by Barbara Bard
There seemed no hope for her, and yet as her mind whirled with sadness a pure, golden thought broke through the murky misery and shone with hope, as would the sun breaking through the clouds of a storm. Catherine reminded herself that she had endured captivity by the Highlanders. She had broken free and made her way through the land, dealing with bandits and thieves. She was so much more than she had been when she left, so much more than her father realized, and there had to be another avenue out of this mess.
Her flow of tears was stemmed as she thought of plan after plan, and her sadness gave way to strategic thought. Never before would she have dared to think of going against the wishes of her father, but she had finally seen for herself that he did not know best.
Chapter 16
Declan had been lost in his own thoughts for some time. The sliver of sunlight that broke through the ceiling of the chamber was not enough to tell whether it was day or night. Alastar had been used to silence for a long time, and there was a long stretch where Declan didn't feel like talking. Once the two of them had gotten to know each other and shared their stories there was little left to talk about, so Declan focused on his misery and the hurt feelings that resided in his heart.
There was a soft dripping noise somewhere in the dank chamber, and it started to drive Declan mad. He had only been in captivity for a short time and he was already shaking.
“How hae ye stood this for all this time?” Declan asked, his eyes looking into the blackness of the high ceiling, wishing that he could see something, anything that would give him hope.
“Ye get used tae it, sad tae say. At first I was like ye, shaking and trembling, scratching at the walls, but eventually I realized that I was nae gaeing tae escape. I was either gaeing tae gae mad or keep my sanity, and I chose tae keep hold of my mind. I knew that if I went mad it would only show them that they won, that they had broken me, and I was nae gaeing tae give them the satisfaction. Ye should dae the same. Keep that hatred in yer heart and never let it gae. It will keep ye alive.”
It was good advice, yet Declan did not want the hatred to consume him. The love he had felt for Catherine was far more enjoyable than the hatred, and yet what choice had she given him? He was only in here because of her, because she had placed her father's well-being over that of his own.
Declan felt the tears well up in his eyes again at the thought of his father. By now Blair and Drew must have told him what had happened, how his only son was missing. Perhaps there would even be a ceremony. Well, at least he wouldn't have to know how much of a failure Declan had been. Perhaps it was better this way, although Declan would have given anything to know if he was going to see the valleys and moors of the Highlands again.
After an indeterminate amount of time, there was a noise from outside the cell.
“It's probably just that serving lass,” Alastar said as Declan jumped to his feet. Declan was still hopeful that there would be a chance to escape. He didn't want to give up like Alastar yet. He ran to the bars and placed his hands around the metal as he saw the glow of a lantern fill the room. Then came a sight that was bittersweet. It was Catherine. The girl he loved, and the girl who had cast him down into the depths of this dungeon.
“Declan!” she exclaimed, and ran to the bars, her face illuminated by the glow of the torch. She looked panic-stricken and weary. She also looked beautiful. Declan's body bristled with tension. There was nothing more he wanted to do than to scoop her up in his arms and claim a kiss from her, but he was prevented from doing so by the bars that separated them. The love he held within his heart for her quickly gave way to bitterness.
“What dae ye want?” he asked, turning his gaze away from her, even though it was difficult to do.
“I wanted to speak with you,” she said softly. “I wanted to apologize.”
“Are ye sure ye did nae come here tae gloat?”
“Gloat? What are you talking about? Of course I do not want to gloat! I never wanted this to happen.”
“Oh aye, I'm sure ye dinnae. Ye just took advantage of a stupid Highlander, promising him everything he wanted before ye stabbed him in the back. Ye were just waiting for the moment tae dae it, weren't ye? After I saved ye. After I defended yer life ye would dae this tae me! And just when I was beginning tae doubt my feelings towards the Sassenach. I was beginning tae think ye weren't scheming and conniving, and maybe Rosemary and Sarah aren't, but ye have shown yerself tae be exactly what I feared. I only have myself tae blame really. I was sae concerned with trying tae show Blair and Drew that they were being blinded, I did nae see it happening tae myself. I hope ye are happy, Catherine.”
“Happy? Have you not grown to know me at all during the time we have spent together?” Catherine asked, stepping back herself. Her face had changed. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she looked shocked that Declan would speak to her in that manner.
“I knew everything I needed tae know before we ever met,” he said. His words flew so fast that Catherine barely had a chance to keep up, and could only respond to what he said rather than explain to him fully what had happened.
“I can't believe you would be so cruel.”
“Cruel! Look at me. I am sitting in this dungeon, far from home, far from everything I know, and all because of ye.”
“Funny how things turn out, isn't it? It wasn't so long ago that our positions were reversed.”
“Aye, but ye were well looked after.”
“I was still a prisoner.”
“Ye betrayed me.”
His words hung in the air for a few moments. The two of them stared at each other, tensions rising between them.
“I'm sorry.”
He didn't expect her to say that.
“Ye are sorry?”
“I didn't want this to happen, Declan. I only wanted to come home. My father, he...he has always had this hold over me. I could not admit to the truth, even though it hurt my heart to do so. Believe me, there is nothing I wanted more than to tell him, but you do not know my father. You do not know how cruel he is. But that is not the only reason why I did what I did. I wanted to buy the both of us some time, time so that I could come up with a plan to help you escape.”
“I am beginning tae get some idea. At least with yer return he shall nae attack my home. That is the only comfort I hae.”
Catherine looked down at the floor.
“Dae ye hae something else tae tell me?” Declan said, fearing the worst.
“He's still going ahead with his plan. I was unable to sway him. He has already arranged a marriage for me. In a few days I will be gone to my new life, and I will have to say farewell to this estate.”
“Ye cannae. He cannae! This is madness! Dae ye nae want a life for yerself, lass? We cannae let this happen. We hae tae get back home tae warn them. We hae tae dae something!” Declan exclaimed, his eyes widening with panic and shock and fear. It seemed as though with every moment that passed things only worsened, and he was just waiting for the next piece of bad news to greet him.
“I'm trying, Declan, honestly I am, but I do not know if I can. I never wanted things to end up this way.”
“Did ye come down here just tae say goodbye?” Declan asked in a hollow voice, the words catching in his throat. He turned away, unable to look at her anymore because it hurt too much.
“I don't know. I hope not. I'm trying to find a way for you to escape. My father told me what he has planned, and no matter what else happens I don't want you to have to live your life here. I couldn't bear knowing that you were lost in here for your entire life while I was out there...”
“With a family,” Declan said, finishing the sentence for her. A moment of silence passed between them.
“I will come back again, and I will set you free,” she said. Declan didn't say anything in reply. He merely let the darkness swallow him up, convinced that he would never see her again after this. Perhaps it was better to do as Alastar suggested and embrace the pain and hatred he felt, but he found it difficult.
With sorrow he slumped down to the floor again and tried not to think about the fate that would soon befall his home. All would have been different if Blair had not lost his heart to Rosemary.
“It will nae be sae bad, at least we hae each other for company,” Alastar said, trying to cheer Declan up. It did not work though, for Declan was desolate and lost.
Chapter 17
Despite the heart-rending conversation she had just had with Declan, Catherine was not being consumed by her sorrow. Instead, she gritted her teeth and was determined to prove him wrong. Sadly, she could not really contend with the accusations made against her, for the outcome gave credence to his assertions. She had not planned it this way, but the end result was that Declan was being punished when in fact he had been her savior. Without him she would not be alive. If she couldn't prevent her father from going to war she could at least engineer an escape for Declan, and then he would be the free one, while she would simply have to enjoy the prison of her life.
When she was on her way out of the dungeon she was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not see a maid bringing food to the prisoners, and bumped into her.
“I do apologize,” Catherine said.
“N-no, please, it was my fault, ma'am. I should have been more careful. Please do not punish me.”
Her voice trembled with fear. Catherine was about to laugh and tell her that she shouldn't be so silly, but then she thought back to how she had treated the servants before. She'd learned all her behaviors from her father, but it was time to change them.
“What's your name?” she asked.
“Rebecca,” the young maid replied, eyes focused on the ground.
“Rebecca, it was my fault for bumping into you, and I apologize. Now, perhaps you could help me with a few things. I would like to know more about these dungeons. Are you the only maid who tends to the prisoner?”
“Prisoners, ma'am, there are two in there now,” Rebecca said. Catherine was filled with much curiosity at this for she had not known there was another man in there with Declan. “But I am the main one, yes. We used to have a dedicated schedule, but over time more and more people didn't like going down to the dungeon, and they kept assuming that someone else would do the duty. I noticed that the meals were becoming irregular, and were always being left out, so I took it upon myself to bring the meals down. Ever since I made that decision I have been the only one going down to the dungeons. Occasionally a few guards go down, usually after they have had a few drinks, but mostly they leave the prisoner alone.”
“And why did you take it upon yourself to do this duty?” Catherine asked, intrigued.
“Well, he may be a Highlander and a criminal, but he is still a man. As for the new prisoner, I cannot speak for him, but there are certain rights that are inviolable. We must stay true to our principles. That is what separates us from them in the first place. To put it simply, it was the right thing to do. I could not stand by and watch such a sin take place. He has suffered much, and it is only right that he be given food, as meager as his meals are.”
“That's very interesting, Rebecca. Now, what if I were to tell you that the man recently imprisoned is no criminal at all. There has been a grave injustice and I must rectify it. Do you think you would be able to help me?”
“Oh, I don't know if I could do that, ma'am,” Rebecca said, backing away nervously. “I have been given my orders. It is one thing to provide meals for them, but quite another to do anything else. Forgive me for saying so, Lady Flynn, but surely if your father has deemed them worthy of imprisonment they must have done something to earn it.”
Catherine smiled at the girl's naivety. Once upon a time she would have believed the same thing without hesitation.
“You shall soon learn that things are not always as they seem. I would not lie to you. My father is many things, but most of all he is stubborn. He will not admit that he has made a mistake, especially when it comes to a Highlander. He sees them all as guilty, but that man is responsible for saving my life, and I cannot see him suffer a life of imprisonment.”
“I cannot go against Lord Flynn. What if he found out? A daughter would get a scolding, but a maid would find her punishment far more severe.”
“I promise you that no harm shall come to you. If we are discovered I shall take full responsibility. But you said yourself that rarely anyone comes down here. It is unlikely that his disappearance shall be discovered. The rest of the estate can live on in ignorance, believing that he is being held in this prison, but we will know that we have set an innocent man free.”
Rebecca was evidently unsure of Catherine's proposal. Catherine gave Rebecca her most imploring and beseeching look, hoping to play on the girl's golden heart. Rebecca thought long and hard about everything that Catherine had said, and eventually she relented.
“If you insist that he is innocent, I suppose I must do the right thing by him,” Rebecca said hesitantly. Catherine beamed and embraced the girl tightly.
“That is so wonderful! I shall come for you again. Be ready,” Catherine said, and then left the maid to continue with her duty.
There was a spring in Catherine's step as she skipped across the estate back to her chambers, relieved that she would soon be seeing Declan to freedom. She had to work quickly though, for she would be leaving this estate before too long to become Lady Headingly.
As she walked, she was so lost in her thoughts that she bumped into someone new. This time it was a man, and a flicker of recognition sparked within their eyes.
“Lady Flynn,” the man said, bowing his head. His words were terse, and he seemed to be wanting to ask her something.
“Sir, do I know you?” she asked.
“My name is George. I...I was a friend of Rosemary's.”
Catherine's memory flooded back to her. She remembered Harold talking about George, how spiteful he had been at the thought of another man winning the affections of his beloved. Sarah had spoken fondly of him as well, for George was the man who had saved her life and brought her back to this estate.
They had been confronted by some of Harold's soldiers. George had quickly come up with the lie that Sarah was Rosemary, Harold's intended wife. It had placed her in danger, but also took her to safety. He had evidently been one of the few people Sarah trusted with her life. Catherine in turn trusted Sarah's judgment, so she placed her faith in George. Catherine glanced around to ensure that nobody was listening to them, and then pulled him aside.
“I believe you mean, Sarah,” Catherine said.
“You discovered the truth,” George said, glancing about nervously. Catherine wondered if she had always engendered this reaction from people, or if the entire mood of the estate was one of paranoia because of the fear her father caused to spread.
“I did indeed.”
“Is she well?” George asked.
“She is as well as can be expected.”
“There have been rumors about what happened. When I heard that she had been taken I feared the worst, but some people say that she chose to stay with the Highlanders?”
“Indeed, as did Rosemary. I seem to be the only one who has chosen to return home,” Catherine said. George didn't seem amused by her poor joke.
“I suppose that makes sense. There's not much left for them here. Are they happy?”
“They are indeed. Sarah spoke about how she owed you her life. She was very fond of you, although she seemed to imply that you were in great peril after the last time she saw you.”
“I was. Your brother had me singled out for punishment, but then he went to war and your father returned. He needed able-bodied men to perform the upkee
p on the estate so he gave me my role back. I lived in fear of what might happen upon your brother's return, but then he never did return.” At this he looked down a bit, ashamed and fearful of what he said. The Flynn reputation for cruelty was well-earned, and it was clear that George was afraid of what Catherine might do if offended.
Catherine didn't like to hear people speak ill of her brother, even though she had her own opinions of him, but she would not rebuke George.
“No, he did not. And I am starting to regret the fact that I did. George, are you willing to help me?”