Chapter 1
Isabella stood at one of the many windows of Nottingham Castle and stared down into the court yard below. She let out a deep sigh; she used to be happy here. Then Thornton arrived, he was her husband and he had tracked her down. She had fled from his house in fear for her life and her happiness. When he had arrived he quickly stripped Isabella of her role as Sheriff and had appointed himself Sheriff, he ruled with an iron fist, and severely punished anyone who stood in his way or disobeyed him. This included Isabella. His speciality was torture and enjoyed hearing people scream for mercy, though he never granted it. He had been in Nottingham for just over a week and Isabella was learning to avoid him and punishment.
She watched him ride into the courtyard, and dismount; he threw his reins at a stable hand and ordered him away with several tasks to complete. He was in a terrible mood, obviously another poor tax collection Isabella thought. However, her thoughts quickly became one of her own safety as his footsteps echoed up the stone steps of Nottingham castle, 'Isabella' he roared, sending shivers down her spine. She quickly walked away from the window and away from Thornton, hoping that he would not be in the mood to find her. 'Isabella, where are you?' he shouted again filling her very soul with dread, she hastily turned a corner and ran down some steps trying to make herself vanish within the castle. 'Isabella, when i find you i...' she didn't hear the rest of the sentence as she had shut the door of a servants bedroom of which she had just entered.
The room was small and sparsely furnished, but it was away from Thornton's quarters and that's all Isabella cared about. She stood with her back to the door, she wasn't sure why, but maybe there was a part of her that thought she could stop him from entering the room with brute force. A single tear crept down her cheek, but she angrily brushed it away. She would not cry because of this man, she would be strong.
Footsteps approached, and her entire body tensed for the onslaught that was to follow, but they died away leaving her alone with her thoughts. Silence filled the bed chamber, allowing Isabella to hear her own heartbeat which seemed to echo off the cold stone walls, she tried to calm her breathing and slowly she began to relax. She walked forward and sat on the bed staring at the door, willing for the room to become invisible so he would never find her, but she knew it would never happen, so it became a waiting game. Time seemed to be edging by, the room slowly got darker and darker until a reddish glow filled it. Slowly Isabella stood and tiptoed to the door, Thornton should be eating his supper she thought which means he is in the great hall. She opened the door and peered out, all seemed clear; she took silent steps into the corridor and walked quickly towards her bedroom. A few guards walked past but nobody paid attention to the shadow on the wall that she had become. A voice stopped her, it was giving orders but luckily they were not about her. She walked on with a slightly quicker pace just hoping to get to the safety of her bedroom before someone found her.
She darted along the last corridor and quickly entered her chambers and silently shut the door behind her. She quickly examined the room, half expecting Thornton to be sat on her bed waiting for her. But all was clear, and she let out a sigh of relief. Slowly she dragged herself to bed, feeling drained. She sat down and took off her shoes. Her feet ached from her quick march through the castle and she felt immense pleasure when she lifted them up and placed them down on her soft duvet. Her head cleared of all thoughts as she rested her head on her pillow, letting calm take over.
The door burst open, causing Isabella to jump and scream. A large man walked in, he was Thornton's right hand man; Isabella had never caught his name, so she always called him 'the giant'. The giant let out a cackle of laughter at her reaction, and strode forward. She jumped into action, flinging herself off the other side of the bed, away from him. She picked up a hair brush, then realising what it was she placed it down again. The giant strode towards her causing her to back up into a corner, he had her trapped. She hit and scratched him as he came closer, but this didn't even make him blink. With a last futile slap, she gave in and was quickly grabbed and hauled towards the door.
He dragged her through the castle, Isabella remained still, and she had worked out that it was less painful if she stayed still. But never one to miss an opportunity, she saw an escape route and quickly sought about finding her freedom. She turned and punched the giant in the nose causing him to stagger back and release her; she shot forward down the corridor running at full speed. Soon there were footsteps behind her, they got closer and closer, suddenly she was yanked backward by her hair, causing her to scream. The giant laughed menacingly at her and smiled as he led her back the way she came by her hair. This is how they continued until they came to the bottom floor; she was led down a small dark corridor to a large wooden door. She recognised the room immediately as Thornton's torture chamber and shuddered at the images in her mind. The door was swung open and she was pushed roughly inside and onto the floor. She looked up slowly, into the eyes of her husband.
'Hello sweetheart' he crooned.