by Faris, Fiona
Sir Gilbert, Sir Patrick, and Sir Simon drew themselves into a close huddle to make themselves heard to one another without having to be eavesdropped by the lave.
“As you will no doubt have heard,” Sir Gilbert went on, “in the last few weeks Robert the Bruce has been crowned King of Scots at Scone, as tradition demands, on the Stone of Destiny in the Earldom of Fife. The late king, John, let it be known that he would not be returning from exile to Scotland but would be contenting himself with the fruits of his estates in France. The other claimant, Comyn, of course, met his end at the Bruce’s hand at the Church of the Greyfriars in Dumfries in February. Sir Patrick’s father was with the Bruce when the deed was done – a nasty, brutal business, but a necessary one.”
Sir Patrick nodded emphatically, a grim look weighing down his features.
“With the kingdom thus united under the Bruce,” Sir Gilbert continued, “all that is left for peace to be restored is for King Robert to drive King Edward of England’s army of occupation from his realm. Then we shall be free again.”
Sir Simon pursed his lips and nodded.
“But has the Pope not excommunicated the Bruce for defiling the sanctuary of the Greyfriars with Comyn’s blood?”
It was Sir Patrick who answered.
“Aye, but letters are being prepared at Arbroath Abbey to petition the Pope to at least recognize the independence of the King of Scots from the overlordship of the King of England at least in principle if he will not yet absolve King Robert of his sin in person.”
“A subtle difference,” Sir Simon observed. “Will the petition succeed, do you think?”
Gilbert snorted.
“That will depend on the disposition of Christendom at the time it is received,” he pointed out. “King Edward is a power to be reckoned with, along with France and Spain. The Pope must maintain a balance between them, by playing the one against the other, so that none can rise to dominance and challenge the Church’s power. If the Pope thinks that Edward needs to be taken down a peg or two, he might be minded to recognize our king’s sovereignty. If not… well, he won’t much care.”
Sir Simon’s eyes were bright with excitement. He grabbed Sir Gilbert’s arm and drew him to him.
“Christ!” he exclaimed. “It is like we are pawns in a much larger game of chess.”
“That we all are,” Sir Patrick observed philosophically. “Ultimately, even our most petty domestic squabbles are part of and affected by God’s divine plan, so much of which is beyond any man’s ken. Such is the human condition. Every enterprise carries a risk.”
Sir Gilbert looked at him impatiently; such metaphysical speculations hardly advanced their mission in relation to the Frasers.
“Aye, well… the divine plan maun tak care o’ itself, as any husbandman will tell you; we hae oor ain cattle tae tend… What we want to know, Sir Simon – the reason for our visit – is whether you are with us and for King Robert?”
‘Tending his own cattle’ was precisely what Sir Simon had been up to since the dreadful tragedies befell his country. With the death of the seven-year-old Maid of Norway, the third of King Alexander’s granddaughters, and his nearest heir, several parties had advanced legitimate claims to the throne and been at daggers drawn since. Scotland had been teetering on the edge of civil war, and it was all Sir Simon could do to keep his family out of the fray. He knew that, if he threw in his lot with a losing side, his lands and titles would be forfeit and his family left destitute. Hence his endless vacillation over to whom he should marry his daughters. Marriage would create an affinity with the families he married them into; he was loath to make Oliver and Neidpath hostage to another family’s political fortunes.
Sir Patrick gleaned the misgiving that still lingered in Sir Simon’s heart.
“Your reluctance is understandable and carries no disgrace,” he reassured him. “It has been common practice over the past few years for we lesser nobles especially to be continually switching our allegiance from party to party, faction to faction, just to ensure our survival. Even the three main claimants to the throne, the Balliols, the Bruces, and the Comyns, have at one time or another submitted and sworn fealty to King Edward, to avoid forfeiture and even execution, and to ensure that they live to fight another day.”
“But,” Sir Gilbert once more took up the thread, “with the kingdom now united under the Bruce, all that is left for peace to be restored is for King Robert to drive the English from our realm. With peace restored and uncertainty removed, the lie of the land will then be much plainer, and the kingdom can prosper.”
“And hence our mission,” Sir Patrick explained.
Gilbert looked over his shoulder to make sure he was not being overheard. He did not seem overly concerned that Margaret was sitting hard by his side, privy to every word. She was but a woman, after all; she would not be understanding much of what was being spoken.
“We are on a mission from King Robert, who seeks to enlist the arm of the Frasers in the upcoming campaign against Edward’s presumption. We have been journeying around the realm to rally support for his great cause of freedom. King Robert would raise a great army to defeat the English in the open field, to make a decisive victory that would send Edward homeward once and for all.”
“So, what say you, Fraser?” Sir Patrick urged. “Will you join the king’s great cause?”
Sir Simon was beginning to feel dizzy as his head turned back and forth, from one knight to the other. He was stirred by their passion, but his thoughts were confused. He’d had too much wine, and the noise of the hall was beating in his brains like the wings of a startled covey of quail bursting from the forest.
“I need to think more on what you have said,” he insisted, closing his eyes and raising his hands to forestall any protest. “In any case, we are boring the ladies with all this talk of politics, which they must find tedious.” He waved the whole subject aside with an impatient flutter of his hand. “We will talk further on the matter when we withdraw to my cabinet.”
“As you will, sire,” Sir Gilbert conceded.
The remainder of the meal passed in idle, inconsequential chatter. Sir Gilbert charmed Lady Maria and was gallant and attentive to Margaret’s needs. Margaret bloomed in his presence and behaved with impeccable decorum, observing all the niceties of courtly manners.
Sir Patrick and Joan, meanwhile, had their heads together like a pair of childish conspirators, giggling and whispering together. Margaret frowned at Joan’s unseemly familiarity. Joan had even placed her hand on Sir Patrick’s thigh and showed no sign of removing it.
Sir Simon sat in the midst of his domain, a ‘wee bit fou’ and smiling benignly at all he surveyed: his lovely wife, his two beautiful daughters and their handsome suitors, his hall bedecked with rich tapestries and laid with tables groaning with food, the flushed faces of his retainers contorted in grotesques of joy and laughter…
He was the steward of all this, he mused with deep satisfaction; it was to him that Oliver and Neidpath owed its security and protection. He was a canny man, he reminded himself proudly. He would risk none of this on any foolish venture. He would listen to what King Robert had to say through his two envoys, then he would make his calculations. Then, and only then, would he cast his dice.
He only gradually became aware that he was being addressed and that his wife, Lady Maria, was digging him in the ribs with a sharp elbow.
“Sir Simon,” Sir Patrick was crying above the noise that had taken over the hall. “Joan has been telling me that tomorrow is market day in the burgh. I propose that Sir Gilbert and I convoy Joan and Lady Margaret into Peebles to see the sights and perhaps enjoy a little of the sport. What say you, Sir Simon? Do we have your consent?”
Sir Simon could see no objection, and swaying in his seat, waved his hand regally to indicate the fact.
Margaret flushed. Throughout the afternoon and evening, she had been conducting a courtly dance of words with Sir Gilbert, in which she had been able to display he
r wit and virtue to best effect. She had been enjoying his attention immensely and was warm to the idea of spending another morning in his company.
The diversion agreed, Lady Maria rose and announced that the ladies would withdraw to her boudoir. Following her lead, Sir Simon invited the knights to join him for further discussion of business in his cabinet. Together, they climbed the stairs to the solar.
As they parted at the head of the stairs, Joan turned to Sir Patrick.
“Tell me, sire,” she enquired, in a loud voice and with a mischievous grin, “did your braies eventually fetch up in Berwick?”
Both Sir Patrick’s and Sir Gilbert’s jaws dropped open. But they could find no words in their gaping mouths with which to reply.
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About the Author
I am Fiona Faris and I am an author of authentic Historical Scottish romance stories. My books have received startling reviews about the humor, the darkness and the romance they have.
I started my professional career as a writer, after a trip to Scotland where I had an accident that made me dedicate my life to writing romance novels.
I live in Dallas, Texas with my husband and our two sons. Before I started writing historical romance, I experimented with various occupations: computer programming, dog-training, and book editing. But nothing could ever compare to writing stories with a background of the Scottish Highlands.
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Glossary
A
a’ – all
ain – own
alarum – a call to arms; an alarm
ane/s – one/s
awl – a pointed tool for marking surfaces or piercing small holes
ay – always
B
Ben – within
Betide – happen to (someone)
Biggin – building
Birl/ed – spin/spun
Blellum – a lazy talkative person
Bolt-hole – a place where a person can escape and hide
Bonnet – rural, petty landowners
Bothy – a mountain refuge; a small hut or cottage
Brae – brow of a hill
Braies – trouser
Braw – fine; pleasant
Breeks – breeches
Bricht – bright
Brose – a kind of porridge
Burn – fresh water; brook; stream
Butt – a mound on or in front of which a target is set up for archery
C
Cannie – careful
Carle – a man of the common people
Caparison – covering for a horse
Ceilidh – a social event
Charpie – lint
Chib – knife; weapon
Chiel – a young man; boy
Claes – clothes
Clamjamfry – rubble; mob
Clarty – dirty; muddy
Cleuch – a steep valley or ravine
Clout – cloth; rag
Cogie – a wooden vessel, made of starves and girdled with metal bands, used in milking cows
Corbies – ravens
Cordon sanitaire – a guarded line preventing anyone from leaving an area
Corrie – a circular hollow in the side of a hill or mountain
Cowp – to tip something over; fall over
Crabbit – ill-tempered; grumpy
Crayer – small trading vessel
Creel – wicker basket (for carrying fish)
Çucre candi – crystallized sugar; candy
D
Dainties – delicacies; luxuries
Demijohn – a bulbous narrow-necked bottle
Dine – dinner
Dinna – do not
Dottle – a small person
Dulse – red algae
Dwam – daydream; reverie
E
Ell – a measure of length
Empaneled – enlisted
F
Fa’/en – fall/en
Feart – afraid; fear
Fell/s – hill/s
Feys – fairies
Fie – exclamation to express disgust or outrage
Fletcher – a person who makes and sells arrows
Frae – from
Free lance – mercenary; hired soldier
Forby – in addition; besides
Fou – full
G
Garderobe – wardrobe
Get – offspring
Gibbet – hanging gallows
Gin – if
Gip – a cut made in the belly of a fish
Girned – complained peevishly
Glit – slimy matter
Gorse – a spiny yellow-flowered European shrub
Grandsire – grandfather
Guddle – fished with the hands by groping
Guidwife – goodwife
Gyte – mad; deranged
H
Haar – a thick, wet fog
Hogshead/firkin – cask
Houghmagandie – fornication
I
Ilka – every; two or more
Ingleneuk (inglenook) – a space on either side of a large fireplace
J
Jesu – variant of ‘Jesus’
Jig time – extremely quickly; in a short time
K
Ken – know
Kye – cattle
Kirtle – body garment; coat or tunic reaching below the knees
Kist – trunk; box; chest
Kistful – an amount that fills a kist
Knarr – merchant ship
Knowe – a small hill; a knoll
L
Lang – long
Latrine – toilet
Lave – one among many
Leal – loyal and honest
Ling – a heath plant
Louns – boys; youth
Louped – leaped
Lowp – loo mask (half mask) often used for masquerades
M
Mámag – mother
Marled – marbled
Maun – might
Mauna – must not
Mawkin – an untidy woman; a simpleton
Micht – might
Moiled – moved around; worked hard
Muckle – much; great
Murrain – a plague, epidemic or crop blight
N
Neebor – neighbor
Neuk – nook (a right-angled corner)
Nocht – naught; nothing;
O
Och – oh
Ocht – anything
Oot – out
Ower – over
P
Palliasse – a straw mattress
Parritch – porridge
Passel – a large number or group
Pend – an arched or vaulted roof or canopy; the vaulted ground floor of a tower or fortified building; a covered passage or entry;
Phial – vial
Physic – medicinal drugs
Pikemen – soldiers armed with pikes
Pique-un-niched – a place where family/friends eat a meal together in a pastoral setting
Popinjay – a strutting supercilious person
Postilion – one who rides as a guide on the near horse of the leading horse/s drawing a carriage
Potboys – boys employed as waiters
Preudomme – noble, valiant man; (by extension) hero (of a story)
Provocateur – a person who provokes trouble
Q
Quaich – two-handled drinking cup
Quine – a girl; lass
R
Ratter – one (like a dog or other animal) that catches or kills rats
Reiver – plunderer; pirate
Retainer – paid servant
Ribbands –
ribbons
Roup’t – sell (something) by auction
S
Sair – sore
Scimitar – a short sword with a curved blade that broadens towards the point
Seanair – grandfather
Shieling – hut; shelter
Sic – such
Siller – silver
Skeerie – a reef; a rocky island
Slake trough – a blacksmith’s water tank
Smeddum – spirited vigor; spunk
Smiddy – variant of smithy (blacksmith)
Smirr – drizzly rain
Sough – moan; whistle; rush (sound)
Spaewife – a female fortune-teller
Sprett – a coarse reedy rush that grows on marshy ground
Stouk (stook) – a number of sheaves of grain placed together in an upright position to dry
Stour – Dust forming a cloud or deposited in a mass
Stravaiging – wander about aimlessly
Syne – ago
T
Targe – shield
Telt – told
Thae – those
Thirl – pierce; perorate
Thocht/ie – thought/ful
Thon – that; yon
Thrawn – stubborn
Trews – trousers