The Spitfire (16 page)

Donald dutifully extracted the required items, haggling spiritedly with the farmwife over the price, finally accepting the copper coin, the small cheese, and a newly baked cottage loaf she offered in exchange. Replacing the pack upon his horse, he mounted the animal, and with a broad smile, thanked his hostess again for the water.

“Why don’t you go up the hill to the keep,” she suggested to him helpfully. “The new lord may be in a benevolent mood after his wedding night and might buy some of that silk of yours for Lady Rowena.”

“Perhaps I will, and thank ye for the thought,” Donald answered her, and set his horse in the proper direction. Once out of sight, however, he turned back and circled around, heading for the border. He had considered going to Greyfaire, but then he remembered that he had been in the forefront of his brother’s attack on the church yesterday. He might be recognized by Sir Jasper or one of his retainers. His features were not disguised, and he had nothing with him with which to alter them suitably. Besides, he had more than enough information for his brother. The English fox had outflanked his Scots pursuer once again, and Tavis Stewart was not going to be pleased.

Chapter Five

“Ye’ve been neatly checkmated, Tavis,” said Donald Fleming to his eldest brother as he finished the story of his morning’s adventure. It was early evening, and in the Great Hall of Dunmor Castle the sun sent bright rays of clear light across the stone floor. “Sir Jasper Keane has got Greyfaire Keep in his clutches, and the girl is useless to ye now.”

Seated next to the earl, Arabella’s pale skin grew even paler with her shock. “It is not true!” she whispered hoarsely. “You are lying to me! Jasper could not have wed my mother. ‘Tis absurd!”

“Donald would nae lie to ye, lassie,” Colin Fleming said gently. “He’s a roughneck and bit of a braggart, but he’s nae a liar.” The young priest wished with all his heart that his mother had not returned to Glen Ailean this afternoon, but she had, taking his sister Ailis and Mary Hamilton with her. Tavis would not release Arabella Grey into her custody, for the house at Glen Ailean could not be defended as easily as Dunmor. The earl feared that Sir Jasper would learn of Arabella’s whereabouts, thereby endangering the Flemings. At least he had allowed Meg to remain for Arabella’s company, but still, Colin thought, he would send to his mother for advice.

“I thought he loved me,” Arabella said, puzzled, “at least a little. I thought I loved him, until he proved to be a coward. Greyfaire is mine, not my mother’s. He cannot have Greyfaire by simply marrying my mother. The king will not allow it! Ohh, poor Mama!” Her eyes filled with tears, but whether they were for her own loss or her mother’s plight, Arabella knew not.

“Yer king wanted Greyfaire in a man’s hands,” the priest said with calm logic. “He has many difficulties at this time. If Sir Jasper tells him that ye were stolen by the Scots and killed, that he wed yer mother to protect the king’s border, yer king will believe it. He has nae time right now to check the veracity of Sir Jasper’s words. Yer king will gie Greyfaire to Sir Jasper Keane under the circumstances, and there is naught ye can do, lassie.”

“What will become of me?” Arabella demanded, her voice rising in intensity. “Without Greyfaire I have nothing.
I am nothing! ‘
Tis my dowry, and all the lands and goods that belong to it are a part of me as well. If Sir Jasper has stolen all that away from me, what will happen to me?” Then suddenly her green eyes flashed furiously and she rounded on the earl. “This is all your doing, you bastard Scot! You have ruined my life with your damned bravado and your prattle about honor!
What of my honor!
I am sick unto death of my fate being planned by others!” And grabbing up the earl’s dirk, which lay upon the table, for he had been cutting cheese with it, Arabella attacked him.

“
Jesu! Mary!”
the earl exploded as he felt the knife slamming into his shoulder, slipping easily through the silk of his shirt and into the thick muscle beneath the fabric. Instinct brought him to his feet, and grabbing her by her wrist, he cruelly twisted the blade from her hand. “Wench,” he roared, “that is the second time in two days that ye hae attacked me meaning to do bodily harm! I’ll nae have it, d’ye hear me?” His other hand stanched the flow of blood from his shoulder even as he released her wrist.

Arabella rubbed her injured wrist for a moment, certain the earl had broken it. Then stepping back a pace, she slapped Tavis Stewart with all her might. “If you did not wish my enmity, my lord, then you should not have stolen me away.”

The earl rocked back on his heels with her blow, astounded that someone so little had such strength. “I should hae let ye wed wi’ yer coward, for ye surely would hae killed him a lot sooner than I’ll hae the chance, lassie,” he said wryly, closing his eyes a moment as the hall began to revolve.

“Sit down, Tavis,” Colin advised, pushing his elder brother back into his chair. “The knife touched nothing vital, but yer going to be weak wi’ loss of yer fine, blue blood.”

Grinning at his younger brother’s words, Donald pressed a goblet of red wine into the earl’s hand, while Gavin began to clean and bind the wound with cloths brought him by the frightened servants.

Meg Hamilton drew Arabella back into her seat and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She thought the English girl terribly brave.

“Well, now,” the earl said insultingly, “what the hell am I going to do with this spitfire, since she’s no longer of value to me, or to anyone else for that matter?”

“Yer going to wed wi’ her, brother,” Colin Fleming said quietly.

“Never!”
Both the earl and Arabella spoke in unison.

The young priest ignored them. “Ye need a wife, Tavis, and once she’s yers, ye can claim her inheritance, or at least remuneration from the English king for Greyfaire Keep. ‘Twill gie Sir Jasper a bad turn, I’ve nae a doubt. No one yet knows of Sir Jasper and Lady Rowena’s marriage outside of Greyfaire. There hasn’t been time to get word to the king. ‘Twill seem a great insult that ye stole the coward’s bride from the very church itself where he demanded sanctuary,
and
then brought her back over the border to marry yerself.
And,
‘twill make it seem as if Sir Jasper wed wi’ the lassie’s mother in a desperate attempt to steal the girl’s wealth. He’ll be a laughingstock, particularly if ye get our own king to back up yer demands for the girl’s dowry wi’ the English king. Jemmie ‘twould do it for ye.”

“Richard of England will nae gie the rights of an English border keep to a Scot,” the earl said.

“But he might pay ye a forfeit for it. He canna disinherit the lass wi’ out cause, and none of this is her fault. He might hold Greyfaire in trust for yer eldest daughter, provided an English match were made for her while she was in the cradle. She could be sent to be fostered by her betrothed’s family when she was six. There hae been many border matches made over the years. This solution has always been the one used to settle the disputes of ownership and guarantee fealty to the right king.”

“Are ye mad, Colin?” Donald Fleming demanded. “The lass will kill him! She’s already tried twice!”

They all spoke as if she weren’t even in the room, and Arabella could feel her anger seething.

“I’d thought to ask Rob for Mistress Margaret’s hand in marriage since she’s of an age now,” the earl remarked casually. “She’s a gentle and biddable lass.”

“Not so biddable that she’ll wed wi’ ye, Tavis Stewart,” Meg said boldly, surprising even herself with her words. “Besides, I love another, and I’ll wed wi’ no one but him, my lord!”

“What, lassie?” He found himself amused by this situation. “Ye’d hae another to me? Who is this paragon that ye prefer to an earl?”

“Tis the earl’s brother,” Meg said boldly. “Gavin and I love each other, Tavis. Rob approves, and Gavin is to speak to his father as soon as he can.”

The earl laughed, looking over to his red-faced brother, whose adoring look toward Meg Hamilton finished the tale. “I canna interfere wi’ the course of true love,” he said, “and I would nae make an enemy of my brother. I wish ye both happy. ‘Twill be a good match,” he finished graciously.

“So would a match between ye and Arabella Grey,” Colin persisted.

“I’ll not wed him,” Arabella said firmly. “I’d sooner take the veil!”

“The church will nae hae ye wi’ out a dowry, lassie,” the earl replied dryly. “My priestly brother is correct, and as much as the prospect terrifies me, Arabella Grey, a marriage between us would seem the ideal solution. Only a noble husband can regain yer inheritance for ye.”

“I can regain my own inheritance!” Arabella said angrily.

“I think not, lassie,” the earl said quietly.

“There are others who would have me,” she told him.

“Perhaps,” Tavis Stewart agreed. “As long as they did not incur yer fierce temper, spitfire, they would be dazzled, for yer surely fair to look upon, Arabella Grey.”

She flushed, confused. She did not know if he were giving her an honest compliment, remarking upon her general beauty, or if he was referring to his untimely entry into her little tower the previous evening.

“In order to find yerself a proper husband,” he continued, “ye must return to England and plead yer case before yer king. Surely ye do not propose to travel alone? How will ye pay yer way along the road? SirJasper has wed wi’ yer mother to hae Greyfaire Keep. He believes he does hae it now. Yer return would threaten his position. I believe he would not hesitate to permanently remove such a threat. He’s murdered one woman that we already know of, lassie. Do ye think the fact that ye are his wife’s child would protect ye? He wants Greyfaire, and if he must, he’ll kill ye to get it. Ye need a husband who is willing to defend not only yer person, but yer rights as well. What Englishman will defend ye against the king’s chosen man, Arabella Grey?” he finished. He had seen her blush, and for a brief moment his heart had softened toward her, even as his shoulder ached with the pain of her attack. Poor, wee lass. She really had no choice, and now neither had he.

“I’ll not wed with ye, my lord, if I die for it, and there is no way you can force me to your will,” Arabella said icily. Then she stood up and stalked from the hall.

Meg rose quickly to her feet, and with a curtsy to the gentlemen, hurried after her friend.

“She is angry, and rightly so,” Colin Fleming said. “Let her go, Tavis. Once she has slept on it, she will see the wisdom in it. I’ll waive the banns and marry you to her tomorrow.”

“Yer mad, all of ye,” Donald said. “The lass has twice tried to kill ye, and yer going to force her to the altar? Yer stark raving daft, Tavis Stewart!”

“I will try and reason wi’ her once again on the morrow,” the earl said. “She is a lass well-versed in her obligations, and she’ll wed me if for no other reason than to save her people from Sir Jasper. I dislike admitting it, but none of this would hae happened had I not stolen her away in my anger against Sir Jasper Keane, but when I saw that exquisite girl standing there in her wedding finery, and realized that within hours that devil would have her in his bed and at his mercy, I could nae leave her to wed him. I owe Arabella Grey the protection of my name as well as my sword.”

“The whole fault lies wi’ my sister, Eufemia,” Robert Hamilton said drunkenly. “‘Tis I who should wed Lady Grey. If Eufemia had nae been the whore she was, none of this would hae happened.” He hiccupped twice, and then sliding slowly out of his chair, he fell asleep beneath the table.

“Poor laddie,” the earl said. “He still feels guilty over this matter. Still, once he’s back at Culcairn, he’ll get his feet under him again.”

“When will the house be rebuilt?” Gavin Fleming said.

“The Hamiltons will return home by summer’s end,” the earl told him.

“How old is Rob now?” Colin asked. “Culcairn is rich in lands, and wi’ a fine new house he’ll be a good catch. Has he chosen a bride yet?”

The earl chuckled. Colin was more like their mother than any of her other sons. “Rob is almost sixteen, and I believe Mother is just waiting until he returns home to propose a match between him and Ailis,” he told Colin.

“Best we approach him sooner than that,” the priest said wisely. “He’s restless, I can see, and if we can make the match, they could be wed before year’s end. There will be others who will appreciate Culcairn’s fine acreage, Tavis, and if ye canna have a Hamilton to wife yerself, then ‘tis best we gie Rob a Fleming to wed, and secure yer flank.”

“And rid the laddie of his thoughts of Lady Arabella Grey,” Gavin laughed.

“The lass would eat him alive,” Donald Fleming said grimly.

“I’m tougher meat,” the earl said quietly.

“Aye, and she’s twice tried to carve ye up,” was the quick reply. “The next time she could be successful.”

“I think ye worry needlessly, Donald,” the priest said.

“And I think yer solution is too pat, Colin. We hae no guarantee that Tavis will be able to regain Greyfaire or its worth in gold. The lass has no dowry.”

“Nay, Donald, Colin is right,” the earl told his middle brother. “I dinna need a dowry, should it come to that, but I do need a wife to replace the one Sir Jasper murdered. What better choice than the lass the Englishman was to have wed? If we put it out, the gossip will say I came raiding for the express purpose of stealing his bride to replace the one he stole from me. ‘Twill seem a good revenge, and ‘tis a good solution!”

“And what of the king?” Donald said. “Ye know ye need his permission to wed, as yer his half brother.”

“James has already given me permission to wed,” the earl replied.

“He gave ye permission to wed wi’ Mistress Hamilton, not some distant cousin of the English king,” Donald said stubbornly.

“There is nae time for me to sue James for permission anew, Donald. When Sir Jasper learns, and he will, that Arabella is well and healthy, he may decide to solve his problem by sending an assassin after her. I can better protect her as my wife, and Jemmie will understand when I explain the situation to him.
Jesu
, Donald, do I need the lass’s death on my conscience?”

“So it’s settled? Ye’ll wed the little English lass?” Donald said. “I canna change yer mind?”

“Nay, ye canna, and aye, I’ll take the girl to wife in the morning.” Tavis Stewart stood up. “And now, brothers, I’ll bid ye a good night,” he said, and departed his hall. Behind him the three remained at the highboard drinking and arguing the merits of the matter, unaware that the earl was at this very minute climbing the steps to the west tower.

“I would speak wi’ Arabella Grey,” he told Flora, who answered his knock. “Wait below.”

Flora curtsied, and closing the door behind her, hurried off down the stairs.

The earl walked into the little bedchamber and seated himself upon her bed. Wide-eyed, Arabella clutched the bedcovers to her chest.

“Get out!”
she squeaked.

He took one of her hands in his, and smiling, said, “‘Tis a little bit of a hand, but it delivers a mighty blow, Arabella.” Then he kissed her hand, and Arabella felt a tingle race up her spine. “Ye know ye must go willingly to the altar, lassie,” Tavis Stewart said quietly. “Both yer honor and mine demand it. I dinna believe ye ever really loved Sir Jasper Keane, but he is lost to ye now. We find ourselves in a situation neither of us expected, lassie; but let us make the best of it. I will be a good husband to ye, and ye will lack for nothing, I promise ye.”