“This is my other brother, Robbie,” Ella said, pointing, as Una and Robin joined them from the beach. “And my grandmother.”
“I promise I won’t impose on ye long,” Brian said to Margaret. “But if I could sleep in your barn tonight, I’d be grateful.”
“I’ll not hear of ye sleeping in the barn,” Margaret said. Before she could say more, she saw Finn bid the two village men goodbye and start toward them.
“He’s my da!” Ella said, beaming at Finn.
Brian eyed Finn with suspicion as Margaret introduced them.
“Welcome!” Finn clasped Brian’s shoulder, but immediately released him when Brian flinched.
“Ye must be hungry and thirsty from your travels,” Margaret said. “The noon meal will be ready soon. Come inside, and I’ll show ye your bedchamber where you can leave your bag.”
Before going upstairs, Margaret asked the village girl she’d hired to help in the kitchen to put the food out and reminded Ella to set the table. Then she led Brian up to the small bedchamber at the top of the house.
“Thank you for taking such good care of Ella,” Brian said when they were alone. “I can see she’s happy here.”
“She’s a joy in our lives,” Margaret said. “Looks like you’ve done well for yourself.”
“I’ve sailed all over—to Ireland, France, even Spain,” he said, his face lighting up. “You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen.”
“How did ye find us?” Margaret asked.
“I went to Blackadder Castle and asked to speak with Lady Alison. After I showed her my ring with the wee stone ye gave me,” he said, holding out his hand so she could see the silver ring with the tiny black chip on his little finger, “she told me where ye were.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Margaret said. “I hoped and prayed every single day that you would come to us.”
Brian’s cheeks colored, and she saw confusion in his eyes before he shifted them to the side.
“I almost forgot,” Brian said, and leaned down to pull a folded, water-stained parchment from his bag. “Lady Alison wrote ye a letter.”
Brian was quiet during the meal, his gaze flicking uneasily around the table as everyone else talked.
“Stop feeding the dog under the table,” Margaret chided Robbie, as she tried to think of what else she could do to make Brian feel at home.
“Brian,” Finn said, when they’d finished eating, “I could use your help with something behind the house.”
Brian did not look as if he wanted to go anywhere with Finn, but he followed him out. While Una took the children outside to play, Margaret went upstairs to straighten the bedchambers. When she heard Finn’s voice through the window, she looked out and saw Finn and Brian talking below her.
“Ye don’t have to worry,” Brian said. “I’ll be gone in the morning. There’s a boat waiting for me at Durness.”
“You’re Ella’s brother,” Finn said. “That makes ye part of this family.”
Brian mumbled something she couldn’t hear, so she leaned closer.
“You’re a young man with a taste for adventure,” Finn said. “Go on your travels, but know that ye have a home and a family here to come back to.”
Brain sniffed and wiped his eye with the back of his sleeve. When Finn patted him on the back this time, Brian did not flinch.
“Come home as often as ye can,” Finn said. “We’ll always be here.”
Finn turned away to give Brian a moment to gather himself, then they walked together toward the front of the house. By the time Margaret ran down the stairs to meet them outside, Ella and Robbie had taken Brian’s hands and were pulling him toward the beach to see a castle they had made in the sand.
“You’re a good man, Finn.” Margaret put her arms around her husband and kissed him.
“I should have known ye were listening,” Finn said, smiling down at her.
“Let’s take a walk out on the headland,” she said, taking Finn’s arm. “Brian and Una can mind the children, and I’d like to read Alison’s letter out there.”
“You understand that Brian has to leave?” Finn said as they started out.
“Now that he knows we’re here, he’ll come home again,” she said. “He’ll always come home.”
They walked the two miles through grassy hills and the occasional sandy dune until they reached the end, where they were surrounded on three sides by the sea. After taking in the glorious view of the stunning coastline on either side, they sat down in the tall grass, and Margaret pulled out the letter.
“Alison and David have had another babe—this time it’s a girl,” Margaret told Finn as she began reading it. “Our youngest sister, the one married to Lord Glamis, is widowed and having an affair.”
“Ye don’t mention that sister much,” Finn said.
“She was just a bairn when I left home, so we were never close,” Margaret said. “And her husband would not let her have anything to do with us after Archie was banished.”
She turned back to her letter and read aloud.
“Wretched William has died of a painful and disfiguring disease. Though he got his heir and one to spare before he died, everyone says both boys are the spitting image of the castle steward.”
“He deserved worse,” Finn said.
“Good heavens, the king escaped to Stirling Castle!” Margaret exclaimed as her eyes raced down the page, then she read the next lines to Finn.
“The king had cannon brought from Edinburgh and bombarded Tantallon, where our brothers and uncle retreated. The walls held, however. In order to end his embarrassing, failed siege and be rid of the Douglas men, the king was forced to allow them to escape to France. All this has only made the king more furious.”
If only Archie had mentored the king as Finn had done with Alex, instead of using him, Archie could have earned the king’s favor and kept his powerful position and vast lands. But her brother always wanted more.
“Lizzy has disappeared!” Margaret said, grasping Finn’s hand. “The king sent men here looking for her, so at least we know he hasn’t got her.”
“I’m sorry, mo rùin,” Finn said. “I know you’ll worry about her now.”
“I always worry about Lizzy,” Margaret said, “but she always manages to get out of trouble. My cousin is a verra resourceful lass.”
Knowing Lizzy, she had found a good place to hide. Margaret prayed she had. After she put the letter away, Finn helped her to her feet, and they stood together facing the sea.
“I have some news of my own.” Margaret took Finn’s hand and placed it on her belly.
“Another babe?” he asked, as a grin spread over his face.
“Una killed a chicken and told me this one will be a girl.”
“Another lass in the family!” Finn swung her around in a circle, laughing. “How did I ever get this lucky?”
“I’m the lucky one,” Margaret said, smiling up at him.
She had been ready to settle for a small, lonely life of lost dreams before a charming and handsome rogue kidnapped her and changed everything. Because of Finn, her beloved husband, she had the home and family she’d always longed for—and, most of all, love.
“Let’s go home,” Finn said, nuzzling her neck. “We can sneak up to our chamber while Una and Brian have the children outside.”
“Thought I wasn’t your kind of woman,” Margaret said, tilting her head.
“You’ve ruined me for my kind of woman, m' eudail,” Finn said, and gave her a smoldering kiss that made her toes curl. “You’re the woman I did not dare hope for.”
Before they turned back, Margaret stood at the point facing the sea with her arms outstretched and the wind blowing her hair, and she laughed out of sheer happiness. She felt fearless and strong and free. No matter what troubles came, she and Finn would face them together.
She vowed that every day she would cherish the love he gave her and embrace the joy that filled their lives. Then she took the hand of the man she loved with all her
heart, and they raced home together.
THE END
HISTORICAL NOTE
Most of the Douglases mentioned in this series are based on real historical figures. While I was researching the family, I discovered that Margaret’s husband threw her out and had their marriage annulled after her brothers and uncle were charged with treason and fled the country. When I could not find out what happened to her after that, I decided to give Margaret a happily ever after with a worthy hero.
I set Finn, my fictional hero, in the midst of actual events involving the Sutherlands, Sinclairs, and Gordons, though I combined generations, condensed the timeline, changed a few given names, and made things up to suit my tale.
I was lucky to travel the coast of Sutherland and Caithness and visit Dunrobin Castle, as well as the ruins of Girnigoe and Wick. I spent a couple of nights at the bishop’s castle in Dornoch, which is now a hotel. Helmsdale Castle is gone, but the Timespan Museum in the town is well worth a visit. I’m grateful to the staff there who were gracious in answering my questions about the Helmsdale murders.
Much of the history from this period, particularly Highland history, was passed down through oral storytelling. The result is that history is often mixed with legend and has gaps and differing versions, so take the historical facts below with a grain of salt.
If you haven’t read the book yet, stop here—spoilers ahead!
Isabel Sinclair, the wife of Gilbert Gordon of Garty, confessed to and was convicted of the Helmsdale murders. Her cousin, who was the Sinclair chieftain and Earl of Caithness, denied her claim that he was involved. He purchased the wardship of Alex Sutherland, and he forced Alex to wed Barbara, who was more than twice his age.
Alex did escape with the help of the Murrays, but I gave my fictional hero the role of the peddler that was actually played by Gordon of Gight. Unlike in my story, George Sinclair retained control of the lands of Sutherland until Alex came of age. John, Master of Caithness, burned Dornoch and trapped the Murrays in retaliation for helping Alex escape.
George Sinclair kept his son John imprisoned for seven years, not just a few months. After John strangled his brother, George finished him off by feeding him salted meat until he went mad and died from thirst. Unfortunately, George lived a long life as chief of the Sinclairs. After he finally died, John’s son became the next chieftain and murdered the two men his grandfather had made his father’s jailors.
Turning to earlier events, it was Alex’s great-grandparents, rather than grandparents, who finagled the earldom from the Sutherlands. Robin Sutherland is based on the history and legends about him, but I made up the romance and secret child.
Janet Kennedy and her son by James IV, the earl of Moray, and the earls of Huntly, both young and old, were significant players on the historical stage. James IV was rumored to be so in love with Margaret Drummond as a young man that he talked of marrying her, instead of making the expected marriage alliance with England or France. She and two of her sisters may have simply eaten spoiled food for breakfast, but I believe they were poisoned.
I invented the painful death that Margaret’s husband, Drumlanrig, deserved.
Three years after Archibald Douglas refused to relinquish custody of his stepson, the king escaped. Ever after, James V had a burning hatred for the Douglases. Archibald, his brother George, and his uncle escaped again and left Scotland for many years. Lizzy’s story, my next book in The Douglas Legacy, begins with the king’s escape.
MAP
Partial map of Scotland showing places important to this story.
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BOOKLIST
THE DOUGLAS LEGACY
Captured by a Laird
Claimed by a Highlander
Kidnapped by a Rogue
THE RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS
The Guardian
The Sinner
The Warrior
The Chieftain
The Gift: A Highland Novella
ALL THE KING’S MEN
Knight of Desire
Knight of Pleasure
Knight of Passion
EXCERPT: CAPTURED BY A LAIRD (The Douglas Legacy #1) by Margaret Mallory
Scotland
1517
Burning her husband’s bed was a mistake. Alison could see that now.
Yet each time she passed the rectangle of charred earth as she paced the castle courtyard, she felt a wave of satisfaction. She had waited to commit her act of rebellion until her daughters were asleep. But that night, after her husband’s body was taken to the priory for burial, she ordered the servants to carry the bed out of the keep. She set fire to it herself. The castle household, accustomed to the meek mistress her husband had required her to be, was thoroughly shocked.
“Do ye see them yet?” Alison called up to one of the guards on the wall.
When the guard shook his head, she resumed her pacing. Where were her brothers? They had sent word this morning that they were on their way.
As she passed the scorched patch again, she recalled how the flames shot up into the night sky. She had stood watching the fire until dawn, imagining the ugliness of the past years turning to black ashes like the bed. The memories did not burn away, but she did feel cleaner.
Destroying such an expensive piece of furniture was self-indulgent, but that was not why she counted burning it a mistake. While she could not tolerate having that bed in her home, it would have been wiser to give it away or sell it. And yet she simply could not in good conscience pass it on to someone else. Not when she felt as if the bed itself carried an evil.
Instinctively, she touched the black quartz pendant at her throat that her mother had given her to ward off ill luck. It had been missing since Blackadder broke the chain on their wedding night. After the fire, she found it wedged in a crack in the floor where the bed had been.
“Lady Alison!” a guard shouted down from the wall. “They’re here!”
The heavy wooden gates swung open, and her two brothers galloped over the drawbridge followed by scores of Douglas warriors. Praise God. As the castle filled with her clansmen, Alison immediately felt safer.
One look at Archie’s thunderous expression, however, told her that his meeting with the queen had not gone well. Without a word, her brothers climbed the steps of the keep, crossed the hall where platters of food were being set out on the long trestle tables for the Douglas warriors, and continued up the stairs to the private chambers. They never discussed family business in front of others.
“She is my wife!” Archie said as soon they were behind closed doors. “How dare she think she can dismiss me as if I were one of her servants?”
Alison tapped her foot, trying to be patient, while her brother, the 6th Earl of Angus and chieftain of the Douglas clan, stormed up and down the length of the room. When Archie’s back was to her, she exchanged a look with George, her more clever brother, and rolled her eyes. This was all so predictable.
“I warned ye not to be so blatant about your affair with Lady Jane,” George said in a mild tone.
“My affairs are none of my wife’s concern,” Archie snapped.
“A queen is not an ordinary wife,” George said as he poured himself and Archie cups of wine from the side table.
Alison found it ironic that the Douglas clan owed the greatest rise in their fortunes to Archie’s liaison with the widowed queen. Usually, it was the ladies of the family who were tasked with securing royal favor via the bedchamber.
Archie, always overconf
ident, had gone too far. While the Council had been willing to tolerate the queen’s foolishness in taking the young Douglas chieftain as her lover, they were livid when the pair wed in secret, making Archie the infant king’s stepfather. The Council responded by removing the queen as regent. She fled to England amidst accusations that she had tried to abscond with the royal heir.
“How was I to know my wife would return to Scotland?” Archie said, raising his arms. “Besides, I’m a young man. She couldn’t expect me to live like a monk while she was gone.”
Doubtless, the queen, who was pregnant with Archie’s child when she fled, expected her husband to join her. But while the queen paid a lengthy visit on her brother Henry VIII, the Douglas men retreated behind the high walls of Tantallon Castle and waited for the cries of treason to subside.
That was two years ago. And now, Albany, the man who replaced the queen as regent, was on a ship back to France, and the queen was returning. Archie had gone to meet her at Berwick Castle, just across the border.
“Is there no hope of reconciling with her?” Alison ventured to ask.
“I bedded that revolting woman four times in two days—and for naught!” Archie thrust his hand out. “I had her in my palm again, I swear it. But then some villain sent her a message informing her about Jane.”
“Must have been the Hamiltons,” George said, referring to their greatest rivals.
“Despite that setback, I managed to persuade the queen—through great effort, I might add—that we should enter Edinburgh together as man and wife for all the members of the damned Council to see,” Archie said, his blue eyes flashing. “But then she discovered I’d been collecting the rents on her dower lands and flew into a rage.”
No wonder the queen was angry. After abandoning her, Archie had lived openly with his lover and their newborn daughter in one of the queen’s dower castles—and on the queen’s money.
Kidnapped by a Rogue, kindle Page 33