Free Rowan's Lady by Suzan Tisdale Page A

The water spills out into the stream. Ye can follow that east,
to the forest.”
    Lily fussed and slowly opened her eyes as Arline
pulled the dress over her head. “Will -- I mean, Lily, please lass, do no’ make
a sound. Yer da is here to take ye away,” Arline explained as she wrapped the
cloak around the child’s shoulders.
    With sleepy eyes, Lily began to look for her
father. Before she could squeal with delight, Arline held a finger to her lips.
“Wheesht, child. If ye make a sound, the mean man will hear. I need ye to
promise not to utter a word or a sound until yer da gives ye permission. If
we’re found out, Garrick will be verra, verra angry.”
    Tears welled in Lily’s eyes as she listened
carefully to Arline. “I do no’ want him to hurt ye again,” Lily whispered,
looking quite fearful.
    “Wheesht, sweeting!” Arline told her, forcing a
smile. She tied the cloak and gave Lily a kiss on her forehead. “There is no
time to waste, lass. Ye must go with yer da, now.”
    Lily held out her arms and Rowan lifted her to his
chest. He hugged her, kissing the top of her head. “Och, child, how I’ve missed
ye!”
    “I missed ye too, da! The mean man took me. But
Lady Arline took care of me.”
    “I ken, Lily. I be forever in Lady Arline’s debt.
Now, no more talking. We have to hurry.”
    Arline made her way around the men again and went
to the small closet. She pushed the trunk away and lifted the tapestry. “In
here,” she directed the group. “Ye will turn right here. Ye will turn left in
about twenty-five paces, then left again when ye come to the T. Not long after
ye will find a door on the right. There is a stair case that winds all the way
down. Once ye reach the bottom, ye’ll be in water to yer ankles. Turn right and
follow the water until ye reach the gate. ’Tisn’t locked, but it is old and
squeaks a bit. Remember, it leads to the stream that runs through the forest to
the east.”
    She pushed Frederick through first and then
Daniel. Rowan paused briefly. “Me lady, what of ye?”
    “Do no’ worry over me! Ye must get Lily away from
this place and quickly. Hurry, before they come fer me.”
    She gave Lily a kiss on her cheek and pulled the
hood up. “Please, child, remember to be quiet, no matter what happens, aye?”
    Lily looked positively forlorn. “Yer no’ comin’
with us?” she asked.
    “Nay, I canna come with ye, babe. But we’ll see
each other some day.” Arline felt her heart shattering like fragile glass
slammed against an anvil. She would miss the precocious and sweet babe.
    “But,” Lily began to protest. Arline held her
finger to her lips once again.
    “Wheesht, sweeting. I shall write to ye soon, I
promise. Now, be a good lass and listen to yer da!” She turned her eyes to
Rowan’s. “Please, hurry me laird,” she told him as she pressed down on his
shoulders. Rowan bent to his knees and handed Lily through the opening.
    Turning back one last time, he said, “If ye ever
need anything, me lady, anything at all, ye need only ask it.”
    And with that, he turned, crawled through the
opening and disappeared into blackness.

Six
    Originally, Rowan and his men had planned to escape
with Lily by the same route as they entered. But with most of the castle
unexpectedly awake, they decided not to take the risk and use the means Arline
had given them. After losing themselves within the walls more than once, they
began to question their choice.
    But once they found the correct staircase and made
their way to the dark recesses of the castle, it took very little time to make
their way out and into the frigid stream. The water was quite cold, stinging
their feet and ankles.
    It had been an unexpected change of plans.
Thankfully, Rowan had allies waiting on all sides of Blackthorn lands. They
waited until they were well within the forest before climbing out of the icy
water.
    Rowan was quite proud of his daughter for she had
remained quiet throughout the entire ordeal.