TWO LAIRDS ONE LADY

by John Ryan

  Then, only silence.

  Elspeth’s eyes widened in abject terror as a black shape hurled itself at her, sending her tumbling over a bale of hay. Struggling to recapture her breath, Elspeth came face to face with Asilin’s purring form kneading happily upon her lap.

  As her heart slowly returned to a normal pace, she chided, “Och! Ye daft cat! Ye nearly scared me to death!”

  Blissfully unaware of her chastisement, Asilin reacted by butting his head against her chin and purring loudly. Elspeth blew a shaft of hay from the front of her eyes and held Asilin aloft, nuzzling her nose in his furry face.

  Her eyes misting, Elspeth whispered, “Aye, I’ll miss ye dearly, Asilin. Ye go now and take care of Mother.”

  Cradling his furry, purring mass, Elspeth lovingly toted Asilin to the barn door. With a light tap on his rump, she gently escorted him out into the night. With a heavy heart, Elspeth trudged back to her mare. As she strapped the saddle to its slightly hunched back, Elspeth’s mind swam and her heart raced. Her greatest fear was not that she may perish in her endeavor. Rather, she was beset by the dreadful image of Lord Devlin reneging on his word. Further, her deepest fear was that Thayer would come after her and come to harm.

  Elspeth’s heart ached as she imagined the scene of Thayer discovering her missing. She despised deceiving him, but prayed that one day he may forgive her. Elspeth trussed a small burlap satchel of oats and a lambskin water bottle to the saddle. With a grunt, she hoisted herself upon the mare’s back. Tugging the cowl of her cloak over her head, she gently spurred the mare out of the stall and into the inky night. Although the rain had diminished to a fine mist, the night was dreary and chilled, mirroring Elspeth’s spirits. Though the journey was to be of short duration, she knew progress would be arduous and slow. The dim moon would see to that.

  As they trotted away into the inky night, a flash of lightning set the sky alight, illuminating the sleepy burg. Glancing over her shoulder, Elspeth paused for a final look. Quickly turning away, she fought the sensation that her heart had been completely hollowed out. Her old life was behind her now. Her new life, without Thayer, had begun. It felt as if her very soul had died. The rain held and Elspeth found herself making better time than she first supposed. Though she was grateful, each stride closer increased her dread twofold.

  “There, there, Old Mare, just another hour or so,” Elspeth soothed as she stroked the side of the mare’s prickly muzzle.

  Pausing as she crested the peak of a heather-freckled hillock, Elspeth could clearly distinguish Dirleton castle looming in the distance. Its appearance stoked her kindling fear into an overwhelming inferno. Dragging her gaze from the besieged castle, she persuaded her thoughts to turn to her coming reunion with her beloved father and brother. Her heart soon warmed, staving the grip of the gelid night.

  “Do I dare to hope, Destiny?” Elspeth queried as she gazed upon the lands which had previously enkindled only the fondest of feelings. “Dare I hope that this journey will not be in vain; that Lord Devlin will barter my hand for the freedom of Father, Graham, and Faolin? ‘Tis bad enough Mother isn’t going to forgive me anytime soon for leaving,” she whispered with a sad laugh to Destiny, who was busy munching the rich green grass. “But Lord willing, she will have Father and Graham back. In time, she will come to understand why I did not have an alternative.”

  Though she fought desperately to push it from her mind, Elspeth found herself once again reflecting upon her secretive parting from Thayer with profound sadness. Tears welled up in her eyes. She nearly forgot to breathe.

  “Forsooth, I dinna ken if Thayer will ever forgive me either,” Elspeth wondered aloud as she gently stroked the mare’s broad neck. “But he loves me and I ken his heart is pure. I’m sure he will come to accept me decision in time. My most fervent hope is that he will someday find another that will make him feel as loved as I felt with him. He deserves that and so much more.”

  The sudden melodic clop of heavy horse footfalls scattered the stillness of the night. Elspeth whirled around in her saddle. The sight before her made her breath catch in her throat. Three shadowy figures appeared out of the gloom. Two men, heavily armed and clad in mail, were accompanied by a young lad who lagged two horse lengths behind them. The boy had a bow in his hand and a quiver of arrows strapped across his back.

  The figures encircled her. The largest amongst them was the first to speak.

  Lifting an arrogant brow, he growled sardonically, “Just what do we have here, men? A spy? Or a mighty Scottish warrior, mayhap?”

  While the two men in armor were removing their helmets, the lad secretly gestured to Elspeth, putting his finger to his lips.

  Elspeth’s heart leapt as she narrowed her eyes on the young lad. It was her cousin, Brice!

  Unmasked, Elspeth instantly recognized the other men as Sir Edward and his soldier-at-arms. They were the same English patrol she had encountered with Thayer in the forest.

  As the second of the armored men swept his eyes lecherously over Elspeth, he sniped, “Aye, she’s a bonny lass, for sure. Do ye think we really need to inform Lord Devlin that we have captured her so soon? I wouldn’t mind a taste of her first.”

  “Lord Devlin will have our heads if we dinna bring her back to the castle, untouched and post haste,” Brice interjected.

  “He may be just a daft Scot, but he’s right,” Sir Edward concurred. “Lord Devlin made his wishes perfectly clear. She is to remain chaste.”

  Returning his attention to Elspeth, he cast a mocking gaze and hissed, “Lass, ye have caused us a great deal of trouble. We have been searching for you--and that blasted swain of yours--for weeks now. So...I don’t suppose that you could tell me where we might find him?”

  “Nae, I will never. Yet, I assure ye that if ye were unlucky enough to find him, your lives would be forfeit,” Elspeth spat defiantly.

  Sir Edward unsheathed his sword and held it aloft menacingly.

  “If I do have the pleasure of making his acquaintance, my dear, I assure you it’ll be his life that shall be forfeit!”

  “Well, ye claim ye have a duty to perform? Then do it!” she crackled with venom as color rushed to her cheeks.

  The second soldier burst into a mocking laugh.

  “Sir Edward, she’s a fiery sprite, eh? Mayhap we should bind her hands and feet.”

  Scoffing, Sir Edward cast a glower at the soldier. The soldier quickly dropped his eyes to the ground.

  “That will not be necessary,” Elspeth interposed stiltedly. “Ye have me word on it. I will not run from ye.”

  Sir Edward relented. “Aye. There is one thing I can concede about the Mourneys. They are apt to keep their word. Your father , anyway.”

  “Ye have spoken to my father?” she said, glaring at Sir Edward incredulously.

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

  “Oh? Do I pose a threat to such a brave knight as yourself?” Elspeth cooed mockingly. “Surely, ye do not fear the likes of a wee woman?”

  “Very well, if ye must know, I suppose there is no harm in it,” Sir Edward replied flippantly. “I was there when your father vowed to convince the King to deliver the Stone of Destiny from Edinburgh to serve as a ransom. Lord Devlin agreed and permitted him to dispatch a message to your King. The King’s army bears the Stone here this very hour.”

  A wry smile crept across Elspeth’s lips as she mused over her father’s true intent. He was a man of his word, yes, but the word can oft be misleading. Her father would most certainly deliver a stone, but not the Stone.

  Sir Edward’s brows knitted as he peered at Elspeth’s face. “Is that a smile I see, lass? Just what is so amusing?” he demanded.

  “I was just thinking of me father, is all. Naught else,” Elspeth replied tersely.

  Unconvinced of her sincerity, he barked, “To be truthful, I care naught of what ye are musing. I have tired of this incessant, baneful chatter. We ride now to Dirleton. I shall let Lord Devlin decide what he wishes to
do with you. And you, I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.”

  As they turned to leave, Brice flicked a reassuring smile and wink to his cousin. Elspeth noticed it, smiling in response.

  Raising her gaze to the heavens, she pondered, If naught else, I will at last reunite with Father and Graham. Her thoughts drifted to Thayer once more, prompting an uneasy sense of doom to creep into her soul.

  Thayer, oh, if we could have wed! Ye could have become my father’s son and Graham’s brother. I would have the three most important men in my life together. Me life would have been complete.

  Chapter Twenty

  Back at the cottage, Thayer slept fitfully. Even in his dreams, he could sense Elspeth’s anguish. He was back at the grounds of Dirleton Castle, standing in the center of a great courtyard of stone. As he scanned the lush emerald horizon, something afar caught his eye. A dark horse and rider, cloaked in black and his face obscured in shadow, rapidly approached.

  As they dipped beneath a rising hillock, Thayer rested his hand over the hilt of his sword. His every sense was heightened, his every hackle raised. Then, silence. No hoof beats, no battle cry, no sound whatsoever. Thayer shrugged; surely his mind was playing tricks on him.

  His attention was suddenly drawn by the sweet sound of Elspeth’s voice wafting over the grounds. She was waving to him, beckoning him from a glade just beyond the courtyard. Just as he started to walk toward her, the horseman swept down upon Elspeth and dragged her screaming from her feet. As the black rider whisked her away, Thayer shouted over and over again, “Elspeth! Elspeth! Elspeth!”

  Thayer was awakened with a start by the weight of a heavy chain gauntlet upon his shoulder. Shaking his head and vigorously blinking his eyes, the form of his Uncle Colin gradually came into view.

  Towering over his bed, he looked upon Thayer with concern.

  “Are ye alright, lad?” Colin asked, his brow furrowed. “Ye were calling Elspeth’s name in your sleep.”

  “Uncle Colin?” Thayer replied groggily as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

  “Aye, lad. ‘Tis I. I came to see if ye knew where Lady Elspeth might be hiding. Her mother is seeking her.”

  “Hiding?” Thayer questioned, trying to clear the morning fog from his brain.

  His heart sunk deeply in his chest as the implication of his uncle’s question began to set in.

  Springing from the bed, Thayer snapped. “Uncle Colin, do ye mean to say that ye dinna ken where Elspeth is?”

  “Aye, lad. There’s aught sign of her. Except, mayhap...”

  “Mayhap what?” Thayer demanded.

  “‘Tis just that her mare is missing from the stables.”

  “God’s teeth , no!” Thayer cried. His mind racing and his heart surging in his chest, he raked his hand through his mane. Shuttering his eyes, he clung to the post of his bed. It was all he could do to stay the room from swaying.

  Spying the parchment and folded wool which lay upon the pillow aside his nephew, Colin asked, “Thayer, what’s that on your rest? It looks to be a note.”

  Reaching over, Thayer fumbled for the parchment. Unfolding it with trembling fingers, his eyes widened in disbelief as he read the page. His heart and shoulders sank as he stared at the missive. With every word, he felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest.

  Letting the parchment slip from his fingers, Thayer directed his attention to the piece of tattered wool. His heart racing, Thayer carefully peeled back the folds to expose a dry and aged thistle--its purple hues faded and wan.

  “Oh, Elspeth,” Thayer sobbed.

  Dabbing his tears with the threadbare material, Thayer tucked the thistle deep within his plaid.

  Turning to Colin, he vowed, “Uncle, I dare not delay a single moment! I must leave at once. When the King’s army arrives, please tell them that I will meet them at Dirleton.”

  “Thayer, what the devil is it? What is written upon that parchment?” Colin implored, his brows knit in confusion.

  “Elspeth has gone to Dirleton to seek the release of her father, brother, and Faolin,” Thayer growled as he thrust the parchment into Colin’s hand.

  “Damn it all to Hades!” Colin bellowed as he scanned the letter. “We have to go get after her!”

  “Nae, Uncle!” Thayer corrected. “Ye must stay here and look after Lady Fiona. I will ride to Dirleton alone.”

  “Well, lad, ye may ride to Dirleton. But I’m riding alongside ye--whether ye like it or not!” Colin insisted brusquely.

  “Uncle,” Thayer persisted, “I appreciate your concern but this is not your fight. Elspeth is to be my wife. I have a duty to her.”

  “Aye, lad, but my sister would have my head if I permitted any harm came to ye. Besides, I have a score to settle with Devlin.”

  “Very well then, Uncle,” Thayer finally conceded. “First, let me call on Lady Fiona and we’ll be off.”

  Thayer snatched the letter from the bed and bolted from the room.

  Colin lingered.

  Grasping the hilt of his claymore, he swept it from its sheath in a graceful arc over his head.

  Holding the gleaming blade before his face, he planted a light kissed upon its shimmering cold steel, proclaiming, “So, Lord Devlin. Ye may get to suffer me blade yet! ‘Twas a long time a-coming. I look forward to the opportunity!”

  A deep sigh escaping him, Colin slid the blade into its sheath and turned to join Thayer.

  ***

  Thayer found Lady Fiona pacing nervously in the sitting room. Noting his approach, she raced to greet him.

  “Thayer, have ye any word of Elspeth?” she implored as color rushed to her cheeks.

  Thayer’s heart sank as he peered into her eyes of emerald, which glistened with tears. They appeared so much like her daughter’s!

  “M’lady, I’m afraid she has gone to seek the release of your husband and your son.”

  Her eyes widening in shock and disbelief, Lady Fiona stood in abject horror, as if numbed to the world. She swooned and Thayer leaned forward, grabbing her tightly around her forearms to steady her.

  “Lady Fiona? M’lady? Are ye all right?”

  Dabbing the tears from her eyes, Lady Fiona mumbled a self admonishment under her breath for her lack of steel.

  Straightening her back and defiantly tilting her chin into the air, she responded, “Aye, Thayer, I am quite all right. Please forgive me. Now, tell me how ye have come to ken this?”

  “Elspeth left a note. I can tell ye of its substance but there is naught time to read the entire missive.”

  Thayer discreetly stuffed the parchment deeper into his tunic. This was certainly not the time for her mother to learn of their night together. Not that any time would do! As Thayer related the contents of the letter, Lady Fiona managed a woeful smile.

  “That sounds like something my husband’s daughter would do,” she lamented bitterly. “Oh, Thayer, what are we to do?”

  Grasping her hands tightly, he narrowed his eyes upon hers.

  “Lady Fiona, I vow to ye this day. I will deliver your family from Dirleton. Your daughter has taught me the true measure of a man’s love for his woman. I hold her welfare and her happiness in higher regard than me own. I will gladly lay down me life for her.”

  Lady Fiona leaned forward to plant a soft kiss upon his cheek.

  “Bless ye Thayer,” Lady Fiona whispered as she lay her hand against the side of his face. Mustering a hint of a smile, she threw back her shoulders.

  “If my daughter does not wed ye, I’ll send her back to Dirleton even if the English still possess it,” she quipped in a vain attempt to lighten the moment.

  Taking his leave, Thayer bounded from the Manor. With wings on his feet, he dashed to the stables. Arriving nigh breathless, he was gratified to see Colin was already preparing the horses.

  “Uncle, we travel light. Take only the bare necessities. We must move with swiftness and silence.”

  “Aye,” Colin replied, patting his sword. “I believe I have all t
hat I need already.”

  Clasping the reins of the two great steeds, Colin eased them out of the stables. The two men mounted them in haste.

  Patting Ethelion’s shimmering mane, Thayer whispered, “‘Tis time to prove your worth, old friend.”

  Ethelion glanced back and whinnied.

  Thayer smiled. He knew the great steed understood the significance of his words.

  “Your steed may be intelligent, Thayer. But there’s no stallion in the whole of Scotland with more battle experience than Zeus here,” Colin proudly exclaimed as he stroked the graying mane of his hulking mount.

  “Aye, we can surely use any advantages we can muster, Uncle,” Thayer allied. “And, we just may need the luck of the angels as well.”

  Running his fingers over the leather wrappings coiled around the hilt of his sword, Thayer pronounced, “Come, let us pay a little visit to Lord Devlin.”

  Nodding his agreement, Colin shot an inquisitive look at his nephew.

  “Verily, that is our design, Thayer. But we cannot simply stroll into Dirleton. How in Hades do ye intend to get past the walls of the castle?”

  Casting a roguish grin, Thayer exclaimed, “Trust me, Uncle. I have a design. Now, let us ride post haste.”

  Putting their heels to their stallions’ sides, the pair rode out into the night. Their hearts were heavy, their quest certain.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Thayer and Colin trudged over the fen through the blackish mist. With each length, the rage within their hearts grew. Thayer, for his part, welcomed it, for without it, his fears for Elspeth’s safety could cripple him.

  “I dinna ken how ye plan to get past the castle guards, Thayer. Seeing that me neck is on the line as well, I think ‘tis high time ye informe me,” Colin grumbled as the two carefully trod over the boggy, unlit ground.

  Thayer cast an empathetic glance at the weary warrior. “Forgive me, Uncle, I have been remiss in confiding my plan. I dinna intend to keep ye in the dark.”