Page 38 of The Beast of the Highlands
“Are we to be imprisoned by her capricious nature?” Autumn mumbled up to the rafters. “Will I be able to tolerate the restriction of being here, but not being able to touch him when I want, or kiss him when I please, or wake up beside him? Maybe I am the one who will find myself teetering on the brink of insanity.”
Already, her body felt tense and uneasy, like she was waiting for someone to spring out of the shadows and attack her. But she knew all of that would dissipate if she could just feel Flynn’s love again, and pretend he was entirely hers.
Just then, a strange hissing sound made her sit bolt upright on the bed. Her gaze sought the origin, and her heart leapt into her throat as she noticed a square of paper upon the floorboards by the door. A note, slipped under for her eyes only.
Leaping off the bed, she rushed toward the note and snatched it up. A key dropped down onto the floor, having been folded inside the letter. She plucked it up quickly and ripped open the note, her eyes hungrily reading the words within:
Lass,
I ken I promised to stay away, but I cannae endure another hour without ye. Daenae doubt me vow to stay true to ye, just because I’m breaking this promise. This promise was daft, in truth; ye and I both knew we wouldnae be able to uphold it. We should never have made it.
Desmond is waiting at the edge of the forest, where he brought ye last time. He’ll tell ye where to go, to meet me. Use the key to open the secret door and use the tunnels to get out of the castle unseen. I ken they’re a mess, but I daenae think ye’ll have to worry about yer damp clothes for long.
I’ll already be there when ye’re reading this. I’ll be waiting.
Burn this once ye’ve read it.
All me love,
Yer husband.
Giddiness overwhelmed Autumn as she took the letter to the hearth and dropped it into the flames. She watched the fire engulf it but did not leave until she was certain there were no remnants left. If Mary or Keira came prying, they would find nothing. Indeed, Autumn wanted them to be disappointed, for eventually that disappointment would turn into resignation and, finally, a realization that they had mistaken the relationship.
Once the letter had been devoured entirely, Autumn undressed and changed into an ugly, shapeless dress that had been hanging limply in the armoire. It did not belong to her, so she did not mind the thought of dirtying it.
With that, she slipped out of her chambers and raced along the hallway to the concealed door. Sliding the key into the lock, she grinned as she heard it click.
Careful to scour the hallway, and check no one was watching, she opened the door and disappeared inside, making sure to close and lock the door behind her. After that, it was a lengthy trudge down endless stairs, and through partially flooded tunnels, to reach the hidden hatch at the base of the outer castle walls.
“It had best be worth all of this effort,” she grumbled playfully, as she pushed against the hatch. But it would not budge. She tried again, but it seemed to be locked in place.
Panic set in as she recalled the wording of the letter, wondering if this was some kind of elaborate ploy to trap her in the underbelly of the castle. The water in the tunnels was already deeper than before, thanks to the recent rainfall. If someone really wanted her dead, all they would have to do is block one of the passages, and she would drown… never to be seen again.
Flynn would think I had abandoned him.
“You are imagining outlandish things,” she scolded herself. “No one but Flynn could have written those words. They were too personal.”
Steeling herself, she took the key and slotted it into a small keyhole at the side of the hatch. She held her breath as the key turned, until a satisfying click echoed back, and a wave of relief washed over her.
Drowning me in the tunnels. Honestly, as if Keira would have the creativity to conjure such a scheme. She strikes me as more of a dagger kind of woman.
This time, when she pushed, the hatch opened, granting Autumn an exit into the camouflage of the shadowed night. Pulling herself out onto the grass, she locked up the hatch and tore across the exterior lawns toward the looming rise of the forest in the near distance.
However, as she got closer to the spot where Flynn had told her to meet Desmond, another punch of fear struck her in the gut. What if Mary knew more than Autumn thought? What if Mary had crafted that letter, knowing it would be enough to entice Autumn away from the castle?
She skidded to a halt at the tree line, breathing rapidly. Darkness swelled before her, revealing nothing. Anyone could be in there, watching her, and waiting for their moment to lunge.
Suddenly anxious, she removed her dagger from its sheath and aimed the tip toward the trees.
“Where are you?” she whispered, as a cold sweat prickled down the back of her neck.
A figure appeared out of thin air, on her left, wearing a black cloak to make them blend into the darkness. A soft laugh hissed through the air toward her, followed by an oddly distorted voice.
“Now, Miss Montgomery, I daenae think there’s any need for that.”
25
“Desmond! You frightened me half to death!” Autumn lowered her dagger, her body trembling with nerves and the cold of the water-filled tunnels she had just trudged through.
