Page 57 of Bound to a Scot
“Would ye like me tae come with ye?” he asked.
“Nay. But thank ye,” she replied. “I’ll be fine.”
“Well… be careful.”
“I will.”
Emmeline turned and walked away, her mind still spinning wildly as she fought to control her emotions. She slipped through the corridors, praying silently that she did not run into Maddox. She let out a small breath of relief when she steppedthrough the main door and into the yard without incident. As workmen and serving women bustled through the yard, attending to their chores, Emmeline headed for the stables.
“Eldritch, please fetch me horse,” she said.
“Right away, me lady,” the young stableboy replied.
He scurried away to do as she’d asked, leaving Emmeline standing alone. She glanced back at the keep, terrified she was going to see Maddox coming her way. She’d had the strength to push him away the previous night, but she was half-afraid she wouldn’t have the same sort of strength to do it again. She was afraid her yearning for him would get the best of her and that her resolve would crumble. And if she was being true, she’d admit there was some small part of her that wanted that. Which was why it was best that she got away from him completely.
Eldritch came back with her horse then set a box down for her to step on as she climbed into the saddle and got herself situated.
“Thank ye, Eldritch,” she said.
“Ye’re welcome, me lady.”
She offered him a smile then reined her horse around and trotted through the yard, passing beneath the sallyport in the main gate, then went in direction of the road to the village. It was a short ride but being in the fresh air and sunshine did her a world of good. She was feeling lighter and even had asmile on her face as she entered the village. Emmeline rode to a stable and climbed down off her horse, handing the reins to the stableboy.
“I’ll take good care of her, me lady.”
She handed him a couple of coins and gave him a smile. “Thank ye.”
Emmeline turned and walked through the streets of the small village, stopping to chat with some of the vendors and getting something to eat. The good humor of the villagers was like a balm to her soul. She walked through the streets, reveling in the unexpected sense of freedom and joy she felt.
Near the end of the row of a line of vendors, a small boy, of no more than ten or eleven years, approached her, his big brown eyes wide, a look of fear on her face. He took her hand and gave it a firm tug.
“What is it, lad?” she asked.
“Me sister,” he said, his voice pitched high and shuddering with fear. “Please, help me. Me sister is lost in the woods.”
His hand trembled as he pointed to the forest behind him. The soaring trees reached high into the air and the space between the trunks was dim and murky, as if the sunlight she’d bathed in all afternoon wasn’t able to penetrate the interior of the forest.
“Please, me lady,” he begged. “She needs help. I think she’s hurt.”
“Show me where ye saw her last.”
With the child running ahead of her, Emmeline darted into the forest. She followed the path that cut through the gloom that held fast to the forest floor, the tall, ancient trees pressing close on either side of her.
“Wait, dinnae run so fast, lad,” she called as the boy sprinted ahead of her.
The sound of the boy giggling drifted back to her as he rounded a bend in the trail and disappeared from view. The hair on the back of Emmeline’s neck stood up and her skin prickled with gooseflesh. Something didn’t feel right. In fact, something felt very wrong. She stopped running and turned in a circle, staring hard into the gloomy shadows of the forest around her.
“Lad,” she called. “Where are ye?”
The sound of a branch cracking echoed through the forest followed by the rustle of leaves that sounded like somebody walking through the undergrowth. Her heart jumped into her throat as fear gripped her. She turned to run back to the village to see a tall, broad man standing on the path behind her. The sun was behind him, leaving him as nothing but a silhouette, which made him all the more threatening and drew a sharp squeak from her lips.
Emmeline took a step backward but stopped, feeling the presence of somebody behind her. She spun around to see another man on the trail. He was tall with hair blacker than coal that fell to his shoulders, a long, scraggly beard that matched, and dark eyes that looked positively demonic. That image was only reinforced by the sneer that curled his lips, making him look like something other than human. Something darker. Something evil.
“Where ye goin’ lass?” he asked, his voice deep and gravelly.
“Please,” she said. “I’ve got coin in me purse?—”
“We’re nae interested in yer coin,” he said.
