CHAPTER SEVEN
Douglas was glad she awoke at first light.
She had been having a nightmare that King James had consented to her marriage with his Treasurer’s brother, and Alex Hume had come to claim her.
In the dream she had not dared to refuse him because her brothers’ lives hung in the balance.
She had been trapped with no way out, and as she donned the pale green velvet, and brushed her hair, she sent up a prayer for divine intervention.
She hurried down to the dining hall, assuming she would find Jock at breakfast. “Will, I must speak with my brother, has he eaten yet?”
“Ye just missed him. The king and the Border Wardens are holding Court in the Great Hall. Today and tomorrow the Carlisle prisoners will be tried and sentences pronounced.”
“Dear God, I hope Jock gets Gavin and Rob released before they go on trial.”
Will made room for her at the table. “Sit down and eat. It’ll be a long day.”
“I couldn’t eat a thing. My stomach is knotted with worry.” Douglas hurried in the direction of the Great Hall. Suddenly, to her horror she saw Sir Lancelot Greystoke striding toward her. The thunderous black look on his face, made her step back in alarm.
“Douglas Elliot, you are a thief and a liar.” His accusing eyes swept her from head to foot.
In the pale green velvet, her fiery hair looked like flames, and her exquisite beauty infuriated him.
“You are a manipulative little bitch, who deserves to be locked up with your thieving brothers. You are damned lucky I am late to Court, but rest assured that when today’s trial is finished, I shall find you, and lay charges against you. ”
She was trembling as Greystoke strode off, his spurs striking sparks on the flagstone floors.
The antique mirrored pendant pinned inside her gown felt as if it were burning a hole in her flesh.
She wanted to flee to the safety of the bedchamber, but the thought of being cooped up all day in the small room, worrying over her brothers’ fate, and now her own, was unbearable to Douglas.
She hurried back to where she had left Will, but when she saw that he was no longer sitting at the trestle table, she felt faint.
To give her courage, she drank a mug of small ale, and took an oatcake from a huge platter. It seemed as if the walls were closing in on her, and she found it so difficult to take a deep breath that she felt as if she were suffocating. I must get some fresh air!
She found the massive oak doors to the keep and went outside. She was stunned to see that the sun was shining and she could smell the sweet green grass from the outer bailey. The red sandstone castle was such a formidable stronghold, the rays of the sun never penetrated its seven-foot thick walls.
Douglas hurried to the outer bailey and walked through the sweet spring grass.
She nibbled on the oat cake and it seemed to settle her stomach.
On impulse she departed through the main gate and when she found herself outside the castle walls, an overwhelming desire to flee came over her.
The April weather was lovely and she longed to be riding through the incomparable beauty of the hills and dales of the Borders.
I cannot leave my brothers behind. I must find a way to help them.
She looked up and saw the spire of Carlisle Cathedral.
She picked up her velvet skirts and hurried toward the medieval church that had been built in the twelfth century.
It was rather small, as cathedrals went, but inside there was much to look at and occupy the senses.
She gazed up at the barrel-vaulted ceiling, amazed at the skill of the craftsmen who had created such a magnificent building.
The stained glass window was larger and more vivid than any she had ever seen before. There were images of the twelve apostles, and she stopped before each one and said a prayer for her brothers. Finally she sat down on a hinged seat, known as a misericorde, and gave herself up to a higher power.
God helps him who helps himself. The words came to her as clearly as if someone spoke them aloud. Douglas searched inside herself for an answer to her family’s dilemma.
A solution did not come, but she vowed before God and his Apostles that she would be willing to do anything to gain her brothers’ freedom.
~~~
In the late afternoon, Douglas made her way back to the castle with reluctant steps.
If sentence had been passed on her brothers she was reluctant to hear it, but she knew she had no choice.
By the number of men streaming from the Great Hall, she knew today’s Court must be over. She saw Jock and hurried to his side.
Jock looked down at her and shook his head.
“They weren’t brought before the Court today, so it will likely be tomorrow.
” He saw the relief in her eyes. “I had a chance to talk with Gavin and Rob at dawn today. The young fools told me they ignored my warning about reiving. You deceived me, Douglas. You led me to believe they were falsely accused and arrested.”
“They didn’t find Greystoke’s thoroughbreds at Castle Elliot!” she cried.
“Nevertheless, they were the ones who lifted the horses. Tomorrow, Greystoke will be in Court, and when he brings the charges, it will be up to the king to decide their guilt or innocence. I shall have little say in the matter.”
Tears flooded her eyes, as guilt washed over her. “I’m so sorry, Jock. Will you escort me upstairs to my chamber? I don’t feel safe walking alone.”
“Come on, my wee lass. Why don’t you have a lie down? Yer pale as a ghost.”
Douglas did lie on her bed, but she was far too restless to stay there for long.
She got up and began to pace, as her thoughts chased themselves in ever-defeating circles.
I’ll go to Alex Hume and beg him to ask his brother to have a word with the king.
His Majesty will listen to his Treasurer and will mayhap take his advice.
She tried to push aside the price she would have to pay.
In the cathedral I vowed I would do anything. I mustn’t be a coward.
She took up the brush she had brought with her from Langley and began to brush her hair.
She knew a female must look her best if she wanted a favor from a male.
As she stroked the brush through her long tresses, a measure of calm descended.
Douglas gathered her courage and formed a far different plan.
She unpinned the priceless antique pendant from inside her gown, and wrapped it with care.
Then she sought the castle chamberlain and asked him to direct her to the chamber of the man who held her brother’s fate in his hands.
~~~
Douglas knocked on the door and when it was opened she asked, “May I come in, my lord?”
Lance Greystoke’s dark face looked as hard as granite. He stood immobile for a full minute before he opened the door wide and motioned for her to enter. He did not offer her a seat, but loomed above her, waiting for her to speak.
Douglas licked dry lips, and cleared her throat.
“I am the one to blame. The day we met, I was deliberately looking for Beaumont Hall. When I saw your thoroughbreds, I coveted them, and when I got back to Castle Elliot I told my brothers about them and urged them to ride into England and steal them.”
Greystoke remained silent, his dark face a mask of contempt.
Douglas swallowed the lump in her throat and continued.
“My brother Jock, who was in Edinburgh with the king, sent his lieutenant home to tell us that the Queen of England had died, and that King James was now King of England as well as Scotland.
He warned us that the king was determined to make it all one country, and we were to bury the quarrels between England and Scotland.
“But all the Scots Borderers thought it a God-sent opportunity to pay the English back for all the raids they’d carried out in Scotland.
The Johnstons and the Maxwells, and every other Border family planned to ride into England.
I told my brothers they should ride to Beaumont and get their hands on your thoroughbreds.
“They didn’t know it, but I too went on the raid that night.
I planned to steal the jeweled pendant that I saw on your desk.
I smashed your library window and was about to climb in, when I realized that if I took the priceless artefact, you would guess it was me, and you would realize it was the Elliots who had taken your thoroughbreds. ”
She glanced up at Greystoke’s face, but it was closed against her.
Douglas swallowed the tears that gathered in her throat, and continued her confession.
“When Cumberland’s men came and arrested us, my bravado deserted me.
When they locked me in the storeroom here in Carlisle Castle, I was terrified for my brothers, and afraid for myself.
When you rescued me, I realized you were as chivalrous as your namesake. ”
She raised her lashes and her eyes met his. “That night there was an unspoken bond between us. Then I betrayed that bond.” She lowered her lashes. “I am shamed.” She unwrapped the pendant and held it out to him. “This is yours, my lord.”
Greystoke took it from her hands. “You also stole one of my mares.”
She nodded. “She’s in the stables.” Douglas bit her lip, then continued, “If you would withdraw the charges against my brothers, it would save them from hanging.”
“You come to me as a penitent, begging favors, thinking to manipulate me all over again. I am not such a bloody fool, Douglas Elliot. Do you truly think your beauty blinds me to your treachery?”