Chapter 141

Thorburn gave Stuart a quick glance and Stuart nodded and checked the upper rooms for anyone. He found a maid in his room and asked her to leave for now, go downstairs, and she could finish up later. When he was sure the rooms were empty, he stood in the doorway and watched the stairway to see if anyone else came up the stairs.

Stuart nodded to Thorburn and he asked Teárlag to sit down and tell him about her meeting with Blackthorne.

"I cannot sit, Thorburn. I may not be able to sit until tomorrow at least."

"Was the carriage ride that rough?" Thorburn asked.

"Nay, I was kneeling in the carriage. I cannot sit at all. I can barely tolerate the material of my dress to touch my skin."

"Show me."

Teárlag, indifferent to more shame, lifted her skirts and revealed her lovely bottom to both Thorburn and Stuart. They were horribly red, maroon almost. Stuart sucked in his breath and Thorburn knelt on the floor examining it more closely. He reached out to touch her and realized how painful his hand might be, so pulled it back.

"He did this to you?" Thorburn asked.

"Yes."

"I have some cream I used on myself after I was paddled. It will ease the pain somewhat. Would you like me to put some on you?"

"Please, anything to diminish the agony."

Thorburn stood up and began rummaging in his desk for Ailene's skin concoction.

Stuart gave a warning from the door. "The maid is coming with Teárlag's food and tea."

Teárlag lowered and straightened her skirts and Stuart stood aside so she could bring in the food.

After she set the tray down, Stuart said to the maid, "I'm getting a bit of a headache. Must be from sleeping so late this morning. Could you have the cook brew up some of Ailene's willow bark tea? I'll be down to get it in about a half hour. You needn't bring me any."

"Yes, sir. I'll let cook know."

"Thank you."

She left and Stuart waited until she'd disappeared down the steps before nodding again to Thorburn.

"Lift up your skirts, lass and I'll put some of this on."

Teárlag raised her skirts, uncaring Stuart could see her. What difference did it make? Thorburn knelt down again and put some cream on his hands and raised it to the bruised flesh. Before putting it on, he said, "This is going to hurt."

"Less than it did receiving it," Teárlag said stoically.

Thorburn touched the cream to her skin and she flinched. As gently as he could, Thorburn smoothed the cream on as thickly as he dared. Teárlag whimpered at his touch, her skin shivering, but for the most part, she kept still so her could smear it on.

"I didn't put my dress on until just before we reached the Keep. I could not abide it on my skin," Teárlag said, wincing as Thorburn applied some to a particularly dark spot.

Thorburn finished up and told Teárlag she could drop the hem of her dress. She had to admit the pain diminished somewhat now he'd applied the cream.

"Why did he do it?" Thorburn asked.

"Do you care, Thorburn? Do you really care? You no longer love me. I've betrayed you and I know it's my fault, but why is it important to you?"

"I care as much for you as I would any woman who was mistreated this badly. The man who did this needs to be beaten to death and I'd feel the same way if it was any woman he'd mistreated."

She looked at him, a piteous look of pain, then said, "A warning. He was warning me. It's almost as though he knows what we plan. He's allowing me to move in, though not for a couple days until the marks of his beating have disappeared so you wouldn't know I'm his pawn. He called his butler into his study and made me suck his cock until he climaxed in my mouth, then again until he was hard enough to fuck my ass. He made sure to tell the butler that he'd be sharing me with him and others frequently even after our marriage because except for bearing children, women have no use other than as a repository for male seed. After the butler orgasmed in my ass, Blackthorne made me lick the butler's cock clean so he wouldn't soil his trousers. Afterward he beat me. He said I should move in with you, but if I ever betrayed him, he would let everyone of his retainers use me in every possible way before he started on me. The whipping was a minor taste of the pain I could expect if I was untrue. He told me to take a good look at all the things in his dungeon as I left, because they would become my life. He said if I broke faith with him, he would spend every penny of his fortune to have his agents find me and bring me to him no matter where I tried to flee."

Teárlag started sobbing and grabbed hold of Thorburn's shirt. Thorburn put his arm around her shoulders. "I can't help you anymore, Thorburn. Don't ask it of me. I'm terrified. I've never been so scared in my life. The man is a devil. I'll never feel safe as long as he's alive."

Suddenly, she looked up Thorburn and begged, "Thorburn, I want you to kill me. It's my only way to be free of him."

"I can't kill you, lass. Why would you ask it of me?"

"It's the sole route to escape my miserable life. If I betray Blackthorne, I only have torture and death to look forward to. If I help him, I'm betraying my best friends and the only man I've ever loved. If he succeeds and destroys you, I can look forward to nothing more than serving as his whore, subject to daily beatings and being passed around to his servants. What have I got to live for? Even now, he expects me to send weekly reports through my servants and still report to him monthly. Do you think if he'd asked me any questions today while he was beating me, I'd have been able to deny him anything? I would have answered any question he asked to get the pain to stop. The next time I report to him, I can expect more of the same. What if he thinks to ask me questions as he's whipping me. I will tell all. I couldn't stand it. I'm doomed. I can't even play spy for you past my next meeting. It will probably be my last. You'd be doing me a mercy to end my life quickly and quietly, Thorburn. I would thank you for it. Perhaps Ailene knows of some medicine or potion which will put me to sleep, never to wake. All I'd ask of you is you make love to me one more time before you killed me. A last memory of what I've lost. I don't need more than that."

"I could never kill you, Teárlag. I could never kill anyone I once loved."

"Then I must do it myself before I'm to meet him again. I won't go back there. I'd rather die. You were a soldier, a warrior; just show me how to do it quickly with little pain. I'd rather commit the mortal sin of suicide before ever facing Blackthorne again. Hell would be preferable. He said if I fail to show up, he will know I've betrayed him and my life is forfeit anyway. If you killed me, he would think you discovered I was spying for him. He wouldn't know I begged you to do it to set me free." She paused, looking up at him. "We can't even trust our own servants. When I reported to him after leaving here, before I'd reached the Manor through the tunnel, Blackthorne was fucking my maid in the ass, before making me lick his cock clean of her shit. I don't know what she told him to be rewarded for, but it can't have been anything good for us."

"Did he beat you then?" Stuart asked.

"He whipped my breasts and cunt so hard, I had to ride bare breasted to Tobermory so my dress wouldn't touch them. My maid laughs at me when she has to help me into the carriage. The driver leers at my lack of clothes. My life is worthless now. I want to be dead."

"We have a month to think of some plan before you need do anything so drastic as kill yourself, Teárlag. If we must keep you locked in the Keep for the remainder of your life, we can protect you."

"Until he wins by some other method. You can't even trust people who've served you all your lives. All someone has to do is push me through the gate or over the wall at some pre-arranged time and I'll be in his hands again. Anything you plan or imagine you can come up with, must result in his death or I will kill myself. Even if you could protect me, I'm not sure I want to remain here indefinitely with the constant reminder of all I've lost living in the same building."

"We'll discuss this more when you return, Teárlag." Thorburn squeezed her shoulder once more. "I know we can come up with an answer to our problems if we set our minds to it. Stuart, would you please escort her to her carriage?"

"Aye. I'll give her the willow bark tea cook is brewing to take with her. It may help her with the pain."

Thorburn handed her the cream he'd used on Teárlag. "Take this. There's not a large amount left, but it might ease your sleep tonight."

"Wait," Stuart said. "We need to give her a ring to show she's accepted your proposal of marriage. Her maid will be expecting to see something. I believe Ailene has a ring we can use."