Chapter 14
It was, indeed, a very long way down.
That was the conclusion Darina had decidedly drawn after staring out the window for several hours.
She had carefully searched the room for any possibility of escape and had found none whatsoever.
The lock seemed solid enough. She had no implement with which to coax it, and the door itself was far too sturdy for her to break down.
Even if she could, she had little doubt that someone would hear the commotion and come to investigate…
at which point, she would surely be escorted back down to the dungeons, or worse.
The walls were stone, and although the mortar between several of the stones was old and crumbling, she was still certain that it would take weeks or even months to chip away at them enough to achieve freedom.
And even if she could afford that much time, again, there was every possibility that she would have been caught at such an endeavor anyway before it had any chance of success.
Outside the window was a sheer drop to the ground far below.
In a storybook, she supposed the brave young heroine would fashion a rope from the bedsheets and use it to climb down safely.
In the reality of her current situation, however, such a rope would barely have extended out the window, leaving far too much space between her and the grass.
Even if that were not true, she imagined that climbing down such a rope in a fairy tale was one thing, while doing so in real life, with no climbing experience, would result in a long drop and an all-too-sudden stop.
This left her with little else to do except consider the strange proposal that had been laid out for her, which, she supposed, was rather the point of the whole thing.
Could she go through with the marriage? Should she?
As she pondered these questions, she heard footsteps approaching, followed by the turning of the lock outside her door. Her entire body tensed up, and she considered the odds of her escape if she attacked the person upon entry, pushed past them, and fled.
The idea was too silly to hold up to more than a moment’s scrutiny.
Her visitor was likely a guard making sure she was still secured within the room, in which case, he would doubtless be a large man and a trained fighter. What hope would she have against such a man, especially with no weapon at hand to give her an advantage?
No, she would surely be subdued at once, and then she’d be dragged back to the dungeons for making such an attempt.
Darina sighed as the door swung open. She hated feeling so helpless.
Fergus entered, his eyes lowered deferentially.
He was still cloaked in sadness, but there was something else about him as well, something that looked vaguely haunted.
It unnerved her, though she had a difficult time determining why.
Anything that bode ill for him probably represented a potential ray of hope for her.
Didn’t it?
“Am I tae assume from yer expression that my people are ridin’ tae my rescue?” she inquired.
“That would appear tae be the case,” he intoned solemnly. “Fer my part, I am immensely concerned that in doin’ so, they will put my father in a position where he will be forced tae do somethin’ quite rash indeed.”
“Naturally, ye would tell me so,” she observed, “in an attempt tae make me believe that agreein’ tae marry ye is the only way out fer all of us.”
“It is the lamentable truth of the matter,” he countered, “though believe me, I wish it were otherwise.”
“Believe ye?” she scoffed. “What on Earth makes ye think you have the right tae make such a request of me after all the lies ye’ve told me?”
He sighed irritably. “Ye have every right tae point out my previous dishonesty. I regret it terribly, though I ken ye have nay reason tae believe that either. However, if ye can conjure up another way fer this situation nae tae end in bloodshed, I would be delighted tae hear it. Fer my part, I cannae.”
“I can, in fact,” she answered glibly. “It seems tae me that if ye release me at once, none of this horror and tragedy need come tae pass.”
“Ye are smart enough tae ken that is nae true,” he replied wearily. “Yer father and brothers will still seek tae punish us fer our actions. Yer safe return will nae dissuade them.”
“Perhaps it will,” she pressed, “if I am able tae assure them that the next in line tae be laird of the McDougal clan is a kind and reasonable man who seeks peace.”
“Aye, that’s the trouble, though, is it nae?
” he snapped. “If I release ye, then I will nay longer be the next in line. My father will disown me fer my betrayal. And besides that, we both ken that ye will likely nae tell Laird Cawley any such thing. You will say anythin’ tae me if ye think it will secure yer release. ”
“And ye will say anything tae yerself if it means ye won’t have tae disobey yer father,” she shot back angrily. “How can ye stand tae live with yerself, knowing that ye are little more than a spineless puppet who dances to his ghastly tune?”
Fergus’s face fell, but he did not appear overly surprised by her words.
“I am disappointed tae hear that this is yer opinion of me. I suppose we have little else tae say tae each other, then. Even so, ye are my guest, and I shall make a point of lookin’ in on ye again before yer clan arrives.
Once that happens, it will be in my father’s hands, and then God save us all from whatever transpires next.
” He started to leave, then turned. “I must beg ye tae reconsider yer position, though. We enjoyed each other’s company before.
We might find occasion tae do so again if only ye will allow for that possibility. ”
And with that, he left, locking the door behind him once again.
If there had been anything at hand to throw at the door, Darina would have done so.
As it was, all she could do was pace the room, fuming at his words.
How dare he try to convince her that this insane marriage scheme was the only logical option?
How dare he try to make her fond of him so that she would doubt the fact of her own kidnapping? How dare he…
How dare he succeed in such attempts, even minimally, she thought, sitting down hard on the edge of the bed.
He’s gotten me tae question what I think I ken of him; tae believe he might nae be a bad man, merely one who has found himself trapped in an impossible situation.
He is handsome enough tae desire him as a lover, despite the things he’s done.
And surely nae all of the wit and charm he displayed before could have been an act, could it?
There had tae be some part of it that genuinely reflected his character, didn’t there?
Something I could latch onto and nurture in a marriage if called upon tae do so?
She could scarcely believe she was having such a battle with herself, but she was, and she loathed her own indecision on the matter.
Not only that, but the thought of battle was enough to make her blood churn in her veins like a rushing river during a flood.
Soon, the sounds of such a conflict would be ringing and echoing off the ramparts of the keep, and she would be helpless to do anything about it.
She was a hostage, a plaything for Oliver to use so that he might taunt and threaten her family.
Darina had never imagined she might find herself in such a wretched position. Mere days ago, she’d been contemplating the dreary prospect of being sent to London, and now she was hopelessly entangled in this dreadful scenario like a fly twisted and trapped in the threads of a spider’s web.
There was a knock at the door, and it startled her.
Who would bother to knock?
“Come in,” she called out, sensing the absurdity of a prisoner being expected to cordially invite her jailer into her cell.
The lock turned again, and the door opened, revealing a lass who appeared to be in her teens. She was fair of face, and it was not difficult for Darina to spot the slight resemblance of her hair and features to those of Fergus and Oliver.
“I see nay reason why ye should bother tae knock,” Darina said coldly, “or wait for me tae grant ye entry. I am a captive here, or have ye nae heard?”
The girl shrugged. “I have heard that, aye, but it is nay excuse for poor manners on my part, or yers either, for that matter.”
Darina scoffed. “Ye expect me tae bear my captivity with a pleasant demeanor, then?”
“I have nay expectations of ye whatsoever, honestly,” the lass retorted mildly.
“I was curious tae ken what ye might be like since I have never met a Wallace firsthand. The only ones who are brought here are generally thrown into the dungeon fairly immediately, beheaded, or worse. I usually dinnae have occasion tae converse with them before they meet their doom.” She paused, then added, “Though in this case, I suppose it’s nae just yer doom that seems imminent, but ours as well when yer people arrive in force.
Tell me, please: When they arrive, will they spare my life? ”
The question caught Darina entirely off guard. The girl seemed so sincere in wondering about such things and more than a trifle afraid of what the answer might be.
“I have nay reason tae believe they will harm ye,” Darina told her, “as long as ye do nae personally take up arms against them. We Wallaces are nae in the habit of murdering women and children.”
“Ah,” she nodded. “Our father has told us otherwise, of course. He says that ye are a pack of unrepentant killers who are happy tae butcher and terrorize innocents. I suppose I’ve always imagined he might be lyin’ aboot such things in order tae make us hate ye all the more.
” She scrutinized Darina for several seconds.
“I find I dinnae hate ye, though. Nae in the slightest.”
“Well, that’s quite kind of ye tae say, under the circumstances,” Darina answered warily. “Am I tae assume, then, that ye are one of Fergus’ siblings?”
“I am, yes,” the lass informed her. “My name is Freya.”
“It is a pleasure tae make yer acquaintance, Freya,” Darina said. “I only wish it were under different circumstances.”
“As do I. Fergus wishes that too, for what it is worth.”
“Then perhaps he should nae have kidnapped me,” Darina replied bitterly.
Freya winced. “I can see how ye might feel that way. However, ye must understand that it is hardly his fault. I dinnae ken what sort of parentin’ ye had, but—”
“My father loves me very much,” Darina interjected. “As did my mother before she passed.”
Freya nodded. “Aye, I suppose that makes sense, then. Our father…well, he would nay doubt claim much love for us, but the forms that it has taken through the years have been harsh and awful indeed. I have mostly escaped his notice because I am a lass, and he has largely focused on the boys, who he sees as his legacy. It has always been bad for all of us, but it’s been the worst for Fergus by far. ”
Darina frowned. She hadn’t been prepared to hear any such thing. “How? What do ye mean?”
“Father has always bullied and belittled Fergus,” Freya went on.
“He says it’s tae make Fergus stronger, more fit tae lead when the time comes.
But all the while, he beats and berates my brother most shamefully and tells him over and over that he will never be a worthy laird.
He constantly threatens tae choose one of my other brothers instead because he kens how much those words tend tae upset Fergus.
He quite enjoys hurtin’ Fergus any way he can, I think, though I’ve never really understood why. ”
The thought of Fergus being treated so dreadfully his entire life gave Darina pause and made her consider him in a new light.
She had never been treated that way by her own parents, and she had a difficult time conceiving of what torment that must have been for him.
Was it any wonder that even as a grown man, he was still so intimidated by his father?
Could she continue to judge him so harshly for refusing to defy the old man?
No. She supposed she could not.
“There is somethin’ else as well,” Freya added.
“Somethin’ I should nae be tellin’ ye, only I suppose it doesn’t matter much at this point, does it?
Either ye are about tae marry into our family—in which case, I can take ye into my confidence—or ye are aboot to be killed, in which case it hardly matters what I tell ye. ”
“Ye have tremendous pragmatism for one yer age,” Darina commented wryly.
Freya ignored that comment. “Our father has been married three times, most lately tae the woman who was my mother and the mother of my twin brother Alasdair. All three of his wives have died. Their illnesses were deemed mysterious, tae say the least.”
“Do ye mean tae tell me,” Darina asked, astonished, “that Laird Oliver has murdered his own bride? Nae once, but three times?”
Freya shrugged again. “I only provide the facts as they are known. If ye choose tae infer such a thing—as most people do, myself included—that is entirely yer affair. However, it may give ye a bit more of an idea of what Fergus has endured and why he has behaved in such a lamentable manner toward ye. For my part, I can only say that I have known him tae be a good man. A better man than most would be, havin’ come from such gruesome beginnings. ”
“Thank ye for telling me these things,” Darina said. “Ye have given me valuable insight into yer brother’s character, and it is greatly appreciated.”
Freya nodded. “I thought it might aid ye in yer decision.”
“What decision is that?”
“Why, whether or nae tae marry him, of course! Only I think ye’d better make that decision as soon as possible. Once yer clan arrives and the battle begins, I doubt anyone will be able tae hear a weddin’ announcement over the clang and clash of their swords.”
Darina laughed at that in spite of herself. “Ye’re a clever girl, aren’t ye, Freya?”
Freya smiled. “Thank ye. It’s most kind of ye tae say so. My father never has.”
With that, Freya gave her a small curtsy and departed, locking the door once more.
“Nay,” Darina mused, frowning, “I dinnae suppose he has.”
The lass had certainly been correct about one thing, though: The time to make her decision about Fergus was swiftly running out.