavis was the only way to end the siege.

“Listen,” Kimbra said, lowering her voice. “Here’s what we’ll do.”

The Gordons retreated into the forest under cover of darkness; their campfires could be seen from the bulwarks. A hot meal was being served to those men within the keep not on guard duty. Once they had eaten, they hunkered down before the hearth to catch whatever sleep they could before the Gordons’ likely attempt to storm the keep at dawn. The wounded had been treated and no deaths had been reported. After dining, Damian joined Dickon on the bulwarks.

Dressed in her father’s shirt, baggy britches held in place by a wide leather belt, and a too large jacket, Elissa slipped out the kitchen door. Pulling her father’s old bonnet low on her forehead, she hugged the shadows as she skirted around the keep to the front gate. It wasn’t as dark as she would have liked, for a pale moon hung low in the sky. Elissa prayed that Kimbra would uphold her part of the bargain, for without Kimbra’s help her escape was doomed to failure.

Elissa had explained the plan to her mother, and why she thought it necessary to place herself in Tavis’s hands. Lady Marianne had been adamantly opposed but failed to dissuade her.

Elissa breathed a sigh of relief when Kimbra sidled out from the shadows. “Reverend Trilby promised to distract the guard,” Kimbra whispered. “He agreed with me that your leaving was best for everyone inside the keep.

“Listen carefully,” Kimbra continued. “When we reach the gatehouse, distract the gatekeeper so he won’t see me sneaking up behind him. Once I render him unconscious, I’ll help you raise the gate. From there you’re on your own. No one will suspect me of helping you, and ’tis unlikely you’ll be missed until tomorrow.” She gave Elissa a shove. “Hurry.”

Elissa glanced at her home one last time before creeping toward the gate. Kimbra’s plan wasn’t perfect but it could work if everything went as planned, Elissa thought. She spied the night guard and the Reverend Trilby speaking together in low tones and circled around them.

Her heart pounding erratically as she neared the gatehouse, Elissa sensed the moment Kimbra was no longer behind her. Shoulders slumped, chin tucked low, she approached the gatekeeper and was immediately challenged.