The Betrayal of Maggie Blair - By Elizabeth Laird Page 0,32

hear. No hard feelings. I'll just raise a toast to you before I go."

He clinked the bottle, and we heard the whiskey gurgle in the neck of it.

"Good night, Donnie!" he called out, and started to move slowly away.

My heart had leaped with hope at the arrival of Tam, and now it was sinking deeper and deeper with every one of his retreating steps. And then came the familiar rasping noise as the bolts on the outer door scraped back, and we heard Mr. Brown whisper hoarsely, "Come back here, man, and bring the bottle with you. It's cold enough in this tomb to freeze the blood in my veins."

"Ha!" said Granny softly. "Well done, Tam. Now we'll see what's what."

Tam was already running up the outer stair to the door, which Mr. Brown had opened a crack. He paused on the way up and pushed our shutter closed, cutting out the worst of the freezing wind.

I'd always hated watching Tam and Granny drinking themselves to silliness, but the sound of Mr. Brown going under the whiskey was the sweetest I'd ever heard. Tam was clever. He didn't rush things. We couldn't catch all the words as they sat outside our cell and talked, but we could tell he was talking first about the lock for his mythical chest, and then Mr. Brown started on about his wife's cousin drowning, and Tam was murmuring sympathetically.

Granny and I sat in the dark, hugging ourselves, laughing at every new stage of Mr. Brown's drunkenness.

"Let's hope Tam has the sense to stay off the stuff himself, that's all," Granny kept saying.

At last, Mr. Brown got to roaring and singing, and we sat terrified in case someone heard him and came to see what was going on, but luckily the tavern nearby was full of people come in from all over the Isle of Bute to see the execution in the morning, and they were making such a din that Mr. Brown's rants were drowned out.

At last, after a couple of hours, he quieted down to indistinct mumblings, and then there was a thud as something heavy hit the floor.

"That's him out cold," Granny said with satisfaction. "I wish him joy of the headache he'll have in the morning."

There came a jingle of keys and a rattle and scrape at our lock, and at last the cell door swung open.

For one second, behind the figure that stood in the doorway, I saw a flutter, almost like wings. It was probably just a trick of the shadows cast by the lantern that Tam was holding up high, but I'd thought for an instant there was an angel standing there. Then I saw Tam's dirty blue bonnet and his gap-toothed mouth as he cackled, "Come on, you two. Let's get away from here."

He was swaying and flushed, but he was sober enough.

"Tam, you—you—!"

I couldn't say another thing but threw myself at him and hugged him till he panted for breath.

"That's enough of that," Granny snapped behind me. "Get going while you've got the chance."

"Yes, come on!" I was out of the cell already, struggling to draw back the heavy bolts on the big outer door. Tam came up behind me, stepping over the snoring body of Mr. Brown.

The bolts were back, and I was turning the great door handle with both hands, when Granny called out, "Take care, Maggie. Don't open it till I've checked if there's anyone outside."

I could hear her stool clatter on the floor as she set it below the window and the rustle as she climbed up on it.

"Good. No one's about. Get going now, the pair of you."

I had the door half open before her words had sunk in. I shut the door again.

"What do you mean, 'the pair of you'?"

"I'm not coming with you," Granny said, glaring at me. "Get out of here. Hurry."

"What?" I couldn't believe my ears. "Granny, you've got to! They'll kill you in the morning. You've got to escape. This is our only chance!"

She was standing in the obstinate stance I knew too well, her mouth set in a grim line, her arms folded on her chest, her feet planted wide apart as if she was conquering the very ground she stood on.

"It's your only chance, Maggie. How can we both get away? There'll be a hue and cry all over the island. They'll not leave one stone unturned. Where could we hide? Who would help us? But if you cut your hair and Tam gets