Highland Redemption: A Duncurra Legacy Novel

by Ceci Giltenan

  It was still very early, so the last person she expected to see already up was her father. But to her surprise he sat at the table. “Good morning, Papa.”

  “Good morning, Vida, my darling. I was hoping to have the chance to speak with you before anyone else awakens.”

  This did not bode well at all. “Of course, Papa.” She joined him at the table.

  He had a goblet of wine in front of him, from which he took a long swallow. She waited for him to speak, knowing that pushing him wouldn’t help anything.

  Finally, he said, “Vida, you must realize that given all that happened in Perth yesterday, our situation has changed.”

  “Aye, Papa.” We no longer face a fate worse than death, didn’t seem to be the right thing to say…yet.

  “Aye, well, I’ve decided, we needn’t rush into a marriage for you. I’m calling off the wedding.”

  Vida sat back and stared at him. “You’re doing what?”

  “The wedding. I’m calling it off. The crisis has been averted. You don’t need to marry Tomas anymore.”

  Vida stood up and walked towards the door to the entryway and the stairs.

  “Where are you going?” he demanded.

  “To your solar. This is not a discussion that should occur in the great hall.”

  “There is nothing to discuss, Vida. You will not marry Tomas MacIan.”

  She turned towards him, a rage unlike anything she’d ever felt burned so brightly in her she could only stare. When she finally spoke, her voice trembled with fury. “There most certainly are things to discuss. And if you hold even a modicum of love in your heart for me, you will come with me to your solar. Now.”

  Her father simply looked at her, wide eyed, his mouth gaping. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was a little frightened and, by God, he should be. Without saying another word, he stood and followed her.

  Good. He understands what’s at stake here.

  Vida’s anger calmed a little as they walked in silence, but only a very little.

  When they reached his solar, she lit several candles against the early morning gloom. Finally, she turned to face him.

  He spoke first. “Now, Vida, my darling, you need to understand I must do as I see—”

  Vida put a hand up. “Stop right there. This ceased being about you a long time ago.”

  “But Vida—”

  “Nay, not another word until I’ve had my say. For years, I have run the business of this clan efficiently and we have been prosperous.”

  “No one’s arguing that, but—”

  “Wheest,” she fairly shouted, glaring at him, daring him to utter another word.

  He finally gave a little nod. “Fine. Continue.”

  “In all of these years, you haven’t given a single thought as to what this clan needed. Worse, you paid no attention to the skills of your men, which has left us vulnerable. You accrued a colossal debt at a game of chance. You essentially threw away money that you didn’t have, then, for some reason, didn’t think it was important enough to tell me about it. And if all of that wasn’t bad enough, you allowed Naughton Lindsay, that craven dog, to trick you into a betrothal with me. We were a breath away from disaster when Tomas MacIan, a man who has no reason on earth to want to help you…” at his affronted look she added, “don’t even pretend to be the injured party here. I know what you did to him. I know what you did to Katherine. For your information, she nearly died because of the beating you gave her.”

  He stood, staring. Speechless.

  She shook her head in disgust and paced, for a moment trying to rein in her temper. “I’ve never been so ashamed of you.”

  That arrow hit its mark. Her father looked stunned. She softened a bit. “I love you, Papa, and I believe you have changed since then. You are no longer a man who would take a whip to a lass, or a wee lad. But that you once were, scalds me. And you cannot deny that Tomas could have walked away from us without a flicker of guilt bothering his conscious. But he didn’t. He and his men have done in a few months what you didn’t do in nineteen years. Neither did he walk away when the financial mess that you created for us was finally revealed. That too would have been perfectly just. But he elected to help us. He sent word to his parents—who also had no reason to assist you—but they came with enough gold to save us.”

  She shook her head in disgust, “And then you insulted them by suggesting that they had only come to claim Cotharach for one of their sons. I was mortified.”

  “But Vida, this has all been resolved now. You don’t have to marry anyone.”

  “Nay, I don’t, because I’m already married. I begged Tomas to handfast with me the night before last, before he went to Perth.”

  “You did what?” her father roared.

  “You heard me. I begged him to handfast with me. I knew you’d do this. I knew as soon as Tomas saved your sorry hide, you’d forget everything and look for the next pot of gold. But not this time. I love Tomas MacIan. I love him with my whole heart. I did not want to risk losing him. I need him and Clan Ruthven needs him.”

  Her father waved his hand as if swatting away a pest. “A handfasting can be set aside.”

  She glared at him. “Not if it has been consummated. And lest you feel the need to ask, it has been.”

  Her father began to bluster. “You had no right—”

  “—I had every right. I was the one acting in this clan’s best interests, not you.”

  Her father threw up his hands. “Fine. You’ve married him. You should be happy. Why are you haranguing me?”

  “Because you refuse to see how close to ruin you brought us. And I’ve had enough.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I am married to a man I love, but it would be completely foolhardy for any man to accept the responsibility of running this clan without all of the authority that goes with it. Especially in light of the tragedy that ye almost wrought simply by overconfidence, greed, and recklessness.”

  “Ye’d both have the authority.”

  “Nay, we wouldn’t. Not as long as you had complete access to clan funds and the ability to override any decision we made.”

  “But I wouldn’t do this again.”

  “I’m sorry, Papa, that’s not good enough. You don’t have a solid record of making sound decisions and I won’t place my faith in what you say you will or won’t do.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I have married Tomas, but I will not ask him to stay here to run Clan Ruthven in your name. I’ll go with him to the Highlands.”

  Ambrose stiffened. “You would never abandon this clan.”

  She cocked her head to one side and put her hands on her hips. “Nay? Are you sure about that? Your recent actions very nearly destroyed any hope I had for happiness. And to make matters worse, you didn’t trust me enough to tell me as soon as you incurred the debt. All of this might have been avoided had you done that.”

  “All of this would have been avoided if Naughton Lindsay wasn’t a craven thief.”

  Vida shook her head. “And right there is proof, once more, that you fail to recognize your own role in this.”

  “But I didn’t do anything wrong. If Naughton hadn’t—”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong? If nothing else, you gambled with a huge sum of money and lost. I don’t think I can risk everything I hold dear on your poor judgement.”

  “Vida, don’t leave the clan. They need you and they love you.”

  Vida stared at him in disbelief. “Don’t dare pretend to make this about the clan. They loved and needed another Lady Ruthven once, but you managed to get rid of her to suit your own desires.”

  Her father looked as if she’d struck him.

  “The truth is, the good of the clan has never been your first concern. Tell me, if ye’d been able to extricate yourself from this mess by taking what gold you had, boarding a ship with me and leaving Scotland forever, leaving your clan forever, would you have done it?�
��

  Ambrose looked confused. “Well, of course.”

  “Oh, Papa,” She pressed two fingers into the bridge of her nose. “What if Lindsay had agreed to erase your debt and set aside the betrothal in exchange for your title and lands? Would ye have consented?”

  “Aye, I would have done anything to keep you out of Lindsay’s hands. Besides, I still have a thriving shipping business. We would have wanted for nothing. Vida, my darling, you are the light of my life. Please don’t leave me.”

  “You would have traded your title and lands, our clan’s welfare and my legacy, to have me remain with you?”

  “Aye. Anything.”

  “So, would ye trade it all to secure the clan’s welfare and my legacy in order to keep me here, with ye?”

  His brows drew together. “Of course.”

  “Then do it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Give it all to Tomas and me.”

  “But you will have it upon my death.”

  “Nay, Papa, not upon your death, but upon our wedding.”

  He frowned. “Ye’d accept that? Ye’d stay?”

  “Aye. That would give us complete authority to lead and you wouldn’t have access to clan funds.”

  A momentary look of horror crossed his face.

  She almost laughed. “Oh, Papa. That reaction just proves you’re ruled by your own greed and you always will be. You just said it yourself, you have a thriving shipping business to do with as you will. Continue to put your energies there.”

  “And you won’t leave?”

  “Nay, I won’t.”

  He huffed, but looked relieved. “Very well.”

  “Then we’ll have Father Michael draw up the papers this morning.”

  He nodded. “Aye. I’ll see to it.”

  Vida smiled at him and crossed the room to give him a hug. “Thank you, Papa. You can make the announcement to the clan before Mass tonight.”

  “Mass?”

  She laughed. “Aye, Mass. Have you forgotten? It’s Christmas Eve.”

  As Vida left his solar to go back downstairs, she chuckled to herself. Checkmate. It might have been manipulative, but it had truly been in everyone’s best interests.

  Tomas was at the table when she entered the great hall.

  She all but skipped across the room to him, giving him a kiss on the lips to the amusement of everyone present.

  He grinned. “Ye’re in a good mood this morning. Sleep well?” he asked with a wink.

  “Aye, but that’s not why I’m in such a good mood.”

  “Nay? Then what has ye so full of sunshine on such a dismal day?”

  “I’ve had a chat with my papa this morning and he’s come around to my way of thinking.”

  “Ye’re jesting.”

  “Nay, I’m not. As I suspected, he was planning to stop the wedding. I had to tell him it was too late for that. And we had a huge argument, but he finally gave in. He will make the announcement this evening. He intends to grant you the title of Laird of Clan Ruthven on our wedding day.”

  Tomas took her hand. “I’m sorry it came to this, Vida. Ye know I would have stayed with ye, no matter what.”

  “I know. And I really don’t think I could have left the clan. But he brought us so close to ruination I had to make the threat.

  Chapter 21

  Vida woke before the sun on the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, her wedding day. Even though she had technically been married for a few days, they were finally going to be married in the eyes of the church and her family. She could barely contain her excitement. She lay in her warm bed, thinking back over the last few days.

  The Christmas celebration had been one of the most joyful that Vida had ever experienced. The clan had been thrilled to have Lady Katherine and her family home. But they’d been equally thrilled when Laird Ruthven announced on Christmas Eve that he would be granting his title to Sir Tomas MacIan when he and Vida were married on the Feast of St. John.

  To Vida’s surprise, her father had been exceedingly gracious. After the Mass of the Angels at midnight, he stood before the assembly. “I have had reason the last few weeks to consider a great many things. The work of running a clan and a successful business at the same time has proven to be quite a challenge with neither endeavor getting my full attention. The time has come to make some changes to ensure our continued prosperity. God, in His goodness, saw fit to bring Sir Tomas to us. He is a fine man and a skilled warrior, who has a deep affection for this clan. And by God’s grace, Tomas and Vida have grown to love each other.”

  He had looked into Vida’s eyes, and caressed her cheek. “Vida, my darling, I adored your mama. She was my heart and my soul. I made some choices that I’m not proud of in order to have her at my side, even if only briefly. There is no greater blessing that I can ask on your behalf than for you to share your life with a man you love.”

  The he had turned his attention back to the gathered clansmen and women. “Vida has demonstrated her love and commitment to this clan from the time she was but a wee lassie. Between them, I believe Vida and Tomas will lead this clan with strength, wisdom, and love. Therefore, once they are married, two days hence, I will relinquish my title as Laird of Clan Ruthven to Tomas MacIan.”

  Vida had embraced her father with tears in her eyes. She whispered, “I love you, Papa, and I swear to you, I’ll never give you cause to regret this.”

  He returned her embrace, then kissed her on both cheeks. “I know you won’t, my precious lass. You are your mother’s daughter and I am so very proud of you.”

  After that, nothing could have spoiled the festivities.

  Then on the day after Christmas, St. Stephen’s Day, the MacIans introduced Clan Ruthven to the Highland tradition of blessing the horses and livestock. Father Michael blessed baskets of hay, salt, and oats during Mass.

  Beitris explained that the blessed items should be distributed to the farmers. “They can be given to sick or injured animals throughout the year.”

  “I’ve never heard of this custom,” said Vida. “Why is it done on St. Stephen’s Day?”

  Katherine laughed. “I hadn’t heard of it either until my first Christmas in the Highlands.”

  Tomas nodded. “I remember Da telling me a legend that St. Stephen had a horse he loved, but the horse became very ill. Christ cured St. Stephen’s beloved horse and that is why Stephen’s faith was so strong.”

  James laughed. “Aye, but Da doesn’t believe that legend do ye, Da?”

  Niall chuckled. “Nay, son.”

  “Then why do ye bless the beasts on St. Stephen’s Day?” asked Vida.

  “Da says,” piped up Alex, “that back in the days when heathens roamed the land, horses were sacrificed at the solstice. When Christians put a stop to animal sacrifices, the horses in the Highlands, being good Christians themselves, were exceedingly grateful and thanked the first saint whose feast day fell soon after the solstice.”

  Tomas grinned and added, “St. Stephen would have been an ungrateful sot if he had refused to be their patron. So it was really a case of the Highland horses picking the saint as opposed to the other way ’round. At least, that’s what Da says.”

  Vida had laughed, but she loved the beautiful tradition. “I’m sure the lowland horses will be happy enough to share the saint’s devotion.”

  The Christmas celebration had continued that night with another feast.

  But now, the day she’d looked forward to for weeks was here. As always on the Feast of St. John, Father Michael would bless kegs of wine that morning. The wine was referred to as “The Love of St. John” and would be served later at the feast. The fact that it was to be their wedding feast was a double blessing.

  A knock sounded at the door, interrupting her musings.

  “Come in,” called Vida.

  The door opened and Emma entered, with Lady Katherine, Beitris, and a stream of servants carrying a bathtub and buckets of hot water. She spent the next few hours being bath
ed and otherwise pampered in preparation for the wedding.

  “This is a wee bit different from your wedding day, wouldn’t you say, my lady?” said Emma to Lady Katherine.

  Katherine laughed. “Just a bit. If I recall correctly, it was an unmercifully hot day. I had a quick, cold bath, and ye kept bursting into tears.”

  Emma laughed. “Oh, aye, you remember correctly. Now, I won’t promise not to cry later, my lady. ’Twill be like watching a daughter of my own marry.”

  When they were finished, Vida didn’t think she had ever looked more beautiful. Over layers of silk undergarments, she wore a snow-white kirtle made of the softest lamb’s wool. On top of that, she wore a rich velvet surcoat of bright blue. Her hair was arranged in intricate braids and covered with a sheer silk veil, held on by a gold circlet.

  “Oh, Vida, you are radiant,” said Katherine, handing her a bouquet of herbs to carry.

  “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

  “You are very welcome. Before we go downstairs, may I have a private word with ye?”

  “Aye, of course.”

  When everyone had left, Katherine sat on the bed and motioned for Vida to join her.

  “Vida, as was mentioned earlier, in many ways my wedding couldn’t have been more different than yers, and not just because of the time of year and the weather. Ye’re marrying a man ye love and together, ye’ll lead this clan. I was marrying a man I’d never met, I wasn’t particularly happy about it, and I was being forced to leave my home and clan.”

  “Katherine, I’m so sorry.”

  Katherine smiled and took her by the hand. “It certainly was none of yer doing, and I didn’t intend to upset ye. Everything ended perfectly, even if it didn’t seem to start that way. But what I want to talk to ye about isn’t the way in which we’re different, but the things we have in common. My mother died when I was young, as did yers. I had been responsible for this clan for years as you have been. I had no idea how to be married nor anyone to help me learn.”

  Vida nodded and glanced down at her hands. “Aye, that has occurred to me as well.”

  “So, if ye don’t mind, I’d like to tell ye what I will tell my own daughter on her wedding day. Choose love. Always. When things get hard—and they will at times—remember that this is a man ye love. He might infuriate ye occasionally. He might seem thicker than a stump at times. But he loves ye too. Remember he’s a human who, like us all, makes mistakes. And perhaps the worst thing is that he might make the same mistakes over and over again.”