WolfeStrike (De Wolfe Pack Generations #2) - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,77
and noticed servants out of the kitchen yard going about their business. She called to them and waved her arms, but when she shouted, the goats and pigs below would make noise because they were startled by the sharp sound of her voice. She shouted four times but, each time, she was drowned out by a frightened animal. Frustrated and impatient, she grabbed the rope and began to lower herself out.
Truthfully, she’d never done anything like this before and quickly discovered that it was not as easy as she had thought it would be. It took upper body strength and a good grip. About halfway down, the bed must have slipped because the rope suddenly gave way and snapped her right off. Isalyn fell the last few feet to the ground, landing on her backside in the mud as the pigs squealed and scattered.
For a moment, she simply sat there, a wee bit stunned at hitting the ground so hard. But her shock was momentary. She was out of the chamber and that was all she cared about. Struggling to her feet, she was also so angry that she was quite certain the devil himself would have run from her at that moment.
Now, she was on the hunt.
Storming out of the kitchen yard, she found herself in the inner bailey, heading for the great hall. Her entire backside was soaked with mud, and it covered most of the back of her head and her hair. It was on her arms and hands, and the only thing it didn’t seem to be on was her chest and face. By the time she entered the great hall, there were flames of fury shooting out of her ears.
She had come to do battle.
Unfortunately, the hall was empty except for the knight who had greeted them when they had first arrived at Blackpool. He was sitting at the table eating the remnants of a meal, but he caught movement out of the corners of his eyes and looked up just as Isalyn approached the table.
His eyes widened at the sight.
“My lady?” he gasped, rising quickly. “What on earth happened to you?”
Isalyn was ready to explode. “What is your name, my lord? I have forgotten.”
“Christian, my lady. Christian Hage.”
“Christian,” she said through clenched teeth. “I will explain the situation to you – the door to my chamber was locked. The shutters were locked except for the ones overlooking the kitchen yard. I had to climb from the window to escape the chamber because no amount of screaming or banging would bring anyone to my aid. I had no fire, no food, and no way to communicate with anyone. Where are those two chatelaines?”
His wide eyes grew wider. “You… you were locked in?”
Isalyn nodded. “The latch would move, but the bolts were in place,” she said. “I can only assume that someone, whoever had the key, had locked the door from the outside. But things like that do not happen by accident. Did they think I was going to simply sit there all night and weep because they had locked me in?”
Christian sighed heavily, closing his eyes as if to ward off what he was being told. He didn’t say what he was thinking; The Vipers strike again. Only this time, they had struck on a woman who wouldn’t take it lying down. Christian could see that simply by looking at her.
Lady Isalyn was fit to be tied.
Before he could answer, however, Barbara and Lenore chose that moment to enter the great hall. The entered through a servant’s entrance that was behind Christian so he didn’t see them.
But Isalyn did.
Suddenly, she was rushing around him, mud and all, running towards Barbara and Lenore as they came into the light.
Christian ran after her.
“You!” Isalyn boomed, pointing to Barbara. “I want you to listen to me very carefully and answer only when spoken to. Do you understand me?”
Barbara and Lenore, caught off-guard by a very muddy and angry lady, were taken aback by the sight of her.
“My lady!” Barbara gasped. “What…?”
“Silence!” Isalyn shouted. “You do not ask any questions. I will ask the questions. You are chatelaine of Blackpool, are you not?”
Barbara was looking at her with wide eyes. “Aye, my lady.”
“Does anyone else have control over your duties?”
Barbara cast a nervous glance at Lenore. “My… my sister is also chatelaine.”
“Who prepared my room today?”
“I did, my lady.”
“Are there locks on all the doors in the building you call the apartment block?”