Chapter Fourteen
Ceit woke to rough hands pulling her hair. She came fully awake with a scream. She tried to twist free, but in the darkness, she was unable to see where her assailant stood. She was unprepared for the slap that knocked her teeth together.
“Keep the stupid bitch quiet. She’ll wake him. I dinna trust him even injured.”
Tavish roared, “I’m already awake, ye fucking eejit.” He stabbed the blade he kept tucked beside him into the man who stood over him. The blade landed in the man’s leg, and he howled in pain. He picked up the candlestick on the bedside and brought it down onto Tavish’s already battered head. Ceit screamed as she saw blood flood the bandage wrapped over his forehead. The man next to her slapped her again. He stuffed a foul rag into her mouth and then tied another one over it to force the gag into place. He pulled her arms and hair to get her out of bed
“You’re a fine piece, but I don’t want some Scots heathen’s broken in slut. I don’t want ma cock to shrivel and fall off.”
Ceit twisted and struggled to break free. She kicked out her feet and grappled to free her hands. She needed to get one of her knives into her hand, but the man was stronger than her and gripped both of her wrists in one hand. He pulled rope from somewhere near his waist and bound her wrists in front of her before hooking the rope down to her feet. He trussed her like a pig waiting for the spit. They then tied her to a chair placed in the deepest shadows of the room. Anyone looking into the room would not see her. She watched in horror as four men struggled to pull Tavish from the bed. He was a giant and outweighed each of the men by at least a stone despite them all being a goodly size. His unconscious form was a dead weight for them to maneuver.
“Why did you have to knock him out cold? We wanted him docile not dead. He is going to be impossible to move now.”
“You weren’t coming up with any better ideas. He fucking stabbed me in the leg. I was not about to let that go. Buchan does not pay me well enough to deal with the ogre in a fit of rage. You should not have slapped his woman.”
“Hush, both of you. You’ve already said more than enough,” came an authoritative voice from a head that nodded in her direction.
Ceit tried not to look like she was studying them as intently as she was. She took in every detail she could absorb. She memorized their hair color, their build, the way they wore their weapons, and any distinguishable marks. One man had a scar that ran from the inner corner of his right eye to the corner of his jaw. Another man had a patch over his eye. The third man seemed the least memorable except for the malice that radiated from him. Ceit watched him most closely. She studied his hands as he tied Tavish’s behind him. The man had a ring on, one that resembled a signet, but Ceit did not make out any of the details thanks to the dark and the distance. She watched the men as they stood Tavish up. She registered their height and size compared to Tavish. It was no small wonder that there were three of them and that they struck in the dead of night. There was no way they would have survived an altercation with Tavish in the daylight or if he was uninjured. It was those two factors that allowed them to gain the upper hand.
“Your uncle sends his regards. You would be wise to work harder and faster or your fate will be the same as this one’s.”
Ceit sat motionless and tried not to let any of them see how the leader’s words cut her raw. They left through the only visible door to the chamber and left Ceit in complete darkness. She scrambled to adjust her skirts to get to her dirks. Her skirts were too tangled from being shoved into the chair for her to reach either pocket. She gathered the material in her fingers and pulled it back before pulling her legs to her chest. She freed a dirk from her boot and began to sever the ropes around her ankles. Once they were free, she flipped the blade and sawed through the rope at her wrists. She pulled the gag loose from her mouth. She crept to the door and put her ear against it. There was nothing stirring, but she would not be leaving that way. She had no intention of running into the men without more weapons and proper help.
See, Tav. I am learning. I want naught more than to rush after ye and tear them apart, but I ken I am nay match for them. I need help, and I accept that. I wish it wasna ye in need of rescue since ye’re the only one I want to turn to for help. Ye would have to make this complicated. Ye owe me, ye insufferable mon.
Ceit grabbed a log from near the fireplace and dipped it into the fire until the dry tinder at the end sparked alive. She crossed the chamber, looked at the door once more, and then pushed open the secret hatch. She entered the pitch-black tunnels and held her makeshift torch out in front of her. She closed her eyes and pictured the route Elizabeth led her on. She tried to reverse it in her mind to take her back to Elizabeth’s chamber. Once she was sure she remembered the way, she swept through the tunnels at a jog. She was not willing to risk falling if she ran, but she also was not willing to go at a snail’s pace. She did not care if anyone heard her moving behind the walls. Her only care was for Tavish’s safe return to her.
Nay. I have two cares. I want him back, and I will kill ma uncle before this is done. He made me choose, and he shall come out the loser. It will always be Tavish first.
Ceit forced her mind to quieten as she made her way through the twists and turns that put her in Elizabeth’s chamber. The room, which she shared with two other women, was empty. Ceit dumped her torch into the fireplace and slipped from the chamber. She went to her own two doors down. Someone had ransacked her room. There were only a few ladies-in-waiting afforded a private chamber. She and Deirdre had been two of the lucky women. Deirdre’s parents arranged it for the status, the king arranged hers for the convenience of a spy.
They strewed her gowns across the floor. They spilled her personal items like her fragrances and jewels on her bed. She went to her trunks and saw someone had pried the locks open. There appeared to be nothing left untouched, but Ceit laid down next to the bed and slithered under. She pried a board loose and pulled a short sword from the hidden cavern below the floorboards. She pulled two large bags of coins and four more dirks from the secret storage. She tucked the dirks into her boots and the bracers she fastened to her wrists. She pulled a dark cape from the hole and exchanged it for her Comyn arisaid. She had a moment of sadness as she looked at the pattern she saw every day of her life. Even at court, she refused to give up that one connection to home. Now, she experienced no attachment to it. Instead she pictured the Sinclair colors and imagined herself wrapped in one of Tavish’s plaids.
She pulled herself from under the bed and tucked the short sword into a sheath attached to the belt she now cinched around her waist. She wrapped the cloak around her and crept to the door. Just as she reached out to pull the metal ring, her eyes caught a piece of parchment on the ground. She let go of the handle and stooped to pick up the vellum. She moved to the fireplace to see the writing.
I kenned ye would come back to yer chamber. Ma men have made it look like Tavish made off with ye in a fit of temper. He kidnapped ye after tearing yer room apart in a jealous rage. Ye are welcome to try to follow, but ye willna find him. Yer father willna be of any help. He doesnae ken of the king’s betrothal arrangement, but he will learn ye have taken up the role of a harlot. He will learn of yer whoring ways, and he will not come to yer aid. If ye’re lucky, ye will meet a painful end on the road. Ken that if I find ye, I will make yer brother’s beating look like a child’s tussle.
Kill the king, and yer lover might just survive, but willna ever tell the tale. Hard to speak without a tongue. Just as the king is replaceable, so are ye.
Ceit shook with rage as she reread the missive once more. She feared what her uncle might do to Tavish, but she held no reserve in going to find him. She would be prepared, and she would see Tavish free before she sought her uncle. This would be her last job for the crown, and it would be her salvation as much as her family’s.
Ceit slipped into the passageway. She realized she and Tavish had not been asleep long because the noise from the Great Hall told her the evening meal had not finished. She slipped into the alcove where she first met Tavish. She stored her sword, the sacks of money, and her cloak within. She pulled at her sleeves to ensure her bracers did not show. She would not run off unprepared and without a plan. She entered the Great Hall and looked for Hamish Sutherland. She was not very familiar with the man, but she had met Lady Amelia Sutherland and remembered the Sutherlands were close to their extended Sinclair family. Ceit searched the crowd before finding Laird and Lady Sutherland sitting together with several other Highlanders.
Ceit made her way as surreptitiously as possible. When she arrived at their table, she nodded to Lady Sutherland who greeted her with a smile and made room for her on the bench.
“Lady Ceit, it is a pleasure to see ye here.” Amelia’s soft brogue reminded Ceit of her own mother. It was welcoming in a way no other woman at court had been.
“Thank ye, Lady Sutherland,” she turned her attention to Hamish. “Laird Sutherland, ma uncle has taken him.”
Hamish stared at her but nodded. No one from the Highlands would doubt who she meant.
“How long ago?”
“Nae even half an hour.”
“How do ye ken?”
Ceit looked into Hamish’s eyes before answering.
“I was with him.”
“Did they harm ye, lass?” Amelia interjected.
“Nay. Tied me like a Yule roast but did nae harm me. They bashed Tavish over the head and knocked him out. Laird Sutherland, I would ask yer help. I would venture to say I ken where they have taken him, and I have a way into the keep, but I canna do this alone. Tavish would have ma head if I attempted to travel by maself, and well, I understand he doesnae agree with fighting alone.”
“Ye would be right on that, lass. He would have yer head, and mine too, and nay, he doesnae fight alone when it can be avoided.”
“I canna ask ye to join me, but I would ask the service of some of yer men.”
“I come along, lass. Ye canna ride unchaperoned with a group of men, even ones I trust implicitly. And he is ma nephew. I willna remain here while he is in danger.”
Laird and Lady Sutherland rose with Ceit. Hamish made his way around the table to his wife and wrapped her in his arms. Ceit tried to be unobtrusive, but a stab of longing coursed through her when she saw the tenderness the couple shared. She watched the laird drop a kiss on his wife’s lips before patting her backside.
“Keep an eye on the lassies and dinna let any of these men consider they stand a chance. I willna have some welp for a son. And keep these other Highlanders away from them before they start a feud when I chop off their meat and taters.”
His words were met with guffaws and several tankards pounded on the table. Three very large men rose and stepped towards them. They were lairds who Ceit remembered from her childhood but avoided since arriving at court.
Lairds Grant, McKinnon, and Graham nodded as they followed Ceit and Hamish from the Great Hall.
“What’s this aboot?” Laird Grant asked as Ceit led them towards the alcove where she stashed her belongings.
“Ma uncle has taken Tavish.” Ceit offered nothing more and nothing less. She understood these men to be allies to the Sinclairs and the Sutherlands, but they were also allies to the king which meant the Comyns were their enemies.
“Lass, ye arenae yer uncle, nor yer father or his cousin.” Laird Graham laid a massive hand on her shoulder but his squeeze was gentle.
“From what I hear, young Tavish has been trailing ye aboot like a lovesick pup. If he is fond of ye, then there must be a reason. He has never chased a woman in his life, but everyone keeps talking aboot how he willna look anywhere but at ye.” Laird Grant mused.
Ceit dipped her head in embarrassment but set her shoulders before looking at each man.
“I canna travel with a full war band. I can only travel with a handful of men. Laird Sutherland has already offered to come, and he will bring his own men. What I do need is for ye to keep a close watch on the king and his brother. Edward is marked by Buchan too. Dinna fool yerself. Naught escapes his knowledge. He sees and hears all that happens here. He will ken I left sooner than I would like. I would ask that ye keep an eye on anyone else who leaves this castle be it by the portcullis, the postern gate, or over the wall. There is a weak spot easy to scale in the northeast corner. That is where one of his men is most likely to enter or exit.”
The four mountainous Highlanders stared at her as though she spoke a foreign language, but none interrupted.
“I will leave ye to deduce how I come by this knowledge. I canna say, but I willna lie either. Just ken, that as ye said, Laird Graham, I amnae the same as the men of ma family. I ken to whom I’m loyal, and he is being held by ma uncle.”
She stared at each man, daring him to gainsay her or accuse her of espionage. In turn, they looked at one another and then collectively nodded. Highlanders were a suspicious lot by nature, but they also knew when it was best not to ask questions.
“I must speak to one more person before I can leave. Laird Sutherland, I will meet ye at the stables. We canna help that people will ken we rode out, but we can hurry. Dinna bring more than five men if ye can help it.”
Ceit did not wait for Hamish’s agreement but moved back towards the Great Hall. She inched along the walls until she was even with the ladies-in-waiting. She tried to catch Elizabeth’s attention while alerting none of the other women. She watched as Elizabeth ate but kept quiet. Ceit summoned a serving woman over and whispered her message for Elizabeth.
The serving woman was discreet, and Elizabeth was even more so. She waited until the serving woman was well away from the table and she had taken several more bites before excusing herself. She walked to the opposite side of the Great Hall, and Elizabeth and Ceit exited before finding one another in the passageway.
“They’ve taken Tavish,” Ceit said without preamble.
“How? When last I checked, you were both asleep.”
Ceit assumed Elizabeth must have come and gone since more than two hours passed.
“Three men came in, bound me, and took Tavish.”
“Do you have any notion where they may have gone?”
“I have a strong suspicion. Lady Elizabeth, I must ask a favor of ye. Ye have already done so much to help the Sinclairs, but I dinna have anyone else I can trust.”
“I am at your service, ma lady.” Elizabeth dipped a curtsy, but her smile was pure mischief. Ceit had a moment of regret that she had not made more effort to befriend the young woman standing before her.
“I need you to spread a rumor for me. Aboot me. Ma uncle is sure to learn I left the castle when he learns that Sutherlands rode out after they took Tavish. I need ma uncle confused. I need him to question whether or nae I left the castle. The rumor must involve me being caught with a mon. There can only be two choices for who I am supposedly bedding. I willna involve the king in this. Manipulative as he may be, he is more like a father than he could ever be a lover. And I wouldnae dishonor the queen after she welcomed me into her circle. It must be the king’s brother.”
Elizabeth stood mute as she took in all that Ceit said, and what she did not say. She was prudent enough not to ask why a rumor of Ceit bedding any man was necessary let alone the brother of a king. Lord Edward’s reputation was for being selective in the women he paid attention to at court. He was rarely there, and when he was, he favored few. They were all aware he kept a mistress in Ireland with a temper to match her alleged red hair. He bedded only servants and whores when he was at court. It would cause quite a stir if they supposed he set his sights on Lady Ceit, a maiden and lady in the queen’s household.
“I can do that. But Cathryn, it will destroy yer reputation. Even if the rumor is proven untrue, there will be those who refuse to renounce the gossip. What will Tavish do when he hears of it?”
“Ken that I couldnae have been with Edward if I was traipsing after him and ken that if I’m traipsing after him, then I dinna want anyone else. Pray for me though because Lord Edward will nae take to this. Be careful that nay one learns ye started the rumor. I dinna want yer help to endanger ye.”
Elizabeth embraced Ceit, taking her by surprise. It took Ceit a moment before she returned the hug.
“You be careful, too. He loves you, you know. He might not have said it yet. He might not even realize it, but he does.”
Ceit looked at Elizabeth and saw a warm smile that reminded her of her sisters. She nodded before going to retrieve her belongings and to find Hamish.