Fair Border Bride (23 page)

The children slept on. Gazing at them in turn, she smiled.
So much for Jack’s protestations about sleeping alone last night.
Here he was, curled in at her side, one palm beneath his cheek and with the hint of a smile about his mouth.

If she could extricate herself from the blanket and the straw without waking either of them, perhaps she could sneak down the ladder and leave before any one woke. No sound came from downstairs. Once outside, she would find someone who could help her. The castle must be nearby, and she could ask for help there. Or perhaps she could take one of the ponies the reivers stole yesterday. If she headed south from here, she would find the line of the Wall and then all she had to do was ride east until she found the river. It couldn’t be too hard to find her way home.

Slowly, inch by inch, she drew herself up from between the children. Straw creaked and rustled, and every sound seemed magnified in the silence. Hardly daring to breathe, she got to her feet, backed away and then stepped carefully towards the ladder. Small twinges ran through her muscles from the exhausting ride yesterday but she gritted her teeth and carried on.

Someone thundered on the door below. Instinctively Alina sank to her knees with her heart leaping in her chest.

“Wake up, Johnnie.” The strong young voice came clearly through the ill-fitting door. “It’s a fine bright morning and we’ve business afoot.”

Alina peered over the partition behind her and saw a flash of white in the gloom of the hall below. Johnnie grunted, sat up in his bed and a leather boot flew through the air. It landed with a thud against the door.

“Now, Uncle, that’s nee way to greet ye nephew.”

A rustle of straw announced Jack’s presence at her elbow.
“Da!
It’s Uncle Tom!” he called.

Alina ducked back to bed and then thought better of it.
Far more natural to be alarmed and curious.
She shuffled back to the partition where Mary had joined Jack.

“As if ah didn’t
knaw
that.”
Johnnie’s mutter was loud enough to carry to the three on the gallery. They watched him stagger across the floor in his shirt tails and heave the drawbar into the tunnel. When the door opened, light flooded into the hall and struck the arching wooden ribs of the dwelling. A tall young man strode inside.

The children yelled a greeting. The newcomer swivelled on his heel and lifted his gaze to the gallery. Alina sank back out of sight, but she hadn’t been quick enough. The young man’s eyes had opened wide when he saw her.
“Morning Jack and Mary.
Who is that I see beside you?”

“Oh, it’s only Alina,” Jack called. “She came last night.”

Curiosity drew her back to the partition.

“Mistress.”
Tom swept off his headgear and made an extravagant bow in her direction.
“Tom Graham at your service.”

Jack exploded in a burst of giggles. Alina did not like the way the young man’s bold gaze scoured her. Nor did she like the extravagant curled feather in his black hat, the dashing swagger with which he moved or his attempt at gentrified speech. His stare and his untidy attire, proclaimed him less than a gentleman.

“Hush, Jack.” It was a reflex reprimand, one she would have given her younger brothers.

Alina registered the name but offered nothing to the man downstairs. Meggie walked into the shift of sunlight, a woollen shawl pulled close about her shoulders. Johnnie, now fully clad in fustian doublet and grimy leather breeches, followed her. He did not look happy, and glared red-eyed at the gallery. “Get
yersel
’
doon
’ere,” he roared.

“Does he mean you or me?” Alina looked at Jack.

“All of us,” the lad muttered. “Come on. He’s awful tempered of a
mornin
’.”

On the ground floor, Alina felt less safe. Instinctively, she moved over to Meggie, offered to help with the pot of oats and water and found herself in charge of the big ladle. Jack squatted beside her and a few minutes later Mary came to her other side.

“I heard you took the lass for hostage yesterday, Uncle.” The young man seemed to have no fear of his uncle’s morning dourness. “Is that her?”

“Aye,
if’n
it’s any business of
yourn
.”

Alina’s hand shook as she stirred the porridge. The young man’s glance slid over her body in a way that made her uncomfortable.

Oh, Harry, where are you? Alina gripped the ladle and stirred the porridge rather wildly. Why couldn’t Harry have marched in as bold as brass like this stranger? She glanced over her shoulder and met another unsavoury leer.

“Your business, Uncle.
But she is a bit of a beauty, and I like the look of her. I could keep her busy for the day, if that would be to your liking.”

Air hissed between Alina’s teeth, and Mary bit her lip.

Coldness settled in the pit of Alina’s stomach and worked its way up until she shivered violently.

Meggie banged bowls down on the table with a resounding clatter and shot a venomous look towards Tom Graham.

“Woman, woman, can a man not have a bit o’ peace in his own
hame
?” Johnnie whined. He pulled his jack over his shirt and stabbed a blunt finger in his nephew’s chest.
“
Gan
on
hame
, Tom.
When I have summat for
ye
, I’ll let ye
knaw
.”

There was a moment’s silence in which Alina did not dare look round.

“
Gan
on, lad.
There’s
nowt
for ye ’ere. She’ll
gan
back to her father the way she came and
ye’ll
not be putting
ye
clammy hands on ’
er
.”

Alina’s relief was such that she dropped the ladle in the porridge and Jack had to fish it out for her with a bit of stick.

***

Harry woke from a deep sleep to something shaking his ankle. Alarm ran through him and he flung himself up, then he recognised the voice that growled at him in a monotonous undertone. He sank back on his elbows.

“Wake up. Wake up. For the love of God, Harry, wake up. Do ah have to drag
ye
out by ye feet?”

Lifting his head, he squinted at the burly figure at the end of the rough soldier’s cot allotted to him. “
Jesu
, Matho, it’s not light yet.” He rubbed his eyes and glanced around the empty dormitory. There was daylight beyond the small windows, but only just.

“Sun’s up,” Matho said. “Open your eyes, man.”

Harry yawned, sat up, stretched his spine and concentrated as Matho’s rough northern speech flowed like a beck in
spate
.

“’
eard
what happened to ye yesterday.” He grinned.
“
Reet
performance that was an’ no mistake.
Thought ye might need a bit o’ help again, an’ Carnaby ’ad nah objection like. Errington’s no’ far behind me. They stopped off at Lanercost, said they’d come on at first light. Ah came straight
ower
Black
Rigg
and Side Fell,
mesel
’, thought
ah’d
find ye first like.”

Dragging the fingers of both hands through his hair, Harry swung his legs over the side of the narrow cot, stood up and discovered he’d gone to bed with his boots on. He yawned again, stretched and looked Matho up and down. “You slept rough last night?”

“Aye.
A haystack makes a nice warm bed when ye stuck.
D’ye
knaw
where she is, then?”

Harry dipped his face into the bowl of cold water, shuddered and patted his skin dry on a square of linen before he turned to the redhead. “She’s in an old barn-like place built onto a peel tower in yonder dene.”

Matho’s grin disappeared. “There’s business there already. A rider came in from the north as ah scouted around the castle to find
ye
.”

“Alone?”

Matho nodded. Harry flung the linen aside, and as one, they headed for the door and ran the quarter mile from the outer bailey to the Kirk Beck. Harry checked both up and down the sides of the sloping dene, and saw nothing untoward among the trees. Matho nudged his arm and pointed. An over-dressed young man rode a flashy chestnut up the track towards the lip of the dene.

“That’s ’
im
.
Didna
look
ower
pleased, did ’e?”

“No,” Harry said thoughtfully, looking back at the square stones of the tower by the beck. “But I think I have a plan.”

The sun caught Matho’s red hair as he gave Harry a sharp look. “As
lang
as it doesn’t mean
walkin
’ in there like that lad did, I’m
listenin
’, but mind, that’s all I’m
deein
’. Ah
knaw
what a mad
de’il
ye are.”

Harry grinned. “You’re a mind-reader, Matho. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” He took two strides towards the dwelling, and glanced back over his shoulder. “Coming?”

Matho scowled.
“Aye.
Alreet
.”

Halfway down the slope, Harry heard muttering behind him. “Having second thoughts, Matho?”

“Aye, damned right. What if there’s
a
’
ouseful
o’ men in there? Thought of a plan, ’
ave
ye?”

Harry paused. “My father and Burton, the man in charge back at the castle, are friends. Burton tells me that Johnnie Hogg will not harm Alina and wants only money for her return.”

Matho’s eyes focussed on something behind Harry.
“The door.”
He pointed, and dragged Harry behind the nearest tree trunk. With a finger to his lips, he parted the leaves.

They both stared towards the small figure in blue sidling out of Hogg’s dwelling. The girl reached for the ring to pull the door shut behind her, and then hesitated and peered around the glade, obviously unsure which way to go.

Relief ran through Harry like a wave, and the strength of it surprised him.

“
Gan
on, man,” growled Matho. “
Dinna
stand there
wi
a foolish grin all
ower
ye face.”

Harry stepped forward. At that moment the door of the dwelling opened wide, a man’s hand clamped on the girl’s arm and wrenched her back inside. The door slammed shut with a resounding bang.

“Damn!”

Matho’s bleak tones came from behind him. “Aye, well, what’s plan two, then?”

His gaze still on the door, Harry straightened his shoulders. “Nothing wrong with plan one, Matho.”

“Off ye go, then. I’ll watch ye back.”

Harry examined the redheaded young man who had become something close to a friend over the last few weeks. Matho had a formidable presence and there was none of the usual servile resentment in the cool, calm eyes that surveyed him.

“You love her too, don’t you, Matho?”

Matho opened his mouth as if to spit out a pithy remark, and then hesitated. He shrugged. A wry smile touched one corner of his mouth and he nodded briefly. “Aye, you may be
reet
at that.” His grin widened. “But for the Lord’s sake don’t tell ’
er
. A man’s got to ’
ave
some pride.
Anyroad
,
ah’m
not breaking me heart
ower
it.”

“Come with me. You can watch my back far better in there than out here.”

Matho glared at him. “Ah canna think o’ anything
mair
stupid than
gannin
’ in there.”

But when Harry walked boldly up to the door and used his fist on the worn boards, he knew Matho was right behind him. Around them the sunlight strengthened and leaves rustled in the breeze sweeping down the dene. Sharp movement, hastily cut off, came from the other side of the door and a thick, throaty voice demanded “
We’se
there?”

Harry looked at Matho with raised brows and an expression of annoyance. “Can’t these people speak English?”

“
T’is
English, man. They talk like that around the east end of the Tyne.
Ye’ll
get used
tae
it.”

Harry frowned, and stared at the door. “Open the door, Hogg. I’ve a proposition for you.”

A light feminine squeal of delight from inside sounded as if it was cut off before the owner intended.

“Did you hear that? Sounded like Alina.”

Matho raised his brows in a question and nodded towards the door.

Harry shrugged. “Go ahead.” It made sense that the man Hogg would speak more readily to Matho than himself.

Inflating his lungs, Matho bellowed. “Johnnie,
me
name’s Matho Spirston and we’ve a deal for
ye
.
Money for the lass.”
The redhead turned to Harry. “How much have ye got
wi
ye?”

“Enough.”

“’
e’ll
be greedy.”

Harry’s brows rose. “If he’s too greedy,” he said softly, “tell him I’ll go back to the castle and borrow Burton’s troops for half an hour.”