Surrender (17 page)

"Then how are we to help you? A daughter must
marry where her father wills."

"Ye offered sanctuary to Muriele when you
knew someone pursued her!"

"Aye. But the man seeking her meant her
harm."

"Then I seek sanctuary for the same reason.
Graemme of Clibrick plans to murder me."

Graemme and Magnus rode ahead of the small
army behind them. The iron bars of the portcullis were still down,
which was unusual for this time of day. When the captain of the
guards recognized Graemme, he ordered them raised.

"Mayhap they didna recognize ye in yer fine
clothes?" Magnus offered.

"They sure as Hades know our standards,
though." Graemme frowned, knowing something wasn't right. The
guards refused to meet his eye and Chief Broccin appeared on the
keep's steps looking a little red about the face.

Graemme's gaze searched the stairs behind the
chief. Where was Elyne? Courtesy demanded that she meet him with
her father. Instead, Lady Joneta stood there. His shoulders began
to relax when the door opened and another woman appeared. She moved
to stand behind Lady Joneta looking like she needed her
protection.

"What in Lucifer's hairy arse is she doing
here?" Magnus exclaimed.

"Who is she?"

"The woman I hired to impersonate Muriele at
the convent."

"No wonder she looks like a rabbit about to
be thrown in a pot with carrots and turnips!"

Chief Broccin descended the steps to meet
them, a broad smile on his face.

It didn't fool Graemme. Deep in his bones, he
knew Elyne had pulled one of her tricks on him, and he was in no
mood to allow it.

"Welcome, Sir Graemme. I recognize yer two
friends from afore. Sir Brian and Sir Colyne. This man who looks
much like you? Your brother Magnus?"

Chief Broccin was trying to delay by making
small talk. Graemme's eyes narrowed in a withering stare.

"Aye. He is. Sir Cormac is his commander." He
motioned is horse forward a pace. His nostrils narrowed and his
lips thinned. "Where is the Lady Elyne?"

"We did not expect you until another two
days."

So, he did not want to speak of Elyne.
Graemme dismounted slowly, hearing Magnus' boots also strike the
cobblestones. Magnus went to lift Grunda from behind Sir Colyne and
brought her over to stand beside him.

"We traveled lightly, leaving the rest of the
women to follow. Well escorted, of course." Graemme stepped close
to Broccin. Though the older man was his equal height, Graemme had
an advantage—he was not trying to avoid an issue. "This is Grunda,
a healer and seer. She was of great help to Lady Muriele and her
family."

"All went well with the Lady?" Broccin turned
to Magnus and smiled.

"Aye. We have wed, thanks to Grunda. My wife
will arrive with the rest of our family in time for the wedding."
Magnus cleared his voice and looked at Ysabel. "How came ye to be
here?"

"Sir Ranald became suspicious and arrived at
the convent. He was kind enough to bring me here."

"Aye. Once she told us of your family, we
knew ye would see no harm came to Muriele. Only a fool would keep
to a false oath, and we learned ye were no fool," Broccin said.

Graemme didn't know if his brother would be
insulted or not, but he nodded solemnly.

"I dinna think Ysabel need fear Muriele's
blade. She will be too angry at me for making her travel with the
rest of the women."

"This brings a special woman to my
attention." Graemme turned frosty eyes on Chief Broccin. His words
near grated through his teeth. "My bride?

"Not here." Grunda said quietly.

He looked at Broccin, not Grunda.

"Where is she?"

The horses shied at the explosive volume of
the words. Chief Broccin stood up to him. After all, no one else
could compare to Ranald's ferocity when in a bout of temper.

"She disappeared two nights ago. She could
not have gone far or for long, for she left Squat behind and all of
her clothing."

"Have you searched the castle grounds?"

"Do ye think me an eejit?" Chief Broccin
seemed to grow a hands width taller with indignation. "We have even
checked the dungeon and every hut from here to seven leagues away.
I have sent word to Ranald at Hunter Castle, in case she sought
refuge there."

"But Hunter Castle is in Northumbria."

"Aye. In Crookham. Belonged to his wife's
family. They were Norman/Saxon mix."

Squat eased himself around the keep's door
and slowly made his way down the steps, his one ear stood at
attention, listening to every word. The other flopped like it was
too tired to bother. On the last step, the poor beast fell forward
and was slow to pick himself up. When he approached Broccin, the
man sidestepped. Sure enough, 'twas a wise move. Squat wobbled like
a drunken chicken when he tried to lift his leg to pee. He shook
his knobby gray head, planted all four legs firmly and leaned
forward to piss like a bitch.

When he was done, Graemme squatted and picked
him up, holding him beneath his front legs so he could look in the
dog's face. He studied him a while and frowned, then held him to
his chest.

"How long has he been like this?"

"I found him under Elyne's bed. A wine glass
had been on the bedside table, but somehow he knocked it over. I'm
afeared he drank all the spilled wine."

"And he's still drunk?"

"I'm afraid it had more than wine in it. I
think there was also a light dose of a sleeping draught."

"What are ye doing for him?" Grunda came
close and held the little dog's face to stare at it.

"I'm afeared to give him any elixir, since he
is so small. Instead, Lady Ysabel and I have kept him walking. We
make sure he drinks a lot of water and eats something every hour.
We hope it will flush it from his body." Lady Joneta looked at
Graemme cradling the dog like a baby and smiled.

"Um, Sir Graemme?" Grunda caught his
attention.

"Aye."

"Perchance ye had best not hold him now. I
will prepare something to ease his suffering. The pitiful beastie
will be right in no time."

When Squat passed wind with the vigor of a
warrior, before the noxious smell reached their nose, Graemme bent
fast as lightning and put him on the grass. Just in time.

He straightened, and all the sympathy for the
dog vanished from his face, leaving his features cold and
forbidding.

"I came as promised but the girl has insulted
me by ignoring her betrothal vows. I dinna plan to take this
lightly. It isna a maiden's fear of marriage."

Graemme tried to keep his voice calm and
soft, but even to him the words were harsh, angry. When he found
Elyne, she would learn he was not a man she could trifle with as
her other suitors had been. If she were here now, he'd take her by
the scuff of the neck to a private room and whale the Hades out of
her lovely buttocks!

His cock stirred. His hands remembered the
feel of the wet flesh of her nether cheeks—perfectly formed, smooth
and firm. He wanted to either kiss or nip her flesh there, but in
his anger, the nip would probably leave teeth marks!

Magnus slapped his shoulder and brought him
out of his abstracted musings.

"Come, brother, we will sit with Chief
Broccin and piece this together. Between us all, we should come up
with some idea of where she has hidden herself and why."

"Right, right," Chief Broccin seized on an
end to the awkward meeting. He had feared the Highlanders would
draw their broadswords and fight first afore thinking. "Come." He
motioned not only the two brothers but their men with them.

They followed Broccin into the keep and up to
his solar. Graemme was in no mood for small talk and only grunted
if anyone plied him with inane questions.

Once the men entered the solar, Graemme took
Grunda's hand and led her inside. Chief Broccin near slammed the
door in the faces of Lady Joneta and Ysabel. He hastily filled his
goblet with wine and shoved the pitcher and tray of goblets to the
men seated around the table.

"Did she make any other attempt to leave
Raptor in the past month?"

"Nay. She seemed anxious. She was unwilling
to participate in the wedding plans."

"No more than anxious?" Magnus asked in a
calm voice. It prompted Broccin to respond.

"Her usual nonsense about not being able to
marry Sir Graemme because he intended to kill her."

"Kill her?!" Graemme slammed his goblet on
the table and splashed wine on the top of his hand. He
unconsciously licked it away. "How did she get such a flea-brained
idea?"

"No real reason. Evidently, something
frightens her about your standard."

"My standard?" Graemme's eyes widened. He
looked down at his tunic where the seamstress had embroidered the
black wolf leaping from a large rock. "Does she think I keep a pack
of wolves?"

"Nay."

"Then why would she be afeared of a simple
standard?"

Broccin squirmed on his chair, reluctant to
answer. Graemme knew he wouldna get the truth from him. Without
asking permission, he rose, threw the door wide and bellowed for
Lady Joneta. He didn't have long to wait. She was in the first
alcove to the left of the door.

"I wondered how long it would take you to
realize my brother would wind his way around your questions."

"Please, Lady, enlighten me about my lady
bride."

After he pulled an arm chair from before the
fireplace and seated her at the head of the table, he noted Broccin
bunching his brows, giving little shakes of his head and whatever
means he could think of to signal her to silence.

The lady snorted. "Brother, don't be a fool.
'Tis best the boy knows afore the wedding than after when he finds
her atop the turret roof."

"She's never been to such heights!"

"Nay, just every other strange place you
could name."

"What are you talking about? Does she take to
climbing? I know she likes to sit in trees, but high on the keep?"
Graemme's eyes widened. "The demented girl could fall to her death
with her adventures!"

"Not adventures. The results of her dreams."
Lady Joneta went on to tell him of all Elyne's dreams and the
strange places they found her when she awoke.

Graemme felt like he should put his fist
below his chin to keep it from dropping after each telling of a
dream.

"When did she first start having these
'foretelling' dreams?" Graemme wondered if she had been born with a
curse or a gift. Or was the beautiful girl lacking in wits?

Before Chief Broccin could answer, Lady
Joneta supplied the answer. "'Twas right after Ranald was sent to
Kelso Abbey." She gave her brother a withering stare. "I think the
horror of watching her brother hauled away in a cart like bloody
refuse was too much for her young mind."

"Ye blame me for her crazy dreams?"

"If you must know the truth, Aye!" Lady
Joneta slapped her hand on the table, surprising Broccin to
silence.

"'Twas the shock of seeing ye thrash her
favorite brother near to death then discard him." Grunda said. Her
eyes looked like she was watching the actual beating, for she
grimaced. "Ye told them he died, did ye not?" Her gaze bored into
Broccin's eyes.

Broccin gave a jerky nod. Instead of rebuking
Grunda, he looked frightened of the old woman.

"What happened just before I first arrived?"
Graemme expected he knew the answer already.

Broccin shook himself and answered.

"The first night you came to Raptor? She knew
you would come. She awoke on the ground and climbed the tree when
she heard your footsteps. Ever since, she has been having night
visions of a wolf bathing until all but the hair on his face was
gone. The wolf threatened her in different ways. Chased and grabbed
her then tried to kill her."

Graemme wondered if the surprise showed on
his face, or if he had hid the shock. When Magnus squeezed his
shoulder, he guessed not.

"And the night before she disappeared?"
Grunda asked.

Lady Joneta told them.

"'Twas Squat who warned us. His barking
brought us to the wall atop the corner tower. She stood between two
merlons. Just as the guards reached her, she screamed you were
pointing a sword of lightning at her and meant to strike her down.
She shielded her eyes and lost her balance. One of the guards
grabbed her around the waist, but she near pulled him over with
her. They would have both fallen to their death had the other
guards not grabbed his legs. They had a difficult time lifting them
both back through the opening."

Graemme ground his teeth together. How had
the girl formed such a hatred for him? The night she came to his
bed, she had been eager enough. She was wet and ready for him in a
short time. How could anyone so afeared of a man be so eager to
swive him?

"She will not go to places where there is
family or friends. She hides where ye will not think to search for
her." Grunda looked at Broccin and Joneta. "Ye have threatened her
with something. What was it?"

"A convent!" Graemme broke in for them. "When
she argued with ye about marrying me, ye threatened to remove my
stones." He stopped to glare at Magnus, who tried to cover a laugh
with a cough. "Afore ye were through cleaning my blood from yer
blade, ye said ye'd have Domnall get coins to pay the sisters at
Mary Magdalen to keep her there for the rest of her life. She was
terrified. She knew ye meant it. Ye reminded her of the last time a
child of yers sought to thwart ye."

"'Tis true, brother. I thought she would spew
her dinner. She quieted when I reminded her Ranald would never
permit it."

When they all gave him disgusted looks,
Broccin looked shamed, probably for the first time in his life.

Grunda rose and walked around the room, her
eyes vacant. Broccin jumped when she touched his shoulder then
released it. She went to the open window and threw back her head.
Anyone would think she was sniffing the breeze or enjoying the
night air, but she waited quietly. She opened her eyes and stared
to the south.