Highland Secrets (Cree & Dawn)

“Until later, ladies,” Flora said with a nod to Dawn and Tavia, and off she went with Auda.

“It is rude of me to leave you alone, Lady Dawn, but I have much to do to be prepared to leave with my husband when he arrives to collect me,” Tavia said.

Dawn smiled, shook her head, and shooed her off with a wave of her hand.

“You are too kind, Lady Dawn. I will see you later.” Tavia left, her steps more hampered than usual by her limp.

Dawn stretched out her back and slowly made her way off the bench. She waved Dermid over after standing.

“My lady,” he said with a bob of his head.

She walked her fingers in front of her.

“You want to go for a walk?” he asked, looking perplexed. “But I heard you tell Lord Cree you would remain in the keep.”

Dawn smiled and nodded.

It took Dermid a moment to understand. “You want to walk inside the keep.”

She nodded again and stretched.

“You want to stretch your legs,” he said, proud that he understood her correctly when she acknowledged with a nod. “After you, my lady,” Dermid said and stepped aside for Dawn to lead the way.

She thought to visit the kitchen again to see if there was anything more she could learn, so she headed that way. She stopped suddenly when she turned the corner that led to the archway connecting the kitchen and spotted Cora at the end of the hallway the kitchen came out onto. She was just about to turn the corner at the end.

“My—”

Dawn turned with a finger pressed to her lips to warn Dermid to remain silent, and he did. She wagged her finger for him to follow, though reminded with her finger to her lips that he was to continue to remain silent.

Dermid nodded and went to step in front of her to lead the way, worried what might await them.

Dawn commanded with a firm shake of her head and preceded him down the hall, Dermid staying close behind her. She stopped once at the end and peered carefully around the corner. A hallway lit by a barely flickering torch in a wall sconce revealed a door at the end.

Dawn started toward it and Dermid jumped in front of her. “I must insist to enter first, my lady, or suffer Lord Cree’s wrath.”

Of course, he would report to Cree what she had been up to today, it was what Cree expected of him. She did not want to make the task any more difficult for the man or see him unjustly suffer for her stubbornness, so she stepped aside and heard him sigh in relief.

The door creaked some and Dermid wisely moved it slowly, so the creak didn’t grow louder.

A brighter torch in a sconce on the stone wall revealed a curved staircase. Dawn realized where Cora had disappeared to… the dungeon.

Dermid held out his hand to her, and whispered, “I will not chance you slipping or falling.”

She nodded and took his hand, and they slowly made their way down the curving staircase, Dermid, keeping a step ahead of her. Voices drifted up as they neared the bottom.

“I fear Lord Cree’s punishment for my foolishness. I was so worried we would not have enough food to feed the guests and others that I did not think. I was shocked when I realized what I had done.”

“Lady Dawn is a kind woman and assured me things will be all right,” Cora said, weeping softly with her every word.

“Aye, Lady Dawn is kind. I would still be in the stocks if not for her. But it is Lord Cree who can free me or make me suffer,” Stuart said.

“You deserve to for raising a hand to Lady Dawn,” Dermid said as he stepped out of the shadows, releasing Dawn’s hand once she no longer stood on the steps.

“My lady,” Cora said with a bow of her head and Stuart echoed the same, his head bowed.

Dawn acknowledged them both with a nod, then turned her head surveying the area. Three small cells, with metal bar doors so you could see into each, were all that fit in an area far smaller than Dawn had imagined. There was no mat for sleeping, though she spotted a blanket in Stuart’s cell and a bucket as well and realized that was probably where the foul odor was coming from. She placed her hand under her nose, the smell roiling her stomach.

“I try to keep the stench at bay, my lady, but my chores only allow me so much time to slip away and see to it,” Cora said, seeing Lady Dawn trying to fight off the offending odor.

Dawn moved her hand away from her face reluctantly to gesture eating and pointed to Stuart.

“Lady Dawn wants to know if you feed Stuart,” Dermid said, to Cora, though answered for her. “He is permitted one meal a day.”