Elisabeth Hobbes - Falling for Her Captor

They kept to forest tracks as much as possible, though as the ground became swampier they were forced back onto roads. Any hope Aline had of being able to attract aid was soon dashed, and pangs of homesickness gripped her as they left her home further behind.

Whenever passing through settlements was unavoidable the Captain would hitch his horse to the cart, climb inside and sit opposite Aline, his dagger unsheathed, ready should he need to silence her. He would hold her gaze intently. as though he were a cat watching a mouse, his blue eyes boring into her. After the third time he paused as he climbed out, and gave Aline an unexpected smile.

‘I trust that you are not finding the journey too disagreeable, Lady Aline?’

It was the first time he had spoken to her since setting off other than to issue terse instructions. Caught unawares, she felt disinclined to be sociable with him. ‘Would it matter if I was?’ she replied bitterly.

The Captain looked taken aback by the venom in her voice, his smile vanishing instantly. He nodded curtly before climbing down. Aline watched him with curiosity through the opening, wondering why her reaction had surprised him.

It was late afternoon before the Captain signalled the cart to stop. Other than the chunk of bread at sunrise and an apple at midday Aline had eaten nothing, and her stomach was starting to complain. Jack walked over, carrying a bag, and handed it to her. She examined the contents: a bundle of rosemary, mushrooms and a handful of onions. He produced a knife and held it out expectantly.

‘Isn’t it enough that you have kidnapped me without expecting me to cook for you?’ Aline said haughtily, pushing the bag back at him.

The Captain looked over from where he was unsaddling his stallion. ‘If you don’t help then you don’t eat. Though I suppose a lady as fine as yourself has little experience of such menial tasks.’

Aline bit back her first impulse to retort angrily and smiled sweetly, replying in a voice that dripped honey. ‘On the contrary, my grandfather ensured that my education covered a wide variety of subjects, Captain. He said a true leader should be able to serve his people in any way. So do not assume I am unskilled because I am well born simply because you are not.’

She sat down, drew her legs under her gracefully and began speedily to peel the onions. The Captain pursed his lips and Aline couldn’t tell whether he was angry or laughing as he hefted the saddle over his shoulder and walked off.

Jack cooked dinner, frying the vegetables then simmering them in ale, and the four travellers sat together, eating companionably.

‘Particularly well-sliced onions, my lady,’ the Captain remarked drily, tipping his mug of ale at her in a salute.

Despite herself Aline smiled back, and returned the gesture with her own mug.

That night, when the Captain took her hand and affixed the manacle to her wrist, Aline stared into his eyes, refusing to look away.

‘You know I have to do this,’ he told her.

Was that a hint of apology in his voice? Aline wasn’t sure. She nodded silently as she held out her second arm. The Captain ignored her hand and instead fixed the other manacle round the wheel of the cart. The act left her with double the freedom she had had the previous night. Aline looked at him quizzically.

‘It’s colder tonight, Lady Aline. You should sleep closer to the fire,’ the Captain explained. He held his hands out to help her stand.

‘I can manage without your help,’ Aline said stiffly, pulling herself to her feet.

The Captain rolled his eyes and dropped his arms, though he picked up her bedroll and moved it closer to the fire.

‘Sleep well, my lady,’ he murmured softly, before walking to the far side of the fire.

Aline drew her blanket around her shoulders. She stared into the flames until her eyes began to sag and slept peacefully for the first time in two days, the voices of the three men lulling her to sleep.

* * *

It came as a surprise to Aline that the fear and anger she had been feeling was gradually being replaced by boredom. For much of the next day Aline dozed on the straw pallet. It was late afternoon when the cart drew again to a halt and she woke to the sounds of an argument.

‘...wasn’t here before.’

‘That was nine days ago. Things change, Jack. So, it appears, must our plans!’

Aline listened for more but the voices moved further away.

Duncan pushed his head through the curtains and beckoned Aline out. About half a mile ahead was a fair, with stalls and tents covering the route through a small hamlet. The Captain was standing by his horse, adjusting the saddle. In brief terms he explained to Aline that Duncan and Jack would be stopping to replenish supplies. He walked the horse closer to Aline.

‘You and I will be taking a detour, my lady. I can’t run the risk of you drawing attention to us. Mount up.’

He offered his hand for Aline’s foot. She pointedly ignored it, instead gathering her skirts in one hand and reaching her foot into the stirrup. She swung her leg over the horse with ease and settled herself into the saddle. With one hand she patted the animal’s neck to calm him.

‘You may lead on,’ she instructed.

The Captain let out a bark of a laugh. ‘This fellow is far too good to waste on a walk. We ride together.’

Before Aline could protest the man swung up behind her, reaching around her waist to take the reins. He wheeled the horse around and set off at a trot across the marsh.

Aline sat stiffly, holding on to the front of the saddle. She was acutely aware of where the Captain’s arms brushed against her body, and the way his breath touched like feathers on the back of her neck. Trying to avoid more than the minimum contact with him, she found herself unable to catch the rhythm of the animal and once or twice slipped sideways in the saddle. The third time it happened the Captain caught her with one hand round her waist before she fell.

‘Relax—he’ll pick up on your fear,’ he instructed her.

Aline bristled at the implication. ‘I’m not scared of the horse,’ she snapped, glancing over her shoulder. ‘I could ride him perfectly if I was in command of him and not sharing a saddle with you .’

‘So what are you scared of?’ the Captain asked, smiling.

Aline twisted around in the saddle to face him. Could he really not know?

‘I was drugged and nearly violated by someone I thought I could trust. You pinned me bodily to the ground and drew a dagger on me. You left me bound and gagged for hours, then chained me to a cartwheel like an animal.’ Her voice began to crack and all her frustration, fear and anger threatened to overwhelm her. ‘I am here against my will. I have no idea what awaits me at the end of the journey and you feign puzzlement that I am uneasy with such...such...closeness!’ she said angrily.

The Captain pulled the horse to a stop and dropped the reins. Slowly and with care he drew his arms away from Aline and let them fall to his sides. He looked at her, his eyes narrowing as though he suspected trickery.

‘What that brute tried to do to you was deplorable. I meant what I told you before. You are under no threat from me, or my men.’

Aline raised her eyebrows.

He tilted his face down and then he shook his head. ‘Lady Aline, any man would freely admit you are a very attractive woman, but I’m no defiler. You have my word that all we are doing now is riding.’

Aline looked up into the Captain’s eyes. Her throat tightened as she stared into the icy blue depths. A fluttering in the pit of her stomach whispered that it was not fear that sent her stomach tumbling at his touch, but rather some new sensation she was reluctant to name.