Captives by Emily Murdoch Read Free Book Online Page A

chest led to her bed chamber. This room was just as sparsely furnished; the bed was the only item within the entire room, but it had a straw mattress and several rugs. For Catheryn, it was palatial, and it was all hers.
    But as the sun rose each morning, the stifling heat would become oppressive, and she would have to leave the castle. Adeliza had warned her about trying to escape, and each time she meandered past the stables, the men would stiffen, and rise from their jobs. They would watch her walk past, and only return to their duties once they were sure that she had gone.
    It was clear that she was not permitted to ride.
    And so Catheryn went to the only place where she knew she would feel comfortable. She found a field that had been left fallow this year, full of grasses and butterflies, and lay down in the centre. She had always done this as a child; had always felt safest surrounded by the tall grasses that whispered to her in the wind.
    That childhood was long gone, and yet the feeling of being swept away by the wind brought Catheryn more peace than she had known since leaving her home.
    Catheryn closed her eyes. She was alone, as if on the ocean, where none could touch her.
    She could almost have fallen asleep, were it not for the dry sobs that broke into her daydream. For a moment, Catheryn could not fathom what the howling noise was, or where it was coming from. Eyes still shut, she brushed her hands through the long grass, feeling the snag of flower heads against her fingertips. If she just ignored it, it would go away.
    But, of course, it would not. After several minutes, Catheryn sat up, eyes open, scanning the horizon for the source of the commotion.
    It was not difficult to find. A girl, perhaps fifteen years, perhaps slightly older, was hunched in a tangled heap at one edge of the field. The racking sobs were coming from her, and although Catheryn could not see her face, it was clear that she was deeply distressed.
    Annis would be about the same age, Catheryn reflected. Her heart wrenched at the thought that her own child could be just as distraught, but hundreds of miles away, with no one to comfort her.
    But then, this girl did not seem to have anyone to comfort her, either, Catheryn thought. She looked around. There was no one but her within earshot.
    A swell of maternal nurturing swept through Catheryn, and she knew that she would not be easy until she had spoken to the crying girl.
    Pulling herself upright, and dusting the soil off her clothes, Catheryn began to hesitantly move towards the girl. She was so distracted by her own tears that it was not until Catheryn was within reach of touching her shoulder that the girl suddenly lifted her head, her face full of shock.
    “What?” the girl said, her voice shaking slightly. “Wh– what – who are you?”
    Catheryn smiled gently. “My name is Catheryn. What is yours?”
    The girl pulled a hand up to sniff at her nose, and Catheryn saw that the clothes she wore were no peasant’s garb. This girl was of a good family.
    “Emma,” the girl said slowly, eyeing Catheryn up and down warily. “Who are you? You’re that woman that eats with us, aren’t you?”
    Catheryn dropped to the ground next to her, and tucked her legs underneath her body. “I am no one in particular,” she said. “I hope you do not find my question impertinent, my lady, but what has caused you to lose so many tears?”
    The girl called Emma sat up a little bit straighter, and Catheryn stifled a laugh. She had known the title ‘my lady’ would soon brighten up the girl’s spirits.
    “I have a sister,” Emma began, turning her body slightly so that she was facing Catheryn more. “She and I are twins. She is slightly older than me, by but an hour or so, and yet she uses it to taunt me, to claim power over me.”
    “Do you not love her?” Catheryn asked quietly.
    Emma sighed, and looked around at the field they were sitting in. “It is impossible for me not to,” she