Page 50 of Never Leave Me
She blinked, and the events at dinner in the great hall rushed back. Sir Nicholas was Lord Worth’s brother and had come to Reider Castle to warn them of an outbreak of the plague.
What was he doing in the dungeon?
“Have no fear. I mean you no harm.” His face was shrouded by the raised hood of his cloak, but the tallow candle on the ground beside him provided enough light for her to see kind eyes observing her.
She allowed herself to relax just a little. He hadn’t struck her as a cruel man like Lord Worth, especially with the affection he’d shown toward his mother. But since he was related to Lord Worth, she had no way of knowing if he was truly trustworthy.
“Dawn draws nigh,” he whispered with a glance over his shoulder to the open door of her cell. “I must be on my way.”
Her pulse gave a leap. “Will you take a message to my sister, Marian?”
“I sensed you are not eager to be a guest in my brother’s home. If I am wrong, I beg your forgiveness. But if I am correct, I offer you my aid in escaping Simon and shall take you to your sister’s home so that you might deliver a message for yourself.”
“I would be grateful. But I don’t wish to endanger you in the process.”
“My life is in danger every time I visit.” Nicholas’s voice contained a bitter edge. He didn’t leave her time to think about what may have happened to cause such bitterness. Instead, he shot a look over his shoulder again and then put out a hand. “Come. We must be gone before the household awakens.”
She pushed up from the pallet but then hesitated. “Why would you do this for me?” Would he expect something in return? If so, what?
“Simon has wedded three wives. All of them are now dead.” Nicholas pressed his hand toward her, urging her to accept it. “I offer you my assistance because I do not wish to have a fourth dead wife on my conscience.”
A chill slithered up Ellen’s spine, and she placed her hand in his,allowing him to help her to her feet. Before falling asleep, she’d prayed for the opportunity to change what she could. Now here was her chance.
She had to find Marian and enlist her sister’s help. Surely together they could come up with a plan to outsmart Dr. Lionel, a plan for keeping Harrison and all the Serenity House children out of danger.
Holding the candle stub out ahead, Nicholas guided the way down the corridor away from the cell. Instead of leading her up the stairway to the main level of the keep, Nicholas turned and wound through another damp passageway that gradually grew narrower and lower until they couldn’t traverse it without bending low. Even then Ellen’s head brushed the ceiling.
“As you can see, the tunnel connecting the garrison to the dungeons is rarely used anymore.” Nicholas kicked the bones of a long-dead creature out of their path. “Simon expects the locks to be a sufficient deterrent and has not posted a guard below ground.”
“The locks won’t deter you?”
“No, my lady. Nothing deters me. I can make my way in and out of this castle with no one the wiser.”
The corridor ended at a hatch. Nicholas proved himself right by easily picking the lock. He hoisted himself out and then reached down to assist her. Once they were through, the dim light of the candle displayed a storage room with weapons of all shapes and sizes hanging from walls along with armor and shields and other equipment she couldn’t begin to name.
He led her outside of the garrison—one of the thatched buildings attached to the castle wall. Under the moonless and starless night, only the barest outline of the keep was visible across the bailey, and she prayed Lord Worth wasn’t awake to see her leaving. What would he do if he caught her?
She glanced in the direction of the gatehouse, half expecting tosee the guard’s body still swaying from a rope. Thankfully, it was no longer there. Hastily, she followed on Nicholas’s heels as he headed to a horse tethered in the shadows of the stables.
“I beg your forgiveness, my lady,” he whispered as he boosted her into the saddle. “But I am afraid you will need to straddle the mount.”
She was already slinging her leg over the opposite side, not sure why he would apologize, until her skirt rose to her thighs, exposing her legs. She adjusted the folds of the velvety gown, not sure why she should be so embarrassed, especially in the dark, except that she sensed Nicholas’s discomfort.
He wasted no time in climbing behind her into the saddle, which was definitely not big enough for the two of them. She was wedged so tightly she had no fear of toppling off, at least she believed so until he urged the horse forward. The trot set her off balance, and she grabbed the pommel with both hands to steady herself.
How did women in the movies ride horses so elegantly and effortlessly? She’d taken equestrian lessons at Sevenoaks but had been too busy adjusting to living in a boarding school as well as a new country to take much interest in the activity. Her short time at Sevenoaks had been more about survival than anything else.
Wasn’t that the story of her life? Survival? And here she was trying to survive again.
Nicholas steered the horse straight for the gatehouse. He certainly wouldn’t attempt to leave through the front gate, would he? Not with her—Lord Worth’s prisoner—in plain sight?
“Shouldn’t we try to find a more secretive way to exit the castle?” she asked.
“No.” Nicholas slowed the mount as the guard came down the steps from the tower room above the gate. “Leaving openly is for the best.”
“Won’t the guard try to stop me?”
“He will try but will not prevail.” Nicholas reined the horse in front of the closed steel grate and then nodded at the guard. “I must be on my way. Open the gate.”
