“What?” Alison turned to Brian, who had brought the girls and was standing nearby with Robbie and Will.
“They’ve quite a tale to tell ye, Lady Alison,” Brian said and nodded at Beatrix. “Out with it, lass.”
“We were almost to the village when they caught us,” Beatrix said. “It was those two hateful maid servants. Jasper got away, but we didn’t.”
“Are ye telling me ye left the castle on your own?” Alison was beside herself. The girls had brought all this on them.
“We wanted to find David and tell him we needed him to come home,” Margaret said, her bottom lip trembling.
“Quick, tell her how ye left,” Robbie said, poking Beatrix’s arm.
“We found the secret tunnel out of the castle,” Beatrix said.
Alison’s heart almost stopped in her chest. Could this be the miracle she had prayed for? If there was a tunnel, their warriors could surprise the Blackadders and free David.
“What secret tunnel?” she asked.
“Will told us that the day the Humes took the castle David was afraid we’d escape through the castle’s secret tunnel,” she said. “We’ve been looking for it ever since.”
“We only found it because of Jasper,” Margaret piped up. “He ran into Father’s old chamber, and that’s where the hidden door is.”
The girls never would have gone into the laird’s chamber when their father was alive. In the ten years Alison had lived in Blackadder Castle, she had been in that room hundreds of times, but never a moment longer than she had to.
“Where exactly is this secret door?” Alison asked.
“In the wall, behind where the bed was.” Beatrix went to explain how they had been trying to catch the puppy, and she dove for him and fell against the wall. “The bottom stone behind the tapestry moved, so I stood up and kicked it.”
That was so like Beatrix.
“We felt cold air, so we crawled behind the tapestry,” Beatrix continued. “And there it was. An opening in the wall, just our size.”
“Is it big enough for me to fit through?” Brian asked.
“I think so,” Margaret said, tilting her head back to take in his full height, “if ye mind your head.”
“Where does this tunnel come out?” Alison asked.
“By the river,” Beatrix said, “not far from where we had our picnic.”
“The Blackadders were watching to make certain we left the area, and we needed to get these lassies to safety,” Brian said. “But after dark, I’ll take some men and go back.”
“Wait,” Alison said, and turned to her daughters. “Did ye tell Patrick how ye left the castle?”
Both girls shook their heads.
“I told him everything else,” Beatrix said. “But I knew the tunnel was a verra important secret, so I lied about how we left.”
“Good,” Patrick said. “We’ll sneak in through the tunnel tonight and have our laird and the castle back by morning.”
“Ye can’t,” Beatrix said, her shoulders slumping. “The tunnel is only for coming out, not going in.”
“Why do ye say that?”
“We got scared in the tunnel and tried to turn back,” she said, “but the secret door closed behind us and wouldn’t open.”
“Probably the lassies weren’t strong enough to open it. I’ll sneak back on my own now and check,” Brian said, then turned to Beatrix. “Ye must try to tell me exactly where ye came out of the tunnel. It must be well hidden.”
“I can show ye,” Beatrix said.