Maiden of Inverness Read Free Page A

unto hell the men who make war on children.” Rigid with anger, the king yelled for his guards to fetch his surgeon.
    â€œFare you well, Revas Macduff.”
    At the sound of his name, Revas looked down.
    She looked forlorn and frail and close to death, and he was a lowly butcher’s son. He’d been given this keep and this important girl. But he was too young to defend either. Tears of confusion blurred his vision. He searched for words to comfort her. “You won’t die.”
    â€œNay. I had but a swallow. I’ll rally.”
    She had been betrayed by her family. But now she belonged to Revas, and she would live. His spirits soared.
    Lamely he promised, “All will be well, you’ll see.”
    She looked toward the king, who was conversing with the priest and Sheriff Brodie. Reaching into her sash, she withdrew a book. “Here, you must hide this or return it to my mother.”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œâ€Šâ€™Tis the Covenant of the Maiden. It must not fall into enemy hands.”
    Larger than his hand and still warm from her skin, the book had wooden bindings illuminated with ancient symbols. Revas slipped it into his tunic. “I shall guard it and you with my life.”
    A tear fell from her thick black eyelashes and trailed over her cheek. “Only the English king can keep me safe from Scottish monsters.”
    His spirits plummeted. She belonged to Revas Macduff. The priest had said so. Papers had been signed. Her family had tried to kill her, and King Edward thought they would try again. Now he was taking her to a place of safety.
    â€œI cannot protect you now, but I’ll learn a warrior’s skill. I’ll come for you, my lady,” he pledged. “When I’m older, I’ll come for you.”
    â€œOh, Revas, did you not hear the king’s threat? You’ll never find me. What happened today was not a real marriage. I only spoke the vows because a king commanded me.”
    Determination beat like a harvest drum within Revas. The priest had said the words before God. The Maiden of Inverness belonged to Revas Macduff.
    Suddenly he had a man’s duty and a husband’s vow to fulfill. “I swear on the soul of every Macduff who walked his land before me, I’ll come for you.”

CHAPTER
1

    Scarborough Abbey
    North Yorkshire, England
    Thirteen years later
    â€œAwaken!”
    The whispered command pulled Meridene from a sound sleep. A man’s callused hand covered her mouth. His thumb and index finger pressed at her nostrils, almost blocking off the air.
    For a groggy moment, she thought of her father. His harsh words, his bruising fist, his indifference to a child who craved his love.
    Drawing on that memory, she fought back her fear and squinted to see the face of the man hovering over her. He appeared a huge shadow surrounded by gloom. Frantic, she bit down. He grunted and withdrew his hand.
    â€œBe silent,” he hissed. “Or you’ll endanger the others.”
    She filled her lungs to scream. But for whom? For Ana, the Scottish heiress of nine and ten, who occupied the next chamber? No, not Ana. Could she call for the old caretaker who needed a crutch to walk from the garden to the granary? No, not him. Sister Margaret had left yesterday for Fairhope Tower in the Debatable Lands and taken the guardsmen with her. There was no one to challenge this intruder except Meridene, and she would fight.
    â€œStand away, you wretched cur.”
    â€œShush!”
    Flailing her arms, she struck out at the darkness and felt a moment’s gratification when she landed a solid blow.
    He cursed and pinned her arms at her sides, then rolled her, trapping her in the bed linens. A soft woollen cloth was slipped over her head and secured around her neck. Lifting her off the mattress, he swung her into the air and over his shoulder.
    Trussed up like a doomed goose, her head spinning, she was jostled and jolted with every step