Enchanted Lover (35 page)

Asilinn was led to the great hall where they forced
her servants to identify her. Flanna and Wynne stood by weeping. “In the end I
will be cleared of these ridiculous charges. It comforts me to know I have your
support,” Asilinn assured them.

The lieutenant came into the room with Morven at his
elbow. “This man rides with us to assure your fair treatment,” he said, pointing
to Morven. “We'll leave immediately. Half of my troops will remain to see Laird
Jared is not released by his own men.”

Wynne stepped forward. “I would accompany my
mistress,” she said boldly. “Lady Asilinn may need my services in her journey.”

The lieutenant pursed his lips in thought. “All
right,” he agreed. “Certainly none of my men are up to seeing to her without
becoming enchanted by her charms. But I warn you, if you try to help her
escape, you will burn at the stake with her.”

Wynne snorted. “Lady Asilinn will not burn at the
stake,” she retorted. “You shall realize your error at her trial and set her
free.”

“If that is what you wish to believe,” the soldier
replied evenly.

***

Jared heard the clatter of hooves in the courtyard
and felt a deep ache in his chest. They must have captured her. Otherwise, they
wouldn't be leaving so quickly. The door to his cell opened and Skye rushed to
him. She threw her arms around his neck and wept.

“Five minutes,” the guard warned when he shut the
door.

“They found her,” Skye whispered. “They're taking her
away while we speak.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “When they led her out to
the courtyard, she stood straight and wouldna cry.” Skye broke off sobbing.

Jared found his mind flying back to another time when
he had watched Asilinn overcome her fears to walk dignified and straight to her
destiny, only then it was to the altar to become his wife. “You must get me
out,” he told Skye. “Has Ross gotten off on his mission?”

“Aye, I sent him before they found her.”

“As soon as you can you must find a way to free me.
But, Skye, use caution. I dinna know who my enemies are.”

“Morven has ridden off with the soldiers to see
Asilinn is treated fairly. I canna find Liam. He has disappeared. Garrick has
been left in charge. They found Keith's body on the way in. I heard the guards
talking. He was murdered. I suppose there is only Garrick to help us, but they
left half the soldiers to see he does not free you and let you ride after
them.”

“We must await the arrival of Laird Innes and his
men,” Jared said.

“It could be a week before they can get here and
that's assuming they will come,” Skye objected.

“Bide your time, Skye, they canna get Asilinn to Edinburgh too fast with such a large troop. Somehow, I must find evidence to prove her
innocent before the tribunal. Now leave me and come back when they allow it. I
will not perish in the dungeon.”

The guard opened the door and motioned for Skye to
leave. Giving Jared a last kiss on the cheek, she rose and followed the guard
out the door. Jared's chains rattled when he gave Skye a parting wave. She
sobbed at the sound and hurried on her way.

It had been three days with no progress toward
finding a way to free Jared. There was a general unrest among the people. They
seemed to support Jared and Asilinn against the charges, but were powerless
against their occupation without Jared to lead them. Skye was at her wit's end.

The soldiers were everywhere watching the comings and
goings within the household. In an attempt to escape their attention, Skye
wandered off in the direction of the stable. Four soldiers loomed in front of
her further down the path. Frustrated, she ducked into a narrow alley between
two cottages and hid behind a large rain barrel. The soldiers passed by without
noticing her. She leaned back against the wall and let out her breath.

“Skye,” a shaky voice called. Skye jumped and looked
around. She couldn't see anyone. “Skye,” the raspy voice repeated. “Over here!”

The noise seemed to be coming from the thick
undergrowth of the overgrown garden at the rear of one of the cottages.
Carefully Skye moved toward the bushes and pulled them apart. She gasped at the
sight she beheld.

Liam lay sprawled on the ground. A trail of dried
blood matted the hair on half his head. Seeing her, he tried to rise. He
extended his hand and fell back to the ground unconscious. Frantic Skye peered
into the windows of the nearby cottage. It was unoccupied, but there was a
straw-filled ticking in one corner. Grabbing Liam by the arms, she inched him
toward the door. He moaned when she slid him over the rough ground.

Skye was near tears. She had succeeded in pulling him
out of his hiding place but now she didn't have the strength to get him in the
door. She heard whistling from the path in front of the cottage and hope sprang
in her heart. Fergus! Dashing through the alleyway, she grabbed the stable
man’s arm and led him to Liam.

“You must help me,” she implored. “We need to get him
into the cottage.”

Fergus eyed Liam. “If he is the one who betrayed Lady
Asilinn, he can rot before I'll help him.”

“I'm sure he's not,” Skye pleaded. “I have no time to
argue. Help me or leave me to my task.”

Fergus leaned over and picked up Liam, struggling
under the larger man's weight. He managed to wrestle Liam into the unoccupied
cottage and ease him down on the ticking. “Are you sure you know what you're
about?” Fergus asked. “If they catch you hidin’ him, it could be the end for
you.”

Skye's face hardened with determination. “If you are
afraid to help me further, I can manage from here on my own. The man will die
without my help. I wilna leave him like this.”

“I'll fetch Flanna,” Fergus replied.

“Please hurry.”

She sat on the floor beside Liam gently trying to
examine his wound. He seemed to have no injuries other than the head wound.
Skye pressed her fingers to her temples—what had Asilinn used on Jared?

She had watched Asilinn care for Jared during his
recovery and learned much about the potions and cures in the tower. What had
Asilinn said about head wounds? She thought for a while and it came to her—the
Foxglove distillate Asilinn had made and given in wine. She said it had special
properties to help those who had fallen from high places and it helped internal
hemorrhage.

Liam hadn't fallen, but his head injury was surely
similar. Asilinn had also placed a Grundy Swallow poultice on Jared's head
wound every day. It was especially good for wounds struck by iron, or so she
said. Now Skye had some idea what she might use to help Liam. If only Flanna
would arrive and she could go and fetch the medicine from the tower.

Her prayers were answered when Fergus and Flanna came
through the back door with a basket and a bucket of water. “How is he?” Flanna
asked.

“Not good, but I remember what Asilinn used on Jared
when he was ill. Please cleanse the wound and see if you can get him to drink
some of the water.” Flanna moved to clean up their patient.

“Go ahead, Skye. I've brought some clear broth and
bandages. He'll be safe in my care,” Flanna assured her.

“Dinna bandage him until I come back,” Skye directed.
“I want to put a poultice on his wound.” Flanna nodded and wiped away some of
the dried blood. Liam moaned and tried to pull away. Fergus knelt down and held
him still while she worked.

Skye hurried off to the secret passage and made her
way to the tower. A wide array of cures sat before her on the shelves.
Ransacking her memory, she searched through Asilinn's collection for the herbs
which would bring Liam back to help her.

It took her longer than she would have liked to find
what she sought. Clinging to the hope she could heal Liam, she made her way
carefully back to the cottage.

Flanna greeted her with a smile. “There is a chance,”
she confided. “He had a few moments of wakefulness while you were gone and I was
able to get him to drink some water and some of the broth.”

“Did he say who did this?”

“He was mumbling and really not very clear on where
he was or what had happened. You must give him time.”

“You and Fergus leave now,” Skye said. “You'll both
be missed and they may begin to search for you.”

“But how can we leave you here alone?” Fergus
objected.

“There is no choice,” Skye said. “We must all make
our appearances or our absence will be noticed.”

“As soon as supper is served I'll come to relieve
you,” Flanna suggested.

“And I'll come to spend the night watching over him,”
Fergus added.

Skye nodded. “For now it's the best we can do. As
soon as possible I'll move him into the secret passage.”

Flanna hugged Skye when she took her leave. “God be
with you,” she murmured as she and Fergus slipped out into the dusk.

Skye set about applying the poultice to Liam's head
until she was satisfied it at least resembled what Asilinn had done for Jared.
Next, she mixed the Foxglove distillate with a portion of wine. She worried
over this at some length because she had no idea of the right proportions.
Asilinn had warned the wrong dose of a helpful medicine could prove harmful or
even fatal. The decision was taken from her when Liam stirred and opened his
eyes.

“Skye,” he whispered, a wan smile crossing his lips.
“Is Asilinn safe?”

“You dinna know?”

“No, I was on my way to get her when….” His face grew
troubled.

“What is it?”

Liam shook his head. “Things cannot be the way they
appear.”

“Why? What do you remember?”

“I… I'll discuss this with your brother,” he said.

“In the dungeon,” Skye questioned, arching her brow.
“I think you need tell me now.”

“Laird Jared is in the dungeon?” He looked at her
incredulously. “It canna be.” Her expression told him the truth of it. “Skye,
please wait until the cobwebs have lifted that I might not falsely accuse my
own blood of treachery.”

“Morven,” she gasped in a stunned whisper.

“I dinna know,” Liam whispered. “He is the last
person I remember seeing. I turned to address him when I was struck. Perhaps he
also has met with foul play. I woke hours later. It was dark and I crawled into
the bushes. From then on I lay in a haze.”

“Morven rode out three days ago. He was perfectly
fine. He accompanies Asilinn to Edinburgh to assure her safety. If he is the
villain, she may not survive the trip.” Skye bit her lip as tears filled her
eyes.

Liam groaned holding his head. Skye brushed his brow
with a damp cloth. “Are you in pain?” He nodded. “I have some of the Foxglove
potion mixed with wine. Asilinn used it on Jared for his head wound, but I have
no idea if I have done it properly.”

Liam extended his hand. “I'll have some, and we'll
see,” he said with a weak grin. He sipped the medicine and ate some more of
Flanna's broth. “How is it Jared is in his own dungeon?”

“It is Osred's doing. He managed to convince the
lieutenant Jared would be set free by the clan if they did not imprison him.
They have not allowed me to see him for three days now.”

Liam scowled. “As soon as I have recovered enough
we'll get Jared free and go after Asilinn,” he promised. Skye smiled and patted
his shoulder. A short time later, the drug took effect and he fell asleep.

***

Skye took a deep breath and swept into the great
hall. The looks she garnered from the assembled soldiers told her the extra
care in dressing for dinner wasn’t wasted. She looked every bit the young lady
when she took her seat at the table in the front of the room. The lieutenant
gazed at her in amazement.

“Could it be, Lady Skye, you have matured into a
woman since breakfast?” he asked.

Skye looked over at him with an inquisitive
expression. “I see you have judged me at my worst circumstance. I am more
mature than you imagined and I have something of great import to discuss with
you.” Giving him her most grown up face, she arched her ebony brow and gazed
into his eyes daring him to deny her an audience.

“Please speak freely,” he responded.

“You aren't seriously going to entertain the ranting
of this child,” Osred interrupted.

The lieutenant glared at Osred then turned back to
Skye. “Lady Skye, please tell me your problem.”

“I have not been allowed to visit my brother since
the first day of his imprisonment,” Skye said. “I want to assure myself he is
unharmed by seeing him briefly. Surely if I am willing to brave the dungeon to
speak with him, it should be my privilege.”

“Nonsense,” Osred objected. “The girl is a little
hellion. She probably seeks to free him somehow.”

“I think Osred overrates my abilities,” Skye
remarked. “How could I possibly overcome the guard at the door and break Jared
free of his chains? I wish only to be given the chance to see him.”

“I think it is a reasonable request,” the lieutenant
replied. “You shall be allowed to visit your brother once a day.” Osred started
to protest, but the lieutenant threw him a withering glance and he stopped.

Skye fought to conceal a grin over her small victory.
When she rose to leave the dinner table, the lieutenant grabbed her arm
lightly. “I must insist you visit during the day. I would not want a young
innocent wandering alone in the dungeon at night. If you like, I'd be glad to
accompany you.”

“Thank you,” Skye said sweetly. “But I fear it would
upset my brother unduly. I'm not uncomfortable going on my own.”

“Very well, however you like,” he said. Skye breathed
a sigh of relief and went off to check on Liam.

***

Jared thought he was hallucinating the first time
Skye breezed into his cell decked out in full womanly regalia. His face clouded
with a dark scowl. “Skye, what game do you play?”

“They would not grant me permission to see you as a
child but it seems when I appear a little older the lieutenant can be convinced
to succumb to my desires.”