She would have a new name, of course. Something that did not tie her to being a Lyall. She still loved her family, but she also valued her life. If the people in Dunaid were any indication of how the Scots felt about the Lyalls, she would be mad not to find at the very least a new surname.
Five days went by quickly. Soon, Nellie was waiting outside Lachina’s stable with her mare, Apple. The mare was saddled with a few changes of clothes and a some provisions, including the miracle salve that curbed Nellie’s headaches.
Nellie frowned as Adam and his cousin rode up on their horses toward the healer’s house. When they got close enough, Nellie called out, “It’s just going to be us and Alister?”
“Aye, an’ MacKenzie. He’ll be comin’ a little bit late.”
“Wouldn’t it look a bit strange for you to be traveling with an unwedded woman? I expected a grand party to travel to Rosach, not just four people.”
“Worry not, Nellie. We’ll be fine.”
Nellie couldn’t help but scowl at Alister as she mounted Apple.
“Good to see you, too, Lady Lyall,” Alister said, noticing the look. He paused, then added awkwardly, “I just wanted to apologize to you for any foul way I’ve acted toward you. I don’t want you to think that truly is my character.”
Nellie was taken aback by the sudden apology. “Thank you,” she told him. “I forgive you. It’s nice to find that not everyone is out to harm me.” She paused. “And I do thank you for helping Adam with burying my parents.”
“Oh, that was nuthin’,” Alister replied, looking bashful.
They traveled alongside the Firth of Lorne for most of the day. The weather was remarkably clear, with not a cloud in sight. Nellie could see across the ocean the isles of Great Cumbrae and farther past that, Bute. A few sheep dotted the land; the shepherds that they passed by stopped their work to wave at laird Maxwell and his small group.
By midafternoon, they stopped to eat. Alister sat under the shade of a tree, sharpening his blade with a whetstone, while Nellie and Adam ate in the sunshine. The warmth of the sun felt wonderful against her skin. Nellie couldn’t help but lie back onto the grass to relish in it.
“The weather is much more pleasant here, even just this short distance from Dunaid.”
“Aye, it’s very nice down here,” Adam agreed. He, too, leaned back into the grass to stare up at the sky. “Although, I verra much missed even the wettest weather at Dunaid when I was in England.”
Nellie propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. “Lachina said you were imprisoned after being defeated at Neville’s Cross,” she said carefully. She wasn’t sure how much Adam wanted to speak of the matter, but she was curious.
However, he didn’t seem to mind the topic of conversation. “Aye, I was. King David an’ some of the men who were closer to his majesty than I were treated finely after they were captured. However, I and a few other ‘barbaric lairds,’ as the English called us, were sent to a prison. Nay,” he shook his head. “Prison is too kind of a word to call the place where we were sent to. It was a dungeon.
“For two years, I did not see any daylight save for the tiniest crack between two stones in the wall. On the first night I was there, I just about scraped the skin from my fingers trying to pry those stones apart to escape. An’ as the months went on, my cellmate, Padraig, fell sick and died, but nobody came in to take the body away until much later.
“See this scar?” Adam pointed to the red mark that ran down his nose. “Some English lad was about to cleaver my head in two pieces, but Padraig killed him before he had the chance an’ saved my life. Yet, I could do nothin’ to save his…” Adam trailed off and shook his head, his eyes distant at the memory.
“The others in the dungeons soon became ill and perished, too. Yet, I still lived. I constantly wondered why it was that I kept going day after day. An’ at night, I dreamt of their faces. I still do… Nellie, I didn’t mean for you to cry.”
She hadn’t noticed the tears on her face and hastily swept them away. “But you did not escape. At least, that is what Lachina told me.”
“Nay, I didn’t escape; I was let go. From what I heard, King David paid a decent sum of money to the English crown to let some of the prisoners free. I was one of the lucky few.” He shrugged. “So, here I am, thrown into being a laird again.”
His last words were said with disdain. “What would you rather be doing, then?” Nellie asked.
“I just want to be happy,” he said.
Alister walked up to them just then. “Are you gonna stay here makin’ daisy crowns, or are we goin’ to this party?” he asked teasingly.
“Aye, we best be goin’,” Adam said, quickly getting up from the grass. He held out a hand to help Nellie her up.
I just want to be happy.
Aye. Me, too, Adam, Nellie thought.
Chapter 15
They arrived at Rosach Castle just before twilight. The man Nellie assumed to be Hammish MacNill stood at the castle doors, greeting throngs of people as they went inside. Lights lit up the entire castle and Nellie could hear raucous music playing inside. A few servants ran out to greet them and to take their horses to the stables.
Hammish MacNill was a bear of a man, taller than even Adam, with fiery red hair and a bushy beard to match. As they walked up to the laird, Nellie looked up at him in slight apprehension. But when the man saw Adam, his face lit up into a smile that made him look anything but menacing.
“Adam Maxwell. My God, it’s been a while.”
“Yeah, you lucky bastard. I cursed your name every night before I went to sleep in the Tower dungeons.”
“Aye, I’m sure you did,” MacNill said, wiping the mirth from his eyes. “In all seriousness, it’s good to have you back, man.”
“It’s good to see you, Hammish.”
MacNill finally noticed Nellie, who was standing slightly behind Adam. Being as tall as he was, there was no way for the laird to miss her.
“And who is this lovely creature hiding from me?” he asked. “My, you are a lovely sight.”
Nellie was quick to notice the hardened look in Adam’s eyes as MacNill walked around her like she was some brood mare.
“This is my wife, Nellie,” Adam said tightly. Nellie widened her eyes at his words. What? His wife? Adam, however, did not meet her gaze as Nellie flushed from her neck up to the very top of her head.
“Wife?” MacNill exclaimed. “Why in God’s name was I not informed?”
Adam waved his hand dismissively. “We did not want to make a scene out of it,” he explained nonchalantly.
“Well, you didn’t do so bad, did you?” MacNill said, giving Nellie a look up and down that was decidedly improper. “Is your father a nearby laird?” he asked her.
The shock of Adam’s announcement wore off enough that she was able to quickly find an answer. “Nay, m’laird,” she replied, trying to mask her peculiar English accent and instead speak like a true Scot. “My father was a… a carpenter. We lived in a tiny village way up north.”
She hoped he did not ask her what village it was because Nellie didn’t think she’d be able to think of suitable answer.
“You see,” Adam added quickly, to Nellie’s relief. “People might have made a fuss that I didn’t marry a proper lady,” he explained, giving Nellie a wink. That scoundrel! Nellie fought the urge to stomp down on his foot.
“Well, what a scandal indeed,” MacNill said. “I’m sure my guests are going to love the story. Come in, come in.”
They were led through to the great hall. It was a much larger hall than Dunaid’s and Burrach’s and filled to capacity with guests.
“I know you must be tired, so please have a seat. Dinner will be served shortly,” MacNill shouted, as it was difficult to hear over the perhaps hundreds of voices that filled the castle.
“Hamish, I’m curious about the postscript on the letter you sent,” Adam said.
McNill’s face grew solemn. “Ach, I will wait until everyone is f
ull and drunk and I’ll let them know. I figured t’would be best.” He clasped his hand on Adam’s shoulder and walked away to greet some more people.
“What postscript?” Nellie asked when MacNill was out of earshot.
“It’s somethin’ grave, but other than that, I know naught else,” he told her. “We’ll see.”
The table they walked toward was almost the same length as the great hall. They found a spot in the middle to take their seat. “And married, really?”
“I thought it was the best explanation as to way I came here with a bonny woman as yourself. An’ also, the way MacNill looked at you made my skin crawl, so I had to say somethin’.”
Aye, she didn’t like the way he looked at her, either. “You couldn’t have warned me beforehand?” Nellie asked snidely, while giving the woman who sat beside her a polite smile and nod.
“Nay, I wanted to see how you would react.”
“Oh, and did you enjoy what you saw?”
“Quite. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in that shade of red.”
“Adam!” Nellie gasped and kicked him gently in the leg. Adam let out a laugh, sending curious looks from their neighboring diners. Nellie smiled demurely at them before whispering fiercely to the man. “You are insufferable.”
“I believe you’ve already made that known to me.”
“Well, you are being even more so now.”
“Adam, my lad! Is that really you?”
Adam turned sharply at the interruption, but his expression soon softened. “Uncle Bearnard!” He got up from his seat and embraced the man.
He was tall like Adam, with the same green eyes. However, this man’s hair was a sandy brown and he was much older. Adam turned back to Nellie. “This is my wife, Nellie. Nellie, this is my uncle, Bearnard.”
“Lil’ Adam is married?” Bearnard exclaimed. He took Nellie’s’ hand and gracefully kissed the top of it. “’Tis a pleasure to meet you, Nellie Maxwell.”
Her stomach fluttered at the sound of her name. “Likewise,” she said quietly.
“We have much to catch up on,” Bearnard said. “But it’s much too loud in here now. Let’s wait till later.”
“Aye,” Adam agreed. “It’s good to see you, Uncle.”
When his uncle left, Adam sat back down and shook his head. “I haven’t seen him in many years,” he said. “But I guess I could say the same for everyone here. Still, I’d half-expected Bearnard to be dead from a shipwreck.”
“Well, what a lovely reunion this is, then,” Nellie said to him, but she could tell something was troubling Adam. “What is the matter?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s nothin’. Would you like some more wine?”
“Yes, I would.”
The wine flowed freely at this party as she conversed with her neighbors, listened to the music, and watched the guests gaily dance. After a time, Nellie wasn’t quite sure how much wine she had. But she felt happy. Very, very happy.
“I’m glad,” Adam told her.
Wait had she just said that out loud?
Adam held out his hand to her. “Would you like to dance?” he asked.
In a flash, she was back to being a little girl, daydreaming about this exact day while she was trapped at Burrach Castle. Never in her life would she have thought her first dance would be with a Maxwell. But he wasn’t just a Maxwell, he was Adam.
Nellie nodded in affirmation.
The bard began playing a lively tune with his fiddle that made most of the men and woman clear the tables and joined hands in a circle for a dance. Nellie, thinking she would join the circle, was surprised when Adam drew her over to an empty corner.
“I don’t wanna dance with anyone else,” he explained, putting his hands around her waist. Nellie didn’t protest, and as the tune began to increase in tempo, they began dancing in their circles, their feet moving to the beat of the song.
“Adam, I didn’t know you could dance,” Nellie said breathlessly.
“I don’t know,” Adam admitted. “I’m improvising.”
“Aye, so am I,” Nellie laughed.
“Oh, thank God.”
They continued, gliding their feet across the floor in a dizzying circular motion, over and over until Nellie’s feet lifted up from the floor as she collapsed into his arms.
They were both breathing quickly, her chest pressed against his. His body was warm and very comfortable. “I could just fall asleep right here,” she announced drunkenly once she was able to catch her breath. She stole a glance up at him and caught his intense gaze.
“We are married, after all,” he told her, like he was halfway in a thought. “I suppose it wouldn’t be untoward to kiss you right now.”
“Oh yes, please!”
Adam frowned and gently put Nellie back on her feet. “Nellie, you’re inebriated,” he observed.
“Oh, aye. I am.”
Adam chuckled. “Let’s sit back down, shall we?”
“Wait, what about my kiss?”
“Ask me about it later,” he replied. He led her back to their seat just as MacNill stood up. The music stopped and everyone in the room hushed as they turned their attention towards him.
“Thank you all for comin’ tonight,” he announced. This was greeted by a few boisterous cheers. “I am very thankful that you’ve taken the journey to come celebrate with me and my wife tonight, of the birth of my son and heir.”
The entire hall erupted with cheers. MacNill waited patiently for it to die down before continuing. “There is also somethin’ else I’d like to discuss with you tonight. It is serious an’ perhaps upsettin’, so please, ladies, you are welcome to retire early if you do not wish to hear.”
A few women stood up to go. Adam glanced at Nellie, but she shook her head at him. If the men could handle whatever was to be said, then she could, too.
When the room settled, MacNill continued: “Two sennights ago, I was on business in the Lowlands and met with someone who had traveled extensively through England.”
Nellie frowned. Where was the laird going with this? Was it something about King David II?
MacNill sighed. “There, the man told me of a certain pestilence that has been spreadin’ through Europe. It is quick an’ it is lethal. I hear people callin’ it the blue sickness, as your extremities turn a darkened color as you get closer to death.”
A few worried gasps filled the room. Some made the sign of the cross over their chest; others looked like they were going to lose their dinner. Nellie wondered if it was a good idea to tell these people the news when they were so filled with food and drink.
“I do not say these things to alarm you,” MacNill tried to reassure them, “but to raise awareness. The blue sickness has been found in England and seems to be makin’ its way up north.”
“Is there a cure?” one man asked.
MacNill shrugged. “Pray,” he told him.
That did not seem to be the answer people wanted to hear.
“Is God punishin’ us?” The woman’s voice was shrill.
“How would I know?” MacNill replied bitterly. “Ask a priest.”
“How will I know if I have it?”
MacNill’s face was solemn. “Believe me, you’ll know. It is not somethin’ you’ve seen before. And there’s little you can do about it. That’s all. Goodnight.”
He left the hall, leaving his stunned guests to stare after him.
“Are you frightened?” Nellie asked Adam as they stood up from their seats to leave the hall and into the guest quarters. Her body still buzzed from the wine, but she was able to walk steadily once again. She was going to have a wicked headache come morning. That was for certain.
“I can’t really be frightened of what I can’t control,” Adam said. “I’m more worried about whether we have enough blankets in our room. It’s a chilly night.”
“You mean we are to share a room?”
“Aye,” Adam told her. “Don’t worry. I can sleep on the floor. I could sleep ou
t in the stables, but I’d rather not freeze to death.”
“Why not sleep in the hall, then?
“What’s the matter? You had no qualms when I slept by you in Dunaid.”
Nellie frowned. “That was different.”
“Sleepin’ in the hall would be suspicious,” Adam told her. “I don’t want people to start raising questions about why Adam Maxwell’s new bride is sleepin’ alone.”
He opened the door to their room. The first thing Nellie noticed was the tiny bed in the corner.
“Fine,” Nellie conceded. “But you will be on the floor.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Sure, you wouldn’t.” She settled in underneath the blankets, not daring to take off her dress and be in naught but her shift. She closed her eyes as she settled her head into the pillow.
“Adam, you really aren’t worried about the blue sickness?”
“Well, it’s not in Scotia yet,” he told her. “I’ll worry about it when I actually see it here.”
“Yes, I suppose that is the best way to go about it.”
“I’m going speak with my uncle, now that it’s a bit quieter.” He picked up a key from a small table. “I’m going to lock this door on the way out,” Adam told her. “But I won’t be too long.”
“Don’t worry. After all that wine I’ve had, I believe I won’t have a difficult time falling asleep.”
“Aye, pleasant dreams, then.” he said.
She rolled over to face the wall, listening as he quietly closed the door and locked it behind him.
Chapter 16
His uncle Bearnard was where Adam thought he’d be: sitting at the table with a comely woman in his lap. He had a tankard of ale in one hand and the woman’s bosom in the other. Adam wondered idly whether MacKenzie was in a similar situation, as he had not seen his cousin since he saw him dancing with another buxom well toward the beginning of the feast.
As Bearnard saw him, he whispered something in the woman’s ear. She gave him a sly smile and walked away as Adam sat down next to him.
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