Ransom

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Dunhanshire was swarming with soldiers. It was a black, moonless night, but the holding was as bright as the king's palace, for torches blazed orange red along the top of the parapets and the walkways, and from the distance the fires looked like the eyes of demons staring out at them.

The five stood clustered together, well hidden in the dense forest beyond the meadow, all silent as they listened to the clanking sound of the drawbridge being lowered and then watched yet another troop of soldiers riding into the holding.

"They go into the bowels of hell," Ker whispered. "I can feel the evil here."

"Why are there so many soldiers?" Proster asked. "The baron must be preparing for battle. I swear I've counted over a hundred men since we've been watching."

"He must have heard that our soldiers are coming," Alan speculated.

Gillian shook her head. "Alford always surrounds himself with a league of soldiers to protect him. He wants to make certain no one can sneak up on him and take him by surprise."

"He fears death, doesn't he?" Bridgid said. "He knows he'll burn in hell for his sins. Is he an old man?"

"No," Gillian answered. "When I was a child, I thought he was, but he was a very young man then. Because of his friendship with John, Alford was given power, and it has been his lifelong quest to gain more. Dunhanshire used to be a joyful place," she added. "But Alford and his greed changed all of that. He killed my father and destroyed my family."

"God willing, our soldiers will come thundering down the hills tomorrow and attack," Proster said.

"I pray to God they stay away until this is finished," Gillian countered.

"Do you think your uncle is inside Dunhanshire?" Bridgid asked.

"I don't know," she answered. "But I'll find out tomorrow. We'll rest here tonight." She untied the strap holding her blanket to the horse's back and then spread the woolen square under one of the large oak trees. Bridgid followed her and sat down beside her.

"This is as far as we go together," Gillian said. "I have to do the rest alone."

"You know that Proster isn't going to let you go into Dunhanshire alone."

"You've got to help me make him understand," she whispered. "I'll be safe as long as Alford thinks I have what he wants, but if Proster goes with me, I promise you he'll use him against me. He must stay here with you and Ker and Alan."

Proster dropped down on one knee beside Gillian. "We've been talking," he said with a nod toward his friends. "And we've decided that you should wait here until your husband arrives. Then you can go inside."

"Our minds are made up, milady," Ker interjected.

"I'll wait until the middle of the day," she said. "The baron doesn't awaken until then, but I won't wait any longer."

"Either you wait for your husband or I go with you," Proster argued.

"We will put off this discussion until tomorrow. Now we should rest." She closed her eyes to discourage the soldier from continuing to argue with her.

Bridgid fell asleep almost immediately, but Gillian dozed off and on through the night. The soldiers slept at her feet with their swords clasped in their hands.

None of them heard her leave.

By the time she crossed the meadow she was surrounded by Alford's soldiers and escorted inside the holding. She was then taken to the great hall and told to wait until Alford's senior officer arrived.

A young servant girl who obviously didn't know that the baron wouldn't have wanted her to see to Gillian's comfort carried in a tray of food and set it on the table. Two soldiers stood guard at the entrance watching Gillian's every move. For a long while she paced in front of the hearth, and when she grew weary, she sat at the table and forced herself to swallow bites of the cold meat and bread on the trencher. Gillian had little appetite, but she knew she'd need nourishment to strengthen her for the confrontation with Alford.

The soldier in charge finally came inside. He was a brute of a man with a broad, bulging forehead and small dark eyes as flat and lifeless as marbles.

"Baron Alford doesn't like to be disturbed while he's sleeping. He and his companions, Baron Edwin and Baron Hugh, were up quite late last night."

"I have nothing to say to Alford until I see my Uncle Morgan. Is he here?"

"No," he answered sourly. "But you are in luck. Last week the baron ordered soldiers to bring him here from his estate."

"Then my uncle was allowed to stay in his own home?" she asked.

"Since you've been gone, your uncle has been moved twice, he replied.

"Why is it taking the soldiers so long to bring him here? If they left last week…"

"The soldiers were also sent to Baron Alford's home to fetch his favorite cloak. They should be here any time now."

Gillian was taken upstairs and locked in the same chamber she and Alec had escaped from weeks before. Snickering, the soldier told her the passage had been sealed.

The wait continued until late afternoon. She spent a good deal of time praying and worrying about Brodick and the others. Please God, keep them safe and keep them away from this place until it's finished and Alford can't hurt them.

The brute unlatched the door and told her the baron was waiting to see her. "The rest of your family has arrived," he announced.

She wanted to ask him if her uncle was well, but she knew he wouldn't tell her anything more, and so she hurried downstairs to see for herself.

Edwin was waiting. She didn't give him a second glance as she hurried past him into the hall. Alford and Hugh were seated at the table side by side. They had obviously had too much to drink the night before, for Hugh's complexion was gray and his hands shook when he reached for his goblet. Red liquid sloshed over the rim onto the table as he greedily drank the wine like a man dying of thirst.

Alford rubbed his forehead to rid himself of the pounding headache.

"Where is my uncle?" she demanded.

"He'll be here soon," he answered. "Tell me, Gillian. Did you fail or succeed in your quest?"

"I won't tell you anything until I see my Uncle Morgan."

"Then perhaps your sister will. Bring her in, Edwin," he called out, then grimaced in pain and put his hand to his forehead again.

Because Alford was watching her closely, Gillian tried to hide her surprise and confusion. Bring her sister in? What in Gods name was he talking about?

"Ah, there she is now," Alford crooned.

Gillian whirled around and nearly fell over as Bridgid sauntered into the hall. Dear God, what was she doing? The soldiers must have found their hiding place, Gillian decided then, and if that were true, what had happened to Proster and Ker and Alan?

She took a panicky breath. Bridgid smiled at her and then asked loud enough to be overheard, "Which one of the pigs is Alford?"

Alford lunged forward, bracing his hands on the table to support himself. "You will guard your tongue," he shouted, "or I'll have it cut out."

Bridgid didn't seem the least impressed by the threat. "You'll die trying," she shouted back.

Gillian grabbed her hand to get her to be silent. Inciting the beast in his cave was dangerous and foolish.

"Where is my uncle, Alford?"

He waved away her question. Then Hugh drew his attention with his comment. "I'm not disappointed in the way Christen turned out. She still has her yellow hair."

Edwin joined his friends at the table and snapped his fingers to alert the servants to bring food and more wine. "They don't look like sisters."

Alford studied the two women. "They didn't look like sisters when they were young. Christen was always the pretty one, and Gillian was the mouse."

"She isn't a mouse now," Hugh chortled. Reaching under the table he began to rub himself. "I want her, Alford."

Alford ignored the demand. "What clan did you live with?" he asked.

"The MacPhersons," Bridgid answered.

"And what name did those heathens give you, or have you always been called Christen?"

Gillian's heart started pounding, because she couldn't remember if she had told Bridgid the name Christen was given by the Highlanders.

"I'm called Kate," Bridgid answered. "I much prefer it to Christen."

"She has the same sour disposition as Gillian," Hugh remarked. "They're sisters, all right."

"Yes," Alford drawled, but the furtive look in his eyes said he still wasn't completely convinced. Impatient, he stood up and came around the table. "Do you have my treasure with you, Christen?" His beady eyes darted back and forth between the women as he waited for her answer.

He was so vile he made her skin crawl. She boldly faced him and summoned forth her most defiant look. "I thought the treasure belonged to your king."

"My king?"

Bridgid quickly recovered from her blunder. Forcing a shrug of indifference, she said, "I'm a MacPherson now, and I have lived in the Highlands for many years and have become loyal to the king of Scotland. I don't consider England my home."

"What about your Uncle Morgan? Do you consider yourself loyal to him?"

"I don't remember him," she said. "I'm merely helping my sister."

His eyes were piercing as he studied her. "I plan to see that the king gets the box back," Alford snapped. "Do you have it with you?"

Edwin came rushing forward to join his friend. Scratching his triple chins, he remarked, "Surely she was searched before she was brought in."

"Search her again," Hugh called out, snickering. "Take her to one of the chambers and give her a thorough examination, Edwin. Start with the neck and work your way down."

Gillian intruded before the situation got completely out of hand. "My sister doesn't have the box, and she doesn't know where it is."

Alford slapped Edwin's hand as he was reaching for Bridgid.

"You can have her later," he promised. Sidling close to Gillian, he asked, "Do you have the treasure?"

"No."

"You may take Christen upstairs now, Edwin. Do what you want with her. Hugh, would you like to join them?"

With a hoot of laughter, Hugh drained his goblet and shoved his stool back as he stood. "I believe I will join them," he called out.

Alford was watching Gillian closely as he made his suggestion. She didn't show any reaction, but when Edwin lunged for Bridgid, she moved with amazing speed and shoved him back.

Incensed by her interference, Edwin lashed out and slapped her across her face. The force was enough to knock her into Bridgid, who grabbed her to keep her from falling.

"If you touch her again, I'll kill you," Bridgid shouted.

Alford raised his hand to let Edwin know he was to wait.

"Please, go and sit down," Gillian ordered Bridgid.

She wanted her out of harm's way, and Bridgid didn't have to be told twice. She backed away from Edwin and then hurried to a chair against the far wall. Her heart was pounding from fear and shame because she realized now that she was far more of a deterrent than a help to Gillian. Too late she understood what her friend had meant when she'd told Proster that if he went with her, the baron would use him to get what he wanted.

"This is between you and me, Alford," Gillian said. "It began in this hall, and it will end here. I know where the treasure is hidden, and I'll show you where it is as soon as Uncle Morgan and my sister are given safe passage out of here. I suggest you bring my uncle to me as quickly as possible, for I will not tell you anything more until I see for myself that he is well. Do we understand each other?"

"Did you notice, Edwin, that she doesn't ask safe passage for herself?"

His friend nodded, and realizing he wasn't going to get Bridgid upstairs now, he rejoined Hugh at the table. Reaching for the jug of wine, he called out, "Why didn't she include herself?"

"Because she knows I will never let her go." He stepped closer to Gillian and said, "You and I have been playing our game for years now, and one of us must lose. I swear to you the day will come when I will break that spirit inside you and you will learn to cower in my presence."

A shout disrupted his train of thought, and the brute came running into the hall pulling another soldier along in his wake.

"You know better than to interrupt, Horace," the baron snarled at the brute.

"We have good cause," he called out. "You'll want to hear this, milord." Turning to the soldier, he commanded, "Tell him, Arthur."

The pock-faced soldier nodded, swallowed loudly, and then blurted, "We have just returned… We went to Baron Morgan Chapman's holding to fetch him here for you, milord, just as you ordered, but when we-"

Alford cut him off. "You were told to go to my home first."

"Yes, milord, but it seemed quicker to us if we-"

"Did you bring me my favorite cloak?"

The question seemed too difficult for the soldier to understand. Horace shoved him. "Answer your baron," he commanded.

Arthur frantically shook his head. "No… no, we didn't think to look for your cloak."

"Where's Morgan?" Alford demanded then. "Bring him inside."

"I can't, milord. I can't. You don't understand what's happened. We went to his estate, and it was… empty. They're gone. All of them gone."

"What are you stammering about? Who's gone?"

"The soldiers," Arthur wailed, terrified because he knew that when the baron was given bad news, he often lashed out at the messenger. Stepping back to put some distance between them, he continued, "Morgan's home was empty and your soldiers have vanished."

"What do you mean, they've 'vanished'?" he roared.

Arthur cringed when he saw the murderous rage in the baron's eyes. "I'm telling you the truth. The men have vanished. The holding was completely empty, milord, and there was no sign of attack or struggle. Not a chair or a stool was overturned, and we couldn't find any arrows or blood anywhere. It's as though they all just got up and walked away."

"Where is my Uncle Morgan?" Gillian demanded.

"Silence," Alford shouted. "What did the servants tell you happened?" he asked Arthur.

"There were no servants there, milord. The place was deserted I tell you. We decided then that the soldiers must have gone to your home and taken the servants with them and that you had ordered them to do so."

"I gave no such order," Alford muttered, his anger barely controlled. "And they will pay with their lives for leaving their posts, every last one of them."

Horace cleared his throat and said, "There is more for you to hear, Baron."

Alford squinted at Arthur. "Well?" he snapped when the soldier stood there quivering in his boots.

"We rode like lightning to your holding, milord, but when we got there, the drawbridge was down… and it was the same. Not a soldier was there."

"What say you?" Alford screeched.

"Your home was deserted."

"And the servants?"

"They, too, had vanished."

Alford became rigid. "My own men dare to desert me? Where could they have gone? Where?" he bellowed. "I will know who is responsible for this…" He suddenly stopped ranting. His head snapped up and he whirled to confront Gillian. "What do you know about this?"

"I know only what I have just heard."

He didn't believe her. He reached for his dagger at his waist, realized it was on the table, and went to get it. Then he slowly, deliberately walked back to her and held the blade in front of her face.

"I'll slice your throat, you bitch, if you don't tell me the truth. Where are my soldiers?"

"I don't know," she answered. "Would you like me to guess?"

He pressed the point of the blade against the side of her neck, a look of perverted pleasure in his eyes as he deliberately pricked her skin. He took yet another step closer to her and then froze, slowly looking down at the knife Gillian had pressed against his belly.

"Shall we find out whose blade is quicker?" she whispered.

He jumped back. "Seize her," he shouted to Horace.

Bridgid jumped up and ran to Gillian, but Horace saw her coming and shoved her aside. He grabbed Gillian's arm and tried to snatch the weapon away from her. She cut him twice in the palm of his hand before he was able to get the knife.

"I know what happened to your soldiers," Bridgid shouted.

"Move back, Horace," Alford ordered.

Shaken, Alford poured himself a drink, then turned and leaned against the table's edge. "Tell me what happened to them."

"They're dead," Bridgid answered. "All of them. Did you think you could take a child from a powerful laird and not suffer the consequences?" Gripping her hands together, she laughed. "You're next. You and your friends."

Edwin scoffed. "They won't come to the heart of England. They wouldn't dare."

"Yes," Hugh agreed. "If it was the Highlanders, they've gone back home by now. They've certainly finished-"

"Oh, they've only just begun," Gillian called out. "They don't care about gold or treasures. They want the three of you, and they won't stop until you're dead."

"She speaks lies," Horace shouted. "The Highlanders are savages, and our soldiers are vastly superior."

Gillian laughed. "Then pray tell, where are they?"

"How many soldiers do you have posted along the perimeter?" Hugh asked.

"Whatever the number, perhaps you should double the guards. One cannot be too cautious," Edwin interjected.

Alford shrugged at their worries. "If it will please you, I will double the guard. See to it, Horace," he commanded. "No one can get into this holding. I've made it impenetrable. Why, I've over two hundred men here, all hand-picked and all loyal to me. Add their number to the soldiers who escorted the two of you, and we are an invincible force."

"There were forty men who rode with me," Hugh said.

"Twenty-two came with me," Edwin said.

"So you see? We have nothing to fear."

The commander had only just left the hall when he came racing back. "Milord… you have company coming."

"Who is it?"

"My God, it's the heathens?" Edwin shouted.

"Nay, Baron, it's not the heathens. It's the king himself and a full contingent of soldiers. The watch spotted their banner, milord, and the drawbridge has been lowered."

Alford was astounded. "John is here? The king of England is at my door?"

"Aye, Baron."

"How many soldiers do you suppose ride with him?" Alford asked.

"The watch reported near to sixty or seventy men."

Alford snorted. "So my troops outnumber his," he remarked.

Hugh laughed. "You always try to outdo him, don't you?"

"Whenever I can," he admitted. "He is king, however, and that puts me at a distinct disadvantage. Still, I do what I can."

"We can certainly relax our guard now," Edwin said.

Alford clapped his hands and ordered the servants to prepare a feast for their honored guest. Hugh and Edwin hurried upstairs to change their tunics, and Alford waited until they had left the hall before grabbing Gillian.

In a low hiss he whispered, "You listen to me. You will keep silent about the treasure. Do you hear me? You will not tell the king you know where Arianna's box is hidden. I swear I'll kill your uncle and your sister if you defy me on this."

"I understand."

He shoved her away from him. "Go and sit in the corner. Hopefully the king will pay you little attention."

Bridgid followed Gillian and sat next to her. "I've made a mess of things, haven't I?" she whispered.

"No," she answered. "Don't worry. It's going to be over soon."

"Are you afraid?"

"Yes."

The women fell silent when Hugh and Edwin came running back into the hall. Hugh was pulling his tunic down over his stomach as he joined Alford, and Edwin was trying to rub off the stain he'd just noticed on his sleeve.

Servants frantically rushed about preparing the great hall for their noble guest. Additional logs were added to the fire in the hearth, the table was cleared, and after a fine linen cloth was spread upon it, tapered candles in silver holders were placed in the center.

Hugh and Edwin stood with Alford off to the side and discussed the king's reasons for coming to Dunhanshire.

"Perhaps he's heard your soldiers have left their posts at your estate and Baron Morgan's," Edwin speculated.

"They didn't leave their posts," Hugh argued. "They fled in the face of battle, and they should all die for their cowardice."

"The king couldn't have heard that news yet," Alford pointed out.

"If he hasn't heard the news, then why is he here?" Edwin asked.

"I think I know what he wants," Alford said. "There's talk of another journey to France, and he's probably going to press me to go with him."

Bridgid nudged Gillian. "Did you see Alford's reaction when he heard that his soldiers had vanished? I thought the vein in his forehead was going to explode."

"Bridgid, when the king comes inside, don't lie to him. If he asks your name, tell him the truth."

"But then Alford will know I'm not your sister."

"You cannot lie to the king of England."

Bridgid stopped arguing and agreed to do as Gillian asked. "It's bad timing that John decided to visit his friend now. Why do you suppose your king is here?"

"I know why," Gillian answered. "I sent for him."