Chapter 10 – A Beating to Remember and a Rescue

The pair were left alone for two days.

Jamie had been a caring and gentle man ever since. Elizabeth had seen to his hurts and she sighed gently as she looked at him from where she was by the cot.

Guards came to them and opened the door. "The captain wishes to see you."

The pair looked at each other. The girl paled and Jamie rose to his feet and nodded to her. "I'm here." He said to her.

They walked out of the dungeon and out into the bright sun shine.

Randall stood waiting as the girl was brought before him. She was shaking a little.

"This woman before you had been brought to the court as a woman of questionable morals. The court finds her guilty and will deliver thirty lashes to remind her of the behavior."

Jamie gasped and struggled, but the girl turned and shook her head as she looked at him. He stopped as she stared at him. She pulled her chemise down, revealing her back.

The guards bound her to the pillory as she looked back. The sergeant held the whip. At a nod from Randall the cat struck, forever marring her flawless back. She cried out and arched upwards in pain, standing on tip-toe for a moment.

She took a couple of breaths before looking back at Jamie. "I take it." She said mostly to herself, but both Jamie and Randall heard her.

The second one she yelped again, panting, but straightened to take the next, watching Jamie, locking eyes with him.

He flinched every time with her. It was one thing to suffer his own pain, but to see her suffer as well nearly broke him then and there. The only reason he did not cry out for mercy for her was her look to him. She was keeping him from moving.

Randall watched smiling a little with satisfaction. No one would want the whore now.

The girl for her part watched the man before her, holding his gaze as tears came to both their eyes. She was starting to feel light headed as blood flowed down her back to the boards below after fifteen. After twenty, she passed out, her small body unable to handle it. The only word she had said was, "Jamie..." and it had been as she fainted from blood loss. As though she wanted him to know she yet lived.

Jamie cried out as the cat fell on her unconscious body. "Stoap! ah wull tak' th' rest o' her punishment. She haes suffered enough."

Randall lifted his hand and nodded as the man stepped back.

Two guards went to the girl and untied her. She fell hard to the boards. They lifted her and hauled her back to the cell. Jamie took off his shirt looking at Randall, revealing the healing wounds.

Guards attached him to the pillory. Randall stood behind him, admiring the wounds a moment. He took the butt of the cat and pressed one.

The boy gasped in pain, but did not cry out.

He moved before him. "You know I prefer a blank canvas. Allows for a way to mark your progress." He said.

Jamie looked forward.

"You're shaking. Are you afraid?"

Jamie turned to him. "A'm juist feart ah wull freeze stiff wi' cauld afore yer dane talking." He then looked back up at his bound hands. He looked below at his feet. The fresh blood that belonged to Elizabeth.

She had been brave. So brave.

She had screamed, but then no woman should suffer so. He looked ahead then as Randall walked behind him.

The first strike hurt worse than he would have thought, ripping into his badly wounded flesh. Still he made no outcry.

After sixty lashes, Randall's arm was tiring, but the boy refused to cry out. He was tripping on his own blood and having problems staying upright due to blood loss.

Still more strokes fell.

Randall walked to his head and yanked his head up by his red hair. "Is it enough?" He looked at his victim. "Well? Is it?!" He asked.

Gaining no reply, he continued.

109 lashes all told. Jamie's back was flayed open and he bleed so much it was a wonder he yet lived. They took him down to his cell.

They threw him into the cell onto the straw.

Elizabeth gasped. She could hardly move, but she went to him. "Jamie!" She cried.

He grunted, lifting his head. "Tis dane lassie. A' dane. Rest. We baith need it."

She nodded and laid beside him.

ZzZ

It was a day later.

Jamie was delirious and Elizabeth tried to help him by forcing him to drink water and she put cloth on his wounds. The guards had felt pity toward the young man and given her bandages and herbs to try to heal him.

She sat beside him. She had helped him use the privy pot and he was so out of it, he didn't even notice she was helping. He then laid down again, sleeping.

It was evening. His fever had broken, but he was weak as a lamb still.

He watched her as she moved about with a great deal of hesitation, the chemise about her elbows, barely about her breasts making her look more like a tavern wench than a lady. When she turned, he saw the welts, broken skin, and dried blood of her unattended cuts. The back hung nearly to her waist. She had to be in such pain, but refused to say a thing about it.

She heard a commotion and sat up.

Jamie heard it too, moving before her to protect her.

A guard appeared and unlocked the door.

He was shoved inside and landed in a heap near Elizabeth. Jamie pulled her closer behind him. They both looked up at a man standing there in plaid.

"Dougal." Jamie said softly. He laughed then. "Thank ye Jesus."

The man nodded. "Ken ye ride lad?"

Jamie nodded. "Aye. This lassie is comin' wi' us. Ah wull nae lea her tae Randall. She haes suffered fur o' me. She wull nae suffer mair 'ere fur o' mah escape."

Dougal looked at the girl and then nodded. He tossed Jamie a weapon and then nodded to the girl. "Com' lassie." He said.

"Vho dis, Jamie?" She asked suspiciously.

"A friend." Jamie said testing his arm.

Dougal grabbed the girl and wrapped his sword arm around her. She cried out in pain. Dougal clapped a hand over her mouth and shot Jamie a look.

Jamie shook his head and moved to her. "Hush sweetheart. We dinnae need th' hail fort comin' efter us." He said urgently in her ear as he bent close.

She nodded and moved along with him. Several guards were shoved into the room and the door was locked by a man. Jamie went and mount a horse. He groaned in pain. He sat up straighter and looked about.

Elizabeth was lifted onto a mount and Dougal mounted behind her. He nodded to her as they all rode out of the fort, redcoats running about in confusion.

One fell dead and there was an uproar as the group galloped away.

ZzZ

They rode well into the night before allowing the horses to rest. Dougal gently offered the girl a flask as the horses drank from a stream. "Gang oan lassie. A wee nip. Yi''ll need yer braun. We hae a day tae gang 'n' yer in pain."

Another man gave Jamie some. Jamie nodded and spoke Gaelic as he lifted it and then drank.

The girl drank two swallows. It warmed her throat and belly.

Dougal nodded. "Good lass." He said.

They traveled through the night and into the next morning. The girl had started to wobble and Dougal caught her to him and held her, tucking her like a child in the fold of his plaid over his shoulder. She rode now crossways, but it would keep her still and his hands free for action.

As the sun reached mid morning the arrived at a large manor home.

Dougal at once began to bark orders in Gaelic.

Men came and lifted the nearly unconscious Jamie down and carried him into the manor. Women came to him as he gently lowered the barely dressed girl to them. Elizabeth woke enough to feel herself being carried.

She struggled a moment until Dougal came into her view. "Easy Lass." He said. "Welcome to Beannachd." He said to her. He smiled. "Mah hame 'n' fur noo yers as weel. Whit's yer name lassie? A'm Dougal MacKenzie."

She took a breath. "Elizabeth." She said softly.

And then she knew no more as her body gave out and she went limp.

Dougal caught her head as it lolled back. "Brassic lassie haes bin thro' hell juist lik' jamie. A clocked thaim baith flogged. Na wifie shuid hae tae suffer that, na maiter whit she did."

He nodded to the women to see to her while he went to see how the healer was attending to Jamie in another room.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of having this girl with them. It was twice the danger rescuing them both, but he had seen the look in Jamie's eyes when and knew the lad would not leave her. Now to heal them and see them out of harm's way before something ill happened to either of them.