Chapter 32

32

In The Dungeon

D akota opened her eyes and stared at the small, dark room again. She had not tried to sleep, nor would she have been able to. She had no idea how long she had been locked in the small cell. The last she had seen of her husband was him collapsing to the ground, surrounded by three men.

She would cry some more if she had any tears left. She had cried since she had been taken and had only stopped in the last hour. Now, she was numb. She had dreamed of a future, but it had been taken from her.

Her thoughts had turned from the future she had dreamed of, from the love and adventure she would share with William to thoughts of destroying Conall. She did not know how she was going to do it, but she would get her revenge even if she had to wait fifty years.

Dakota got up from the small, uncomfortable straw mattress and walked around the room again in case she had missed something the first ten times. There was a straw mattress with nothing underneath, a wooden bucket in the corner that she knew she had to use sometime but was putting off as long as possible.

All that was left after that was the large wooden door. She had tried to pull it open, but it was heavy and, more importantly, locked. She wished she had kept her dagger on her after William had taught her to fight, but what good would it have done?

She could not have fought off Conall and his men. Nor would she be able to use it now to scrape her way out of the stone cell. When the two soldiers had come the first time, she thought maybe she could have done something about them, but they were both armed, and even if he got past both, she would have to make it out of Conall's castle and cover the ground between his and William's.

She looked at the tray in the corner with a mug of water and a chunk of bread—she had not touched them in protest even though her stomach had begun to turn somersaults and rumble like thunder. She could have kicked the mug over and ripped up the bread, but she wanted Conall to know that he had not touched a drop or a crumb.

Dakota took a deep breath. "I will take care of him, me love. I ken it will take time, but I will make him pay."

William had spoken about Cameron coming for her, but would he know she was locked up in the dungeon?

The large bolt shifted on the other side of the door, and Dakota quickly returned to the bed. She did not want to fight back against the guards.

Dakota was surprised when the two guards did not enter. Conall stood in the doorway this time, and she recoiled back from him.

"Good evening, Dakota. I hope you are comfortable here."

There was a lot Dakota wanted to say, but she bit her tongue and readied herself to fight back. Taking on the guards to try and escape was one thing, but fending off Conall was completely different. She was not going to let him touch her.

"I see you have not eaten your meal. Are you not used to hospitality?"

Again, Dakota did not say a word, and she could see that it irritated Conall.

"You do know it is rude not to respond when a Viscount is talking to you, Dakota. I could make your life very pleasant here or very difficult. You do believe me, do you not?"

Dakota held his gaze, but her lips remained shut.

Conall was well-dressed again but looked out of place in the dungeons. The guards he had down here were burly and big. While Conall was very tall, he could not be described as big. He was a slender gent who looked more accustomed to being spoon- fed his supper than engaging in any rough and tumble of war or dungeon life.

Dakota wanted to tell him he would pay for all he had done, but she knew it would do no good. He was not a man who could be reasoned with.

"This is the final offer I am prepared to give to you, Dakota. You can either live your life down here in the dungeon, or I can set you free."

That caught Dakota's attention, and she looked back up at Conall from the floor.

"Ah, I can see that I finally have your attention. Now, your husband is gone, but you still have a family to go back to, so why do you not think about them for a moment."

Dakota had thought about them a lot and wanted to see her father and siblings again, but she knew they would understand.

"I will give you a life here, Dakota. You will not want for anything."

"I am yer prisoner," said Dakota.

"Ah, so you can speak. You are not my prisoner, Dakota. I brought you here to save you from the brute you were forced to marry. You were forced to marry him when your sister ran away, were you not? It is all so barbaric."

"It doesnae matter what I was forced to do. It is none of yer business."

"No, you are right, but we are both here in my castle, so it is my business. Now, I could let you go free from the castle, but your clan would not have you back now. Their Laird is dead, so what use do they have for you? They will move on and find a new Laird and Lady. And your family has suffered enough embarrassment with a daughter running off and another unable to save her husband. They will surely shun you. I will step up and save you, Dakota."

"I would rather rot in this dungeon," said Dakota.

"I am sure you would, but I have a proposition for you. If you agree to marry me—"

"I will never agree to that!"

"If you agree to marry me," continued Conall, "I promise not to attack your leaderless clan. You were once Lady of the Clan, and I am sure you cared for them in your own way. If you agree to marry me, I will continue relations with them instead of retaliating for your Laird attacking me in the countryside."

"Ye're mad!" shouted Dakota. "Ye attacked us!"

"Ah, but there is only one witness to that, and I have seven! Including myself, a respected Viscount and leader. Whom do you think my friends across the border are going to believe?"

"I willnae do it. There is nothin' ye can say to make me think otherwise. Me clan wouldnae want me to anyway!"

"All you have to do," continued Conall as if he had not heard her, "is to marry me. I know you were forced into one marriage before, so this should be easy for you. And I will treat you like a queen. You will come to love me in time, Dakota."

"All this because ye want to get back at William."

"You do not have to even think about the man anymore, Dakota. From what I heard, he could not even consummate the marriage with you. What sort of man is that? I shall have no problem giving you a child, Dakota. That is what you want, is it not? And because you have not consummated the marriage, it can be annulled quite easily. We shall be able to wed today if we wish.

"But I must rush you, Dakota. This offer will not be on the table forever. Think about your former clan and your family. When we wed, I will bring peace to the Rottrich Clan, and my clan will join with your father's clan. Think about the power he will have with the English behind him also."

Annulled? Why would I need to annul the marriage if me husband is dead?

"Ye want to partner with me faither's clan?" asked Dakota.

"You are starting to see sense. I do want a union. We will be the strongest force north of the border, and together, we will bring civility and peace to this land."

"And ye promise that ye will not harm the Rottrich Clan?"

"You have my word, Dakota."

Ye are nae tellin' me the complete truth, are ye? Why do ye really want to wed me, Conall? And why do you think I would after ye killed me husband?

Dakota did not trust his word. "When would be wed?"

"As soon as possible. There is no time like the present to bring peace to the lands."

Aye, that is mighty quick to get wed. Ye need it to be quick, daenae ye?

"Ye said the offer would be off the table soon. How long do I have to think about it?"

"The night," said Conall, with a giddy eagerness.

The night? Even quicker than I thought!

"All right, I shall think it over."

I shall think it over—I shall think long and hard about what ye are really up to!

"Good," said Conall. "I knew you would come to your senses. You will make the correct decision in the morning, and we will wed in the afternoon. This is what is best for everyone."

"Aye. I want to do what is best for everyone."

"Now, at least try and eat and drink something, Dakota. I have heard that you have not been consuming anything. You need your strength for what comes tomorrow."

Conall stepped forward and placed a hand on Dakota's cheek, and she held herself tight, trying her best not to flinch. She looked deep into his eyes, and while he did maintain a cool, calm demeanor, there was fear in his eyes, and she could sense what he was scared of.

"Shall I have some more food sent up? Some meat, perhaps?" asked Conall.

"Aye, that would be fine," said Dakota.

Conall smiled and withdrew his hand. He nodded and left the cell. The door was bolted behind him.

Dakota picked up the tray from the floor and eagerly drank the water. She bit into the bread and chewed on it despite her mouth being dry.

He had underestimated her again, just as he had done in the market. He was far too confident in himself and had slipped up without knowing. All she had to do now was delay proceedings long enough.

It was the talk of annulment and the speed at which he wanted her to marry. It was too soon after her husband had been killed, and Conall had been the one to order the murder.

It did not matter if she had consummated the marriage with William or not—if he was dead, then she could marry anyone else she pleased. But the Viscount knew he needed the marriage to be annulled for him to wed her. And he was scared because he knew William was coming.

William was still alive!

And with how soon Conall wanted to go ahead with the wedding, it meant William was coming for her!

Of course, she would not marry Conall, but she had to make him believe she would. She had to leave the cell so she would be free when William came for her. She would find a way to delay the wedding should it come to that. But for now, she could dream.

She eagerly ate the bread, which tasted like the gods' nectar. She needed to live again. Her love was coming for her, and she would be reunited with him soon.

She felt alive once more.