A Forbidden Night with a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #1)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

N ot long after that, Iseabail heard no more words, and guessing the men had left, she moved away from the metal bars separating her from freedom, and dropped herself down onto the cold stone floor of the dungeon.

Well, this is a fine mess, I have got mesel’ intae.

When she had ventured out of her home in search of something that would save her family, Iseabail had not envisioned being thrown into a dungeon. She had imagined many other scenarios, but this had not been one of them. The dangers she imagined she would have to face had been things like robbery, or a threat to her life, or the menacing advances of a man.

Perhaps she had rushed things. She had pushed too quickly, and thus, had been caught out. Perhaps she ought to have wooed Owen, gotten to know him better, taken her time, and only then, attempted to take his necklace.

Well, it is a little too late fer that now, isnae it? What is done is done, and I am now stuck here until I can find a way o’ escape.

Besides, if there was one thing she didn’t have, it was time. Laird Sutherland would be growing impatient, and she had no doubt that he would be taking his frustrations out on Keane and her father. It worried her that they would be suffering. Of course, worrying was hardly going to help, but it did not stop her mind from imagining the dreadful torture they might be experiencing.

Glancing over at the guard and feeling desperate, she wondered if now might be the time to escape.

Nay! Learn from yer mistakes, Iseabail. Ye might have rushed trying tae get the necklace, but ye cannae rush this. There is still time fer Owen or his huge companion tae return. It is better fer ye tae wait.

She nodded at her assessment and decision, and then sighed heavily. This was the time for patience, as difficult as it was under the circumstances.

Her mind wandered, and she thought about her father and brother. How bizarre that all three of them now found themselves in the same predicament. While she sat in this dungeon, her family were captured in another, miles from where she was being kept. She wondered what might be going through their minds, or if they were thinking about her. If they were, they were likely imagining anything other than her being imprisoned.

Iseabail pushed herself from the floor and moved towards the small window high in the cell wall. At first, she could see little, but as she maneuvered herself, she finally caught the tiniest sliver of the bright moon, peeking between the buildings in the courtyard. Maybe they could see the moon too. Maybe they were looking upon it at this very moment.

“I hope ye are well,” she whispered. “I hope Laird Sutherland has kept his word, and that ye are still alive.”

It had occurred to her that the evil man may well renege on their agreement. The fact of the matter was, how could she know? While she had been searching village and glen for this crystal, her father and brother might already have been dead.

Dinnae think like that! Ye cannae think like that. Ye’ll send yersel’ mad.

It was true, she would. More than that, she would lose the only thing that was keeping her going.

Hope.

Hope that her father and brother had not been tortured. Hope that Laird Sutherland had kept to his word, and that the only remaining family she had was still alive. Hope that she would find that damned crystal before it was too late. Hope that someone, somewhere, would send her in the right direction to discover its whereabouts. Hope was all she had, for none of the things she wished for had any certainty at all.

Laird Sutherland had given her an impossible task. Perhaps that was his intention. Maybe the crystal was simply a ploy to get her away from the castle and her people. With her father and Keane in custody, there was no one to lead.

The council ken well what tae dae, Iseabail. Ye are only torturing yersel’ with these ridiculous thoughts. Yer faither’s army is great. Nay one, nae even Laird Sutherland, could overcome them without a great battle. Has he nae already tried on several occasions?

Of course, he had. And their army had pushed Laird Sutherland and his men back on each occasion, never letting them cross the threshold of the castle gates. Then again, she would never have imagined her father and brother could have been kidnapped either, but the laird had managed to do that.

“Och, quiet me dreadful thoughts,” Iseabail huffed, dropping herself back to the floor and placing her head in her hands.

For a long time, she sat there waiting, her mind awash with those thoughts, only to battle with herself to try and keep a tight grip on the hope that had kept her going up until now. After some time, she began to doubt that Owen and Daire would return at all. Perhaps she had made a mistake in thinking they would. However, soon after, she heard heavy footsteps, and then she heard the guard jumping to his feet.

“Good evening, sir,” he said.

“Open the gate,” Owen replied.

Iseabail listened to the high-pitched protest of the rusty metal once more, and then, she heard the gate closing again. Still, she did not lift her head. What was the point? He would ask the same questions, and she would give him the same answers.

“I’ve brought ye something,” Owen said, when she didn’t move.

Only then, did Iseabail look up at him. In the dim candlelight, she noticed Owen holding a tankard in one hand, and something wrapped in a thin cloth in the other. Pushing herself to her feet, she approached him tentatively, looking at the tankard with suspicion.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s poison,” he drawled sarcastically. “I always find that killing me prisoners off is the best way tae get information out o’ them.”

Iseabail rolled her eyes, and then reached out and took the tankard from him. She didn’t fully trust him, and why would she? But still, she brought the tankard to her lips and took a small sip.

Water. Cold, refreshing water.

As she took another sip, it occurred to her that she had not realized how thirsty she had been until that very moment.

“Here,” he said, handing her the item wrapped in muslin.

Tucking the tankard into her arm, she took it and unwrapped the thin cloth. Inside were two pieces of bannock, still warm.

“Thank ye,” Iseabail said.

“There’s naething tae thank me fer. I was hardly going tae let ye starve, was I?” he snapped.

“I dinnae ken what ye were going tae dae,” she bit back. “Ye’ve dragged me from the tavern and are keeping me yer prisoner fer nay reason at all.”

“Och, ye ken that isnae true. Ye tried tae steal from me. Ye cannae deny that fact.”

“Ye are mistaken, sir,” Iseabail replied, trying to push some conviction into her voice.

A knowing smile danced at the corner of his mouth. “I am nae, and ye ken it. Ye’re here fer good reason, and given that ye’re choosing tae stay here?—”

“How am I choosing tae stay here? ‘Tis ye who is holding me against me will,” Iseabail retorted. “I am hardly here by choice.”

“Och, but ye are, Iseabail.” Owen shrugged. “Ye have chosen nae tae answer me questions, and thus, yer circumstances are yer own doing.” He then turned towards the gate, but before opening it, he looked back over his shoulder. “If ye change yer mind, tell the guard. They’ll send fer me. If ye dinnae…” he paused, looking about the cell, “well, I suppose ye may make yersel’ comfortable.”

The clanging sound of the gate being shut firmly behind him rang through her very bones. Owen then approached the guard who had remained at his post.

“If she decides she wants tae talk, send someone tae fetch me. I dinnae care what time o’ the night it is.”

“Aye, sir,” the guard replied.

With a final glance in her direction, Owen then strode away. The guard moved towards the gate and locked it once more. After giving her a long look, he then returned to his post.

Silence resumed, and in the quietness, Iseabail thought about Owen’s words.

“…yer circumstances are yer own doing.”

That’s how he saw it, but it was not true. In fact, if she had been given any choice at all, she would much have preferred to be safely back in her father’s castle with both her father and brother at her side. Traipsing the country by herself to find a crystal no one had heard of was not her choice at all. This circumstance had been forced upon her, and yet, she could not tell him that, for then, she would need to tell him things she did not wish him to know.

Stuffing one bannock into the pocket of her cloak, she slowly nibbled at the other. Just like the water, she had not realized how hungry she was, and soon, the freshly made bread was devoured. But as she had been eating, her mind had begun to work, and she had devised a plan.

Owen would not return until he was beckoned. He had made that perfectly clear, which meant it was now only her and the guard. She was nothing if not cunning, and having already been forced to try and seduce a man, she knew what she was capable of.

While at times her stunning beauty could be the bane of her life, on occasion, it had proven quite useful. She had no doubt that this would be one of those very times, though she did not particularly like using her gift, for it drained her power.

Taking the last sip of her water, she left the tankard on the floor, and then readied herself for her performance. The guard would likely be ready for anything, and thus, this had to be convincing. Slipping her cloak off, Iseabail placed it on the floor. Her corset hugged her slender figure, and now, the flesh of her bosoms could be seen. She needed him to be as distracted as possible.

Purposefully not looking at the guard, she placed a hand on her forehead and began to moan. “Ooh, ooh.”

She heard him moving, and continued moaning, only now, she stumbled forward, pretending to feel dizzy.

“What’s the matter with ye?” the guard barked.

“I… I dinnae ken,” she panted. Her other hand was now on her stomach, just beneath her breast. “I feel dizzy,” she breathed. “I cannae breathe. I cannae breathe,” she cried, before relaxing her knees and collapsing to the floor.

“Bloody hell!” the guard cried.

As she lay there with her eyes closed, she could hear the jingling of his keys, and a second later, that screeching sound hit her ears as he pulled the gate open. Another second later, she felt him drop to his knees beside her, and taking her head in his arms, he cried out in panic.

“Miss? Miss?” he said, tapping her face with his fingers.

Iseabail’s eyes shot open and, looking him straight in the eyes, she said, “Let me go this instant.”

Shocked and bewildered, the man blinked and did as he was bid. Struggling to his feet, he watched as Iseabail pushed herself from the ground to stand directly in front of him.

The guard went to run toward the gate. “I’m going tae sound the alarm,” he cried, clearly now in panic.

“Ye will dae nay such thing,” Iseabail replied calmly. “In fact, ye will stand there, perfectly still, and tell me how tae get out o’ the castle without getting caught.”

The young guard blinked and then frowned. “There are guards everywhere. Ye’ll have tae use the tunnels. They’ll bring ye out on the other side o’ the castle. There’s a small gate at the castle walls with only one guard.”

“Where? Tell me where they are and exactly which way tae go.”

“It’s complicated, so ye must listen carefully,” he said intently. “Go out o’ the cell and when ye reach the corner, turn left.”

That was easy enough. It was the way Owen and Daire had brought her in.

“Travel passed the staircase for about ten feet. There’s a door in the wall that opens intae the first tunnel. Follow that tunnel until ye get tae a point where it breaks away intae three other tunnels. Follow the second tunnel. Continue on until ye come tae the end, and then turn left. Climb the steps, and take a right. Walk a bit more and take another right. At the end o’ that tunnel, take a left.”

I’ll never remember all o’ this.

“At the end o’ that tunnel, take another left, and then follow that tunnel tae the far end o’ the castle. The door will lead ye out ontae the gardens. Move across the gardens until ye reach the wall. Follow the wall tae yer right, and soon enough, ye’ll come upon the guard and the gate.”

For a long second, Iseabail could only stare at the guard. He had said it was complicated, but she hadn’t realized just how much. She had tried to pay intense attention to him, but there had been a lot of directions.

Ye can dae this, Iseabail. Just go ‘afore anyone else arrives.

“Thank ye. Now, forget everything ye have just told me.”

The guard blinked again and suddenly looked bewildered. “What the devil?” He took several steps back.

“Stop, and dinnae move,” Iseabail ordered, and just like that, he stayed in the exact spot.

“I ken I’m going tae get ye intae trouble, but ye must understand,” she said, walking toward him, “that I have tae leave.”

Delving into her purse, she grabbed a handful of coins. When Owen discovered her escape, she had no doubt this guard would likely be punished, even kicked out of the castle, if not worse. He needed something to keep him going.

“Here,” she said, dropping them into his pocket. “I’m sorry. Truly, I am.”

“What is going on? What are ye doing tae me?”

Iseabail looked at him sympathetically. “I need ye tae sleep now.”

As though his soul had left his body, the guard’s knees collapsed under him, and he fell in a slump on the stone floor. A second later, Iseabail heard a soft snore leaving his open mouth.

Bending towards him, she unclipped the large ring of keys from his belt. She had no idea if she would need them, but they might come in useful somewhere along her journey. Grabbing her cloak and draping it over her shoulders, she fastened the clasp at her throat, took one last look at the cell, and then hurriedly stepped through the iron gate. Even the screeching sound as it closed did not wake the guard.

Fumbling with the key ring, Iseabail searched for the right one. She tried one after the other, and on her sixth attempt, her heart now pounding in her chest for fear of being discovered while she was so close to escape, the key turned and she locked the cell. If the guard did waken anytime soon, she certainly didn’t need him running about and raising the alarm.

“If I am lucky, I may get a few hours head start,” she muttered to herself. “Clearly, everyone in the castle has retired, which means, I only have that one guard at the gate tae deal with. Well, that’s if I can remember all those darned instructions tae get tae him.”