by Anne Herries
‘Send another messenger,’ Owain said. ‘Tell them that the King is on his way with more troops—and that if they resist they will be starved out and no mercy will be given. If they surrender, favourable terms will be offered to any that throw down their swords.’
‘And who shall I send? The last messenger was killed.’
‘Send me this time,’ Owain said. ‘I shall take more care than the last. He should have expected something of the sort for Leominster is known for his barbarity.’
‘Go then and deliver the message,’ Rob said. ‘I shall wait—but if the answer is no, I shall attack at once.’
‘Good.’ Owain smiled. ‘Should I be killed this day in battle or by treachery, tell my lady that I loved her.’
Rob nodded his head in assent, watching as his friend strode off to find his horse and a herald willing to accompany him. This time a party of four rode towards the castle and two of them were archers. Owain meant to give as good as he got, and he carried no flag of truce.
Rob watched as the herald blew his horn once more and men came to the battlements. He could hear much of what Owain cried for his words carried on the breeze.
‘Lay down your arms and surrender now,’ Owain cried. ‘It will be so much the worse for those who refuse to surrender. The King comes with a huge army and this castle will be razed to the ground. Be warned, no mercy shall be given if there is resistance.’
Rob saw a man with a crossbow come to the edge of the battlements as before, but this time Owain’s guard was too quick for him. The archer gave a shout as an arrow pierced his upper arm and fell back. Meanwhile, Owain raised his shield to protect himself lest another bowman attempt to fire, but nothing happened.
Rob could see that a man was at the battlements and seemed to be urging the men to fire again, but they were refusing to obey. He watched as Owain turned and rode back to him, a gleam of triumph in his eyes.
‘I believe they have something to think about now, Rob.’
‘It seems that your informant spoke truly,’ Rob said. ‘We shall wait here until Henry’s men come up with us—but we shall draw up the cannon and fire a few rounds at the gate, just to show them we mean business.’
He went off to speak to the gunners and miners, whose job it was to bring up and prepare the guns for battle. To sit and wait and do nothing was more than he could bear. Melissa was within those walls somewhere—but was she still alive? What had that monster done to her?
Melissa was shivering. At first she was unable to see anything at all and she was terrified. Where was she? She had no recollection of being brought here other than the struggle with those soldiers as they dragged her from her chamber. She had been knocked down and had struck her head. She must have been out of her senses when they brought her here. The terror swept over her for she had never liked the dark and it was the stuff of nightmares to be locked in such a place.
It was cold and damp down here, and she could hear something…a rushing noise like wind or the sea. After a while, she realised that there was a crack of light coming from somewhere above her. As she began to get more used to the dim light she could see that the walls were hewn out of rock, but high above her was a natural crack. It was from there that the small amount of daylight was coming—but to what sort of a place had she been brought?
She began to find her way around the walls so that she stood under the crack, and looked up at it, but it was too small to squeeze through and obviously not the way out or in. Steadying her nerves, she pressed close to the rock face and inched her way ‘round, feeling rather than seeing where she was going. Screaming and crying would not help her. She must discover where she was and whether she could find a way to escape. When her hands encountered something flat and protruding, she ran them over it, exploring the width, depth and height, before being certain that it was a step.
Oh, thank God! There was a way out, even if it was barred to her. She had thought that perhaps she had been lowered into a deep cavern and would be left to die. At least if there was an entrance someone might find her and rescue her. If Rob came in time…a sob of fear shook her as she sat on the bottom step and put her hands to her face. It was likely that the castle would not surrender and she might never leave this terrible place alive.
‘Oh, God,’ Melissa prayed. ‘Let my death not be from starvation and cold.’
She knew that she would not be the first to be shut in an oubliette and left to die in that cruel fashion. Yet surely her death could not benefit the marquis. He would surely keep her alive if only to use her as a pawn in the game he played.
A renewal of hope came with the thought, and she stood up, determined to climb the steps to the top and discover what was there. She was halfway up when she heard a grating noise above her, and then there was light. A man’s face appeared in the opening.
‘Are you there, lady?’
‘Yes,’ Melissa cried. ‘Have you come to let me out?’
‘I dare not for he would have me hung,’ Geoffrey of Brampton answered. ‘I have brought food, water and a blanket. It is not much but all I could manage this time. I shall come again when I can. Take the basket as it comes down to you.’
Melissa could just about see the dark shape of an object coming towards her. She reached out for it, clutching it to her, her throat tight with emotion. At least someone knew where she was—and that someone was disposed to be kind to her.
‘Thank you, sir,’ she called. ‘If you could get me out of this place I would see that you were rewarded.’ She did not know whether he could still hear her or not, but she called again. ‘Please bring me a candle next time for I do not like the dark…’ The light was withdrawn and she could hear a grating being slid back into place
No reply came and she thought that he had not heard her. The blackness seemed complete again as she began the descent and, afraid to take a false step in the dark, she sat on the steps and lowered herself carefully one by one. Reaching the bottom, she sat on it and felt for the contents of her basket. On the top was folded a thin blanket. It would not keep her warm here, but it was better than nothing, and she wrapped it around her shoulders. Her searching fingers found a water bottle next and part of a loaf of bread, which when she tasted it was coarse and hard, but at least it was food. She sought for something more and to her joy found a candle and a tinder.
Almost weeping with relief, Melissa struck the tinder and lit the wick of the tallow candle. It was only a piece of one and would not last long, but it allowed her to see her surroundings. She was in a small cell of an uneven shape that looked as if it had occurred naturally rather than been built by human hand, and she believed she was actually inside the rock on which the castle was built—which meant that she must be near the sea. Perhaps that accounted for the cold and the damp in here. She shivered, glad of the thin blanket that had covered the food.
She decided that she would leave the basket at the top of the steps, for she could see her way clearly now that she had the candle, and there might be rats in a place like this. The thought sent shivers down her spine, but she conquered her fear. She carried the candle carefully to the top step and looked up at the grating above her. It must open into the dungeons of the castle, but there was no light and it was too far above her to reach. Someone must have either lowered her down into the oubliette or climbed down a ladder of some kind, which was then withdrawn.
She understood that there was no way of escaping. Anyone who was brought here died, unless the lord relented and allowed them to be brought out while still alive.
She thought that Geoffrey of Brampton had risked much for her sake by bringing her food and the blanket—so that might mean that the marquis had intended to leave her here to starve. It seemed that her survival lay in one man’s hands, at least until Rob came for her.
‘Oh, please come soon, my love,’ she whispered as she walked back down the steps to the bottom. ‘Come soon for I do not know how I shall bear it if no one comes to help me.’ He would come for her, he must! She was his
wife and he would take her back for pride’s sake if nothing else. She must not lose faith in him for if she did she might as well die.
She sat down and ate half of the bread, taking several sips of water, though she left some for later. She rather thought that the daylight had faded, which meant that she had only her small candle to light the darkness. If she used all of it at once, she might be in darkness for hours. She steeled her nerves and blew it out, keeping the basket close to her as she sat on the bottom step, the blanket around her, huddling her knees to her chest.
She would try to ration the light so that she could see when she needed to, and perhaps she might even sleep if she rested her head against the wall. She closed her eyes, willing herself to think only of good things.
Rob cared for her in his own way. He would come for her—and they would be together again. If Geoffrey of Brampton continued to bring her a little food she could survive. She would survive until Rob came for her!
Rob lay on the hard ground, his head on a folded blanket, another over him. His trusty sword was at his side beneath the blanket, because in times like these it was best always to be ready. He had slept only for a short time and fitfully, for his mind would not let him rest. He sensed that Melissa was suffering, though he knew not how or why, but he felt it as a physical pain inside.
‘Damn his soul to hell!’
Rob threw off the blanket and got to his feet. There was no sense in trying to sleep for he knew that he would not. He had delayed his attack, because he knew that Owain was right. It would take more than the men he had with him to subdue this castle, and he did not wish to lose lives unnecessarily. It was always best to weaken the opposition, who would receive no supplies of any kind, and would in time starve unless they surrendered.
The castle had its back to the sea and the cliff face was too steep to climb. Leominster could expect no help from the sea. He was surrounded on three sides by open land to the right, a village to the left and the main approach from the front. Rob would make his attack on two sides when the King’s reinforcements came up, and he did not think it could be long delayed now.
For two days they had waited, now and then firing the long guns, which directed heavy iron balls at the gates. So far they stood against the heavy battering they had received, though seemed to be considerably weakened. Rob knew that a determined charge with the battering ram could break them, but first they would have to bring up a bridge to cross the steep ditch that was the first line of defence, and which contained black, stinking water.
He walked as far as the cliff edge, gazing out across the sea. It was beginning to get light, the start of their third day outside the walls of the castle. He could wait no longer! If Henry’s men did not arrive today, he would throw everything he had against the enemy. If he did not, it might be too late.
‘Melissa,’ he whispered, his voice hoarse with the grinding ache of his agony. ‘I never told you that I loved you. I do not know if you are truly innocent, but God help me, I am nothing without you, my love. If you are dead this life holds nothing more for me.’
‘Where are you going—and what have you in that basket?’ Geoffrey of Brampton froze as he was challenged. He had waited for nightfall before attempting to visit the dungeons again. It would have been only his second visit for he had been on constant duty at the battlements and dared not leave his post.
‘It is only some food,’ Geoffrey said. He knew the soldier who had challenged him. ‘Bread and water merely. I have been ordered to take it to a prisoner.’
‘Let me look,’ the soldier said, and snatched the basket from him. He removed the velvet cloak that Naomi had pressured Geoffrey into bringing, looking at it suspiciously. ‘What’s this?’ He took out a chunk of cheese. ‘You know the orders. All food like this is only for the officers. I should report you for stealing from the kitchens.’
‘Please don’t,’ Geoffrey said. ‘Take it for yourself. I was given it by someone, but bread alone will do for the prisoner.’
‘Is it the woman?’
‘Yes…though if he knew my neck would be stretched before morning.’
‘Go on then,’ the guard said. He broke the cheese in half, replacing half in the basket and covering it with the cloak. ‘Poor soul. She will perish in the end, but it is a kind thought. I have not seen you.’
Geoffrey thanked him and went down the narrow, curving stair that led to the dungeons and the torture chamber deep beneath the castle itself. He shivered for he had heard screams coming from here often enough and prayed that he would not feel the torturer’s hot irons. There were still some prisoners awaiting their punishment, and he could hear their moans, and cries for help as he passed through with his torch, but he dared not stop to aid them. His mission was to take food and water to the lady and leave as swiftly as possible. He had not wanted to risk visiting the oubliette a second time, but Naomi had promised that she would be his wife if he helped her lady, and he wanted her. Mayhap he was a fool, but he would risk it.
He turned into the dark tunnel that led even farther down into the bowels of the earth, carrying his torch aloft for there was a trap for the unwary. To the right at the end of this tunnel was a crossways, and to turn the wrong way in the dark would lead to certain death for there was a steep drop down the face of the cliff at the end of that tunnel.
At the end of the left tunnel was a wall of rock and at the base was the grating, which was the only way into the oubliette. It was opened by means of a sliding mechanism and the steps below were reached by using an iron ladder that was secured to the rock face. Some prisoners were merely tossed into the cell and died of their injuries, but Geoffrey and Jack had carried the lady down between them. It was too dangerous for one man to attempt it alone. He slid the grating back and knelt down to peer into the darkness, holding his torch.
‘Are you there, lady?’ he called.
‘Yes, I am here,’ Melissa’s voice replied. ‘I feared that you would not come again, sir. Please help me. I do not know how long I can survive this torture.’
‘Naomi has sent your cloak,’ Geoffrey called to her. ‘There is a small piece of cheese and a loaf of bread and two candles. Take the basket and I will come again when I can.’
‘Will you not help me to escape?’ Melissa asked, a sob in her voice for she had spent one whole night in darkness. ‘For pity’s sake, help me, sir. I beg you not to leave me here alone again.’
‘Forgive me, I dare not,’ Geoffrey said, and slid the grating across. ‘Keep faith, lady. Your lord is at the gates and there is talk of mutiny inside the castle. In a few days we may be forced to surrender. I shall come again.’
He turned away, his conscience nagging at him. If she were brave enough to help herself, he might have brought her up. It would not have been easy to hide her, but with Naomi’s help he might have managed it. He thought that he would talk to Naomi. Perhaps together they could work out how to get the lady out of her prison. He knew that at least half of the men were resentful of their situation. Some spoke openly of a mutiny, though others were too afraid of the consequences if they failed.
Yes, he would return and speak to Naomi, he decided as he neared the end of the tunnel leading to the torture chamber. If she agreed that it was worth the risk they would get help and then he would go down and help the lady climb to freedom.
It was as he stepped out into the open space that housed both dungeons on one side and the torture chamber on the other that they jumped on him. Four armed men, catching him by the arms as he struggled and fought them.
‘What are you doing?’ he demanded, for he knew them all and thought of them as his friends. ‘Let me go. I do no harm. Will of Amlea, would you betray a friend?’
‘It was your own fault. You have been taking food to the lady,’ one of them said. ‘The marquis has given orders that you be taken and kept under guard until he has time to decide what your fate should be.’
‘He is a monster and would leave the poor lady to starve,’ Geoffrey sa
id. ‘We should fight against his tyranny and open the gates to the King’s emissary. It will go hard with all of us if we do not.’
‘Be quiet, fool,’ Will Amlea said. ‘If the wrong ears hear you we shall all be dead. If we had not come ourselves, you might have found yourself a prisoner here. At least you will sleep in the guardroom instead of the dungeons this night.’
‘You know I am right,’ Geoffrey said, looking at their faces. ‘I have served the marquis faithfully, though sometimes what he forced us to do turned my stomach—but this is more than any decent man can take. To leave a woman of gentle birth in a place like that is evil…’
‘You speak truly but it is dangerous to listen,’ one of the men said. ‘We can do nothing for her until he is forced to surrender.’
‘And who is brave enough to stand up to him?’ Will asked. He looked at his friends. ‘I will stand if you will come with me.’
They murmured together for a moment, and then one nodded his head. ‘I will stand with you—but we are not enough. We must ask others to join us. If twenty agree, then we can take him and open the gates.’
‘Forget your duty. You could not find me,’ Geoffrey said. ‘I shall talk to Naomi. She knows several of the servants who are ready to rebel. If we gather enough, we may take him while he sleeps.’
‘Aye, we’re with you,’ the men agreed. ‘If you can bring in others, we shall join you.’
Melissa rested on the bottom step, her head against the wall. She had put her cloak around her shoulders and was sitting on the folded blanket, because the chill of the stone had seeped into her and she was shivering. During the first night, she had explored her prison with her candle, discovering the bones of more than one poor wretch who had died in this terrible place.
She had screamed with fright when she realised what she was looking at, but then she realised that she had nothing to fear from the dead. They had suffered even as she was suffering now, and she felt that their spirits were close, comforting her.