“How?”
“My brooch on my cloak.”
“Then Cecil is aiding your escape.”
“And yours.” I wasted no time in exiting my cell and crossing the passageway. In the darkness, I skimmed the bars until I located his keyhole.
“This is too dangerous for you, Olivia,” he whispered, his voice threaded with anxiety. “I’d rather you stay here where you’ll be safe.”
I understood his fears now, better than I had before. Even so, I wouldn’t let his fears hold me back. “I am going. And you cannot stop me.”
He was silent for a long moment before finally speaking in a resigned voice. “If you must go, then you must leave me here.”
“No, I shall not leave without you. We must make our escape together.”
“I can hardly move, Olivia. I’ll only slow you down.”
I stuck the pin inside his lock and began to wiggle it. “I shall help you. And you will be fine.”
“If we get caught, your father will find a way to punish you.”
“Perhaps he will, but I am willing to take the risk.”
“I’m not.” His voice contained a finality that set me on edge. “Besides, if we’re caught escaping, then we leave Lord Pitt, my men, and everyone else with him vulnerable on the morrow.”
My wiggling ceased. His emphasis on everyone wasn’t lost on me. He was referring to Isabelle. “We shall make it out of here just fine.” I had no idea how we’d accomplish sneaking out undetected as injured as he was, but I was determined to bring him along.
“You need to warn Lord Pitt. And save Isabelle. You’re the only one who can.”
Sudden doubts assailed me. How could I do this? It was dangerous and nearly impossible. But I had to try, didn’t I? “When Father discovers I have escaped, he will know I have gone to warn Lord Pitt. What then?”
“Shape the hay into the form of a person and cover it with your cloak. When Eldridge and the other guards come in the morning to get me, they’ll think you’re asleep. I’ll let them know you cried most of the night and fell into an exhausted slumber. They’ll be none the wiser.”
His urging brought my hand to stillness.
Aldric was right. I had to leave him behind. If I wanted to save Isabelle and Lord Pitt’s men, I had no other choice. Even though I loathed the prospect of Aldric languishing here, I had to do the honorable task set before me.
I did as he’d instructed, forming my cloak and then relocking my cell so that hopefully the guards would assume I was still inside. Then I returned to the bars of his cell, wishing I could reach through and hold him again, perhaps for the last time. I wanted to tell him how much I cared for him, that I’d never expected my feelings to develop so quickly, that I would have willingly wed him if given the opportunity.
His labored breathing reminded me of how much he was suffering. I was perhaps the only one who could help him. This might be the last chance to save him. I had to escape and make my way to Lord Pitt, not only for Isabelle, but also for Aldric.
“Aldric,” I whispered, unable to keep the longing from my voice.
“Go now,” he replied weakly.
“Stay strong,” I urged. “I shall find a way to save you.”
With that, I started forward, but I felt as though I was leaving my heart behind.
Chapter
21
I brushed aside the tangle of spiderwebs from the hatch and mentally prepared myself for entering the groomsman’s room in the stable.
So far, my trek had been mostly easy. I’d had to operate in the dark all along the long passageway leading away from the dungeons, and the lack of light had slowed me down as I’d attempted to work my way through a maze of various locks. My only encounter had been with the rats and spiders.
Now, my quest to escape from Wigmore Castle would grow increasingly more difficult. And I wasn’t sure how I would manage. I couldn’t very well open the gatehouse and walk through it, not without overpowering the guards on duty or without drawing a great deal of attention from the clanking of the rising gate.
The truth was, escape would have been difficult under normal circumstances. But with Lord Pitt’s army encamped around Wigmore, my father would have even more knights walking the walls, keeping watch for any surprise attacks or unusual movement.
I couldn’t let fear stop me now that I’d come this far. Holding my breath, I pushed against the hatch and moved it slowly, attempting to be as silent as I could. When the hatch lifted out of my hands, a tiny yelp escaped before I could stop it.
Hands reached for me and began to pull me up. I thrashed, intending to retreat. But Cecil’s whisper stopped me. “Quiet, Olivia.”
I ceased my struggle and allowed him to assist me up into the groomsman’s room. Although Cecil had no candle or torch, the natural light from the night sky came in through the unshuttered window and allowed me to see the outline of his short but lithe frame.
I didn’t know how he’d managed to get the groomsman from his room. From the bawdy laughter outside the stable, I suspected he’d given the man and his stable hands extra ale to distract them.
Without speaking, Cecil dragged my chain mail hauberk over my head. I asked no questions and set to the task of attiring my armor as rapidly as possible. He’d apparently transported it from Ludlow where I’d left it after my fight with Aldric. Like my sword, Cecil had carefully crafted my armor so it not only fit me well but was light enough that it didn’t encumber my movements.
When I was finally covered from head to toe, he slid both my sword and dagger into the sheaths at my belt and then draped a long black cloak over me. Only then did he speak. “Stay to the shadows and meet me at the south wall.”
As I began to make sense of his plan, I mentally plotted a route through the inner bailey and kitchen gardens that would take me to the meeting place. The inner and outer walls converged at the south, forming a single wall. That particular area was impenetrable from the outside because it was built into a steep cliff that ended in a thick woodland. During their rounds, Father’s guards normally didn’t bother to check the south wall. They would likely be more alert tonight. Still, it was the safest area for me to remain undetected.
Cecil crawled out the open stable window as silently as a cat hunting for mice. I gave him a minute to disappear into the shadows before I hefted myself upon the window ledge and attempted to be as silent as he’d been.
As soon as I began to wind my way through the castle grounds, I realized the hour was not as late as I’d expected. Although the light in my brother’s window showed him to be abed, other lights still glowed in the keep and within the soldiers’ barracks.
Cecil had chosen the perfect time for an escape. Most of the knights would be preparing for sleep. Those on watch wouldn’t expect any activity from within or without the castle, and few would be outside to see us slithering along the buildings and darting from object to object.
Nevertheless, when I finally reached the south wall, my nerves were stretched as taut as the reins of a runaway steed. I hid in the shadows of the turret stairwell until I caught movement on the first landing. Cecil was motioning to follow him up.
Although my armor clinked with my movement, the cloak Cecil had wrapped around me minimized the sound as well as the glint of metal. When we reached the second story landing, Cecil stopped at the window that overlooked the wall and the cliff below.
“Here,” he whispered. “This is where I’ll lower you.”
The window was narrow, and Aldric wouldn’t have been able to pass through it. But I was slender enough, even with my armor, to squeeze outside.
I took off the cloak. Then Cecil harnessed me with one end of a rope before winding and knotting the other through the arrow loop and back around through the window.