'Get hold of yourself, Alford,' Hugh shouted between gales of laughter. He brushed the tears away from his cheeks before adding, 'She won't be able to go anywhere if you kill her.'
Alford stumbled back against the table. 'Yes, yes,' he panted. 'I must control myself.'
He wiped the sweat from his brow, shoved the boy away from Gillian, and jerked her to her feet. Blood trickled down the side of her mouth, and he smugly nodded in satisfaction, for he could see the glazed look in her eyes and knew he had caused her considerable pain.
'You dare to make me lose my temper,' he muttered. 'You have no one to blame but yourself for your pain. I'll allow you two days' time to recover, and then you will leave Dunhanshire and go to that godforsaken land called the Highlands. Your sister hides with the clan MacPherson. Find her,' he ordered, 'and bring her and the box to me.'
He adjusted his tunic as he staggered back to the table, angrily motioning for the servant to pick up his chair. Once he had resumed his seat, he mopped his brow with his sleeve and downed a full goblet of wine.
'If you fail me, Gillian, the man you hold so dear will suffer the consequences. Your uncle will die a slow, agonizing death. I swear to you that I will make him beg me to put him out of his misery. The boy should also be killed,' he added almost as an afterthought. 'But when you bring Christen and the box to me, I give you my word I will let the child live in spite of my promise to the Highland traitor.'
'But what if she can only bring one back and not the other?' Hugh asked.
Edwin had also considered the question. 'Which is more important to you, Baron, Christen or the king's box?'
'The box, of course,' Alford answered. 'But I want both, and if Gillian brings only one, her uncle dies.'
Hugh swaggered around the table to face Gillian. The lust she saw in his eyes made her inwardly cringe.
He kept his gaze on her when he spoke to Alford. 'You and I have been friends a long time,' he reminded the baron. 'And I have never asked for anything… until now. Give me Gillian.'
Alford was surprised and amused by Hugh's request. 'You would take a witch to your bed?'
'She's a lioness, and I would tame her,' he boasted, obscenely licking his lips over the fantasy.
'She would cut your throat while you slept,' Edwin called out.
Hugh snorted. 'With Gillian in my bed, I assure you I wouldn't be sleeping.'
He reached out to stroke her, but she shoved his hand away and took a step back. Hugh glanced down at the boy clinging to Gillian. She quickly forced him to look at her again and forget about the child when she said, 'You are most foul, Hugh, and such a weakling, I almost pity you.'
Shocked by the venom in her voice, he slapped her with the back of his hand.
She retaliated by smiling.
'Leave her be,' Alford demanded impatiently when Hugh raised his hand to strike her again.
He leered at her for several seconds, then leaned forward and whispered, 'I will have you, bitch.' He turned around then and went back to his place at the table. 'Give her to me,' he nagged Alford. 'I can teach her to be obedient.'
Alford smiled. 'I shall consider your request,' he promised.
Edwin wasn't about to be left out. 'If you give Gillian to him, then I must have Christen.'
'She has already been promised,' Alford said.
'You want her for yourself,' Edwin accused.
'I don't want her, but I have promised her to another.'
'Who did you promise?' Edwin asked.
Hugh laughed. 'Does it matter, Edwin? Alford has never kept his word.'
'Never,' Alford snickered. 'But there is always a first time.'
Edwin grinned, for he was placated now and foolishly believed he still had a chance of winning Christen's hand. 'If she is half as beautiful as Gillian, then I will be well-served.'
'How long will you give Gillian to complete her errand?' Hugh asked.
'She must return to me before the celebration of the harvest begins.'
'But that is not nearly long enough,' Edwin protested. 'Why, it will take her a full week, maybe two, just to get to her destination, and if there are any problems along the way or if she cannot find Christen…'
Alford raised his hand for silence. 'Your prattle of worries on the bitch's behalf make my head spin. Hold your tongue while I explain the details to my ward. Gillian? Should you think to find sympathetic Highlanders to help you save your dear uncle, know this. A full contingent of my soldiers have surrounded his home, and if so much as one Highland warrior steps foot into the holding, Morgan will be killed. I will hold him ransom until you return. Do I make myself clear?'
'What if she tells Ramsey that his brother didn't drown and that you have him?' Hugh asked.
'She will not tell,' Alford replied. 'She holds the boy's life with her silence. Enough of your questions,' he added. 'I wish to talk about more amusing matters now, such as how I will spend the king's reward when I give the box to him. I have already suggested more than once that it was Gillian and Christen's father who stole the box and killed Arianna, and when the King finds out that Christen has had the treasure all this time, he will be convinced.'
He motioned to the two sentries at the entrance to come forward. 'The dear lady can barely stand up. See how she sways on her feet? Take her and the boy upstairs. Put her in her old room. See how thoughtful I can be, Gillian? I'm going to let you sleep in your own bed.'
'And the boy, milord?' one of the soldiers inquired.
'Put him in the room next to hers,' he said. 'He can listen to her weep during the night.'
The soldiers rushed forward to do their lord's bidding. One took hold of Alec's arm and the other reached for Gillian. She jerked away, steadied herself, and slowly, painfully, straightened up. Head erect, she held on to the edge of the table until she gained the strength in her legs, then took careful, measured steps. When she was close to the doors, she swayed and collapsed against the chest.
The soldier pulled her upright and dragged her the rest of the way to the stairs. Gillian folded her arms across her battered ribs and hunched over, and Alec held on to her skirt as they started up the steps. She stumbled twice before her legs gave out on her altogether. Making a tisking sound, the soldier lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way.
The pain in her back became excruciating, and she fainted before they reached her door. The soldier dropped her on the bed and turned to grab hold of the boy, but Alec refused to leave. He bit and scratched and kicked the man who was trying to pry him away from Gillian.
'Leave him be,' his friend suggested. 'If we keep the two of them in the same room, we'll only have to post a guard in front of one door tonight. The boy can sleep on the floor.'
The two men left the chamber then, locking the door behind them. Alec climbed up on the bed next to Gillian and held on to her. Terrified that she would die and leave him all alone, he sobbed uncontrollably.
A long while passed before she finally awakened. The pain pulsating through her body was so intense, tears flooded into her eyes. She waited until the room stopped spinning, then tried to sit up, but the pain was unbearable, and she collapsed against the bedcovers, feeling helpless and defeated.
Alec whispered her name.
'It's all right now. The worst is over, Alec. Please don't cry.'
'But you're crying.'
'I'll stop,' she promised.
'Are you going to die?' he asked worriedly.
'No,' she whispered.
'Do you hurt real bad?'
'I'm already feeling much better,' she lied. 'And at least we're safe now.'
'No, we're not,' he argued. 'Tomorrow is gonna be-'
'Much better,' she interrupted. 'It's dark in here, isn't it? Why don't you tie the tapestry back from the window so we can have some light.'
'The light's almost gone,' he told her as he jumped off the bed and ran to the window to do as she had requested.
Golden ribbons of sunlight streamed into the room and, like silken banners, floated in the gentle summer breeze. They danced along the stone floor. She could see particles of dust in the air, could smell the musty scent of
