Chapter 1

A Week Later

Jane stared at all her belongings in the entire world. They fit into two cases. That was all she had come to possess in her eighteen years on earth. She looked out of the window, at the daises and bluebonnets that bloomed in the square garden downstairs. They were the only beautiful thing about the castle. They had been her mother's, she'd been told. Her father had kept them for sentimental reasons. Beyond the garden was a field that stretched on as far as the eye could see. She and Eleonor were seldom allowed to go into town, and so almost all their memories were of this castle. She had always wanted to be free of it, and now she would be.

Only, she was stepping into a brand of captivity perhaps even worse than this one. Ever since that day in her father's office, Commander Pierce had looked at her as though she were property, as though she were conquered land. He'd had the effrontery to put a hand on her waist as he led her out of her father's office after the deal had been struck. If her father had seen it, he had made no indication of it.

Jane had always thought that she would marry for love, that she would meet a man who understood her and cherished her more than anything in the world. They would have a little house on the countryside. She would fill it with color: saffron walls and curtains the color of the sky and freshly picked flowers for every table.

Instead, her hand was given in exchange for the commander's silence. She was nothing more than the girls she'd heard about, whose fathers gave them out for drink or cows. Inside, she was quaking. She would do this all over again if it meant that her sister's secret was safe. Still, Jane was filled with despair.

Ever since she'd told Eleonor what the price for the Commander's silence was, her sister had withdrawn in what Jane knew was shame and regret. Jane had tried to reach out to her, to reassure her and ease some of her guilt. But she had stayed away, locked in her room, as the life within her grew and grew. Till now, Jane had no idea how the dilemma would be resolved, but she was sure that their father was hatching a plan that would make himself come out on top.

One of the maids entered the room, her steps slow and sorrowful. Her hands were clutched together in front of her. "'Tis time, my lady," she said. Jane nodded and stepped away from the window. The maid took one case, and another came and took the other. Jane looked around the room and sighed. As she went through the door, her hand lingered on a cold wall. She went to Eleonor's room and knocked at the door. "Eleonor? Darling? It is time for me to join the commander in Scotland. My cases are packed. They have been taken downstairs. I cannot leave without a goodbye from you. Please."

She heard nothing, at first, and then she heard the sound of sobbing. "Oh, Eleonor, you cannot do this to me and yourself. Please unlock the door. If we part like this, I shan't be able to bear it. Eleonor."

"She simply does not want to see you," her father said, materializing from around the corner. "She has realized the harm that loving you does to people. And now she must preserve herself from further harm. You must leave immediately."

Shortly after the commander had found out about Eleonor's pregnancy, he'd had to return to Scotland to join his countrymen in solidifying the English position on Scottish land. His regiment was camped in an abandoned castle at Loch Lomond. Jane had never heard a good tale about Scotland. To hear everyone tell it, it was a land of illiterate savages who worshipped wood and stone and vehemently refused the efforts of the English to bring them civilization. To crown it all, there was a war going on. Commander Pierce had promised to send two soldiers of his to guide her safely through, but that did not inspire a lot of confidence in Jane. She had met their commander. And weren't men reflections of their leaders?

"Yes, Father, I will leave," Jane said. "I just need to say goodbye." Her throat caught. She turned to Eleanor's door and banged on it. "I just want to say goodbye, Eleonor."

Nothing, except the sobs.

"Come on now," her father said. "You must leave at once." He took her arm and steered her in the direction of the stairs. They both descended them, and when they got outside, there were tears in Jane's eyes. Her cases were in the carriage, and a small group of her father's serfs had gathered around to bid her goodbye. The gardener who tended her mother's flowers made a way for himself and presented her with a beautiful bunch of white daises. His hair was grey and wild. His shirt had patches in it. His breeches were caked with mud. And yet the open-toothed smile that he gave her as he pressed the flowers into her hands almost broke her.

Your mother would have wanted you to have them," he said. "She would be so proud of how beautiful and… and brave you have become."

"Oh," Jane said, her voice shaking. A fat tear rolled down her right cheek and she quickly wiped it away with her free hand and smiled. "Thank… thank you."

"Back to work!" her father thundered. Throughout their interaction, he'd hovered by the door, but now it appeared he could not take more of this. They dispersed speedily, and Jane felt as though a part of herself had left her.

"What are you waiting for, then? Get in!" he bellowed at her. She got in the carriage. She had seen that Commander Pierce had assigned two guards to her carriage. They sat up front with the rider, with unsmiling faces and menacing muskets.

"All set, Mr. Marsh?" the rider enquired.

"Yes," her father replied. "Carry on."

Jane stared up at the castle with longing. If only Eleonor would just come down and-

"Wait!" she suddenly heard. She whipped her head around. Eleonor was running down the steps. Jane threw open the carriage door and stepped out. Her sister enveloped her in a powerful embrace. When they pulled away, there were tears in their eyes. Eleonor looked like a shadow of herself. Her eyes were sunken. Her hair, which she took great pride in, was tangled. Her skin was sallow. "Oh, Eleonor!" Jane exclaimed. "You mustn't carry on so. You must be strong. For yourself. For us. For the baby."

Eleonor nodded and smiled through her tears. "Sometimes I think you were actually meant to be the older sister, but you just dragged your feet, as always, and let me come first."

Jane laughed.

"You are so wise," Eleonor said, tucking a tendril of hair behind Jane's ear. "And brave. And kind. And selfless. I do not deserve you."

"Eleonor-"

"I owe you everything, Jane. Everything. I will never be able to thank you enough. I am sorry for hiding away like a coward. All the hours we could have spent together… Oh, I have been such a fool."

"No," Jane said. "Do not be hard on yourself. Please."

"I shall visit you as soon as I can. Whether it's in Scotland or on the surface of the sun. I will find you, Jane. I love you."

"I love you, Eleonor." They embraced again.

The coachman snorted. "I don't mean to interrupt, but time is against us. We must be on our way."

"Let her go, Eleonor," their father said. Eleonor obliged, but not before pressing a piece of parchment into Jane's hands. She gave her a look which made Jane quickly slip it down the sleeve of her gown.

"Read it on your journey," she whispered. "May Mother's spirit guide you."

Jane nodded and got back on the carriage. She shifted the bunch of flowers, so she had more room and turned to her family. "Goodbye, Eleonor."

Eleonor smiled sadly and waved. "Goodbye, Jane."

"Goodbye, Father."

Jane's father did not even bother to say it back. He turned away and began to walk up the stairs. The carriage began to move. Her last memory of the castle was of her sister waving, her tangled hair billowing in the breeze.