[Druids Bidding 02.0] RenFaire Druids: Dunskey Castle Prequels

by Jane Stain

  “Uh, I don’t think I do, but tell me and I’ll let you know.”

  Wow, Peadar was really upset by this. He got an intense look on his face.

  Vange shook his hands a little and smiled at him.

  “Careful, Peadar. Let’s not make a scene.”

  He nodded then and leaned back in his seat, pulling her chair close to him and putting his arm around her so that her head rested on his shoulder and they were both watching the room. And so he could whisper in her ear without making a scene.

  “So so so sorry, lass. I thought Emily had told you. I should have made sure that you knew. I vowed to tell my wife before we married. I have failed you.”

  “I accept your apology, Peadar. Now please just tell me already.”

  He whispered.

  “Our family’s branch of MacGregors are cursed, Vange.”

  She whispered back.

  “I gathered that. What kind of curse?”

  He held her close.

  “Every fourth son of ours must serve the druids if he lives to be twenty and five. My father Dall was the fourth son of his father, and so he has the birthmark and must serve them the rest of his life.”

  “OK. That doesn’t bother me, Peadar. That’s why Dall met Emily, and why I met you.”

  He turned and kissed her cheek.

  “Aye, that is true, and for that I am grateful. But …”

  Vange turned her head to look at him.

  “But?”

  He smiled at her nervously.

  “But Vange, if you and I have a fourth son, the druids are going to call him into their service when he’s five and twenty.”

  “Oh … well, let’s stop with the two we have, then.”

  He seemed to think that over, which she guessed wasn’t surprising for a guy who’d only found out about condoms six months ago.

  “Aye, it is a good idea, and with us being away here in Ireland at this castle with no lands nor cattle to tend, well, we do not need a large family anyhow.”

  “For now.”

  “For now?”

  You’ve forgotten. Barely remembering the need for secrecy in her anger at his inconsideration, Vange hissed at her husband instead of yelling at him.

  “Yes, for now. Peadar, you promised you would get me home.”

  He sat up in his seat and looked at her, crossing his arms.

  “Aye, and I will. But Vange, I did say someday, you ken? I did not say soon.”

  The first either of them was aware of Tam was when they heard his voice right next to them. The man had a sugary smile on his face, and his head was tilted to the side, slowly shaking no.

  “Aw, Evangeline. If it is going home you dream of, then your dreams will all be sad, I’m afraid.”

  Vange spoke before she really thought about what she was saying.

  “What’s it to you?”

  Peadar’s arm was around her, and he was gently squeezing her waist. He was probably right in telling her to keep quiet, but oh well. She’d already spoken, and she actually was interested in how Tam would answer the question.

  Tam cut Peadar off before her husband could speak in her defense.

  “Oho. You’ve gotten brave in your speech, Evangeline. And I suppose this indicates that you feel able to fend for yourself over the long journey your husband will soon embark on?”

  Peadar’s squeeze was insistent, though not at all painful.

  “She is correct nonetheless, Tam. She is my wife and no concern at all of yours.”

  Tam affected to have had his nonexistent feelings hurt.

  “Aw, you insult me. I am merely looking out for the family of one of the warriors in my lord’s charge. It is my duty, you see, to provide for the widows and the orphans.”

  Vange was getting a bit scared now, and she was glad when Peadar got up, pulled her up, and stormed off with her without even saying another word to Tam.

  Both of their emotions were in such a frenzied state when they got back to their room that they got their sons fed, got in bed, and made love passionately without saying a word. In the brief time after that and before they went to sleep, they did manage to talk, a little.

  She started.

  “All of this is normal to you, isn’t it.”

  “All of what, lass?”

  “Only being home with me and the children a tenth of the time. Being gone fighting the rest of the time, unless it’s winter.”

  “Ah, aye, that it is.”

  “Well it is the farthest thing from normal that I could ever have imagined for my life.”

  “Surely men fight in your time, aye?”

  “We have professional armies, made of only one man in a thousand, I think. The rest of our men stay home with their families all the time. My father does. He and my mom run a business together.”

  “So … you did not expect to be without your husband so much, is that it?”

  “Yeah, that’s a big part of it. But there’s more reasons I want to go home. You’ve seen it there, and you remember, right?”

  “Aye, it is grand, that is true.”

  “It isn’t the grandness that I miss.”

  “Nay?”

  “No.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “Peadar, I don’t feel safe here. Not even here in our room with you here, not really. You’ve made me see that yeah, we have to wait until the children can fight a little before we leave, but … I almost think they would have a better shot at good lives if we left with them right now.”

  “How can that be true, Vange? You know how defenseless they are.”

  “Yes, and that will only get worse the longer they stay here without being vaccinated against all the diseases that can kill them.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “In my time, doctors can prevent many diseases, Peadar, like smallpox and measles and mumps. Almost no one dies of contagious diseases. Most people die when they’re over sixty, of heart failure and cancer. I want our children to have the protection the doctors can provide them. That wasn’t why I wanted to go home at first, but it is the number one reason I want to get home now.”

  He held her close and caressed her back.

  “Our children come from strong stock, lass. We MacGregors are tough. Do not fash.”

  “I know you’re tough, Peadar, and I am very glad. But—”

  “Hushhhh. Hush, now. None of your worries can change anything, lass. Facts are facts. We are here in Ireland, and the children cannot travel for half a dozen years yet, anyhow. Do your best to enjoy these years at the castle, eh?”

  The more he said, the deeper her depression became. But she resigned herself to the situation and all but gave up on trying to convince him to leave with her and their children.

  “I’ll try.”

  He combed her long hair with his fingers.

  “At least we are away from the druids and their meddling, lass.”

  Peadar was away fighting for the O’Neill when Vange finally got her preschool arranged in the castle’s dining hall. Why no one else had thought to put all the little ones together so that they could learn from and entertain each other, Vange couldn’t imagine. There were four other toddlers in the castle besides Michael and Gabriel—big enough to run around and play, but not quite responsible enough to put to work washing dishes.

  In the afternoons the men and older children took the toddlers out into the courtyard for sword practice. Yes, children in this society not only played with toy swords in the cradle, but also practiced right alongside the men. The girls kept at sword practice until they got married and pregnant, but they moved on from dishes to laundry duty when they turned twelve or so.

  Vange had finally convinced the other moms to bring their toddlers to her preschool in the mornings, rather than spend that time cooped up in their rooms. It had taken some doing, because Cara was the only other mom she really knew.

  There they all were with the toddlers inside a circle of dining chairs in a large open corner
of the dining hall. They had gotten a few of the men to move two of the small tables, which never got used except when everyone was home for the winter. The moms had scrubbed the floors and put down some carpets they had washed.

  As she taught Michael and Gabriel how to play with their new friends, Vange shared a smile with Cara, whose little daughter Emma was barely nine months old but already walking.

  The toddlers weren’t playing with swords, either, but with other toys that Vange had either made Aideen dig out of storage or created from scratch herself: a pair of ragdolls and a smallish cradle, three leather balls, and dozens of small stuffed animals.

  Vange figured her sons had four years of playtime before they would be expected to work, and she meant to make the best of that time. She had made up games to teach them their colors, their numbers, their directions—and how to read. Yes, she could and would do all that with just her two in the privacy of their room, but she also wanted them to socialize with other children sometimes. There was enough room out here in the dining hall that the children could play games like ‘Duck, Duck, Goose.’

  At the moment, Vange had all the toddlers seated in an inner circle on one of the carpets, rolling the ball to each other and learning each other’s names. The other moms were seated along the outer circle of dining chairs, watching. That was part of it, too.

  Vange was teaching the other moms how to teach the toddlers.

  It was very satisfying.

  Vange herself made up part of the circle of toddlers on the floor.

  “That’s it, Michael, roll it over to Emma now.”

  “Good catch, Emma. Roll it to Sasha.”

  Sasha missed the ball.

  Michael was up in an instant, running after it.

  “I get it.”

  “Thank you, Michael. Please sit down and roll it to Sean.”

  Vange was honest with herself, too. She acknowledged that she was anxious to use what she had learned about the art of teaching. Sure, she had trained to teach second graders, but she had studied child development, and many of the teaching techniques worked across both ages. And the more students, the better. Well, more were better to a certain point, anyway, but she was in no danger of having too many toddlers to teach here—

  “Evangeline. I’m so pleased to have unearthed your hiding place. And to think, if I had but stayed late after the morning meal, I might have discovered you here long ago.”

  What was Tam up to now?

  Now that he knows Peadar can and will pulverize him, that is.

  The pompous man had left her alone for so long that Vange had all but forgotten about him.

  “Hello, Tam.”

  “Hello, Evangeline. Might I have a word with you in the O’Neill’s study?”

  He can’t think I’ll go for that.

  She gestured around the circle of toddlers as if to say, ‘I’m busy here.’

  “That hardly seems necessary,” she said out loud, “go ahead and speak here.”

  But the other moms gasped.

  Vange took a fresh look at Tam.

  His chin was raised in that arrogant way of command that he had, and his foot was tapping impatiently.

  He thinks that just because I’m out here in the common area where he can see me, I’m fair game.

  Looking at his air of confident command, Vange realized Tam had fully expected her to follow him up to that private study—like a lamb to the slaughter.

  There was a hard tone in his voice when he spoke next. All pretense at friendliness was gone.

  “I don’t think I made myself clear. You are to come with me. Now.”

  Vange very pointedly did not look at the man. She was starting to feel afraid, and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing it in her eyes.

  She would not leave this public room with him, either.

  She kept her own voice neutral, but she spoke as loudly as she could, hoping someone would hear and come to investigate, like that first morning at the castle in her old room at the top of the stairs.

  “You’re frightening the children, Tam.”

  It was true. The children had stopped rolling the ball and were in various stages of becoming upset. Little Emma had her thumb in her mouth.

  If he comes anywhere near the children, then I’m going to have to go with him in order to keep them safe.

  Vange didn’t see any other adults in the hall besides Tam and the moms. She kept her ears open for the first sound of wooden chairs scuffing across the stone floor to indicate Tam was approaching her while she held her arms out for Gabriel and Michael to come to her.

  She nodded when she saw the other moms doing the same thing.

  But Tam surprised her.

  “Well, if I can’t get the answers I want from you, Evangeline, then I’ll just have to get them from one of these other women you’ve dragged out of their rooms to pass the time with you here in the dining hall. Let me see … which one looks the most likely to tell me …”

  All in a rush, Vange stood up and went to Tam.

  “All right, you win. I’ll go with you.”

  But Tam gave Vange a hard look and continued leering at the other moms.

  And then his gaze landed on Cara.

  “You. Come with me.”

  Cara handed Emma to Roisin and obediently got up.

  But her face was stricken with terror.

  Vange moved between Cara and Tam.

  She kept her voice as loud as she dared, still in the hope that someone would hear what was going on—and care enough to interfere.

  “You don’t need her, Tam. Please leave her be. I’ll go. I’m sorry I didn’t go with you right away.”

  Tam smiled cruelly at Vange.

  “Very well,” he told Cara, “It turns out I won’t be needing to see you in private after all. You may sit down and resume your silly baby games, if that’s how you wish to squander your time.”

  Cara let out a breath, took Emma into her arms, gave Vange a frightened look, and fled the room.

  Tam addressed the other mothers.

  “If the rest of you wish to go back to your rooms, I think that would be wise.”

  They all started getting up and gathering their children.

  “You.” Tam pointed to Roisin.

  Vange was horrified at the look Roisin gave Tam. It was all fear with not one bit of defiance.

  But that wasn’t what disturbed her most. No, it was Roisin’s resignation that unsettled Vange. Roisin had grown up with the idea that men were better than her and had the right to just take her if she looked at all available—and Roisin accepted that.

  And that wasn’t all.

  Vange had insisted that Roisin would be fine in the dining hall with her children.

  “Please,” Vange said, “Please, Tam, let me be enough. Let the rest of them alone.”

  Tam smiled that cruel smile at her again.

  And then he turned to Roisin.

  “Be a dear and take Evangeline’s boys up to your room with you.”

  To Vange’s horror, Tam then addressed Michael and Gabriel directly, though to his credit, he put a nice face on while he did so.

  “She’ll be busy for an hour or so, but she’ll come get you after that, eh?”

  He knows where my children will be.

  Vange meekly followed Tam to the O’Neill’s study and stepped inside.

  Tam shut the door behind the two of them and leaned against it.

  “Disappointed you might be at the news, Evangeline, but I truly do wish to speak with you here, nothing more.”

  Vange had backed away from him and was cursing herself for getting trapped there so close to him, leaning back against the O’Neill’s huge desk.

  “What?”

  “Out with the men I went, and only now just returned am I. While I was out, a curious bit of news I did hear.”

  “Tam, please get to the point.”

  This made him laugh, a deep boisterous gut-laugh.

  “Ha ha ha h
a ha ha. Oh Evangeline, such a study in contradiction you are. Even when you beg do you order men about.”

  Vange tried to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat.

  Why won’t he just spit it out?

  Tam moved closer to her.

  She shrank away from him until she realized if she kept it up, then she’d be lying down on the desk. She froze in an awkward half-reclined position. It was uncomfortable.

  Tam smiled cruelly at her discomfort. He didn’t give her even an inch to rise back up into a standing position, either, just stood there crowding her.

  “I know your secret, Vange.”

  No way. How on Earth would he know I was from the future? Huh. Did Saraid send him word? Why would she do that?

  Vange felt herself start to sweat profusely. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her mouth went dry.

  Tam continued to gloat over her.

  “Imagine Peadar’s face when I tell everyone at supper. Imagine his shame and his fear. What will they do to him back in Scotland if they find out he lives, hm?”

  Huh? What is he talking about?

  Tam’s chin went up haughtily.

  “I knew you were no lady, Evangeline. Why would any lord stoop so low? Only a MacGregor would marry a brown island savage.”

  Just then, the door opened abruptly.

  Tam turned to see who was there.

  Vange used the distraction to get out from between Tam and the desk. In fact, she moved as close to the open doorway as she could.

  Aideen came bustling in with a tray full of food. Humming an odd tune, she placed the tray on the desk, took Vange’s arm, and started to leave with her.

  The older woman just about jumped out of her shoes when Tam spoke to Vange, but she kept her composure. And she kept humming.

  Tam had sat down at the desk and started picking at the food.

  “You may go, Evangeline. But think on what I told you. I can be patient. Decide which way things should go. Decide which course of events would upset Peadar less.”

  Aideen stopped in the open doorway and shooed Vange out, still humming.