“Ye must go,” Kate insisted as she rolled her eyes, openly annoyed with her husband.
“And ye need to rest,” Rowan told her as he adjusted her pillows and fussed with tucking in her blankets. He was doing his best to make her comfortable as if doing so would rid him of some of the guilt he felt.
“What I need is fer ye to stop fussing over me, and go help Angus and Duncan,” she told him as she leaned back against the pillows. “I am no’ an invalid, husband. I will be fine verra soon.”
“I canna leave ye, Kate,” he said as he smoothed out the wrinkles of her blanket.
“Fer heaven’s sake, Rowan!” Kate exclaimed. “Ye are actin’ a fool. Do I need to send fer yer mum?”
The mention of his mother sent an involuntary shudder throughout his body.
He knew he was a grown man, a warrior, a husband, and, if his wife had anything to say about it, someday a father. He had fought against the English -- and a few Scots -- in many a battle. On the battlefield, he had no fear and would go against any man when the need arose.
Those were all much easier to battle against than his mum. Enndolynn Graham was a force of nature and not one to be toyed with. She was one of the few people on this earth that he was actually fearful of and that was a fact that his mother used to her full advantage. His mum and dad lived on the other side of the keep from Rowan and Kate and he tried to avoid his mother whenever possible.
His father made threats every other day to give up his the chiefdom and let Rowan take the reins. Rowan had a sneaky suspicion however, that his mother would not allow it. She enjoyed being the chatelaine of the keep far too much to give it up. Not even to Kate, who was probably the only living human being that Enndolynn loved unconditionally.
Much to his consternation, Kate and Enndolynn were good friends. Though he could not understand why or how. Kate had a sweet and sunny disposition. She was eager to help those in need, had a soft spot in her heart for all animals, even mice, and everyone adored her. He could not say the same of his mum.
As Rowan raised an eyebrow he saw a determined look come over wife’s face. It was no idle threat that Kate made. He could see the determination in her beautiful green eyes.
“Ye wouldna dare,” he said, though he had no doubt that she would.
Kate rolled her eyes again. “I would,” she told him. Her lips pursed for a moment before relaxing into that sweet smile that melted his heart every time she offered it to him.
Mayhap were she not such a beautiful young woman, full of sweetness, light and love, he might have stood a better chance against her when she had her mind set on something. He was a hopeless fool when it came to telling her no. He realized early on in their marriage, that it was her smile more than anything else that did him in. He couldn’t bear to see it leave her lovely face.
“Rowan,” she said softly as she took his hand in hers. He scooted the stool a bit closer to the bed and leaned in. “Husband, I will be fine. Yer mum is here to look after me. She’ll no’ allow anything to happen to me.”
He knew that to be true. His mother adored Kate and there was nothing she would not do to ensure Kate’s safety and well-being. If Rowan had to leave, there was some comfort in knowing that Enndolynn would fight the devil himself if she had to in order to protect Kate.
Even with the knowledge that his mother was here to see to his wife’s every need, it was not the same as him being there for her.
Apparently Kate could tell that Rowan was mulling things over in his mind, not quite ready yet to agree to leave. “Rowan, ye’ll only be gone a week or two. By the time ye return, I’ll be well and rested and back on my feet. Besides, the way ye fuss over me makes it harder to rest!”
She would not give in. He decided it was better to give in than to argue. Inevitably she would win. He let out a heavy sigh of defeat, gave her hand a gentle squeeze and leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Ye are a stubborn lass, Kate.”
Her face lit with a proud smile. “Yer mum taught me well,” she teased.
Rowan scowled down at her, disgusted with the thought. “Ye are nothin’ like me mum.” The comparison was laughable.
Kate giggled softly. “Oh, don’t be so daft! Really, Rowan, I do no’ ken why yer so afraid of yer mum!”
“I am no’ afraid of her.” They both knew that to be a lie. “She just sets me teeth on edge.”
Kate giggled again as she looked up at her husband. She rested her palm against his cheek and sighed contentedly. “Yer a good man, Rowan Graham. Now go, help Angus and Duncan. They need ye more than I do.”
“I’ll only go if ye promise ye’ll no’ leave this bed until I return,” he told her.
A devious smile came to her face. “As long as ye promise ye’ll no’ leave it after ye return. At least not fer a sennight.”
He returned her smile. “Yer a wicked woman, Kate!”
“Aye. That I learned from ye!”
Rowan wiggled his eyebrows, kissed her soundly on her lips and left the room before he could change his mind.
FOUR
It was difficult for Wee William to maintain any semblance of composure. The looks of disdain and reproach he had received from the people at Castle Stirling were, he supposed, to be expected considering the condition he and Black Richard were in when they presented themselves. Covered with mud and muck -- and God only knew what else -- they looked more like beggars than warriors and probably smelled far worse.
It also did not help matters that Wee William stood nearly seven feet tall. Life had taught him early on that people took one look at his size and stature and assumed him to be an uneducated dullard of a man. Those assumptions usually worked to Wee William’s advantage and to the detriment of the fools who made them.
Wee William and Black Richard, along with fifty other MacDougall warriors, had ridden nearly nonstop for days to reach Castle Stirling. To be dismissed so easily by the people there was beyond the pale. They had made it past the guards at the gate, only to be met by an arrogant, thin man who informed them that Robert Stewart was not in residence. He refused to tell Wee William or Black Richard where the High Steward of Scotland might be.
Robert Stewart was the only man in Scotland at the moment that could help. With King David held prisoner by the English, Robert Stewart had been made the High Steward of Scotland. He was the only man who could nullify the death sentences issued for Angus and Duncan.
What set Wee William’s teeth to grinding was the thin man’s indifference and lack of concern. No matter how they presented the facts he would not budge from his determination not to disclose the whereabouts of the High Steward. He sniffed condescendingly before having guards escort Wee William and Richard off the premises.
Selfishly, Wee William wished his beautiful wife, Nora, were here with him. She was one of the few people who could temper his anger, calm his wrath and sooth away his worries. She was, however, back at their cottage on MacDougall lands tending to their children -- twins, William John and Suisan Elise, and his young brother- and sister-in-law, John and Elise.
God willing, he would be home within a few weeks. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her wee frame, kiss her soundly and, mayhap, continue to work on producing a few more bairns.
He missed his home, his wife, and their family.
Forcing himself back to the here and now, Wee William stood in disbelief just outside the gates of Stirling Castle. He had to remind himself that laying siege to the castle would serve no benefit to anyone, least of all Angus and Duncan.
But something niggled at him, made the hairs on his neck and arms stand at full attention. Something was amiss. His gut told him that he had been lied to and that Robert Stewart was somewhere within the castle walls, though why the man refused to see him was perplexing. Angus had always considered Robert an ally as well as a friend. Wee William could not understand why Robert would turn his back on his friend in his time of need.
“Wee William.” It was Black Richard’s voice that broke his train o
f thought. “Do ye believe them when they say the Stewart is no’ here?”
Wee William shook his head as he continued to stare up at the castle. “Nay,” he answered. “He’s there. I can feel it in me bones.”
“Why do ye suppose he refused to see us?”
While Wee William’s family needed him to return, Angus and their clan needed him to succeed in meeting with Robert Stewart. If he failed at the latter, he stood the risk of losing more than his home. If Angus and Duncan died, there would be nothing to stop the Stewart from taking control of Clan MacDougall. He could install anyone he wished as chief and there was no guarantee that Angus’ replacement would come from within the clan. The thought of a complete stranger as chief of his clan chilled Wee William to the marrow.
A plan suddenly emerged in Wee William’s mind. Aye, it would be risky and could very well mean he would hang alongside Angus and Duncan. But it was a chance he was willing to take.
“Well, Black Richard,” Wee William began as he finally turned toward his friend. “What say we go and ask the man himself?”
“And how do ye plan on askin’ him that question?” Black Richard’s brow furrowed over his deep blue eyes.
Wee William gave him a smile and a slap on the back as they turned to walk away from the castle. Black Richard looked like a wee lad as he walked next to his friend. There were times, such as now, when the twinkle of something sinister and devious alight in Wee William’s eyes made Black Richard very glad to have the man on his side.
“To his face, me friend.”
Black Richard studied Wee William from the corner of his eye, waiting patiently for his friend to explain. Wee William was smiling and did not look nearly as deflated or angry as he had just moments ago. Oh, this will no’ bode well for any of us, least of all for the people inside the castle.
As Black Richard figured out what Wee William meant to do, he could not help but smile.
“Ye be a devious bastard, Wee William,”
“So I’ve been told.”
FIVE
“Ye’ve been a good wife to me, lass.” Carlich Lindsay’s voice was low and scratchy as he spoke to his beautiful young wife. “Had I met ye in me younger days, I would have given ye at least ten bairns.” He managed to smile, though in truth he was in a good deal of pain. Dying was not as easy as he would have liked.
He wished the Good Lord would take him soon.
“Wheest, now,” his wife said with a shake of her head as she wiped his sweaty brow with a cool cloth.
“Nay, I will no’ wheest,” he told her. “There is much I need to tell ye.”
“Ye need to rest, my laird,” she whispered as she turned her ministrations to his hands, masking her worry behind a gentle smile. Carlich was auld, very auld, and he’d been on a downward slide toward death for months now.
Wrinkled and sagging skin, seemingly translucent with its bluish tint, hung from his bones. Age and disease were taking their toll on this once strong, virile man.
Arline had not known him back then, when he was young, so full of life and strength. Nay, she’d only known him in his auld age. A twinge of regret played around her heart. She too wished they could have married at a different time. She imagined he would have given her as many bairns as she wanted.
Arline had turned five and ten but a month before she and Carlich were married. He was auld enough to be her great-grandsire. Now, three years later, he was more than eighty, and there would be no more bairns for him. And none for her.
“I’ll be resting soon enough, fer a verra long time,” Carlich said, wheezing.
Lady Arline decided it would do no good to argue .He was auld, frail, and at death’s door. There was no fighting the inevitable and to prolong it seemed inhumane. Still, she wanted to make him as comfortable as possible and she was not quite ready to say goodbye. Selfishly, she wished he could live a few more years for when he did die, she knew she would be sent back to Ireland. There were many things she longed for and missed about her homeland. But Ireland was where her father was and he was the sole reason she had no desire to return.
“Fine,” she said softly. “I’ll allow ye to tell me what is so important. But then, please, husband, I beg ye to rest.” She loved him. She loved him because he was good to her and had kept her safe these past three years.
She had learned much from him. He had allowed her the freedom she hadn’t realized she had longed for. Arline was allowed to smile, to laugh, to be straightforward with him. Whatever happened to be on her mind at any given time, she was freely allowed to express. Carlich had taught her that the only stupid question was the one not asked.
He had treated her like a precious granddaughter, spoiling her with gifts and freedom. She thrived here and reveled in the sparkle she could bring to his eyes.
How could she not spoil him in return?
Carlich raised an eyebrow. “Ye’ll allow it?” he asked mischievously. His tone of voice and raised eyebrow made Arline giggle.
“Aye,” she said firmly. “I’ll allow it.” She could not resist the urge to smile when she saw the much-missed twinkle return to his eyes.
SIX
The rain was relentless. It pelted down like small stones on the three hundred MacDougall men as they rode toward the Lindsay keep. The wind was just as unforgiving as the rain as it blew mightily across the wide valley. Brothers Daniel and David led the way across the Lindsay lands, ignoring the assault Mother Nature was heaping upon them.
Weather such as this was nothing new for these strong, fierce and determined men. What made it unusual was the fact that it had been rainy, cold, and windy for nearly a fortnight. It was if the earth itself felt the pall that had been cast across the Highlands with the accusations made against Angus McKenna.
Angus had been the chief of Clan MacDougall longer than Daniel and David had been alive. The two young men loved Angus as much as they loved their own father. To have such charges made against their chief was the same as casting aspersions against their own father and themselves. They could not and would not tolerate such malevolent accusations.
It mattered not to Daniel or David, or to the men traveling with them, that Angus and Duncan had admitted guilt. Not a one of them believed either man was a traitor. In their heart of hearts they knew there had to be a reason for Angus and Duncan to admit to such atrocities. The fact that Isobel, Aishlinn and the babes were missing had to be the key. The two men had admitted guilt in order to protect their families. Nothing else made any sense. They would lend no credence to the accusations or the subsequent admissions. To do so was unthinkable.
The MacDougall warriors had ridden nearly non-stop for two days. They had plodded through thick mud, forded large streams filled with bone-chilling water and ridden around mountains to get to the Lindsay keep.
They had to speak with the chief of the Lindsay clan, Seamus Lindsay. Angus and Duncan were imprisoned in Edinburgh. Without knowing the whys or the wherefores behind the accusations and admissions or the whereabouts of Isobel and Aishlinn, MacDougall warriors had been dispersed across Scotland to invoke the bond of the seven.
The MacDougall Clan council had voted to install Wee William as temporary chief until the mess with Angus and Duncan could be sorted out. Wee William had sent Daniel and David and some three hundred men to the Lindsays. Black Richard went with Wee William and fifty men to Stirling while a contingent of some one hundred MacDougall warriors was sent with Caelen McDunnah to seek help from Nial McKee. Still others had been sent to the clans Randolph and Carruthers.
The orders given to Daniel and David were simple. Get to the Lindsays, invoke the bonds and promises forged between the seven clans, and take Seamus and his men to Stirling. They could not afford any delay in their duty. Angus and Duncan’s lives were at risk.
They tore hell-bent-for-leather through the countryside, men on a mission, unstoppable. Failure was not an option.
The MacDougall warriors had been on Lindsay land for more than three hours and h
ad yet to see even a hint of a Lindsay warrior. Typically, scouts were posted along the clan borders to guard them and keep out any unwanted individuals.
Odd. Very odd. The lack of soldiers left a rather unsettled feeling in the pit of Daniel’s stomach. It was highly unusual.
“If I didna know better, brother,” David said, “I’d believe the Lindsays had fallen off the face of the earth.”
Daniel nodded and pulled his horse to a halt in order to scan their surroundings. Mayhap the Lindsays were in some kind of trouble and the MacDougalls were heading into a trap.
“Pull ten, no, twenty men, David, and send them ahead,” Daniel ordered. “Have them go quickly, but let them no’ be seen. I want to ken what the bloody hell is going on, but I do no’ want to lose any men.”
McKenna's Honor, a Novella, Book Four of the Clan MacDougall Series Page 3