The oldest of the women stepped forward. Her nose was long and pocked as old cheese, her lips fleshy, her eyes hard black stone.
"She"s come to verify your virginity. She brought friends, to hold you down, if necessary."
Fayth looked from the women to Ridley. Her mind raced, but for once, no solutions presented themselves. There were too many of them and she was hurt. Hopelessness washed over her in waves, her bandaged hands clenched tightly at her sides.
Ridley regarded her curiously, stroking the golden brown hairs of his pointed beard. He turned to the women and the guards. "Leave us."
He watched the door until it closed behind them, leaving the two of them alone. Ridley turned back to her, his gaze a.s.sessing. "I care little if you f.u.c.ked the red reiver but throwing it in Carlisle"s face was unwise."
Fayth winced at his crude term.
Ridley"s brows raised. "Ah, I see how it is." He shook his head, smiling slightly. "These Maxwell brothers must be sorcerers, the way they ensnare women."
"There"s no sorcery involved. Only honor and truth, courage and loyalty. Things you know nothing about."
Ridley laughed, slightly incredulous. "Jesus G.o.d, you"ve been seduced. I didn"t think it possible."
Fayth knew there was no point in arguing or reasoning with her brother. He would be neither swayed nor inclined to grant favors. He was visiting her for a reason and would come to it sooner if she remained quiet.
"You see that I speak the truth now? I"ve known where Mona is since she left Graham Keep, she and her fatheaded knight."
Fayth darted a look at him, not remembering seeing Sir Patrick, but then she"d been in no condition to observe much. She would be sure to tell Alex when she saw him again. Please, Lord, let me see him again.
"Oh, aye. He was there. Sniffing after her like a hound." Ridley"s lips curled as he turned inward. After a moment he seemed to shake himself and crossed to the cabinet beneath the window. He set his velvet-wrapped parcel on it. "This is for you to wear to the wedding. I found it below in Alexander"s little treasure trove. Did you know of that?" When she ignored him, staring straight ahead, he said, "I see you did."
He approached her with a bemused frown. "You"re unusually subdued." His gaze dropped to her hands. "Are you in pain?" He paused, visually inspecting her. "There are things that will dull the pain. Those things will also make your wedding night more bearable."
Fayth could take no more. "Enough! Why are you here? What do you want?"
He threw his head back and laughed. "That"s more like my wee sister." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I do want something."
"No?" Fayth exclaimed in mock surprise.
"I want no trouble from you. Go through with the wedding ceremony, say your vows, and lie like a dead fish in Carlisle"s bed tonight. You cannot escape your fate-as even you should understand by now. Just cooperate, for once, and be done with it."
"And what do I get?"
"If you comply, it"s less likely your husband will beat you." His gaze darted to her hands, his brows raising meaningfully. "It appears you"ve been brutalized enough. Save yourself some unblemished skin."
"Is that all?"
He shook his head. "I will send the midwife away-after she reports to Carlisle that you were lying. That you"re still a virgin. I trust you can fake virginity tonight? I will supply you with blood for the sheets."
Fayth shuddered, choking down the miserable sobs that rose in her chest. Ridley"s choices were not choices at all, but one horror in exchange for another.
"Ridley, please," Fayth said, doing that which she"d sworn to herself she"d never do-beg. "I love Alex. Don"t make me do this. I ask you as a brother, have you any love for me at all?"
Ridley came to her, his brow furrowed, and placed a hand on the top of her head, smoothing it over and over her hair. Fayth resisted the urge to jerk away from him.
Finally, he dropped his hand and shook his head. "No, I think not."
Fayth closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping. She moved away from him. How she hated him. "Mona will never have you, you know. You can follow her to the ends of the earth. The best you could hope for is to rape her." The words were out before Fayth could stop them. The fury that flared in Ridley"s eyes brought her no satisfaction as it had in the past. Her barbs had always been fashioned to wound him deeply, but now she wondered if twisting the knife also hurt Mona. Did Fayth feed his resentment? When he finally laid hands on Mona, would her stepmother pay for all the pain Fayth caused?
But she could not take the words back now, so she returned his glower impa.s.sively, her mouth shut tight against the other invectives straining to spew forth.
"Shall I send in the midwife?"
Fayth shook her head. "I will cooperate."
Ridley took a deep breath, smoothing his hands over his silk doublet. "I will send two maids to dress you for the ceremony. The priest has arrived. You will be sent for in two hours."
Ridley was not gone long when two women entered the room, laden with an elaborate pink gown, encrusted with jewels. Fayth recognized it. It came from the treasure room in the tunnels beneath Gealach. Fayth didn"t think her heart could hurt any more, but it did. How dare he rummage through Alex"s possessions? How dare he set himself up like master of Gealach? And where was Wesley in all of this? He hadn"t accompanied Ridley to the village and neither was he among the men Ridley used to infiltrate Gealach. In fact, she"d seen nothing of him since she escaped Lochnith weeks ago.
Not that Wesley would be of any help. He"d shown himself completely under Ridley"s sway. In fact, that"s certainly how Ridley was managing to evade King Henry"s summons-he wasn"t. He"d probably sent Wesley in his stead with a host of men, promising to follow soon with more.
Fayth allowed herself to be dressed. They laced her up in wooden stays that creaked and groaned every time she moved. Her hair was pulled away from her face so tightly her mouth and eyes felt stretched. Silk slippers, gloves, and a veiled headdress completed the ensemble. The only part of her body revealed was her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, overflowing the bodice thanks to the suffocating stays. The heavy necklace Ridley brought her was clasped around Fayth"s neck like a collar.
One of the women held her ivory mirror up and Fayth gazed at her reflection. A laugh was torn from her throat as she focused on the necklace resting just above the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. A large ruby in a gold setting, surrounded by a cl.u.s.ter of smaller rubies. Fayth nearly choked on the irony. Had Fayth found this first, they might have succeeded in pa.s.sing it off as the Clachan Fala. Ridley would have given them anything they wanted. Fayth wanted to scratch it from her neck and hurl it away. What could have been freedom was now just another shackle.
Alex had forced Father Rae and his small retinue to spend the night in the village where he could watch them. Father Rae might fear for his immortal soul right now, but Alex doubted that it was enough to stop him from turning Judas on Alex the moment they stepped foot inside Gealach.
The next morning, Father Rae and Alex, wearing monks" robes and cowl, left for Gealach. The robe was too short by several inches. Alex was forced to stoop like an old man so it covered his boots. He kept the cowl pulled over his head, hiding his face. In the company of Father Rae, he was admitted through the gates with no more than a cursory glance.
Gealach was even busier than the village, though there was no gaiety in the people"s faces. No traces of excitement for the upcoming feast. Graham and Carlisle men filled the courtyard. Sweat trickled between Alex"s shoulder blades. He walked beside Father Rae"s mule, hand wrapped firmly around the priest"s ankle in case he decided to try something stupid.
In the main hall, Alex noted Wynda"s daughters, sullenly sprinkling fresh herbs into the rushes. Several Carlisle men hara.s.sed the eldest, poking her sides and saying crude things to her. From the looks she gave the men they"d suffer plenty for their unwelcome advances.
Many villagers had been brought to the tower to help prepare and serve the vast amount of food. If anyone recognized Alex, they gave no indication, so busy were they with their tasks. Other than his servants, no one else from Alex"s household was in sight. Not Eliot, Skelley, Davie, or any of his other men. Alex hoped they"d escaped. Otherwise they must be imprisoned or dead.
They were presented to Lord Graham after their arrival. Ridley regarded Father Rae with thinly veiled distaste and quickly dismissed them, giving Alex several hours to set things in motion. His first stop was the kitchens, under the pretense of blessing the food. Alex would not let Father Rae out of his sight, lest the priest decide to inform on him. While Father Rae recited prayers in a bored voice, Alex wandered over to stand beside Wynda. She turned several birds on a spit. Her brow was puckered with dismay and damp with sweat. She was pointedly ignoring him. This told Alex more than anything else that Ridley"s presence was upsetting to his people, for Wynda had never been one to ignore any irritant.
After hovering some time with no acknowledgment, Alex said, "You never slave over my meals in such a fashion."
Wynda jerked, her hand going to her ample bosom, eyes wide with shock.
"Shh," Alex hissed, giving her a meaningful look.
She scanned the kitchen nervously before turning back to her birds, wide-eyed. "It"s pleased I am to see ye," she whispered. "Yer puir la.s.sie is aboot to meet an ugly fate."
"How has Lord Graham treated everyone?"
"He"s an angry man and hard to please. He... sent for the midwife... for Mistress Graham."
Alex"s belly clenched. d.a.m.n. He"d hoped to save her the worst of it. He moved closer, as if inspecting the birds. "I have men, they are sailing around to the cove as we speak. What of Skelley?"
"That maggot, Eliot, beat him fey, but he"s recovered. He hides in the tunnels wi"yer men. Lord Graham knows of the tunnels but like you, he"s no been able to search them all."
"Good. I need yer help. Graham has men guarding the cove?"