A Bridge Through Time: Book 1 of The Thistle & Hive Series (25 page)

Sir Richard appeared amused by Irene’s concern and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, so you care about what happens to the whore?”

“Aye.” Irene lowered her gaze, trying to appear demure; frightened that if she showed any sign of temper, things would get worse. “She is Cailin’s betrothed. Thomas has treated her with much disrespect.”

Sir Richard waved a dismissive hand. “Do not fear my love. If all goes according to plan, you will both be free of your Scottish captors before too much longer. And then you will be free to marry me,” he smiled evilly, “but alas, your poor Ashley is destined to find herself in the position of being the camp whore.”

Irene was horrified when Sir Richard suddenly grabbed Ashley by the arm, dragging her along with him as he came to stand in front of Irene.

“Now, Irene, my love, you know I would never hurt you. I will, however, have no qualms whatsoever about hurting your companion.”

To prove his point he backhanded Ashley, who stumbled and would have fallen except for the iron grip Richard had on her arm.

“Richard, be reasonable,” Irene pleaded. I do not love ye. I never have, and I never will. Robert will see ye dead for what you do here this day.”

Richard released Ashley and she fell to her knees.

“Irene, I do not intend to argue the point with you. You are mine, and should have been right from the beginning. If you wish your friend here to remain in good health, you will cooperate with me and stop this nonsense.”

“Irene, don’t let him bully you. They’ll come for us, don’t worry.” Ashley struggled to stand up again and Irene was proud of her effort to sound confident, despite their dire situation. Ashley’s remarks earned her another slap, which sent her sprawling onto the ground again.

“Richard, if ye think hurting Ashley is going to make me love ye, yer wrong! It will only make me hate ye more! Ye cannae win me by beating her to death!”

“Perhaps you are right, my love. I’ll leave her be for the moment, but if things don’t go my way,” he leaned closer to Irene, speaking against her ear in a low voice and Irene shivered. “Well, we won’t discuss that now.”

“Richard, ye ken I have bairns with my husband, don’t ye? I cannae be away from them.” Tears filled Irene’s eyes at the thought of being away from her children, perhaps never seeing them again.

“I will not raise Robert’s Scottish brats,” Richard announced.

Irene lost her temper. “I’m not asking ye to raise them, ye damn fool! I’m asking ye to let me return home to them.” She softened her tone. “Please.”

“I’m afraid not,” Richard said. “It’s late. I’d very much like to take you to my bed.” He caressed Irene’s cheek and she flinched and pulled away from him. “But you are not ready yet. I will not force you, Irene. Soon you will come willingly, but for now, you look like you need to rest. There is a pallet in the corner, which you may use. Your
friend
may remain with you for the time being.” He turned towards the opening. “I must go make preparations to destroy the MacKenzie Clan.”

“What of my horse thief?” Thomas questioned sharply.

Richard turned back to look at the other man, his eyes hard. “She is not yours yet, Thomas.” He waved towards where Ashley lay unconscious on the ground. “At any rate she would be no good to you tonight, and your services are required elsewhere in helping to prepare for our attack.”

Thomas eyed Ashley and looked severely disappointed at the prospect of waiting. Irene watched as he swept from the shelter with Sir Richard, grateful he took his stench with him.

*****

As soon as the men’s footfalls had quieted, Irene rushed to Ashley side, falling to her knees beside the unconscious girl. Irene was about to check and see if Ashley was still breathing, when she surprised her by opening her eyes.

“My head hurts,” Ashley moaned. “And my ears are ringing.”

“I thought you’d lost consciousness!” Irene cried. “I thought he might have killed you.”

Ashley shook her head minutely, and struggled to sit up. “After he hit me the second time, I thought it might be safer to pretend I’d been knocked out.”

“I’m so sorry, Ashley. It’s nae wonder yer in pain. I canna believe the way they’re treating you! Come, lie on the pallet with me. Let’s try to get some rest and recoup our strength a wee bit.”

Irene helped Ashley onto her feet and did her best to make the badly beaten woman comfortable on the pallet, before pulling the blanket up over them both. “Cailin and Robert will come for us soon,” she whispered hopefully, wrapping her arm around Ashley’s waist to comfort her.

“I’m certain they will.” Ashley shuddered. “I only hope they get here before Thomas gets a hold of me again.”

“Shhh…” Irene whispered, her voice soothing. “Dinnae think on that now. Have hope.”

“I have hope,” Ashley agreed, “but I also have my Sgian Dubh tucked away in my boot.”

“What are ye planning?” Irene asked worriedly.

“I won’t let Thomas have me.” Tears filled Ashley’s eyes. “I can’t let him touch me. If he tries to come near me, I’ll use the Sgian Dubh to kill him.”

“Foolish English men. Too stupid to remember we women of the MacKenzie clan would be armed.” Irene offered Ashley an encouraging smile and gently stroked her bruised cheek. “We should rest now, Ashley. ‘Twill be mornin’ soon enough and we’ll need all our strength.”

THIRTY-THREE

The MacKenzie men rode on through the night. Thomas and his men hadn’t bothered to hide their tracks, leading Robert to believe they were waiting for them somewhere up ahead. After hours of riding, Robert held up his hand to halt the men riding behind them. Cailin, Cormac and Dougall were riding in formation at his side. “I don’t intend to ride into an ambush,” Robert explained, when their horses had settled.

“Nay, yer right. I’ll send Donall on ahead, to track them and locate their position. He’s a better chance of going undetected than the lot of us,” Cailin suggested.

“Aye, I agree,” Robert said, dismounting from his warhorse. “Whilst me patience is in short supply, as is yours nae doubt, I dinnae want tae do anything rash which might threaten the women’s safety. I hope to sneak up on them, Sir Richard and his men ken we are coming, but they have no way to ken how soon. For all they know, we may still be searching around Breaghacraig, they couldnae know we found William so swiftly. I want Irene and Ashley out of their encampment, before we attack. I dinnae want them in harm’s way when we battle.”

“Agreed,” Cailin responded grimly. He dismounted and went in search of Donall, to give him orders to scout the surrounding area. Robert watched him stalk away, aware that Cailin was like a caged animal and would explode into a raging fury at any moment. The tension was running high amongst all his men, as they went about watering their horses and taking a few minutes to themselves whilst they waited for Donall to complete his scouting mission.

“Robert,” Cailin announced when he returned, “I’m worried. William said that they’d hurt Ashley. What’s to stop them from killing her?” Cailin had a wild look in his eyes and Robert knew he needed to find a way to calm his brother-in-law, before he did something rash.

“Aye. I ken how ye feel, brother, but ‘twill do ye no good to think the worst, before we ken what’s happened. I dinnae believe they’ll kill her. Richard may be a foolish man, but he’s nae stupid.” He put a reassuring hand on Cailin’s shoulder. “Calm yerself, brother. Ye’ll need a level head when we get there.”

*****

They didn’t have to wait long for Donall’s return, much to Cailin’s relief, as he watched the man gallop swiftly into the area where they had stopped, his horse covered in a heavy sheen of sweat.

“They are closer than we expected,” Donall reported. “They have a large encampment just two miles further north.”

“Guards?” Robert snapped.

“It’s still early, so not all Sir Richard’s men are awake yet. Half a dozen watching the perimeter, and nae very well, ye ken. I was able to get verra close without them noticing I was there.”

“Did you see Lady Irene and Lady Ashley?” Robert asked.

Donall shook his head. “Nae, Laird Robert, nae sign of them.”

Armed with this information, Robert had his men encircle the camp and slowly, stealthily they crept as close as they possibly could, without being discovered.

Cailin, Robert, Cormac and Dougall huddled together in the cover created by the low bushes surrounding the camp and Cailin took stock of their surroundings. Sir Richard’s men were preparing for the day and stumbled around, still half-asleep and apparently completely oblivious to their surroundings. Cailin thought this inefficiency would definitely work in their favor.

A commotion outside of the largest shelter caught Cailin’s attention and much to his dismay, Ashley was at the center of it. Robert and Cormac had to hold Cailin down, to keep him from breaking their cover in his desperation to reach her. Cailin reluctantly remained hidden and watched as a great fat man grabbed Ashley by the arm, attempting to drag her to another shelter directly across from their hiding spot.

“Don’t touch me,” Ashley shrieked at the big man, but he merely laughed and continued to drag her across the ground.

“I said,
don’t touch me
!” This time, Ashley swung around with her free arm and hit the big man solidly in the nose. This attracted the attention of the other men who were milling around the camp, and they laughed and cheered at the chaotic scene unfolding before them.

The big brute did nae take kindly to being made the fool by Ashley, and Cailin watched furiously when he lifted her off the ground, holding her easily as she kicked and screamed and called him some choice names.

Cailin struggled to escape from Robert and Cormac’s grip, but Robert stopped him with a few quiet words.

“Patience, Cailin. Ashley is a fine brave lass. Look! She’s creating the perfect distraction for us. Our men are creeping closer and no one in Sir Richard’s camp is any the wiser. The lass is giving him a good fight and in turn, providing us a better chance.”

Cailin grunted acknowledgement of Robert’s words and continued to watch as Ashley was carried into the second shelter by the big man. The commotion continued, and he could hear Ashley shrieking and cursing, using some words Cailin had nae heard before. All eyes were focused on the shelter when Ashley shrieked. “Get out of here, you ass!” The overweight guard came bolting out of the tent, holding his head and with blood pouring from his nose.

“Cailin, I wouldnae make Ashley angry, if I were ye. I’d hate to see ye come to any lasting harm, and I believe Ashley may be capable of it,” Cormac chuckled. Cailin merely glared at him.

“Cormac, you come with me,” Robert ordered quietly. The big shelter must belong to Richard. Irene will be in there. We will signal our men to attack when we have rescued her and Cailin, you get Ashley.”

“Dougall; ye’ll come with me,” Cailin ordered.

As Robert and Cormac wound their way through the trees towards Richard’s shelter, Cailin was unhappy to see Thomas approach and enter the shelter Ashley had been taken into. He signaled Dougall, who acknowledged he was aware of the situation, and they swiftly began to move closer.

*****

“Ah, horse thief! I have taken your suggestion to heart and decided to bathe,” Thomas announced as he entered his shelter.

“Thank goodness. Your stench precedes your arrival.” Ashley wrinkled her nose in disgust, stepping away from him warily.

“You will be joining me.”

“No. I don’t think so. Not happening,” Ashley was adamant, shaking her head.

“You have no choice. Come.
Now.
” He withdrew his sword from the sheath and motioned it towards her.

“Where are we going?” Ashley asked nervously.

“There’s a stream behind the encampment. A little chilly perhaps, but as you are so insistent I be clean before I have you, you’ll be bathing me to ensure you are satisfied.”

He grabbed Ashley by the arm and pulled her from the tent, forcing her through the woods.

How can I possibly get myself out of this one?
Ashley thought worriedly, as she stumbled across the rough ground and felt the point of Thomas’s sword against her arm.

They continued to walk through the trees in silence for a few minutes before the sounds of the water in the stream became audible. Thomas seemed confident there was no escape for Ashley, because he resheathed his sword and released Ashley’s arm.

Ashley saw this as her only opportunity to escape and had to take the chance. She pretended to stumble over another root and as Thomas leaned forward to catch her she turned, kicked him in the shin and ran.

Unfortunately, Thomas caught her within seconds and threw her over his shoulder, smacking her bottom soundly as Ashley kicked and shrieked.

“And we were getting along so well,” he chided. “Don’t attempt to escape again, whore, or you will surely suffer the consequences. I find I grow tired of your nonsense.”

“You surprise me, Thomas,” Ashley stated coldly.

“How so?”

“Is this the way you treated your wife? It’s not much wonder she killed herself,” she goaded him, hoping to distract him.

Thomas aimed a punch at Ashley’s side, making the breath whoosh out of her lungs as he carried her roughly. “You will not deter me this time, woman! I know exactly what you are doing. Speak of my wife again and you’ll regret it, I assure you.”

Ashley sobbed quietly, certain she was doomed.

*****

Thomas reached the stream and dumped Ashley onto the ground, before he started shrugging off his clothes.

“Undress,” he commanded roughly.

Ashley was losing the last shreds of control she had held onto, until this very moment. She stood stock-still, utterly terrified, and shaking with fear. Thomas reached out and grabbed the front of her gown, tearing it down the center.

“You will do as you’re told!” Thomas shouted furiously. “Take off your gown!”

Ashley backed away, clutching the torn front of her gown to her chest and found herself blocked from escaping by a huge tree. “Stay away from me! I’m warning you.”