As dawn broke, Bonnie lay with weary eyelids and pulled the soft, warm blankets around her shoulders. She hadn’t slept all night, and she was more than tired. Her chambermaid had not returned to her and she had spent most of the early hours climbing out of bed and building up the fire. She had heard the sound of chatter from the hallway and knew that it was the soldiers guarding her room. She had crept silently, with bare, cold feet, and pushed her ear against the door, desperate to hear what they were speaking of, but only hissed whispers worked their way back to her.
She couldn’t make anything out for certain, and she didn’t want to jump to any conclusions and only hear half of a story, so she loped back to bed and dozed as the fire raged in the hearth.
When she had heard the first bird singing that morning, she had opened her eyes and looked up and out of the window. The gray light that filtered through seemed dense and she knew that it was going to be a foggy morning. She just hoped that it wasn’t an omen of things to come there at Castle Grant.
She had seen the look on her mother’s and father’s faces and she knew that something was afoot. She would just have to wait until someone gave her an explanation.
Her body was weak and tired, and even though all she wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep, she knew she had to get up, get herself ready and down to the main hall. Her insides were bare and hunger raged through her. She sat up and rubbed her weary eyes and stretched her arms up high over her head. The embers from the fire were still smoldering, but the room itself was as cold as ice.
She got to her feet and crept slowly across the stone floor to the hearth. She rubbed her hands together and tried to warm herself through as she shivered, and wished that someone was there to help her relight the thing and get some heat in there.
Suddenly, as if her prayers had been answered, there was a delicate knock at the door.
“Come in,” she called as she rushed behind the edge of her bed, just in case, by some strange chance, it was a man on the other side of the door. She was only half dressed and she had to protect her modesty, but luckily for her, it was Ariane, her chambermaid, who stood sheepishly in the doorway.
“Oh thank goodness!” Bonnie smiled from ear to ear as Ariane rushed inside and closed the door hurriedly behind her. “The fire is almost out and I could do with a hand!”
Ariane smiled back at her and scurried into the room.
“I am so sorry, m’lady,” she said, “but I was so terribly ill last night, I needed to rest.”
“Don’t apologize,” Bonnie laughed. “I enjoyed the night to myself… However, it was rather sleepless and interrupted. Please, do tell me how you’re feeling now?”
Ariane smiled and nodded. “I feel much better, Lady Grant,” she said. “The rest has done me a world of good.”
“I’m glad,” Bonnie said genuinely. “I was worried about you.”
“Och, no need to worry about me,” she said as she brushed her long brown hair over her shoulder. “Right, come on then, let’s get this fire back roaring, its icy cold in here!”
Ariane knelt down in front of the hearth and began to stoke up the embers with a long iron rod. The pans of water were almost empty and even though Bonnie was exhausted, and wanted to rest, she also wanted to try and see if Ariane had any information from her stay down in the servants’ quarters.
She hurried forward and bent down to scoop up some of the water pans and Ariane quickly turned to her and said, “No m’lady, don’t, I will fill these…”
“It’s okay,” Bonnie said cheerily. “I quite enjoyed doing some of these tasks myself last night, plus you’re not fully recovered. I don’t want you getting sick again on me.”
Ariane looked uncomfortable and shifted on the spot, but reluctantly let Bonnie continue as she bent back down and carried on building up the fire and stoking it until the new logs caught and the flames began to lick quickly around them.
“So Ariane,” Bonnie said as she returned from the adjoining bathroom with a pale of water and set it down beside the hearth. “When you were down there last night, I was wondering…” she trailed off to gauge her reaction and instantly noticed Ariane’s shoulders tense.
“I mean, I do hope you don’t mind me asking, but…” Bonnie continued, “were there any whispers or talks of why Clan Drummond arrived here late last night?”
Ariane breathed in deeply and turned to face Bonnie. Her face was pale and her mouth was tight, as if she was physically trying to stop herself from replying.
“Ariane?” she asked nervously, “Please… do tell me if there is something I should know…”
Ariane bowed her head and sighed. She looked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and it was too much for her to bear. Bonnie wanted to comfort her, to ask what on earth could possibly be happening to instill such reactions in everyone around her, but now she was becoming so frightened, she had the feeling it was to be her that would be needing the comfort of others.
“Please Ariane…” she whispered. “We are old friends… You have looked after me for so many years… Please don’t keep something important from me.”
Ariane looked up at her with pleading eyes and then with a deep sigh, she nodded.
“There were whispers, m’lady, yes,” she began. “From what I gathered, I believe there is an army on its way here to Castle Grant… and that you may be in very grave danger…”
Bonnie’s heart rose up in her throat and her stomach began to churn.
She had been right all along… Something big was happening and it was to do with her…
She didn’t want to hear what Ariane had to say, but she knew she that she had to… Her life very may well depend on it!