At the moment she was most concerned about Tomas. Just as Uncle Ambrose had, she suspected Lady Eithne would instantly identify him as Katherine’s most profound weakness. However, she was confident Niall would sort things out as soon as he returned. That thought had barely formed when she learned he would not be home that night. Very few things kept him away from the keep overnight, but it did occur occasionally. Still, of all nights, she wished it didn’t have to be this one. She had hoped to finalize plans for the evening meal and send her regrets to Lady MacIan without defying her order, but now she had to explain Niall’s absence as well.
Katherine had to get through this evening as best she could, on her own. She needed to get Tomas back to the keep and tucked away as soon as possible. She found Edna to discuss her concerns. Edna agreed. “Don’t worry, I will see to him. I’ll send Maura for him and he can stay with us tonight.” Maura, Edna’s daughter, was a bright, responsible girl of four and ten, so Katherine nodded her assent.
“Edna, please let me know when he is safe.”
~ * ~
The evening meal was nearly ready when Maura returned with Tomas. Katherine stepped into the west tower so the MacLennans wouldn’t see her and kissed him good night, saying, “Tomas, I want you to stay with Edna tonight. Tomorrow, I want you to stay here in the west tower with Maura and Nevan until your da comes home. Do you understand?”
“Aye, Mama.”
Feeling slightly relieved now, she went to the kitchen, where she found Bridie livid. “Lass, that witch cannae treat ye like this. She has no right to lay a hand on ye. The laird won’t stand for it, I tell ye.”
“Bridie, please, don’t give her a reason to target you, I couldn’t bear it. Let’s just keep her ire focused on me until the laird returns tomorrow.”
“Target me? Lass, what are ye talking about?”
“Bridie, Lady MacIan is like my uncle. I can protect myself, but if she thinks anyone here will stand up to her for me, she will retaliate against them to strike at me. Please ignore anything she says to me. I’m going to take some bread and cheese to my chamber and try to avoid her this evening.”
Bridie continued to steam, but said no more.
When Katherine returned to the great hall, Lady Eithne and Laird MacLennan were already seated at the laird’s table, with Eithne in Niall’s place. Katherine approached the table and Eithne spat, “I told you to dress appropriately and to remove that rag from your head. Do you defy me? You may wear a proper veil if you feel the need, but you won’t sit at my table looking like a common born Highlander.”
“Eithne,” Malcolm said in a disapproving tone.
Common? There was only one common born Highlander in this conversation and it wasn’t her. Katherine knew better than to react and take the bait. She had slipped earlier but she would not do it again. She took a deep breath and replied calmly, “I beg your pardon, Lady MacIan. It is not a question of defying you. I do not have more appropriate clothes than these. I only wish to inform you and Laird MacLennan that my husband has been detained and will not return to Duncurra until tomorrow. I do not wish to offend you any longer with my presence, so please excuse me.”
“Well, dear,” said Eithne, rising from the table, “if it is only a matter of you not having other clothes, I will be happy to loan you something. Come with me,” Eithne commanded, reaching forward and snatching the kertch off Katherine’s head, taking with it the last of Katherine’s self-control.
Katherine grabbed the kertch out of Eithne’s hand and said, “I am sorry, perhaps you misunderstood me. It isn’t that I don’t have other clothes. I consider these to be my most appropriate garments. Good night, my lady, Laird,” she said, giving a nod to each of them before turning to leave.
“Stop!” commanded Eithne. “What is that you have in your hand?”
Katherine looked down to see the bread and cheese crushed in her left hand and turned back to her saying, “It is bread and cheese, my lady.”
Eithne smirked, “I am sorry, perhaps you misunderstood me. When I said if you didn’t dress properly you would not eat, I didn’t mean just at this table.”
“As you wish, my lady,” Katherine said, shrugging. Resisting the urge to throw it at her, she put the food down on the nearest trestle table and, with supreme control, walked toward the east tower.
“Perhaps hunger will make you more agreeable in the morning,” Eithne called.
“I doubt it, my lady,” Katherine answered and ducked out the door.
~ * ~
Niall and his men had a successful raid. They stole a score of sheep. Niall decided to take a few extras rather than burning anything. When his men had secured the sheep well clear of the area, Niall pounded on the door of a farmer’s cottage. The old farmer looked terrified by the furious warrior, but Niall did not intend to harm him. He said, “I am Laird MacIan and I want ye to give your laird a message from me.”
“A—A—aye, Laird,” the old man stammered.
“Tell him to stay the hell off my land!” Niall roared.
Fourteen
“Stay off his land? What in the hell is he talking about?” Tadhg Matheson demanded furiously. He had barely finished breaking his fast when Hamish, one of his commanders, reported to him about the raid and MacIan’s message. “Was anyone harmed?” he asked.
“He scared the wits out of old Angus, but nothing else, Laird.”
“Hamish, I consider myself to be a reasonable man, wouldn’t ye agree?”
Hamish chuckled. “As reasonable as they come, Laird.”
“Last winter was a hard one, and ye know as well as I do Alastair MacIan had huge debts in Edinburgh, so when a few of my sheep walked away, did I grumble?”
“Now, Laird, would ye be asking me to lie?”
“Fine, I grumbled, but I didn’t retaliate. I wasn’t going to be the reason his clan starved.”
“Exceedingly generous, Laird.”
“Let’s not go straight to ‘generous,’ at least not where the MacIans are concerned. I’ll stick with ‘reasonable’,” Tadhg said dryly.
“Exceedingly reasonable, Laird.” Hamish laughed.
“So, Alastair died, the MacIan debt was more profound than anyone imagined, and I ignored it when a few more head of sheep and cattle wandered across my border. Then Niall MacIan managed to marry one of the wealthiest heiresses in Scotland.”
“As I hear tell, much to everyone’s surprise, she is one of the bonniest as well.”
“Rich and bonny, a lass after my own heart,” sighed Tadhg. “So now MacIan has recovered financially and has a bonny wife to warm his bed. Why is he still raiding Matheson land and at the same time threatening me to stay off his? Hamish, I have grown tired of being reasonable. This time, we will retaliate.”
“Tonight?” asked Hamish eagerly.
“Nay. Let’s let Laird MacIan enjoy his success and feed my sheep for a couple of weeks before fetching them home.”
~ * ~
Bone weary when he rode with his men to Duncurra late that morning, Niall wanted nothing more than his sweet wife and his warm bed. He knew something was wrong when Alan rode out to meet him. “What has happened? Is it Katherine? Tomas?”
“Laird, it’s nothing like that. Malcolm MacLennan has arrived with Lady Eithne.”
Niall gave a huge sigh of relief. “Is that all? Did ye think ye needed to meet me with that news? My mother, while unexpected, is only a minor irritation.”
“I beg your pardon, Laird, but I’m thinking she may be more than a minor irritation. I understand your mother has claimed her right as Lady MacIan, taken over Duncurra, and sent your wife to bed last night without supper.”
Niall swore and kicked his horse into a gallop, not stopping until he reached the keep. Giving his horse over to a stable hand, he strode into the keep in a black fury. Eithne sat chatting with Malcom at his table in his chair, but he didn’t see any sign of Katherine.
“Mother, this is a surprise,” said Niall, trying to tamp do
wn his rage.
“Well, darling, I don’t see why it would be. You didn’t give me nearly enough money to live on in Edinburgh, so there is nowhere else I can go. Malcolm was visiting the royal court and agreed to escort me home.”
“Home?” Niall snorted in disgust. “Mother, I gave ye a larger stipend than ye deserved, considering how close ye came to ruining us. Ye had more than enough for a comfortable life. Where is my wife?”
Eithne pouted and tears welled up in her eyes, “You are being deliberately cruel, your father would be so ashamed of the way you treat me.”
“I see to the welfare of my father’s clan, which is significantly more than ye did. Where is my wife?” he ground out through gritted teeth.
“As I warned you, son, that girl is totally unacceptable. She is unskilled, willful, and rude. You really must do something about her. She boldly defied me last night, in front of my clan. I told her perhaps going to bed hungry would sweeten her mood, and she stomped off. I have never been so embarrassed, so humiliated. Not that I care as long as I don’t have to suffer her distasteful company, but I believe you will find her in your chamber.”
Niall headed for the tower stairs, taking them two at a time. Reaching his chamber, Niall threw the door open and demanded, “What did ye do?”
~ * ~
Katherine, who sat by a cold hearth sewing, responded with disbelief, “What did I do?”
“Ye know what I mean,” said Niall crossly. “What happened?”
Katherine told herself to stay calm. She shook her head slightly and said, “Niall, please don’t be angry until you have heard the whole story.”
“Katherine, my mother is a mean-spirited, bitter woman. I know this—everyone does. But by all that’s holy, were ye unable to keep the peace for one day?”
Katherine’s heart sank. Without knowing any of the facts, he was blaming her. In spite of assuring her he would make an effort not to assume the worst, he had done exactly that. She remembered the day in the glen when he said, “I am a very flawed man, and set in my ways. It may take a few tries before I get the knack of it.” Still, she believed once he heard the story he would understand.
“Damn it, Katherine, answer me!”
“Where shall I start?” asked Katherine, looking down.
“Start with why my mother says ye defied her in front of clansmen,” Niall answered. “You remember the definition, don’t you? Willful disobedience?”
Katherine remembered Malcolm’s words, “Niall will be very disappointed to learn of the disrespect ye have shown to his mother.”
Katherine sighed, “Your mother was retiring to her chamber for a bath. She said she wanted the evening meal ready when she returned and I should be dressed properly without—without my kertch on, or I would not dine at her table. I told her I understood she was a Chisholm and, as a Highlander herself, I hoped she would appreciate why I couldn’t do that. Then she—she—”
“She became angry, ye were too hard-headed to give in, and decided to go to bed hungry instead. Why couldn’t ye have just appeased her and changed your clothes? What were ye wearing, anyway?”
“I was wearing this,” she said, pointing to the Highland clothes she wore.
“Is that when ye ‘stomped off’ to bed?”
“Nay,” she said miserably. “When she came downstairs and I hadn’t changed, she asked me why I defied her. I said I did not intend to defy her, but I did not have more appropriate clothes.”
“But ye do have other clothes. Ye have the Lowland gowns ye brought with ye.”
“Niall, that’s not the point. A gown is not more appropriate than what I am wearing. Anyway, that’s essentially what I told your mother, and she told me to leave, so I did.”
He shook his head and said, “Nay, Katherine, the point is, like it or not, and believe me I don’t like it, when Eithne is in residence, she is Lady MacIan. Ye defied her in front of clansmen, which I will not tolerate. Are you going to try to convince me your behavior was not willful this time?”
“Nay, Niall, but—”
“No arguments. Put on a gown, come downstairs, and apologize, so we can restore some semblance of peace.”
“Niall, I haven’t told you everything,” she tried to explain.
“I’ve heard enough. Ye were childish and disrespectful. Ye will make amends.”
“But what about my kertch?”
“Leave it off.”
“How can you ask me to do that? Shall I take off my wedding band, too? You’re a Highlander, you know what it means.”
“But ye aren’t a Highlander!” Niall yelled at her.
That stung worse than Uncle Ambrose’s whip ever did.
“Nay. I was just forced to marry one who always seems to believe the worst of me, give him my wealth, live in the Highlands with him, and help care for his clan. You’re right. I’m not a Highlander, how silly of me to think that,” she snapped at him.
“Not. Another. Word.” Niall looked furious. “I’ve had enough misery from that woman to last several lifetimes and I will not have ye adding to it. Ye will placate her until she leaves. Change your clothes. Now!” Niall roared as he left the room.
Katherine felt crushed. She put her sewing away, removed her kertch, and changed her clothes. With rigid determination, she forced back her tears before descending to the great hall. She could tell by the looks of pity she received from the Duncurra staff they had heard Niall shouting at her, telling her she wasn’t a Highlander. They looked as shocked as she felt.
Niall stood with his back to the room, staring into the hearth. She approached the table where Eithne sat gloating. Adopting her mask of indifference, with her head bowed, Katherine said, “My lady, I apologize for defying you in front of your clansmen last night. Please forgive me.”
“Well, I was appalled and insulted by your behavior. See that it doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, my lady. Please excuse me now, there is work I must do.”
Eithne waved her away arrogantly. Katherine glanced to where Niall stood with his back still turned to her and, with her heart breaking, she escaped to the kitchen. There she found Bridie sobbing in Edna’s arms.
Fifteen
Niall introduced Tomas as their foster son that evening. Exactly as Niall expected, Eithne looked as if she had just smelled an exceedingly bad odor. Katherine had been right to shield Tomas until he returned. Malcolm’s cool reaction surprised him a little, and Niall got the impression he disapproved as well. However, Tomas had been the child of a peasant, and Malcolm and Eithne had spent enough time at court to be overly class conscious. He knew it would be best to limit Tomas’ contact with both of them.
Niall remembered vividly how Eithne expressed her displeasure with him when he was little. Initially subtle, she would give him a hard pinch or a thump on the head. As he grew older, she slapped him or took a leather strap to his hands or legs. Niall believed if she felt perfectly comfortable treating her stepson and even her own son in that manner, she would have no compunction about doing so to his foster son. One of his guardsmen would be assigned to stay with Tomas at all times.
~ * ~
Katherine chastised herself repeatedly. She knew how to protect herself from the likes of Eithne and was a master at controlling her anger and hiding her emotions. She had become complacent. Whatever gave her the idea she could have principles, much less stand on them? She became Katherine Ruthven, remaining quiet and calm, keeping her eyes downcast, and doing everything Eithne asked of her.
Having had no sleep the night before because of the raid, Niall looked exhausted by nightfall. After the evening meal, Katherine excused herself to put Tomas to bed. Niall, too, offered his apologies and followed Katherine and Tomas out of the hall. When they reached the second floor, Niall made to open the door to Tomas’ room and Katherine stayed him. “Your mother is staying in that room. I’ve moved Tomas’ things out for now.”
“Why did ye do that? She could have stayed in the other one.”
Katherine said pointedly, “Niall, Lady MacIan required this room for herself and the other one for Laird MacLennan. I put Tomas’ things in our room for now.”
“Fine,” he said irritably, going to their chamber. He looked angry and Katherine suspected he wanted to be alone with her, but it couldn’t be helped. She made a pallet for Tomas on the floor and slipped into bed wearing her shift.
“Are ye sleeping in that?” he asked angrily.
Katherine sighed, “What would ye have me do, with Tomas sleeping in the room?”
Niall growled, “Ye will find somewhere else for Tomas tomorrow.
~ * ~
When Fingal returned the next day, and Keith filled him in on the events of the past few days, he became furious. “He did what?” Fingal roared. “He let that bitch get to him!”
He was not going to let this slide. Fingal put a lid on his temper and sought out his brother, who was overseeing some repairs to the defensive wall. “Niall, can we talk?”
“Leave it, Fingal,” Niall warned.
With barely controlled anger, Fingal said, “Ye are my laird, and I would not show disrespect to ye, but ye are also my brother and that is who I want to talk to. Will ye talk with me privately?”
“Fingal, as your laird I am telling ye this is not a good day to talk to your brother.”
Fingal tried one last time, speaking very lowly, “Niall, she is my mother and that is only by sad chance. She has never been a real mother to either of us. She doesn’t have the capacity to love anyone but herself, and still ye give her free rein over your clan. Ye have a wife who has given ye her heart, and yet ye are letting the same woman who destroyed ye destroy her as well.”
“Fingal, I warned ye. Ye are crossing the line. Ye will not tell me how to treat our mother, this clan, or my wife. I am your brother, and because of that I am not going to call ye out on this, but if ye raise the subject with me again, particularly if ye make any comment about my wife, ye will pay the price. Do I make myself clear?”
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