Highland Lover: Book 3 Scottish Knights Trilogy (4 page)

B
y Thursday, Alyson had still seen little of her husband, because other than brief encounters, the only times she saw him were when they took their midday dinners with the boys, Mungo, and Orkney in the earl’s cabin. The three men spent the rest of their days and evenings together, while Alyson, Ciara, and the boys occupied themselves below or walking on deck when they could.

Seamen brought down trays each morning for them to break their fast and again at night for supper. Meantime, they played chess or dames, or walked, and talked about any number of things, including the boys’ time on the Bass Rock.

Alyson found it hard if not impossible to imagine how any business of Orkney’s could consume so much of three men’s time. But so it was, and it was no business of hers to question the earl. Her husband was another matter. At midday, during their meal, she asked if she might have a private word with him afterward.

Niall nodded, but when Mungo asked him to spare him just a moment first, Alyson went on out with Ciara and the boys. Sending Ciara below, Alyson watched the boys run about on deck while she waited for Niall… and waited.

Because it was unlike him to break his word, she believed that Mungo had intervened. Growing chilly, she rapped at the master-cabin door. When Mungo opened it, she did little to conceal her displeasure beneath her courteous request to have a word with her husband.

“Sorry, lass,” Mungo said quietly. “His lordship has commanded that we get right to work. If this is important, I can relay your message to Niall.”

“I would liefer speak to him,” Alyson said. “If Orkney can spare you to answer the door, surely he can spare Niall more easily.”

To her surprise, Mungo smiled and said, “Aye, sure, but be quick. His lordship may
seem
always to be charming, but he does have a temper. And we have much still to discuss before we reach France.”

He shut the door, making her wonder if he meant to leave her waiting again. But it opened moments later, and Niall said, “I thought you saw that I had work to do. What is so important that you could not wait to discuss it later, at supper?”

“I apologize if I have vexed you,” she said. “You did agree to talk with me, though. Surely you will not count brief discourse at this open door as such.”

“Nay, but if you are irked that I did not tell you about young James…”

“I know that you were unaware that he’d be on the ship,” she said when he paused. “But I am your wife, Niall, and we have scarcely enjoyed an hour together since leaving Perth. Nor had I seen you for weeks before then. Come to that, sir, other than the two days you spent with my family last summer to ask for my hand and the few days you spent at MacGillivray House for our wedding,
I’ve seen you only occasionally since our childhood. We did agree that this voyage would give us time to know each other better as husband and wife.”

His cheeks reddened, but he said with his familiar twinkle, “Allie, I did not know Orkney would be traveling with us, either. Mungo told me only to look after our usual tasks whilst he was away and to meet him at Leith. But, as you just said,
we’ve
known each other since childhood. I doubt that we have much more to learn.”

“Aye, sure, we do,” she said. “As children, we learned only as much about each other as children
can
learn with parents and families about. You ken fine how much my family demands of me now. You saw that for yourself when you stayed with us those few days after our wedding. We’d both be so tired by the end of a day that we could scarcely stay awake to bid each other goodnight.”

“True,” he agreed. “We kept busy at Leith whilst we waited for Mungo and the ship to arrive, but I’ll admit I’d hoped for more time now to relax. We have work to do, though, before we reach France. This matter of James is delicate, lass. His grace trusts the French king to guard him. But Orkney must be able to make his grace’s expectations clear without offending the French king or his court. We’ve only begun to plan our strategy. In troth, I dare not linger now. Mayhap we can stroll on deck tonight and talk.”

“If it’s too cold, Ciara could stay with the boys for an hour,” Alyson said.

“Aye, she could. But I likewise expect that, after spending the whole afternoon below, as you will unless you and Ciara brave the winds up here, and mayhap rain this afternoon, you will be chafing to breathe fresh air.”

Looking at the dark sky, she knew he was right. “Just
do not forget, sir. A gentleman should not neglect his lady wife as wickedly as you have neglected me.”

Kissing her cheek, he said, “I’ll try to do better in future.”

She heard Mungo’s voice in the background.

“I must go,” Niall said, already turning away.

When he shut the door, she called to the boys and heard Jamie shout that they’d be along straightaway. Realizing that Ciara was likely growing impatient in the cabin, and would either carp or complain, Alyson went below.

The boys did not come immediately, but they did eventually, and Jamie brought his chessboard and pieces. When Ciara complained that the cabin was too small for four people, Alyson, weary of her grievances, said, “Mayhap you would liefer enjoy a nap in the boys’ cabin, where you can rest undisturbed.”

With an injured look, Ciara said, “Mayhap I’ll seek some fresh air.”

Alyson knew that the woman did not enjoy the voyage and could scarcely blame her. Thanks to the unfortunate weather and Niall’s preoccupation with his duties, Alyson would not have enjoyed it either had it not been for the boys.

Jake was watching the skies. The weather had grown worse, and they were still dangerously close to the English coast. By midafternoon, besides the incessant heavy wind, the air was so damp and clouds so dark that a downpour was imminent.

So far, they had had no difficulty following the
Maryenknyght
, because the galley was faster and more
maneuverable than the larger ship, and in the Isles, his lads often worked in heavy seas. But if the weather closed in, it would become much harder to see the merchantman.

Feeling the first sprinkles of rain, he went to the top of the forecastle cabin to view the sea around them. A squall line had formed in the northeast.

Turning, he saw five ships emerge from behind a massive outcropping to the west and head for the
Maryenknyght
.

In her cabin, by the light of two oil lanterns swinging overhead, Alyson was playing dames with Will, supervised by Jamie, when Ciara burst into the cabin.

“My lady—!” The ship lurched unexpectedly, making Ciara break off to grab the door jamb and Alyson fear for the lanterns as she and Will scrambled to grab and replace pieces sliding out of place and off the board.

“My lady,” Ciara repeated as she latched the door, “a flotilla o’ ships be coming toward us! They must be some o’ them pirates we heard of in Leith. Ye’ll recall that the captain o’ this very ship warned that such villains plunder vessels along this coast.”

“What I recall is that Captain Bereholt said the
Maryenknyght
would easily evade any pirates,” Alyson said. She watched the board to be sure that she and Will were putting the pieces back in their rightful places.

Jamie said, “We heard talk o’ pirates, too. Aye, Will?”

“Aye,” Will said, catching one of his pieces when the ship’s wretched rolling slid it off the board again. “Lord Orkney did ask that Mungo chap if he’d heard aught o’ them lately. But Mungo said he’d heard nowt.”

“But he must have, because he traveled to France to arrange for this ship and back again,” Alyson said, looking from one lad to the other. “Sithee, Ciara is right. Captain Bereholt did talk of pirates. He told us, too, that we would be keeping at least ten miles off the coast to avoid running into them.”

“We’re none so far off the coast now, though,” Jamie said. “Will and I could see it from the rail today after our midday meal. The clouds were hanging low, but we could make out the coastline.”

Ciara stood nervously near the door, shifting from one foot to the other.

Abruptly, Jamie said, “I’m going up on deck. I want tae see those ships.”

“I’ll wager that they are just traders or merchantmen like this one,” Alyson said. “Doubtless, they are setting out for some European or Hanseatic port and travel together to deter the pirates.”

“Likely, ye’re right,” Jamie said. “But I want tae see them. Come, Will.”

Since she had no true authority over either boy, she warned them only to keep out of mischief, and won a grin over his shoulder from Jamie.

When they had gone, Ciara said, “I dinna think them ships be friends, m’lady. Sight o’ them sent a sailor running for the master’s cabin. I hied m’self down here, so I dinna ken what happened after that.”

“Whatever happens, the boys should be safe,” Alyson said. “No one will let harm come to them.”

“I ken who that Jamie is as well as ye do,” Ciara said. “I should think that with him on this ship, we’d have a flotilla along to protect him.”

“Well, we don’t,” Alyson said.

She did not want to try explaining to Ciara that Orkney and others who had arranged the voyage, including the King, must have hoped to transport Jamie in the deep secrecy that had cloaked his whereabouts before Christmas. According to her cousin Ivor Mackintosh, such a scheme had worked the year before to convey Jamie to St. Andrews, where he had lived under the bishop’s watchful eye. But then, shortly before Christmas, Albany had summoned the lords of Parliament to meet at Easter.

Doubtless, aware that Albany meant to retake the Governorship he had lost to Davy Stewart on Davy’s coming of age—and wanting to protect Davy’s little brother now that Davy was dead—the King had decided to move Jamie again.

Ciara had grimaced at Alyson’s brief reply but said nothing more, and Alyson retained her customary composure until they heard a distant boom.

Frowning, she said, “I don’t think that was thunder.”

“Nay,” Ciara said. “Mayhap we should go up and—”

“Hark!” Alyson interjected, hearing pounding feet in the passageway.

The door burst open, and Jamie, entering with Will on his heels, exclaimed, “They have cannon aboard the biggest o’ those ships! It’s shooting at
us
!”

Hearing cannon fire, Jake saw the merchantman heave to and watched in dismay as the English ships surrounded it. The two largest ones, using grappling irons, flanked it.

Although he climbed the mast to watch the confrontation, he could do naught to aid the
Maryenknyght
. The
much smaller
Sea Wolf
carried no artillery and was heavily outnumbered. Nor had it been anyone’s intent that he do more than witness the prince’s safe arrival in France and report back to Bishop Wardlaw.

If the pirates took captives, Jake would follow them and hope to create an opportunity to rescue Jamie and Orkney, at least.