Much Ado About Highlanders (The Scottish Relic Trilogy) (22 page)

“If that ain’t them, I’ll fock one o’ them shaggy red cows yonder,” the man next to him said, nodding to the cattle grazing untended across the valley.

“Is or ain’t, you’ll fock the poor beast anyhow,” another man sniggered, drawing low laughter from the line of men lying along the ridge.

“Quiet, fool,” Maxwell ordered. “Or I’ll cut your throat here and now.”

Silence descended immediately.

Maxwell turned toward the lad standing with the horses and gestured for him to approach. The boy came quickly. His lip was still swollen from a blow he’d gotten the last time he was slow to answer a summons.

The Lowlander grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the ground beside him.

“Look down there, Jock,” he demanded. “Think you could beat either of them lads?”

The boy peered at the two battling in the farmyard. He shrugged sullenly.

“Didn’t think so,” Maxwell sneered. “Just a fishing lad, and no fighter, I’m thinking.”

He scanned the number of adversaries and looked at Jock again. “What do you think? Should we attack? Can we take
’
em?”

“Aye,” he answered. “They’ve only a few more men th
a
n you. You should attack straightaway.”

Maxwell shook his head, looking in grim amusement at Jock. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Seeing us caught in a fight we might not win?”

The boy said nothing.

“Nay, we’ll not bleed here in these godforsaken Highlands for a pair of miserable whelps. We’ll take the MacKay lads, but at a time and place of our own choosing. Back to the horses.”

Jock scrambled away.

Below, the line of rain reached the lodge, and the boys were soon slipping and falling and covered with mud. The laughter and shouts of encouragement only increased, and the two fought on.

“With their spirit, those lads will be out hunting again in the morning,” Maxwell said. “And when they go, we’ll find our chance to separate them from the others.”

“Judging from the sound of them, them young curs’ll put up a yowl that’ll bring their keepers down on us quick.”

Maxwell drew his dagger and held it up in front of the man’s face. “Well, if they do, then we’ll just cut out their tongues and see if they can muster even a whimper.”

None, but to desire your good company.

Looking into Lady Fiona’s face, Kenna saw the warmth in those gray eyes and knew that all would be well between them. Her eyes misted. The older woman drew Kenna into her arms and that was her undoing. A mother’s embrace that told her she was at home now. Kenna returned the hug even as she tried to tame the raw emotions bubbling to the surface.

“How about me?” the laird protested.

“You shall wait your turn,” Fiona whispered, holding on to Kenna.

More horses were arriving in the courtyard. Kenna heard the laird shout out a welcome to the MacKay laird. Tension crept up from the base of her spine.

“See to our guest, my love,” Fiona told the laird. “My daughters are coming with me.”

Wrapping an arm around Kenna, she started up the wide steps with Tess at her other side.

Alexander was beside them as they reached the door. “And no welcome for your son, mother?”

“Oh, I suppose you deserve one,” Fiona laughed, embracing him.

Alexander lifted his mother off the ground and whirled her around, causing her to shriek. Kenna worried that he might hurt her. She needn’t have feared.

“No sooner they cross the threshold of Benmore,” Tess whispered, kissing Kenna on each cheek, “and the ruffian comes out in all three of them.”

“So I see,” Kenna replied with a smile.

“And they get it from their father.” Tess nodded toward the laird. “So be prepared to get tricked and tripped and occasionally knocked off your feet. It is just their way of showing their affection. And it doesn’t matter that you married the one; you are now sister to the other two, and that makes you a fair target.”

“Which makes me a sister to you, too.”

“I know.” Tess’s dark eyes reflected the brilliance of her smile as she hugged Kenna. “I was an only child and spent most of my years without the company of anyone my own age. I think I’ve been more impatient for this day to come than anyone else.”

“Outside . . . with the rest of them.” Fiona’s order to Alexander drew the two women’s attention. “Your father needs you. The MacKays need to be seen to. And I believe your brothers need to see you down by the stables.”

“The stables?” Kenna asked quietly.

Tess nodded. “It doesn’t matter how old they are, the three always need to fight about politics, harvests, horses, religion, tides, and anything else that occurs to them,” she whispered. “And I think before you and I were in the family, every other argument was about some woman or other.”

Kenna didn’t think she could ever think about Alexander and another woman—no matter how far back—without wanting to scratch out someone’s eyes. He belonged to her now.

“Wait, but why the stables?”

“She sends them to the stables to protect the furniture in the Great Hall.”

Fiona was pushing him across the landing. “And the three of us need some woman time.”

As he let his mother move him, Alexander’s gaze found Kenna’s. She nodded and motioned to him to go. She felt perfectly at ease with Fiona and Tess.

Fiona patted Kenna’s hand as they made their way through a throng of people toward the Great Hall. “I’m giving him less than an hour before he comes searching for you.”

“He has the look,” Tess agreed.

“What look is that?”

“A man in love.” Fiona smiled. “You’ve done it, child. You’ve captured his heart.”

Kenna blushed. A mother could see.

“And he has captured mine,” she whispered.

Fiona squeezed Kenna’s hand. “I know. Regardless of what your father likes to think, with your free spirit, you wouldn’t be here unless you loved him.”

She had no chance to say more as Lady Fiona introduced her to an aging steward named Robert inside the wide doors of the Great Hall.

“No trunks. No baggage. Just like the day you arrived, Lady Fiona,” Robert observed. “The same with you, Lady Tess. Women with no possessions. Nothing to haul to the upper floors. I’m delighted to meet you, m’lady.”

“Don’t take to heart anything he says,” Fiona said. “He means no insult. He has been here with us for so long that we can no longer even discipline him, though my husband occasionally threatens it. Robert is family.”

“Aye. Family. So it is.” The man’s thin face creased in a smile. “I’ve served my lady for many years. Before coming to Benmore even. Aye, she was the Angel of Skye then.”

“Angel of Skye?” Kenna asked her mother-in-law.

“Aye,” Robert continued, ignoring the warning look from Fiona. “As Lord Alec still says, my lady here wasn’t only a king’s daughter. She was the fairy princess who rescued those in danger. She was a wood nymph who guarded the lepers. She was a kelpie who swam the lochs. She was a beloved rebel who broke every rule. Aye, this lady before you here is the Angel of Skye.”

Kenna hadn’t thought she could be more impressed, but here she was, awestruck.

“Will you tell me about it?” she asked Fiona.

“Someday, perhaps.” She patted Kenna’s hand. “We have far more important things to do first. I want to show you around. Then we need to get you ready for the banquet tonight.”

“You’ll be formally presented to the Macpherson clan,” Tess told her.

Fiona turned to the steward. “And I believe you have work to do?”

“Aye. And why is it that you felt the need to move the newlyweds to the Roundtower Room?” he complained. “Those are perfectly good chambers Alexander occupies.”

“Robert!” Fiona’s sharp tone sent the steward scurrying off, grumbling under his breath.

“A tradition that began when I first arrived at Benmore,” Fiona told her. “That was my room. Then Tess stayed there before she and Colin married and took charge of Ravenie Castle. I thought you could use that room while you decide which chambers in the castle suit you and Alexander. This is your home now. The decision will be yours.”

The rush of emotions came quick. Kenna somehow managed to murmur her thanks. But no words were enough to describe how welcome Fiona had already made her feel.

“And the builders and construction.” The older woman waved at the crew of men working on ladders and scaffolds in the Great Hall. “It’s Benmore Castle’s destiny always to be undergoing renovations. My mother-in-law was determined to improve the place. I’ve done my share over the years. And now you’re next. Decide what needs change, and you’ll have an army of helpers to do it for you.”

Growing up, there had been no expectation of Kenna getting involved in doing anything at Castle Varrich. There had been no changes since her mother’s death. The household ran just as her mother arranged it. No one offered to teach her or involve her. Everyone always knew that one day she’d marry and go.

Kenna had much to learn from these two women.

“The Great Hall is magnificent.” She let her eyes travel the length of the chamber. Each of the plastered walls was covered with colorful tapestries and hangings of embroidered velvet, silk, and damask. The floors were covered, as well, with ornate rugs fine enough for hanging on the walls. From behind them, the chatter of people starting to file into the hall filled the air with laughter and good cheer.

Lady Fiona led Kenna toward an arch and into the quiet of a long corridor.

As they made their way along, Kenna asked the other women about the history of the castle and the improvements that had been made.

Fiona was delighted at the show of interest and made a point of taking her through every room they passed. Her mother-in-law’s pride in Benmore had no bounds. Kenna saw glazed windows and the new fireplaces in living quarters. She was led through new kitchens and the brew house, and then up one floor to some smaller guest chambers directly above. By the time they had worked their way around to the other end of the castle, Kenna was amazed at the effort and expense that had gone into the castle’s renovation.

Kenna took Tess’s hand. “Alexander told me before that you and Colin spend a great deal of time at Ravenie Castle. Why don’t you live here?”

“I ask them the same thing.”

Tess smiled. “Ravenie Castle burned and lay in ruins for years. Colin and I are rebuilding it. For all that time my clan was abandoned. It’s our responsibility to be there, to help rebuild and strengthen the clan. But, as you’ll find out, we enjoy spending time here with the family.”

Moments later, Fiona led them up a winding stairwell. Kenna held her breath as she entered the Roundtower Room.

“This is absolutely exquisite.”

“I remember thinking the same thing,” Tess whispered, standing beside her in the doorway.

The room was large and airy, with leaded glass windows to keep out the cold Highland wind but still provide a sweeping view of the hills outside. The base of each window was corbelled, with a bow-shaped oak sill wide enough to sit on. A large canopy bed with richly embroidered curtains sat against an inner wall. The floors were made of oak, and a handmade rug covered only part of the burnished wood.

“I’ve kept everything here the same.” Fiona motioned them to the middle of the room.

“I can see why.”

“It’s delightful how much the three of us have in common.”

“Me?” Kenna replied, surprised, looking at the other two.

Fiona nodded, helping Kenna out of her cloak and drawing her down beside her onto a bench. Tess moved to the window, looking out at the view.

“I was torn from my family as a child. Drummond Castle, where my mother and I lived, came under attack the same night I was to meet my father for the first time. I left there that night, knowing that I would never see my parents again.” Her voice wavered. “I was raised simply, without the comforts and finery that life in a good family offers.”

“But you were a king’s daughter.”

“To those wonderful nuns who raised me, I was a castoff.” She looked at Tess.

“I was taken away from a burning castle as a child, too,” Tess said. “There was so much that I didn’t remember. I washed ashore on the Isle of May and was raised by a kindly old couple who lived alone on the island.”

“The reason why we bring this up is to let you know that we understand,” Fiona explained. “Although you grew up at Castle Varrich and among your clan, we know the hardship you went through after your mother’s death.”

Kenna shrugged. “My clan folk are good people. Many showed me kindness when I needed it.”

“But your father didn’t,” Fiona corrected. “I know.”

“How . . . do you . . . ?”

“I was in the room when he was trying to order my husband about and telling James to use whatever means possible to bring you back to Benmore. It was clear to me that he wasn’t concerned about his daughter. He was discussing property of his that needed to be delivered.”

Anger flowed through her veins like a river of ice. “When was this?”

“It was just before James made the arrangement with the MacDougalls to hide one of our ships and fool Alexander into going to Craignock. Of course, you know the rest.”

Kenna did and she didn’t. So she and Alexander had been tricked. She harbored no resentment toward James for what he’d done. He’d been doing the best he could with the task he’d been given. But what she was feeling about her father was another story.

“Where is Magnus MacKay staying while he’s here at Benmore?” she asked.

Fiona and Tess exchanged a quick look of alarm.

“He’s in the guest chambers in the wing beyond the next tower.”

“Would you forgive me if I leave you for a few moments, m’lady?” Kenna asked, standing and heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” Tess asked. “You can get lost. Can I come with you?”

“I’ll find my way,” Kenna said, pretending calmness while her heart pounded with fury. “I had no opportunity to greet my father properly when I met him on the road.”

Without another word, she disappeared through the door.