Hiding Katherine

by GG Shalton

  She agreed and was gathering some of her items when Daniel came to her. “Mama, I must know why he would let me go. His reputation proceeds itself, yet he showed me mercy. I know it was because of something you did.”

  “Daniel there is something I must tell you. Let’s sit for a moment.” James handed him a clean shirt and then left to help Dorian. He dressed in front of her wiping his face with a cloth.

  She took a deep breath and confessed, “Years ago, I met Ian Travis when I first came to Scotland. We became more than friends and secretly married. That is a secret that no one knew, and I became with child. We were to marry in front of the church when he returned from battle. But he never returned, and his family told me he was dead. Alexander agreed to help me and claim the child as his own. I had to agree to guard the secret with my life.” She looked at him as his eyes still held so much confusion. Reaching out to touch him, she rubbed his arm. “The truth is that Ian was imprisoned and was not dead. He came for me, but I was already married and pregnant with Mary. He asked me to go with him, but I refused and stayed with Alexander.”

  His voice cracked as he asked, “Did you lose the child?”

  “No, I had a beautiful baby boy who I cherished with all my heart.”

  “He is my father?”

  “Alexander was your father and you are an earl. He raised you and loved you. Ian never knew you existed until today although yes, he did sire you. It’s not his fault either. That is why he let you go.”

  “That is why I look so different than my sisters?”

  She smiled sadly. “Yes, you look just like Ian Travis.”

  “I can’t believe this. I am so confused.” He rubbed his forehead with his hand. Looking back to his mother, he asked. “Did you love him? Was it hard for you to marry another?”

  She touched his face. “What a thoughtful question to ask me. It matters not now as I had made my choice. You will be an earl, and no one will know that Alexander did not sire you.”

  “I want to know, Mama.”

  She thought for a moment. “Yes, I loved Ian Travis. But Alexander was a great provider and loved you as his own. He also loved the girls and was a good father.”

  “You are full of mysteries, Mama.”

  She laughed and mounted her horse, and they took off back to Deanna’s.

  Chapter 33

  A few days into her travel, a storm brimmed on the horizon and Dorian said they needed to seek shelter soon. The tents would not hold up and they would need to look for an inn. They passed a small village, but no lodging was available for them. Dorian tried to use Daniel’s title and name, but even that did not work. He decided to travel south as he knew of some caverns that could fit their riding party and horses. It was a little closer to the English border than he would have liked, but he had to chance it.

  They settled into the caves, and the storm came down on them relentlessly. Pounding rain, hail, and wind that was unlike anything she had ever seen. The trip south was a good move and most of their belongings were saved.

  The next morning, they set off toward the village they had passed to buy a few supplies before traveling again. They still had a few days before reaching Deanna. Katherine was tired, and her legs were chaffed. When she entered the village, she told the men that she would need to find some salve and would meet them later.

  A few of the shops instructed her to the healer’s home a mile outside of the village. She followed their instructions and took an obscured trail through trees and passed a creek that was heavily flooded from the rainfall the night before. The bridge was shaky, but intact as she crossed over it. Trying to look ahead instead of down she glanced at her feet seeing water rushing beneath her, it looked like the creek could burst at any moment. Running the rest of the way over the bridge, she stepped into mud as she eyed a small wooden cottage near the tree line.

  She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. After several minutes, she knocked again. There was no answer and she walked to the back finding no one at home. After waiting a few moments, she heard a door open and close. She walked around again and saw the door was slightly jarred. Approaching the door, she was pulled back by someone and fell to the ground. She struggled against her attacker as he held her tighter against his chest and lifted her off the ground. Letting out a scream, he covered her mouth with his hand as he shoved a cloth inside of it. She was carried to a horse and a blanket was placed over her head by a second attacker.

  “Tie her hands,” a rough voice with an English accent said.

  The man roughly held her hands back tying a rope to them as she tried to kick him again.

  A deep voice vibrated, “If you don’t stop kicking me, I will kill you.” She was tied to a horse and heard other horses surrounding her.

  “I have her. Did you knock the bridge out?”

  A different voice replied, “The river has aided us this day. No one is getting across the creek for several hours. We can get to the border by nightfall.”

  They rode for hours and her head began to ache from the jostling movement on the horse. Once they stopped, she was untied, but the blanket remained over her head.

  “Take the blanket off, no one will hear her now.”

  The blanket and cloth in her mouth were removed. A man lifted her off the horse to stand. The blinding light took her a few moments to adjust her eyes. Her legs wobbled until she could finally get her balance. Looking around her, she counted ten men dressed as knights staring at her.

  Her voice strained as she asked, “May I have a drink of water?”

  One of the men handed her some water and she drank quickly, water dripping from her chin in her rush. “May I take care of some private needs?” The same man escorted her to a bush and stood with his back to her. She looked around thinking about escape but found no reasonable place to run. She finished and walked back to the horse.

  She looked at the man who seemed to be in charge. “I am not Scottish. I am English and would not be a good prisoner if that is your intention.”

  The man smiled evilly at her. “Is that what you think? We took you for ransom?”

  “Is it not?”

  “We know who you are, Lady Katherine. We used to work for your father. I never had the pleasure of meeting you, but I did see you once when you were to marry the Earl of Delbert.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would you take me now?”

  “We no longer work for your father, but I owed your brother Drake a debt when he saved my life. This is his repayment.” He let out a cynical laugh. “Although, I could be persuaded to keep you. You are quite the beauty.” He took his hand running it down her cheek.

  She smacked his hand away and turned her face. He scowled and then laughed. “Very well, your fate awaits.”

  He called the men and gave her a choice to ride with him or be tied to the horse again. As much as she hated being near him, she agreed to ride with him.

  There were no homes close by for them to lodge in, but the trip to the cave took them out of their way south.

  Daniel searched each store in the village for the third time. Where was his mother? Dorian’s men had split up looking for her. An uneasy feeling surrounded him, but Daniel pushed it to the side. After several attempts of asking shop owners, Daniel frantically approached the town’s people desperately asking if they had seen her. Finally, an old woman appeared walking around the corner. She heard his pleas and came up to his side. “Did the woman you are looking for have blond hair?”

  Daniel nodded. “Yes, she has long blond hair.”

  “I spoke to a woman with that description a few hours ago, quite a beauty. But she must be too young to be your mother.”

  “Please, if you could tell me where she is, I will pay you.”

  The old woman lifted her finger pointing to the open dir
t road. “She needed some salve for her skin. I sent her to the healer’s hut about a mile down the road over the bridge.”

  Daniel dug a coin out of his satchel and put it into her palm. He ran to Dorian relieved to have some news. “She is at the healer’s down the road about a mile. I will go and get her.”

  Dorian grabbed his shoulders. “Wait! It may be a trap. I inquired around the village and it seems there were some English soldiers here last night, who all have seemed to disappear this morning. According to inn’s owner, they inquired about you.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Apparently, they overheard me using your name to get rooms for us last night.” He let out a breath of frustration rubbing the back of his neck. “I knew we were too close to the border to stop last night. If it weren’t for that storm, we would have never stayed. I will gather the men and we will proceed with caution. Katherine should have been back by now.”

  “Let’s hurry.” Daniel ran and mounted his horse with Dorian close behind. They spoke to the men and split up to hide between trees as they came over the hill. After they climbed down, they could see the bridge had collapsed and several horse tracks were at the healer’s hut. They called out for the healer, but no one came. They could not cross the water but saw pieces of an English tartan that was lying on the ground. A sinking feeling came across his stomach acknowledging his worse fears. The English had his mother.

  “I must go after her.” He paced with his horse up and down the bank of the creek looking for a way across.

  “Daniel! Even if we can get across, they have at least a two-hour head start and will be at the border in a few more hours. We can’t cross into England without reinforcements. I must go back to my keep and gather more men. I will send a missive for more clans to help.”

  “I have an army—I am the Earl of Barragan.”

  Dorian grabbed Daniel’s reins. “Listen to me, Daniel! Your army is spread out and under the king’s orders. Not quite at your disposal right now. It would take too much time to gather them and get the king’s permission to go after your mother. Your best course is to let me get some men and help you. Granted, many clans will not help us due to your family’s support of the king, but I can call in some favors.”

  Daniel’s heart pounded. “I will go alone if I need too.”

  Dorian met his eyes. “Be smart, Daniel. Your mother is English and when they find this out, they may just let her go. You are a good fighter, but you are only sixteen.”

  James came up beside him. “I will help you too. But my father is right, we must be smart, Daniel.”

  “Something is not right. If they asked about me, then they know my mother and that she is half English. I don’t like it.”

  “Neither do I, but you will get yourself killed if you go after her now. Let’s get some more men and be smart. Your father would want you to carry on his legacy.”

  The thought of his father gave him a moment to pause. The man taught him that being a soldier was more than physical strength—it was mental too. He would not disappoint him and agreed to go with Dorian.

  The men traveled the next few days relentlessly and finally made it to Dorian’s keep. Deanna was waiting with Katherine’s children to welcome them home. She ran to hug Dorian and Daniel’s sisters ran to hug him. Deanna searched the men and the horses coming in the keep.

  “Where is Katherine? Where is my sister?”

  Dorian reached for her. “Calm down. I believe she is still alive.”

  “Did the rebels…? Did Ian hurt her?”

  “No. She was able to get Daniel released, but as we were traveling back, we came to a village. I think the English may have taken her.”

  Deanna’s face turned white. “English? What are you saying?”

  “I feel at fault, Deanna. I made some inquiries to stay at an inn during the storm, but they had no rooms and were full of English soldiers. We were close to the border, but still in Scotland, so I tried to use Daniel’s title for a room, but they claimed to have none. We stayed in caves a few miles away. But when we returned to the village the next morning, Katherine went to a healer’s hut outside of town. We believe she was taken by the English there.”

  “Why would she be taken?” Her mind raced and suddenly she spurted out, “Oh, no!” Suddenly, she took off running.

  Daniel looked at Dorian, and he looked at James confounded by her behavior. Deanna went inside the castle as everyone stood stunned at her reaction. A few moments later, she returned and had a rolled parchment in her hand.

  “Daniel, this came for you last night. It’s from England, my family. I almost opened it but didn’t want to intrude.”

  Daniel looked at the parchment in her hand as all eyes were on him. He waited a long second and then reached for it breaking the seal.

  He unrolled it and read it. Rubbing his lips together he looked at his sister. “Sara, could you take the girls inside? I will come later and speak to you.”

  Sara watched her brother closely and then complied without arguing. She walked her sisters inside and Daniel waited until they went through the door before addressing his family.

  Deanna bit her bottom lip anxiously waiting for Daniel to speak. “What is it, Daniel?”

  “Her brother Drake is holding her as a prisoner. He is demanding a fortune for her return. He has only given me one month or he promises me he will kill her. He said she owes her family a debt and she will repay it with her life. Once she dies, if I don’t pay him, then he will come after each one of my sisters.”

  Deanna cried out, “Nay! They are mad! Are you sure it’s Drake? He was the one to warn us about Darin. Perhaps it was all a ruse when he visited?”

  James spoke up. “Don’t believe the ransom demand. We must rescue her. I remember on one of Drake’s visit we had a conversation about my Aunt Katherine. Drake had mentioned he was concerned about Darin’s obsession with her. But perhaps he really spoke of himself? He said the family hated her after she escaped her wedding and Darin use to say he wanted to kill her slowly to make her pay. Drake thought he was mad but didn’t think he was a threat because he lived in England and she was secured in Scotland. I don’t think he will release her if you pay him. He plans to kill her.”

  Deanna’s eyes widened in disbelief. “James, why didn’t you tell me? Drake spoke to me only about them losing their castle and they blamed Katherine. It also didn’t help that Alexander was rich and didn’t give them any coin.”

  Dorian stared at his family thinking. “I think James may be right. But we need to stall them. Perhaps send them a letter back saying that Daniel is trying to come up with the money but may need some more time. Meanwhile, I will see if I can get any men from some neighboring clans to help us.”

  Daniel remained silent thinking about what James had said. He would not allow them to kill his mother. He would rescue her. Dorian meant well but trying to get clan support on this side of Scotland would be nearly impossible in a short period of time. Most of his neighbors were neutral or did not support the king. They would not get involved or help him. Daniel knew he had only one choice. He would need skilled fighters to pull this off, and he only knew one person that may help him. He had to try.

  Daniel convinced James to go with him. He left a note for Dorian, thanking him for his help, but he needed to see if they could get some assistance without clan support. He promised not to go to England without resources and would return if he needed to. James left a different note explaining to his parents that he felt an obligation to stay with his cousin and hoped they understood his need to help.

  Chapter 34

  They took off after dinner and rode the next few days reaching the rebellion stronghold a day earlier than they thought they would. Without several men to attend to, the riding was easier. They knew they had to hurry as Dorian was probably not far behind them.
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  Daniel didn’t tell James the truth of Ian Travis, only that his mother was a friend from his past and may agree to help. Ian’s last words rang in his head and made him a little wary. Returning was risky as he threatened to kill him and his mother, but it was a risk he would take to save his mother. He gave James his weapons and made him hide in the trees as he held up his hands riding his horse to the gates of the stronghold.

  Three guards approached him with spears in their hands. “I come without weapons. I have a message for Sir Ian.”

  The guards slowly approached Daniel and dragged him off his horse, pinning him to the ground. “You have two seconds to talk before we kill you…”

  “I come in peace. I have a message Sir Ian must hear. Tell him Katherine’s son is here to see him.”

  “No one sees the Cold-Heart.”

  They pulled his arms behind his back tying them with rope. Daniel did not struggle but allowed them to tie him.

  “He will see me.”

  The guards pulled him up to stand and yelled at one of the archers on the wall. “Tell Isaac we have a new prisoner.”

  Daniel jerked his body away. “Nay! I must see Sir Ian. If Katherine dies, he will kill you for your insolence.”

  The men looked at each other and then one of the guards whispered to some other guards at the gates. He remembered Katherine. “Wait in the keep. We will let the dogs feast on what’s left of him if Ian won’t see him.”

  One of the men twisted his arm. “If you lie, you will die.”

  They walked him into the keep and another guard ran out. “He is in the solar and agreed to see the prisoner. He said to leave him tied up.”

  They pushed him in the back and he fell to the ground. One of the guards dragged him up and then pushed him along until they reached the solar. A few knocks and they were told to enter.