Chapter 9
Consciousness returned to Darina slowly, as though she was floating up from the bottom of a dark and murky pool.
She heard hoofbeats first of all, and the steady rhythm of their impact traveled through her bones, confirming that she was atop a horse.
A horse? That made no sense at all. Why would she be on horseback? Where would she be going?
And why the hell was she on her belly instead of upright, with her blood rushing to her downturned face and hanging head?
If only I could see, she thought. That would certainly shed some light on my current situation.
But her vision was foggy and blurred. She went to rub her eyes and clear them, only to discover that her wrists appeared to be bound together.
A quick flex of her legs revealed that her ankles were as well.
Fear was now squirming in her stomach, trying to bite and claw its way out. She wanted more than anything for all of this to be a horrible nightmare of some kind.
But how could she be having a nightmare when she couldn’t even remember going to bed?
The last thing she could recall was leading Finn into the corridor so that they could speak in private. She had told him of her father’s plans for her to marry an Englishman, and then she had taken a drink of wine…
Her vision was beginning to clear, and she saw grass passing by her rapidly, along with the long shadow of the horse cast by the rising sun. So they had been riding all night, it seemed.
“What’s goin’ on?” she asked. Her voice was somewhat slurred, and her tongue felt two sizes too big. “What is this?”
“Ah, ye have awakened.” It was just as she’d feared; Finn’s voice. Whatever had happened to her, it had obviously been his doing.
“Finn? Why have ye tied me up? Where are ye takin’ me? Let me go at once!”
She tried to thrash around as best she could, but her limbs felt so damnably heavy that she could barely move. She felt a hand settle firmly on the small of her back, pushing her down hard.
“Do nae try tae move. I would rather ye dinnae fall and end up beneath the horse’s hooves.”
“Oh, how considerate of ye!” she snapped sardonically. “You would nae wish me tae become damaged and thus reduce the ransom ye will receive fer me, ye brigand! Ye lyin’ fiend!”
“I am a lyin’ fiend. That is true enough,” he answered with a heavy sigh. “However, I am nay brigand. And ye are nae tae be ransomed. Well, nae fer money, at any rate.”
“Why do ye speak in riddles?” she demanded. “What’s all this aboot? Answer me, Finn!”
“First of all, my name is nae Finn, though I dinnae imagine ye will be terribly surprised tae hear that,” he said. “Second, I am Fergus McDougal, the eldest son of Laird Oliver.”
Darina’s blood turned to ice in her veins at these words, and she began to struggle again. “Release me! Release me at once, do ye hear?!”
His grip on her tightened further, and his touch made her skin crawl.
To think that she had found such a man attractive; to think that she’d invited him to speak with her in private and might even have allowed him to kiss her if he’d made the attempt!
Here she had been lamenting her fate in being forced to go to London and choose an English husband…
and the true misfortune that had been threatening her had been right in front of her nose the entire time.
How utterly wretched!
“I wish I could release ye, my lady,” he told her. “I wish it most sincerely. But I cannae. My father has bade me tae bring ye tae him, and that is what I must do.”
Darina gathered as much air in her lungs as she could and began to shriek as loudly as possible until she was even redder in the face.
When she paused for breath, Fergus said, “Ye may continue that if it will make ye feel better, but I should warn ye that it won’t do ye much good.
I have taken us far from any place where anyone might hear yer screams and come tae yer aid.
I certainly have nae come this far tae be foiled by some Wallace farmer or hunter.
Besides, we shall be crossin’ the border intae McDougal lands soon enough, where I shall be welcomed as a returnin’ hero fer havin’ ye with me. ”
Even though he was doing his best to sound strong and self-assured, Darina could hear the regret in his tone.
“Ye are nae so sure of that yerself, are ye?” she prodded. “Yer own people would be ashamed of ye if they saw that ye, a noble and their future laird, had resorted tae somethin’ as base as kidnappin’!”
“They will be happy if it gives us the means tae end this war in our favor,” he shot back, a trifle defensively.
“Ye are nae the only one who has been confronted with difficult choices and been asked tae make personal sacrifices in the name of peace. I am well aware that this act of abduction diminishes me and stains my honor. It is a price that I have been called upon tae pay, and so I shall.”
“I see. And tell me, Fergus, son of Oliver, what if my father refuses tae agree tae the terms yer father sets forth?”
“I have every confidence that Laird Cawley will acquiesce in the name of seein’ ye safely returned tae him,” Fergus replied.
“My father is a proud man,” she went on, “and he has other children as well. What if he does nae choose tae debase himself before the members of his own clan in the name of seein’ me set free?
What if this only angers him further and provokes him intae sending my brothers tae my rescue? Or, failin’ that, yer doom?”
“Ye think he will, then?” Fergus was sounding less sure of himself by the moment.
“I think it is a more likely outcome than his surrender,” she retorted. “So answer me, Fergus, what will happen tae me next? Will ye be ordered by yer father tae torture me? Tae cut pieces from me so that they may be delivered tae my father tae persuade him? Tae kill me, perhaps?”
“Nay, certainly nae!” he protested. “My father would nae ask such things of me. He would nae have me harm an innocent lass.”
“He has already ordered ye tae kidnap one!” she reminded him hotly. “And despite yer so-called code of honor, ye agreed tae do so! What if he tells ye tae go tae further extremes? How will ye be able tae refuse? And if ye cannae, then how will ye be able tae live with yerself afterward?”
“Cease yer prattling at once!” he roared.
“Ye are only sayin’ these things because ye believe ye can upset me enough tae release ye.
I tell ye now, nothin’ ye do will cause that tae happen.
I have come too far tae abandon my mission now, and if ye are turned loose, ye will simply run back tae yer home and tell yer father everythin’.
Then he truly will press his advantage against us in retaliation fer this act, and we will nae be armed with a hostage tae give him pause.
So I advise ye tae remain silent fer the rest of the journey, Lady Darina, rather than continue tae waste yer breath. ”
“Why should I remain silent when ye have already told me that ye have nothin’ whatsoever tae threaten me with?” she countered. “Ye will nae harm me, you said so yerself!”
“That does nae mean I cannae gag ye. However, I would prefer I dinnae need tae do so.”
Darina could think of no fit response to this, and so she fell silent after all.
She did not relish the idea of being gagged for the remainder of the trip, and provoking him further did not seem as though it would serve much purpose.
More than that, she had managed to plant seeds of doubt within him already; she was sure of that.
The problem, however, was that once they reached the McDougal keep, it was likely that Fergus would be entirely under his father’s thrall once more. Then, nothing she said to him would have much effect.
Would he torture her if it came to that?
Would he kill her if asked?
Despite the weariness and regret in his voice, she knew that it would be foolish of her to assume he would not be capable of such acts if called upon by his father to commit them.
She did not really know him at all, clearly.
She had thought him to be a personable fellow, and she had enjoyed his company.
But it had all been a fraud on his part, it seemed, to charm her and then abduct her.
Still, there was one thing that did not make sense to her.
“I have one question fer ye,” she said slowly. “If ye will permit me tae ask.”
“Why should I?” he answered. “I highly doubt it will be anythin’ I am inclined tae answer.”
Darina tried to manage a shrug, but her bonds and awkward positioning made it nearly impossible. “Suit yourself, then. If, on top of bein’ a disgraceful kidnapper, ye wish tae reveal yerself a coward as well… Afraid of a silly little question.”
“Ye are bloody infuriatin’,” he growled. “Very well, ask yer question if it will hasten yer return tae silence afterward.”
“Why did ye nae simply take me away when we were in the stables together?”
The query seemed to catch him off guard. “What do ye mean?”
“It would have been far easier fer ye, would it nae? Tae simply steal me away that first night, when there was nay one else around? I was nae awake fer yer little adventure last night since ye drugged me, which is a loathsome enough act in itself, I might add, but I can only imagine that once I lost consciousness, ye were forced tae carry me tae the stable, makin’ the whole thing much more of an ordeal fer ye. ”
“Why do ye ask me this?” he barked. “The deed is done, and ye are helpless, so what difference could it possibly make tae ye at this point?”
“It makes a difference,” she replied, “because I believe ye hesitated that first night. I believe ye knew full well that what ye were sent tae do was wrong, and ye found ye were initially unable tae go through with it. In fact, I believe ye remained uncertain right up until ye discovered that my father was plannin’ tae ally himself with the English against yer clan…
at which point, ye felt ye had nae choice but tae do yer father’s biddin’. Did I get it right?”
There was a long pause, and she knew that she had struck a solid blow with her suppositions. She could not see his face, but she could practically feel his indecision, anxiety, and discomfort.
At last, he said, “When ye appeared in the stables, ye took me by surprise. I was nae ready, that’s all. Ye caught me unprepared, and I faltered in my duty. There was nothin’ more tae it than that. Now keep it quiet, please.”
She went quiet again, but she was beginning to feel the first few glimmers of hope that she might be able to prevail upon his better nature and thus find a way to free herself from this dreadful scenario.