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Despite the dire circumstances of her situation, and the tight grip the soldiers had upon her, Elaine could only think of losing him. Everything they had shared together up to that point seemed to disintegrate before her very eyes as though their feelings had crumbled to dust and now meant nothing at all. She was in love with him.
Through everything that had happened, the blackmail, the lies, the judgment from all those in the castle, it was the one thing she knew for certain. Last night, she had vowed she would confess everything that very day, including her love. But it was too late.
Even if she told him how she felt right now, he would not believe her. With everything he'd discovered thus far, he could only assume she was lying to him to save herself. Duncan had clearly come to his own conclusions with the evidence he now had against her. Shehadlied and deceived him, and that was all he would see. Nothing she could say or do could persuade him otherwise.
While Duncan went one way, the guards continued to drag her down the corridor in the opposite direction. Being paraded through the castle, an overwhelming sense of humiliation burned at her cheeks, given she was dressed only in her shift. The stone floor was cold and rough on her bare feet, but neither man seemed to notice or care as she limped along between them. Nor was there any point in struggling, they were too big and too strong.
The men nodded as they passed a guard stationed at the top of the stairs before descending the great stairway and making their way through the corridors on the castle's main floor. Daybreak. The keep was already coming to life. Sounds came from the Great Hall, indicating that servants were cleaning up the mess left by the previous night's feast and preparing the room for the day. Continuing on, the guards led her down another corridor, eventually reaching another set of stairs.
Elaine had never been down to the dungeons, but knew they were deep below the castle—far away from the rest of those who might hear peoples yells of despair, or cries for help. The thought of such a place only made her panic rise again. In desperation, she tried to bargain with the stern-faced men in charge of her custody.
“This is all a grave misunderstanding,” she said, trying to stay her panic. “If ye will only let me explain.”
“Aye, explain it tae the laird when he comes tae see ye,” one replied gruffly.
“But he is in danger,” Elaine pressed fervently. “Ye must let me warn him.”
“Yer the only danger, wench. That’s why we’re locking ye up.”
“Ye dinnae understand…”
The largest of the two soldiers suddenly came to a halt, and spinning Elaine around, pulled her close to him, lowering his glowering face down to hers. “Listen, ye little trollop,” he spat. “I dinnae care what ye have tae say. If ye ken what’s good for ye, ye’ll shut yer mouth. Accidents happen all the time, ye ken,” he continued, looking her up and down with a leering eye. “And we wouldnae want anything happening tae ye now, would we?”
Elaine suddenly shook her head, understanding his threat. She no longer had Duncan’s protection. Down in the dungeons, anyone could do anything to her, and no one would know or even care.
“Good,” he spat, flinging her away from him before continuing their way.
She could not allow herself to be imprisoned. Not only would she be in danger, but she had other people to consider. First, there was Rhona. Once the masked man discovered she had been thrown into the dungeon, she would be no more use to him, and neither would her little sister. He would have no reason to keep her alive. Then, there was Duncan. With his plan in ruins, surely, the mystery man would search for another way to get to him. He had made such efforts so far. Elaine could hardly see him giving up simply because he could no longer use her. She had to warn Duncan—whether he would listen to her, let alone believe her, was another matter.
She could only save Rhona and Duncan one way. She had to escape before they got to the dungeons. But how? Strength would not help her because these men were both twice her size. Clearly, even if she managed to thwart one, she would almost certainly be seized by the other.
Brute force is nae the answer.
She would need to use cunning to get away. The timing had to be just right. And it would have to be something that would render both guards incapacitated. As they continued down the passageway, they turned another corner and descended the stone steps. Moving further below, an idea began to form in her mind. Another much darker corridor appeared at the bottom of the stairs; they were not yet at the dungeons. Surely, there must be more steps. This plan was the only thing that would work.
They proceeded down the passageway, as she had predicted, until they reached a wrought iron gate, beyond which there were more steps. Elaine raised her eyes in a quick prayer of thanks. At the same time, she kept a close eye on the guard to her left as he unhooked a ring of keys from his belt. Sheknew she had to work quickly once the gate swung open. Since the light was dim, the first guard missed her throwing out her leg. His foot caught on it, and he let go of her. The stairs, however, were steep, and he fell headfirst, yelling as he went.
Wasting no time, Elaine swung around with all her might and pushed the other guard with a mighty shove. He careered into the wall on his left, and while his balance was lost, she shoved him forward and he followed his companion down the steps. The second guard bellowed out as he fell, and though some guilt did emerge, she had no time to feel sorrow for her actions. They were only doing what they had been told; they did not deserve such a dreadful experience. But she was desperate. Pushing the feeling of regret down, she turned back and began running up the steps to the corridor they had just left.
Fortune had been shining upon her, as they had not closed the gate after they had started down the stairs. She scrambled up the steps and closed the gate with a mighty metallic twang, shaking it to ensure it was secure. It wouldn't keep them there for long sincethey had the keysbut it would buy her some time.
Now, she had to be more than careful. She would have to move stealthily through the castle, not knowing if her capture was known to anyone other than those soldiers. She only had one chance, and it couldn't be squandered. Elaine kept close to the passage walls, stopping when footsteps echoed anywhere nearby, having already decided where she was going. As she ascended the first flight of stairs, she peered around the corner, checking both directions. The corridor was clear, so she proceeded to the set of stairs leading to the main floor.
Finn was the only one who could help her now. He had been so understanding when she had poured out her heart. And if Duncan would not listen to her, he was bound to listen to his closest friend. Reaching the main floor, Elaine ran swiftly but quietly through the corridors, and only upon reaching the great stairway, remembered the guard stationed at the top.
Damn!
There was no way to get to Finn’s bedchamber without passing him. And while she had her doubts about what the other guards knew, having passed him earlier, he would likely assume his kinsmen had secured her safely in the dungeon by now. She needed a distraction, something that would pull him away from his post. Looking about, she wondered what was on hand that she could use: a large vase sat upon a small table against the wall. It was a beautiful vase and she was nearly tempted to find something else, but there was not enough time.
She grabbed it and tiptoed to the end of the passageway, peeking around the corner to see where the guard was standing. She could only see part of his body. And if she couldn't see up, he couldn't see down either. She flung the vase as far down the hallway on the other side of the stairwell as she could with a powerful swing. Then shescreamed, cupping her mouth. She quickly pinned herself against the wall near the corner, listening to his footsteps thunder down the stairs. He turned to his right, the corridor where she had thrown the vase, without looking in her direction.
It was only a small distraction, but it was all she needed. Barefoot, she silently ascended the stairs with great speed, running as fast as she could down the upper passageway. Passing her own bedchamber and then Duncan’s, her heart pounded, for he could walk out of it at any second. Yet, he had left his bedchamber when she had been taken away. That was even more concerning, for he could be anywhere.
Continuing, Elaine passed other chambers until she eventually arrived at the one she knew to be Finn’s. Looking up and down, she knocked lightly on his door. Everything was a great mess, and it was only he who could help her make sense of it. She had no doubt he would help her, for he had been one of the few people who had been kind to her since she had arrived.
There was no response to the first knock, so sheknocked louder, despite her fear of drawing attention to herself. Another minute passed with no answer, and shebecame terrified when she heard voices. She entered, turning the handle, ready to apologize to Finn for her rude entrance. However, as she looked around the room before closing the door behind her, Finn was nowhere to be found. His bed was made and did not appear to have been slept in. The wax on the one remaining candle had worn away, leaving only a faint flicker.
Dawn had now passed, and moving across the room, she pulled open the heavy drapes, letting the light of the morning spill in, while at the same time wondering where Finn might be. She needed him, and she needed him now.
