by Mary Wine
“Find a way to take a ride with me and leave your guardians behind or I’m going to enjoy the trip back to Warwickshire. Your sister won’t.” He sniffed. “But every wench has to learn to take a man inside her at some point.”
“I think I shall just have you thrown out like the filth you are, while keeping my sister safely at my side.”
Cameron raised an eyebrow at her. “Maybe you’d better read that letter in your hand before you open your mouth. I really don’t care. Your sister is mine if you choose to stay. You can’t keep me locked away forever, and slapping me in shackles won’t dissolve my marriage. My men are really looking forward to getting to watch me consummate it. I might even share.”
Anne ripped the seal open. She didn’t want to read Philipa’s words, didn’t want to give the woman any of her time ever again. But seeing Bonnie in his care was too much. She could not abandon her to Cameron. He’d do it, all of it and more.
“Your brothers will be sailing for the New World if you don’t return with me.”
That was a death sentence. All of the brave men and women who had set out to found Roanoke had disappeared, their fate unknown in the vast wilderness that was Virginia. But the Privy council was determined to see an English colony in the new world. They sent ships every few years, and few of them returned.
The letter in her hands confirmed Cameron’s words but it went on snagging her attention.
Do you really believe that your child will be welcomed any more than you are at Warwickshire? Return and let your babe be accepted as Mary’s. The world will see the child as legitimate. It’s a gift that will see him enjoying all of the comforts that you have sampled as the mistress of Sterling. Think about that before hiding behind the Scottish border.
Philipa was horrible, but she wrote the truth. Even if Brodick did not cast her out, her child would bear the stain of being born bastard.
It didn’t have to be.
She trembled, rubbing her belly with a soothing hand. Her throat had tightened, making it difficult to breathe. Anne forced the lump down. She had to do the best for her baby. The innocent growing inside her could be as respected as his father or as scorned as she.
She could not place her own life above her child’s. There could be no joy in her heart if she knew her happiness was purchased through the sufferings of her siblings.
“There is a valley below the castle, out of sight of the walls. Wait for me there.”
Cameron grunted, but Anne stepped away from him, not wanting to hear anything else he had to say. Climbing the steps, she lifted her chin.
“I am sorry to hear that you cannot stay for supper. Thank you for your service in bringing Bonnie to me.”
Cameron scowled but covered his displeasure when Helen moved up beside her.
“The young miss is staying?”
“Indeed she is. Captain Murry, will you help her dismount?”
The captain turned and walked swiftly across the yard. He reached up toward Bonnie. Her sister swallowed another whimper as she placed her hand in the man’s. Relief showed on her face. The captain led her away from the mare, while Cameron’s men looked at their leader. He stared at her while tucking the marriage license back into his doublet. He patted it in warning.
“I understand that Warwickshire is as busy as Sterling. I bid you good journey.”
Anne glared at Cameron. His gaze moved to Bonnie. Lust danced in his eyes but he tossed his head when Anne stepped slightly in front of her sister.
“True.” He swung up into the saddle. Aiming a hard look at her, he turned around, grabbing the reins to Bonnie’s mare. He and his men quit the yard quickly.
“He’ll come back for me.” Bonnie’s voice was hollow. “He promised…promised to do terrible things to me.”
“Do not think of it,” Anne whispered in her sister’s ears as Helen watched them. The senior maid frowned.
“Ye look as though ye didnae sleep a wink last night, child.”
Anne welcomed the distraction. “Aye, it does seem that traveling does not agree with young Bonnie. Will you please take her to the bath house, Helen? I believe she needs a bit of comforting from your skilled hands.”
“But…” Bonnie began.
“Hush now, Bonnie. There is no one better than Helen. She has taken such good care of me. I feel almost guilty.”
Helen beamed under her praise. She proudly took Bonnie’s hand.
“Follow me and we’ll see you feeling fresh and new.”
Anne followed them up the steps but continued on up to the second floor chamber that had been hers for so short a time.
She would never forget it.
Tears stung her eyes and she let them fall. She knew what she had to do. In her heart she knew that it would be better to face Philipa than watch Bonnie ride away with Cameron. The Church held more authority than either Queen Elizabeth or King James. The proxy marriage license would be respected in either country. Even if the captain of the guard disliked the union, he could not prevent Cameron from taking Bonnie. At least not without a mark on her to prove that the man was a beast.
Aye, Cameron was as evil as Philipa. Both knew how to choose their threats well.
She looked at the bed and more tears fell. But this time she was happy. Running her fingers across the coverlet, she smiled for the joy that she’d known there. No one could ever wipe it away from her mind. Grasping one of the pillows, she shoved it beneath the coverlet. Pulling on the bedding, she rumpled it to look as though she were sleeping. Jerking the bed curtains closed, she left only a small opening at the foot of the bed.
She needed time to make it far enough away from Sterling. The McJames’ retainers would not cross into England without their lord.
Sitting down, she wrote a last letter to Brodick. Telling him at last about their child and how happy her heart was to carry his babe. She sealed the letter, confident that her babe would return to Sterling and his rightful place.
That was the greatest gift a mother might give. It was the thing that prompted many a noble daughter to marry without love. The knowledge that her child would have a better life.
She wrapped another surcoat over the one she was wearing and left. The yard was full of busy labor. But it was the young McJames’ captain that she had to escape the watch of now. He was instructing a younger lad with a bow, showing the boy how to aim. They let the arrow fly and it soared over the stable. With a good-natured laugh, the captain climbed onto the roof to seek the arrow out.
Anne hurried out of the gate while he was distracted, searching along the thatched roof for the arrow shaft. If fortune favored her, he would never know that she had descended from her chamber. There were many on the road. Carts full of newly cut grass and goods. She was merely one more walking with the others, her woolen surcoat blending with the tartans of the others.
The bells did not ring. She kept walking, hugging to her heart the knowledge that Bonnie was safe. Her child kicked and she walked faster, determined to see him born legitimate.
Helen peeked into the chamber that night. Lifting a hand to her lips, she cautioned the maids to be quiet. Pointing them toward the fireplace, she stepped lightly across the floor to retrieve the letter.
Bonnie stood quietly on the steps, waiting to be told what to do.
Helen did not worry that the mistress had retired early. Her time was growing near, the babe taking more of her energy. News from her mother had no doubt made her teary as well. Tomorrow she’d try to keep the mistress away from herding geese. Soon it would be time to have Agnes moved into Sterling. The arrival of first babes was always hard to anticipate, but if the mistress was taking to her bed, the time must be growing near.
Motioning to the maids, she hurried them from the chamber. The fire popped and crackled. Helen shut the door to leave the mistress in peace.
“Och now, she’s sleeping already. I’ll see to settling ye and ye may spend tomorrow chatting.”
Bonnie let the kind hands of the maid shep
herd her to a bed. Horror and fatigue made it impossible to think. All that mattered was that she and Anne were sleeping someplace far removed from Cameron. She fell into a fretful sleep.
Cameron pressed his men to ride through the night. The trip was faster because a good amount of it was downhill. Anne did not care for she wouldn’t have slept anyway. Not with having witnessed the unseemly lust in Philipa’s lackey’s eyes. Instead, she noticed the stark difference between her two journeys. Brodick’s retainers with their honest service and Cameron with his bullies. She had willingly stayed near the kitchens at Warwickshire because Cameron’s group of men were known for debauchery. Philipa never reprimanded them because they did her bidding, no matter how foul.
They crossed onto English soil shortly after dawn. Anne tightened her hands on the saddle. By night, she’d be standing in Philipa’s presence again.
Sterling
Helen screamed for the first time in years. She ripped the bed curtains as she tried to find her mistress. It made no sense!
The maids flew from the chamber, their shrieks awakening the manor. Retainers rushed in from the yard, hesitating for a moment when they realized the commotion was coming from the mistress’s chamber.
“The mistress is missing.”
Helen shouted, pulling on her hair. “I dinnae ken. She mussed the bedding to look as if she were there. I should have checked.”
“You cannot blame yourself.” Bonnie’s soft voice froze everyone in their tracks. She stood at the door, her face shining with tears. “Philipa has always hated her more than any other.” She shuddered, hugging herself. “But my sister is the kindest soul, always thinking of others first.”
Captain Murry gripped her by the upper arms.
“Tell me where the mistress is.”
Bonnie recoiled from his touch, her heels sliding on the stone floor as she tried to escape. Panic held her features as she pushed and struggled. The man looked confused by her reaction.
“Don’t touch me. Please don’t touch me.” Bonnie’s voice was a thin wail that stirred pity in everyone in the room.
“I’ll let ye loose if ye tell me what goes on here.”
Bonnie bobbed her head up and down. The captain released his grip on her, careful to do it slow enough so that she didn’t fall in a heap. He placed his body between her and the door, making it clear that he would get what he wanted.
“Philipa has ordered her back to Warwickshire else she will set our brothers to sea for the New World.”
“That’s insanity. There is nothing across the ocean save death for those foolish enough to sail toward it.” Helen shook her head and even made the sign of the cross over her body.
“That’s why Anne went. She knows that Philipa means to do it if Anne does not return.”
The Captain held up a hand for silence. “Did ye say brothers?”
Bonnie nodded. “We are two sisters and three brothers born to the Earl of Warwickshire’s leman. Philipa sent Anne in her daughter’s place to conceive a child because Mary did not want to marry. Anne was ordered to return when she was with child or Philipa would turn our mother out. When Anne still didn’t return, Philipa grew angry and sent Cameron here with new threats to force Anne to obey her. Philipa married me to Cameron because she knew Anne would protect me, as she always had.” Silent tears glittered on Bonnie’s cheeks.
There was silence. Helen grew pale but she suddenly snarled like a angry bear.
“Captain Murry, fetch the mistress back.”
The captain seemed unsure. He looked at Bonnie and back to Helen.
“If she is nae the Earl of Warwickshire’s legitimate daughter, she’s nae the lord’s wife.”
“Nae his wife? Are ye daft, man? She’s round with his son.”
“His bastard.” One of the maids spoke the words. Helen rounded on her like a storm.
“She was pure when the lord took her to his bed. She is also the Earl of Warwickshire’s daughter. Mark my words. It will be the legitimate daughter who suffers for nae taking her place. The earl’s wife stood there and sent her as the bride. They are both daughters of the earl, the proxy will hold up in court because our lord was deceived. The Church will annul the first proxy and then the lord can marry the mother of his child.”
Captain Murry nodded slowly. “I see yer thinking, Helen, but there are those who will nae agree.”
“There is no time for debating now. Ye need to ride after her.” Helen wrung her hands.
The captain shook his head. “No time at all. They’re too close to England by now. The mistress planned this well enough. I might have caught her if she’d been discovered missing yesterday.” The captain shook his head, his hand tightening on his belt. “We need the earl to settle this matter. They’ll nae even open the gates for us at Warwickshire, much less admit to such a deed now that the proof is in their hands.”
“That babe will be born inside a fortnight.”
Murry paused at the door. “Then I shall ride through the night to alert the lord.”
He quit the room, his men following close on his heels. There was no hint of reluctance in any of them. Helen looked at the chamber, tears of sadness in her eyes.
“Och now, how did such a thing happen?”
“Love is a curse.” The same maid spoke once more. “My sister has a bastard because of falling under love’s spell.”
“’Tis not always a bad thing.” Helen just wished that she believed her own words, but they sounded hollow. The entire chamber echoed with emptiness. She felt the chill of it creeping across her skin.
Chapter Twelve
Warwick Castle
“You are disgraceful.”
Philipa spoke slowly, allowing each of her words to fall and impact before the next one crossed her lips.
“Clearly you care for no one save yourself.” The mistress of Warwickshire pulled a letter from her writing desk. She snapped the paper against her palm.
“Your sire did not return for quartering day.” Triumph shone in Philipa’s eyes.
Anne stood steady. She stared straight at Philipa, refusing to lower her eyes. She would not be giving blind respect to the lady of the manor anymore. Philipa frowned when she remained steadily staring her in the face.
“It is a good thing that I had the forethought to marry your sister to a man who will keep her in check. The very fact that you penned this letter proves that you and all your siblings are tainted with the lack of respect that your mother has shown me by giving my husband sons.”
Anne smiled softly. The expression angered the mistress of Warwickshire, turning Philipa’s face red.
“My sister is in Scotland.”
“What?” Her lips twisted into an ugly scowl. “I commanded that she return.”
“If I only cared for myself, I would still be at Sterling, far from your reach.”
“Watch your mouth, girl, I am your mistress.”
Anne didn’t back down “Not any longer, you aren’t. You sent me away, gave me to another noble. My loyalty belongs to Sterling’s master now.”
A flicker of fear crossed Philipa’s face. She looked stunned by the emotion, her lips working without sounds for a few moments, her hands closing into fists.
“You shall obey me, bastard.”
“Or what?” Anne wasn’t as sure as her voice sounded, but she was finished holding her tongue. Being obedient to Philipa had not rewarded her with fairness as the Church preached. Keeping to her place would never mean anything if the woman she offered her loyalty to did not remember her duty to her own servants. That was the lesson she’d learned from Brodick. He was a leader because he considered it a duty, not just tribute given to his name, something he received but did nothing to earn.
“I shall have your mother put out.”
Anne didn’t waver. “It is no longer winter.” Philipa gasped at Anne’s audacity. “Yet maybe it is better that you should. When she reaches the next shire, there will be an end to this farce. I do not think my sire
will be pleased when he learns of this deception.”
Philipa stuck her finger out, trying to impose her will with the stern gesture. “You will do as you are told, bastard.”
Anne simply laid a hand on the top of her belly. Philipa looked at it hungrily. For a moment she resembled someone addicted to wine, all weak-willed and unable to stop her own destructive behavior.
“I carry the Earl of Alcaon’s child. If you are just, you shall dissolve my sister’s marriage and send my brothers to serve at court with their sire to, possibly with God’s good will, better their lot.”
A lump tried to form in her throat and Anne suppressed it. She did what was most important for her babe. Sacrifice was the proof of a mother’s love. “You shall not have my child for nothing. My brothers know nothing of this. Send them today.”
“Or what…bastard?” Philipa smirked. “Hmm? You have so much to say, but I am mistress here. The gates only open when I say they shall.”
A moment of uncertainty filled her and Philipa must have sensed it. She smiled, the expression unpleasant.
“I have heard that in Scotland being born bastard means very little. But this is England…bastard.”
A sharp slap hit Anne’s face. Philipa did not stay her strength. Anne’s neck whipped to the side with the force of the blow.
“Here, you will keep to your place. That had better be a male child.”
Philipa paced back across the chamber. She sat in an ornately carved chair, arranging her skirts as if she were royalty. Mary moved to stand behind her mother. They looked every inch the noble, powerful women they believed themselves to be.
But they didn’t compare at all to Brodick.
“You shall occupy my solar until your time comes. I will be gracious and allow your mother to attend you.”
She paused to gloat with a few amusing sounds sent toward her daughter.
“Of course you many persist in this defiance and your child will be born exactly as you were…illegitimate.”