by Sondra Grey
Annis breathed in a deep breath. “I feared there was little time for messages, highness,” she said, nervously smoothing at her skirts and doing her best not to look at Adam. “I thought it best to get here as quickly as I was able in hopes you might hear my petition for aid at Inveralt.”
“Your petition,” said the King, taking the third seat. Argyll remained hovering. “Yes. I read the petition. You wished a guard for your land, you are worried the Camerons will come to reclaim it.”
“Or force a marriage,” said Annis. “I know that the Camerons covet the land, and my husband’s men have returned to MacDonnell territory…”
“Unfortunately, my dear,” said James, impatiently cutting her off, “I am not in any position to spare the men or the expense it would take to secure Inveralt.”
Annis felt her heart sink into her chest. Was that it then? She’d ridden all this way only to be told that there was nothing James could do?
“But that doesn’t mean I cannot help,” said James, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. Annis’s heart leapt back to beating, but she held her breath waiting. What was it that James would propose?
“As your husband had no children by you, your claim to land is tentative at best. As you are my ward, and now your father and your husband are deceased, the land is once more my responsibility, as are you.”
Annis inclined her head. She knew all this.
“And so, my dear, my solution for you is to marry.”
Annis blinked. But of course. “I fully intend to find another husband, your majesty, but those matters take…”
“No, my dear,” said James, lightly, reaching out and pressing a fatherly hand to her wrist. “Those matters are not for you to decide, but for me. And I’ve made a decision regarding your next marriage. It was why I summoned you here.”
Annis felt the air leave her lungs in a breathless whoosh. She knew she was gaping, but couldn’t help it. Married again? So soon! David had been dead barely three months. Surely it was too soon to think about…
“May I present you, my dear, to Sir Adam Maclean. He’s the second son of Neil Maclean of Duart, one of the finest knights of the realm. Inveralt belonged to the Macleans during the reign of the Bruce. They’ve long expressed interest in adopting it as one of their holdings. To see my interests in the North and my ward protected, and to keep valuable land from the Camerons, I have given you in marriage to Adam Maclean.”
Annis eyes shot to Adam, who sat there stoically, neither smiling nor frowning, but watching Annis for her reaction. She knew she was terrible at keeping her emotions from her face; she knew that her shock and horror was written all over her features.
She tried to control her reaction and licked at her suddenly dry lips. Three sets of male eyes were looking at her and waiting for her response.
“Your majesty, I…” she stopped, taking a deep breath and gathering her courage. “I’ve come all this way, might I have a word with you alone? Without the Earl and Sir Maclean present?”
James raised a fair, brown brow in surprise, and then he frowned at her. “I do not know what you might have to say, Lady Black, that you cannot say in front of the Earl and your betrothed.”
Her betrothed! Panic rose. No. Surely not. This man thought nothing of her at all. And when she married it was going to be for love! It had to be. The king would listen to her!
Her panic must have shown on her face, for while the king look frustrated, he waved a hand at the Earl and Adam, and the two got up and left the room.
The king crossed his arms, waiting for her to speak. He looked more like a petulant twelve-year old than a monarch, but she had him alone and she would speak her peace.
“Sir, I was married to a man more than twice my age,” said Annis. “My father thought him a good man, but in truth he was impatient and tight fisted. He ran our estate into the ground and cheated his tacksmen. Our estate is in financial straits. I know my father gave my husband Inveralt as part of my dowry, but there is more money in your keeping, surely?”
James inclined his head. “Yes. Enough to set your estates to rights if it’s put in the right hands.”
“I do not know Sir Maclean,” said Annis. “And I would very much like to have my next marriage be to a man whom I trust. One who might take care of Inveralt and…and our family…”
James reached out and patted her hand, the expression on his face lightening considerably. Annis breathed a sigh of relief. Oh, he had heard her!
“My dear, your concerns are the same as mine. You may not know Adam Maclean, but he’s been a knight in my service for the past four years, and his father is a man of the crown and a Lord of Scotland. Inveralt will have the might of Clan Maclean behind her, and you will have the arm of one of Scotland’s bravest knights, I assure you. You may not know Adam Maclean to trust him, Lady, but I do. And that should be enough for you.”
That should be enough for you. Annis wasn’t a fool, those words were as much a warning as they were meant to be comforting. Arguing further would signal that she did, in fast, trust the King’s judgment.
Still, Annis could not help but try one more time. “Your majesty, if I might be given some time to find a man of my choosing…”
“Be careful, dear,” said James lightly. “Your insistence would suggest you do not trust me to see to your best interests.”
“Oh, of course that’s not it! It’s just…”
“Good. Then we are settled. Maclean has already dispatched a summons to his clansmen, who will meet you on the road to Inveralt. You will marry on the morrow and be on your way.”
James stood and held out a hand to help Annis to her feet. Annis put her hands in his meekly and let him lift her. James even allowed her to lean some weight on him as he helped her to the door.
“There you are sirs,” he said, as the doors opened to reveal Adam and Argyll waiting patiently in the hall. “Sir Maclean, she’s your betrothed now. See her to her rooms? We will dine this evening, and have you married on the morrow and ready to ride out.”
“Your Majesty,” said Adam, dropping a deep and courtly bow and offering his arm to Annis.
Annis didn’t want to take it. She wanted to walk herself down the hall, but even the small bit of walking she’d done today had taxed her ankle. So, she leaned against Adam and allowed him to lead her away from the King and the Earl.
Sir Maclean. So, her reluctant rescuer was a knight? And a Maclean. So much for chivalry, she thought, thinking of the way he’d treated her the night before. He was chivalrous enough while the king was watching, however. He took on most of her weight, allowing her to walk lightly on her injured ankle.
“It appears, Lady Sparrow, that we were both deceiving each other,” Adam murmured once they were out of earshot. His voice was low and throaty and held, of all things, amusement. “I must say, you clean up well. Not so much a muddy sparrow today! You could be a bluebird in that dress.”
Annis blinked. Why was he talking of birds? She shook her head. “You should be grateful I did not reveal your true nature to King.” She kept her voice equally low.
“My true nature?” Adam sounded surprised.
“You were incredibly rude on the road,” she said. “I was made to feel like I was the worst sort of burden…”
“I believe you are misremembering our encounter. If I’m remembering the events correctly I came upon you stranded in the woods, bound your ankle, and rode you all the way to Edinburgh.”
“Is that how you remember it?” asked Annis, anger sharpening her words. She wasn’t angry about their encounter in the woods so much as she was furious over her audience with the king. She should never have sent to him for help! Her future had been taken from her yet again. She didn’t even know this man! Adam Maclean might be a knight of a realm, and he might be a good deal younger and more handsome than David had been, but he’d been rude, dismissive, and unenthusiastic about helping her. And now she was to be married to him?
But weren’t you thinki
ng it wouldn’t be so bad to be married to a man as impressive looking as this one? Annis glowered at her turn of thoughts. Yes, Adam was attractive, but that was the least important criteria for a husband. A husband needed to be patient, kind, steady, reliable…
“I’m misremembering nothing. I’ve the memory of Mnemosyn,” said Adam, firmly.
Annis snorted. “I doubt that,” she said. “The way I remember it, you hollered at me for not helping you, threw my skirts about my knees, ripped my chemise, cursed me several times, and begrudgingly hauled me atop your horse. You said not one word to me the entire ride to Edinburgh…”
“Ah,” Adam interrupted. “Forgive me lady, had I known you were expecting Sir Lancelot, I’d have left you road-side so you might await him. My mistake.”
Annis sucked in a breath between her teeth. “I don’t think it’s too much to expect a small bit of kindness, or even courtesy…” She hit a snag in the stone walk and stumbled forward, wrenching her ankle and barely holding back a cry of pain.
Adam’s hands were firm beneath her elbows, and she didn’t manage to hold in her cry as he unceremoniously swung her into his arms.
“Put me down!” she ordered, staring up at the hard curve of his chin.
“But Milady, is this not what Sir Lancelot would do?” Adam’s lips curved with amusement.
“He most certainly would not…”
“I can’t move at your snail’s pace,” Adam said, lightly. “And if you’re going to trip over every snag in the cobbles, then it will be a long trip back to your room. Stop wriggling this minute.”
At the sharp tone of his voice, Annis subsided, pressing her lips together and blushing furiously as the indignity of being carted down the hall like a sack of flour.
“I have a proposal for you, Lady Black. Perhaps we try to get along,” said Adam as he turned down a hall. “As we’re to be wed on the morrow and be spending a great deal of time with another... Where is your room, by the way?”
“Down the next hall and to the left,” said Annis.
“Ah, here, then.” Adam stopped in front of the door she indicated and set her gently on her feet. Annis found herself clutching at him, unwilling to place her weight on her tender ankle.
“There you are, Milady,” said Adam lightly, opening her door. “I hope the service met with your standards.”
Annis rolled her eyes. “Perhaps if there’d been less talking…”
Adam let out a surprised laugh. “The Lady of Inveralt has a sense of humor to go along with that pleasing arse. Excellent.”
Annis colored and pressed the appendage in question against the door.
“Surprised? You didn’t think I noticed it wedged between my thighs when we were riding? Good god, you’re blushing like a virgin,” His smile widened and Annis wished that the floor would open up and swallow her whole. “You were married before. Surely your husband took you to bed.”
“What my husband and I did is none of your concern,” said Annis, shocked at the improper onslaught. Was he trying to startle her?
“Is it not?” Adam gave her a devastating grin and braced one hand on the door frame near her head. Leaning in, his smile widened. “I admit I’d never thought to marry a widow. I figured I’d end up with some young, virgin heiress for whom each act of debauchery is new and exciting.” His grin turned wolfish, eyebrows rising suggestively. “But for you, Sparrow, I’m filling a role another man has already premiered. I want to know all about the old Lord of Inveralt so I may be sure I’m doing it better.”
Annis could barely speak. He was trying to scandalize her on purpose, and he was doing a damn good job. His words threw her right back into the marriage bed, to David’s fingers pushing between her legs to make sure she was wet enough to take him…
“I see,” said Adam, voice deepening, smile turning sensuous. Annis wondered what it was he thought he saw. He leaned closer. “I think we’ll have fun together, you and I. Until tonight, Sparrow.”
Why did he keep calling her Sparrow? Annis could only watch as Adam turned on his heel and strode down the hall, whistling an unfamiliar tune.
As evening came around, Annis was not overly excited about dining with James and whatever members of his court were still present. Since she was little, she’d had a terrible time keeping her emotions off her face. Whatever she felt, those around her knew. There was no hiding it. And right now, she was miserable. How had she been so wrong about James?
When she was a girl, she’d thought it a fine thing to be a ward of the king. She’d imagined James as she remembered him from her girlhood: young, handsome, friendly, and full of energy. Her father had loved to tell Annis tales of King James III and his brilliant son. Whenever she was feeling particularly glum, whenever David ignored her, or the tacksmen laughed behind her back, she would remind herself that she wasn’t Nobody. She was a ward of the King of Scotland.
While the man she’d met today had vibrated with that same energy as the young James IV from her memory, he was not the gentle and benevolent warden she’d imagined. Annis had left James presence with the distinct impression that she was a nuisance – same as she’d been to Adam Maclean when she’d stranded herself on the side of the road. Only to him she hadn’t only been a nuisance, she’d been Nobody. And James had made her feel that way again. She held no power, her feelings were not important…
Not for the first time in her life, Annis wondered if she’d have wielded more power if she were beautiful. But she quickly pushed those thoughts away. There was no use in wishing to be anything other than what you were. And besides, despite David’s assertions that she was “plain as undyed wool” she knew she wasn’t bad looking.
As if thoughts of her appearance summoned the lady’s maid, she entered, smiling at Annis in a way that put her at ease. “I hear congratulations are in order, My Lady,” said the woman. And when Annis blinked, she bobbed a curtsy. “I’m Emilia,” said the woman. “We met last night, but you may have been too tired remember.”
Annis vaguely remembered someone helping her bathe.
“Of course,” said Annis, “thank you for your help last night.”
“I’m here to help you prepare for dinner. Have you seen any of the dresses the King has provided for you? It was very generous of him!”
The gown that she’d worn that morning hadn’t quite fit. It had been a bit too wide in the waist and a bit snug in the bosom. “I’ve not thought much about it, no…” David hadn’t wanted to spend money on such frivolous things as gowns. Annis would get a new one if and when one of her old gowns became un-wearable.
“There’s a green one in here that might suit,” said Emilia kindly, pulling a gown from the closet and laying it atop the bedspread. “Green is Sir Maclean’s favorite color, I hear.”
Annis looked up at the women, taking her in. Emilia was probably a few years Annis’ senior, and had a wide, friendly face and a petite figure that most likely made men look twice.
“You know Sir Maclean?” Annis asked.
“I know of him,” said Emilia, eyes gleaming slightly. “There’s many a maid running about the castle tonight jealous of you, that’s for sure.”
Whatever did that mean? “Please,” said Annis, sitting back. “I’d like to know what you know of him. This is the first I’m meeting him. I’m not…I’m not usually at court. Is he?”
“In the seasons, he is. He leaves when the rest do. But he’s a real favorite amongst the girls.”
“Is he now?” Annis wasn’t sure she quite took Emilia’s meaning, but smiled invitingly.
“Oh yes. Least he was till Lady Abercrombie arrived in court. She stuck her claws in him deep and he’s been unavailable ever since.” Emilia rolled her eyes. “I swear, if I had to hear Dolly weeping over him one more time…”
So, her future husband was a lothario. Serving women and married ladies. Well why should she be surprised. David was little better.
But a strong melancholy swamped Annis. Once more, she was to be marrie
d to a man who would seek his pleasure elsewhere. A wife in name only.
She couldn’t go to dinner now. Not with James, not with members of the court who might be in residence, not with Adam Maclean. And honestly, the thought of standing and getting up off of her ankle right now…She’d rather just give it time to heal.
“The green is lovely,” said Annis, politely, gesturing at the dress. “But I’m afraid I won’t be attending the dinner this evening.
“Oh why not!” Exclaimed Emilia. “It’s not often one gets to meet with the king under such intimate circumstances. Why, there were only be twenty or so at dinner this evening…”
“I’m afraid it’s best if I stay off this ankle,” demurred Annis. “I’ll have supper in here, I think.”
Emilia looked entirely put out and spent a few more minutes trying to convince Annis to attend, but Annis was stubborn. She set her chin and wouldn’t be budged, and so the maid went to see what she could do about having dinner sent to Annis’ rooms.
CHAPTER 4
S o, the Sparrow was to be his wife. Adam sat by his fire, waiting for the dinner hour and contemplating this newest curve in his fate. Unlike his friend Lieth Macleod, who chafed under the king’s thumb, Adam had been the king’s man since he first stepped foot in Edinburgh. James had done much for the Macleans, ratifying several of their ancestral claims into law, and establishing their foothold not only on Mull, but in the North as well.
Adam respected the king – indeed, was occasionally in awe of him. And James knew he could trust Adam. And that trust had served Adam well the last four years. He’d been in Europe this past year, competing as one of James’ knights and had won a fair bit of money in France. That trust had now landed Adam the gem on the scepter that was the Maclean holdings. His brother might get Duart Castle, but Adam would be laird of Inveralt.
Seeing the Sparrow again had been an unexpected surprise. His guilt over leaving her at the edge of town had eaten at him, and he’d have been a lesser man if he lied and said he hadn’t felt a sweeping relief upon seeing her enter the King’s sitting room. But if Inveralt’s lady had arrived muddied and impoverished to the king’s gate, and entered the King’s presence wearing a gown that had clearly been borrowed, then what state was Inveralt in? Adam shook his head.