I stand and walk to the door as told, glancing at the balcony, hoping to catch Barn's attention, but he's too distracted. My unknown companion leads me with a hand on the small of my back, the other hand ready with the knife. The cool night air hits my face and I pull my shawl higher on my shoulders. He isn't bothering with the appearance of civility any more, he grabs my arm and twists it behind my back, blade now to my neck.
"Who are you? Where are you taking me?" My only answer is the tightening of his grip.
We walk for about ten minutes in silence, each step taking us further from the castle, further from help. My mind races, trying to remember what Old Tom had taught me for overtaking someone larger than me. We reach the hedge maze at the back of the garden, and I try to dig my heels in, but he plunges in. We walk for only a minute or so, after three left turns, two right, and another left. When we stop, it's at a dead end. He flings me in front of him, and I attempt to keep my balance, but can't due to my infernal skirts.
I try to scramble up from my place on the grass, but his boot on my shoulder prevents me. We stare at each other for a time, or he stares at me, I can't see his face due to the deep cowl of his hood. He suddenly breaks the silence, his voice cracking, sounding as if he had been yelling.
"I know who you are." I stare, heart plummeting to the soles of my feet, yet beating loud as a drum in my ears. What did he mean? Did he know about my being Will or Rose? Both?
"The skinny weasel that punched me, the moose you were dancing with… Who else could you be?" He was ranting, pressing harder on my shoulder with each word. "The only one missing is that little twit Will, or so I thought." I shiver, knowing that this unnamed assailant held my life in his hands.
He pulled back his hood, and I wasn't truly surprised to see Alban's face sneering down at me. "How you getting them to keep your secret Will? Are you paying them? Doing favors? You belong to me, your Aunt has promised you to me, and you don't have the right to take my property from me." He sneaks and grabs me, pulling me up and pinning me against the surprisingly solid bushes behind me with his arm against my throat. I try to kick, knee, hit, spit… Anything. Everything I try is laughed off and ignored. Alban was never this good at hand to hand when we were training, but now it's as if I'm hitting a brick wall. I truly begin to see the danger I'm in, and I panic.
"Sam! Barn! Help! Hel-" I'm silenced by a blinding hit to the side of my head. For a time, all I can see is stars.
"Shut up you little trollop! you'll do as I say, or I'll turn you into the authorities and be watching you swing by daybreak." As frightening as hanging was, I feared whatever this monster had in store for me than anything else.
I make another attempt to knee him and he hits me again, this time allowing me to slump to the ground. I cry out, the pain of being hit in the same spot causing me to fade in and out of consciousness. I can hear a peppy new age song coming out of the castle windows. I feel a kick connect with my stomach, and I fight not to vomit. He begins to relentlessly pummel me, kicking and stomping until I'm begging for darkness. He kicks the same spot twice, and I blackout.
When I come to, I can tell it's not much more than a few moments later. I can still hear the same song pouring from the ballroom. I stare at the stars for a time, marveling. I can't tell if Alban is still there, beating me bloody, for I feel out of body. I turn my head to see and gasp. There are three figures running toward me, two male, one female. I look at Alban and see he is staring at my approaching saviors… or his friends, coming to join in the fun. I turn away, uninterested in watching any oncoming attacks.
My ringing ears pick up the sound of a fight, and I'm pulled into a lap by gentle hands. It's the unknown brunette Barney was dancing with.
"Why aren't you dancing?" I slur.
"What?"
"Barn's good guy."
"Yes he is." She smiles worriedly and calls out over her shoulder for Sam.
He rushes over and drops beside the mystery woman, pulling me into his own lap.
"Rosie, are you alright? Can you hear me?" He smooths the hair from my face, voice and hands quivering
"Did you eat the soup?"
He looks questioningly over at the woman.
"She keeps speaking like that, I think she's in shock." He nods and moves to pick me up.
I scream bloody murder. It's as if I'm full of broken glass.
"We'll have to wait until Barney gets here." The woman says through the hand that covered her mouth in horror. Sam nods, and hands me back to her, careful not to jostle me. He gets up and leaves my field of vision once again.
Next thing I hear are yelling, two voices clashing together in an awful duet of pain and anger. It doesn't stop for a long while, but when it does, I can hear Sam. He's crying, it's muffled, buried in Barn's shoulder probably. I've never heard such pain in his voice.
"Sam? Barn?" My voice is weak, but clearer, as is my mind.
There's the sound of two people moving about, then their faces enter my line of vision. Barn has a large scrape across his cheek similar to my own. And Sam has blood splattered on his shirt and fists. I reach out and grab his closest hand, holding it until the tension leaves it, and his fingers lace with mine.
He squeezes my hand as Barn comes to my side and pulls me into his chest. There's a stick placed in my mouth, and I try to lessen my screams by biting on it as Barn lifts me up, as careful as possible, but the pain still rages. I feel him kiss the top of my head as I once again pass out.