I sat looking at his sweet face, a lot like Magnus, not enough like Bella for me to care.
Magnus came in a few minutes later.
He said, “Come sit with me.” He helped me up and we carefully crossed to the couch, the worried movements of people not used to carrying sleeping newborns in their arms. He sat first and held out an arm and I tucked in against his side and we got the baby into the crook of Magnus’s arm.
“What did you say to her?”
He was silent for a moment. “I said, ‘Thank you.’” He added, “I told her if she needed anythin’ tae let me ken and I told her I wanted his name tae be Archibald Campbell after my uncle. And I would like tae call him Archie. She said she would like that.”
“So like Magnus Archibald Caelhin Campbell?”
“Nae, just Archibald. I will save the full name for our son, Kaitlyn.”
“Thank you.”
He kissed me on my forehead. “Were you introducin’ yerself?”
“I was, I told him he can call me Kaitlyn. And I was like having a protective dragon for a friend.”
“Tis how ye see yourself?”
“Sure, how do you see me?”
“I think ye are a lot like your grandma Barb. Funny and wise. You are fiercely loyal as well, but funny and wise foremost.”
“Oh, I like that better.”
“Aye, tis better tae be like Barb instead of a dragon.”
“I’ll leave the dragon-y stuff to Archie’s grandma, Lady Mairead.”
Magnus chuckled. “See, I have never met such a witty dragon.”
“How many have you met?”
“Verra many, remember, I come from the dark ages, dragons nursed me when I was a bairn.”
I laughed, as quiet as I could. “You sir, just made a history joke, I’m very proud of you.”
“As I am of you.”
“Bella doesn’t want him tonight?”
“Nae, she said she needed tae sleep, so I will keep him tonight.”
“Good.” I was also feeling very sleepy. My eyes growing heavy, I slowly fell asleep beside the baby in Magnus’s arms.
Chapter 29 - Magnus
Kaitlyn fell asleep, a familiar weight along my side, the unfamiliar weight of wee Archie in m’arms. I watched him sleep with soft shallow breaths and then he squirmed, his small fist moved tae his mouth, and his dark eyes opened tae look up.
“Och, wee one, did ye wake?”
His eyes held mine as if in answer.
“Aye, ye have woken tae meet me finally. I am your da. Tis verra nice tae see ye, wee one.” Archie squirmed in my arms and I helped him get comfortable.
“Most everyone calls me Magnus, but these days many people call me a king.” I smiled down at him. “I too, am verra surprised by the title. I tell ye, twas nae m’intent when I was a bairn in the highlands, growin’ up with m’brother Sean. He will be your uncle if I can get him tae come around tae it.” I ran a finger along the curve of his perfect ear.
“There is also my sister, Lizbeth. She has always taken care of me and Sean and everybody else without actin’ as if she cares on us at all. You will just tell her ye can take care of yerself and ye two can be great friends.”
Kaitlyn breathed deep and shifted beside me. I lifted m’arm and waited for her tae settle back tae sleep.
I lowered my voice. “I grew up in a castle called Kilchurn on Loch Awe. I hope tae shew it tae ye some day.”
He was still watchin’ me so I continued, “I also lived in a castle called Balloch. Twas verra grand but ye winna ken it as anythin’ but a ruin. I am sorry for it. I would have liked ye tae see it.”
I ran my fingers down his soft cheek. “I also lived in London, a wondrous city, and once I was introduced tae the Queen. What if she saw me now, wee one? Nae longer that young mischievous boy but a king? Twould be a marvel tae her I would think.” I chuckled. “Dost ye think ye will be mischievous like your da?”
I watched his expression change. His brow drew taegether as if he were answerin’. “I take that as an answer, aye, but I warn ye will be a great troublin’ tae ye if ye are. I canna argue against it, because tis great fun, but if ye do like tae have some mischief ye will have tae stand up like a man after it. I want ye tae tell the truth when all is done. Promise me ye will.”
He made a wee noise like bairn do and we watched each other quietly for a moment.
After a long time I whispered, “I heard ye have met Kaitlyn. I hope ye like her because I like her verra much.” I pulled his little hand up from under the blanket. “She is verra funny. You will see it when ye are older. She will make ye laugh verra often.”
I let out a deep exhale. “Though I have made her cry more than is fair. She needs us, wee one, she needs our protection. She will also need ye tae let her protect ye too. She will want tae love ye and I hope ye will be kind tae her about it. You winna find a better…” I dinna ken how tae finish without callin’ her a mother and it hurt me tae say it aloud. “I hope ye will let her. I would consider it a great favor tae me.”
He yawned big and wide. “Och, tis a strong expression ye have.”
I moved a pillow up and placed it behind m’head. “We have a lot tae do, you and I. We have tae be strong. We have tae be warriors. We have tae fight.” I caressed his tiny fingers, his smooth fist, twas hard tae imagine it might someday hold a sword.
“I ken ye daena have the strength yet. We will have tae build your muscles with milk and Chef Zach will feed ye ice cream. Tis a wondrous nourishment. Twill grow ye up tae have brawn like your da.” I flexed m’arm tae show him the muscles on it. Archie dinna seem impressed.
I pulled his arm up and bent it and chuckled. “Och, ye will have some growin’ tae do. Ice cream is verra grand. Twill also make ye a proud lover like your da too. I hope someday ye have a woman ye like verra much who will make ye laugh and let ye take her tae bed whenever ye want tae. Tis a verra nice thing.” I shifted the weight of him more tae the crook of m’arm. “A verra nice thing. When ye find a woman like that ye have tae promise tae love her well, she will deserve all your kindnesses.”
Archie’s eyes drifted closed then open, then closed once more, finally asleep. “Aye, ye sleep, bairn, ye will need yer rest.” I added, “Forget what I said about bein’ a warrior. I daena want ye tae fight, wee one. Tis a burden I will spare ye from if I can, I promise it tae ye.” A few moments later in the darkness of the room I fell asleep holding Archie and Kaitlyn in m’arms.
Chapter 30
Magnus had meetings the next day.
I was scheduled to meet with the housekeeping crew and the kitchen staff to go over the menus. I had to make choices. I had to override my embarrassing lack of taste and pick things to impress strangers. Things that would probably taste awful. I missed Zach. He always criticized what I liked, but he usually provided enough of it without prompting. He fed me. These people wanted me to tell them what I wanted to eat and not just me, Magnus and apparently everyone in the castle too. Hamburgers weren’t an option.
Then I had to pick rotations — how often did I want my linens changed? What was the correct answer? Laundry day at home was when I needed laundry done. I wished Emma was here to tell me what I wanted. Because my answers seemed to cause these strangers to be disappointed. I wanted to ask, ‘How often do you want to change my bed linens?’ But that seemed like a rookie move.
Wasn’t I supposed to have some kindly matronly lady to organize everything for me, to guide me through this?
I asked the woman holding a tablet and making marks during the meeting, “How many of you are new here at the castle?”
She looked around at the faces of the staff. “Almost everyone, your highness, there was an um, pretty brutal changeover in the staff after Samuel moved in.”
“Brutal?”
“Yep.”
“I’m sorry about the brutality. Have you been here the whole time since Donnan?”
“I worked for Donnan for about two years, before—”
I asked her to accompany me to have some coffee and we sat and I liked her; she seemed competent. I dug a little to see what she thought of Donnan and she said she had, “seen some things but wouldn’t want to talk about them.” I supposed that was a good trait, so I asked her to be my household manager.
And I was really glad she didn’t tell me anything. I seriously didn’t want to know.
I also didn’t want to know what she thought of me so I didn’t ask. Everyone I talked to had a look in their eyes: suspicious, judgmental, wary. I had somehow managed to get away without a trial, but there was an everyday trial of public opinion and — where were the public relations people? There had to be some, right? That was a big city we passed over, there couldn’t be a big city without a public relations firm. I should ask whoever would know.
I should also ask someone how to get the local kingdom news beyond the giant shifting images that were once again showing the post-war streets. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the kingdom and Magnus would need to clean that up. We needed to learn how to clean this up.
But right now I was trying to read this ancient handwritten book, a not so easy task. The handwriting was more carved pen-marks and flourishes than letters and when I could make out the letters, it was pretty common for the words to be indecipherable. But, when I stopped thinking and simply read, I sometimes got the gist. The first two pages, basically: this is Johnne’s book. Johnne is of the family Cambell. Johnne has many brothers and cousins and uncles.
So far it wasn’t really the kind of book Lady Mairead should be desperate about.
After my ‘household’ meetings I had lunch by myself and read the book some more. Another page, something had happened. There was a battle on Là Samhna. The battle looked like it was called Inchaiden, but the N might have been an ‘M’ so I wasn’t sure.
I asked the surrounding room computer if this was a place it could identify and after a lot of trial and error I came to a place called Inchadney, an old village in Kenmore. On further research I realized Kenmore was the location of Balloch Castle as I knew it, later rebuilt as Taymouth Castle, and finally now, a new castle built on the grounds. This one. Castle Don — a name Magnus needed to change first thing.
I looked at the book, okay, hundreds of years ago there was a battle on this land, right near this castle, but why was that important?
I read some more until I got bored and decided to go see how Archie was doing.
Chapter 31
I could hear him crying before I got to the room and when I came in the day nurse was jiggling Archie trying to get him to calm. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, he’s been crying for a while.”
“He’s got some good lungs on him, that’s for sure.” His face was red from the carrying on.
“Has Bella fed him?”
“We have strict orders not to bother her, she has a schedule when we’re supposed to—” It was very hard to talk over his screams. I put my arms out and the nurse deposited Archie into them and I did a little spinning dance-walk around the room like I had seen Emma do. I motioned toward a bottle and tried to get Archie to take it. He was too worked up to care. “Is he wet?”
She said, “I just changed him.”
“Okay, ” I hollered, “then I’ll dance. When was your last break?”
“I could use one!” She hollered back, so I sent her away and danced, just me and Archie screaming his head off until suddenly he wasn’t.
He calmed and I jiggle-danced over to the bottle and fed him while my jiggles turned to mild jostles and finally slow rockings. “What’s with all the noise, little guy? You’re one day in and already acting like an asshole? Screaming at your nurse? I mean come on, you get more friends by being quiet and—”
His eyes looked up into mine. “Aw, sweetie, yeah, I didn’t mean to call you an asshole. I meant it in a loving way.” I kissed his cheek and breathed in his scent. “You smell like a baby, not the awesome deep scent of your dad, but you’ll probably get there someday. But seriously, it’s time to man up, stop bellyaching — how are you going to be big and strapping like your dad if that’s how you’re carrying on?”
While I spoke Archie looked at me as if he was listening, sucking on his bottle. Then his eyes closed and he was asleep, just like that.
After a few moments I took the bottle from him and sat in a comfy leather chair holding him, content. I didn’t have anything to do but stare at the baby. That was enough. I may have dozed off too.
Magnus came to the room a little later to take me for dinner and after dinner, Magnus and I returned to the nursery and the baby was wheeled in from Bella’s room. We held him again while we slept and woke to rock and feed him in the night.
In the morning, bleary-eyed, we put him in the bassinet to be wheeled back to Bella’s room.
I said, watching the bassinet pass through the double doors. “That was fun.”
Magnus joked, “Aye, though I will have tae get my sleep while I am in the meeting this morn.”
“You have another one?”
“Not many more, yesterday we discussed border security and military actions. Today we have tae discuss the rights of ascension. Tis the set of challenge rules compellin’ me tae fight someone with a claim tae the throne.”
I said, “Those are the barbaric rules you’re going to change.”
“Och, aye. But I canna change them alone, I have tae discuss it with my Board of Controllers first.”
“Who is that?”
“Apparently the king has a dozen people who are tae tell him what tae do.”
“Do they seem wise and helpful and capable and kind?”
“Perhaps two of them, the rest are nae any of it. But I am the decidin’ factor.”
“Did Donnan have people tellin’ him what to do? If that’s guidance, they really need a new system.”
“He did. I can call for a dismantlin’ but tis frowned upon without allowin’ the Board tae opine on it first. Some of them daena have a wise thought on anythin’. Some of them only hold an opinion if tis the opposite of the man beside them. The good part is we can jump and the Board will control the kingdom until I return.”
“Speaking of men, are there any women on the Board?”
“Nae.”
“You should remedy that. Women make up 50% of the world, and we have some pretty excellent advice sometimes. Replace six of those men with women and let’s see if you still have trouble getting opinions.”
He kissed me on my cheek. I remembered to ask, “Hey, do you know what Samhna means?”
His brow furrowed. “Tis the day of Samhain.”
“Like October 31?”
“Aye, the night and the morn of November. Why are ye askin’?”
“The book said there was a battle on that date in 1557, I still don’t understand what the significance is…”
“Twould have been November 1st then.”
“What makes you say so?”
He grinned. “Men canna fight in the dark though we might try.”
I chuckled. “That makes sense.”
He said, “I was thinkin’ we might want tae go soon. We could go tae the past tae get your ring.”
“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot, but only if this is all under control while we’re gone. There were battles just the other day.”
“Tis why I have tae go tae these meetings.” We kissed each other goodbye and parted at the door.
Chapter 32
We did this for almost a week. Meeting in the nursery and holding Archie at night. Parting during the day for meetings and duties and I had them too — meetings with the staff.
I read more in the book, taking it downstairs with me to the nursery in the afternoon and holding Archie and reading. I now knew more about the battle of Inchaiden. The date, Là Samhna, probably as Magnus said, November 1, in 1557. And it read as if Magnus’s Campbell
ancestors had massacred their opponents, like really, brutally massacred them. In the book it sounded like they had gotten scared by something — ‘twas sharp and clangerus crashin a fiery tempest of men in hoods without faces shewn.’ During the battle the Campbells gained the advantage and killed them all except one man — who they called simply Tadhg.
I was trying to decide whether to risk waking the baby to ask the room if Tadhg was a common name when the doors slammed open and Bella stormed in.
Her face held a dangerous fury. “What are you doing holding my baby? How dare you? You give him to me right now!” I jumped from my seat and held Archie out towards her. She grabbed him from my arms, spun, and deposited him, now crying, into the bassinet.
She turned on me. She was shorter but so angry she filled the room. She loomed over me. “You are not allowed to touch him with your filthy disgusting hands!” My heart had gone to racing, my hands shaking.
The two nurses backed to the wall. She turned on them, “You let this terrible witch hold my baby? How dare you, did I give you permission to?”
A nurse said, “No, I didn’t realize…”
The door behind me opened, more strangers witnessing my shame. “She is not allowed to hold my baby, ever! She is a monster! She murdered Donnan. You saw the photos!!!” I took two steps back.
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