Page 8 of Captured by a Laird
Alison swallowed back her panic and pointed to Walter, the large, black-haired warrior who was captain of the guard. When Walter shook his head, she pointed to another.
“Nay,” the second man said. “The Beast of Wedderburn would cut me to pieces and feed me to his dogs.”
Cowards!She would take a horse and go herself, but she could not leave her daughters.
“Without my brothers’ warriors, we are lost,” she said, desperation clawing at her stomach. “Is there no one brave enough to try to save us?”
Garrett, a stooped, elderly man who tended the horses, came forward. “I’ll go, m’lady.”
Alison glared at the other men. Surely the old man’s bravery would shame one of them into stepping forward. The silence in the hall deepened.
She brought her gaze back to her lone volunteer. The fate of her daughters, her home, and her lands depended upon this old man sneaking past the claws of the Beast of Wedderburn.
“I’m grateful to ye, Garrett,” she said, forcing a smile.
“Don’t fret, m’lady, the Beast won’t catch me,” he said, and winked one filmy eye. “I know all the back routes.”
Old Garrett probably had been stealing cattle since he was twelve, like the rest of these Border men, so he might have a chance. She gave him the sealed parchment and squeezed his hand.
“May God bless ye for your courage and guide your path.”
***
Alison ignored her growling stomach and tried to concentrate on her needlework as she sat with her daughters by the hearth, but each time the outer door of the hall opened, she looked up.
“I’m tired of stitching.” Beatrix slumped her shoulders and gave Alison a pitiful look. “Is it not time to eat yet?”
A rush of guilt swamped her. There was so little food left that she was forced to ration it. Even her daughters had to make do with smaller portions.
“Your uncles will be here soon,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “Then all will be well.”
“If your Douglas kin were coming, they would be here by now,” a deep voice came from behind her.
She turned to see Walter standing over her.
“That devil Hume must have caught the old man,” he said.
“’Tis too soon to say that.” She refrained from adding that Walter should have volunteered himself. Poor Old Garrett. If Wedderburn had murdered him, it would be her fault.
“’Tis been a full week since he left,” Walter said, staring down at her with his hands on his hips, as if there was something she could do about it.
“I know precisely how long it’s been.” Her nerves were strained after another week with no supplies getting through. She gave her daughters what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Disguising her ever-present fear from them was becoming difficult.
“They’re here!” One of the guards burst through the doors and his shouts rang through the hall. “They’re here!”
Alison sprang to her feet and clasped her hands together.Praise God.Garrett had made it through with her message after all.
“We are saved,” she told her daughters. “We shall have a grand feast tonight!”
Her smile faded when she saw that the men were scrambling for their weapons. She grabbed the sleeve of one of them as he ran past her.
“What’s happened?” she asked, her heart pounding.
“The Beast of Wedderburn has arrived.”
CHAPTER 4
A week after the siege began, Alison went to the top floor of the tower and climbed the metal rungs fixed to the stone wall to reach the roof. When her head cleared the opening, she saw two guards crouching behind the parapet.
