Rowan's Lady by Suzan Tisdale Read Free Book Online Page A

breathed a sigh of relief when she finally
crawled through the hidden doorway and back into her room. Willie slept
soundly, curled into a little ball in the big bed, her little thumb thrust into
her mouth. The child slept like that each night, one thumb in her mouth whilst
the index finger of her other hand was wrapped around a curl.
    As quietly as she could, Arline scrubbed away the
grime she had accumulated during her sojourn through the dark passages. Dawn
had yet to break over the horizon and she had no desire to have Willie wake
just yet. For the past several nights, Arline had forgone sleep in order to
find a way out of the castle.
    If they were to escape tonight, Arline would need
more than just a few minutes rest. She did not enjoy the thought of running
through the countryside with a small child in tow on very little sleep. She
needed to keep her wits about her.
    After stripping off her stockings, rinsing them
and hanging them by the fire to dry, Arline slipped quietly into the bed. She
soon found that she was too excited and nervous to sleep. Mentally she ran
through her list of supplies, limited and sparse as they were.
    Since she had made the decision to find a means of
escape, she had been preparing. She hoarded away small slices of bread and
cheese, sewed extra stockings and added a lining to Willie’s cloak. She had
even taken a blanket, cut holes in it and affixed straps so that she might be
able to carry Willie on her back when the child grew weary.
    Arline hadn’t the foggiest idea how close the
nearest town might be for she had not left the castle since her arrival last
year. She had remembered passing through several small villages and towns when
Garrick had brought her here. From her recollection, she felt certain they were
all to the south. With little else to go on she had to be comfortable in that
decision.
    Once she and Willie -- she refused to think of
‘ifs’ -- reached a village, she would make the ultimate sacrifice. She would
send word to her father.
    That was the only part of her plan that made her
apprehensive.
    Until Willie had arrived, her only goal once her
marriage was annulled, was to travel as far away from her father as she could
manage. She only had to survive until her birthday, which fell around
Christmastime. Once she reached the age of five and twenty, she would no longer
be forced to heed her father’s bidding. She would be free to go wherever she
wished. And never again, would she be subjected to an arranged marriage and the
humility such unions brought.
    But that was before Willie.
    She was afraid that if she let it be known that
the child she travelled with belonged to Rowan Graham, then word would quickly
spread and Garrick would find them. She could not allow that to happen.
    It was worth the sacrifice of her own freedom to
see to it that Willie was reunited with her father. Mayhap she could put her
father off a few months, feign an illness, or simply run away once Willie was
returned safely to the loving arms of her father.
    As tired and exhausted as she was, sleep continued
to evade her. She wondered about Willie’s father. What kind of man was he? He
had to be a good man and a kind father, Arline supposed, else Willie wouldn’t
idolize him as she did.
    Although she had sworn off men and hopes of a
happy marriage and babes of her own, there were times, like this, when sleep
was elusive and the cold air enveloped her, that she did wish to have a set of
warm, strong arms wrapped around her. The thought of warm arms left her with a
huge sense of longing.
    Silently, she cursed her heart and mind for allowing
the images and thoughts through the barrier she had built. It does no good
to want for somethin’ ye’ll never have, she admonished. There will be no
man and no home filled to the rafters with babes.

Five
    The Blackthorn keep stood black against the indigo
sky. Torches that lined the large curtain wall cast eerie shadows against the
massive four-story keep. Rowan