Ransom

now.'

'Gillian likes to take baths, Mama,' Alec said. 'She made me wash too. I didn't want to, but she made me.'

Judith laughed. 'She took good care of you, Alec,' she said as she clasped hold of Gillian's arm. 'How would you like a hot bath now?'

'I would like that very much.'

'I'll find clean clothes for you and have these washed right away,' she promised. 'The Maitland plaid will keep you nice and warm,' she added. 'Though the days are warm, it gets quite chilly at night.'

Hearing that Gillian would wear the Maitland plaid didn't sit well with Brodick. Without thinking how his words would be interpreted, he said, 'She'll wear the Buchanan plaid for this celebration.'

Iain folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. 'Why do you want her to wear your colors? Are you claiming-'

Brodick cut him off. 'My soldiers would be… upset. They would surely rebel if they saw her in your plaid, Iain. They've taken a liking to the lass and have become very possessive and protective of her. While she's in the Highlands, she'll wear our colors. I won't have the Buchanan soldiers insulted.'

Iain grinned. 'You're worried that your men will be upset? Is that what I heard you say? For God's sake, they're warriors, not…'

He was going to say 'women,' but quickly changed his mind when his wife gave him a sharp look. With a smile he substituted 'children.'

Judith laughed, for she knew her husband was trying to be diplomatic for her sake. She started toward the stairs then, but Gillian paused to turn back to Brodick.

'Brodick, you did promise your brother, Winslow, you would see his wife and children.'

'I remember what I promised.'

'Then you'll be here when I return?'

Exasperated that she still couldn't get up the courage to ask him a direct question, he said, 'Yes.'

She nodded before hurrying after Judith. She tried to hide her relief that Brodick would stay a bit longer, and then she became angry with herself for feeling the way she did. She was acting like a fool because she was letting herself become dependent on him, and she had no right to lean on the man. No, she couldn't ask anything more of him.

She diligently tried to put him out of her thoughts for the next hour as she bathed and washed her hair. Judith brought her a pale yellow gown to wear. It was a little too snug across her chest and showed a bit too much of the swell of her breasts, but Judith thought it was still proper. Brodick had sent up one of the Buchanan plaids and Judith showed Gillian how to pleat it about her waist. Then she draped one end over her left shoulder and tucked it into the belt, explaining, 'It took me a long time to figure out how to do this. For the longest while I could never get the pleats straight. The only way to get the hang of it is to practice,' she added.

'The plaid is very important to the Highlanders, isn't it?'

'Oh, yes,' Judith said. 'They… I mean to say, we… are a very fanciful people. The plaid should always cover the heart,' she added. 'We wear our colors proudly.' She stepped back and inspected Gillian. 'You look lovely,' she announced. 'Now come and sit by the fire and let me brush your hair. It looks almost dry. Will you mind if I ask you a few questions?' She laughed then. 'I'm terrible, I admit. I made my husband wait, and now I'm impatient.'

'I don't mind answering your questions. What is it you want to know?'

'How did you end up with Alec? Were you also taken captive?'

'Yes, I was.'

'But why? You're English and surely you could appeal to your king for help.'

'My king is fast friends with the men responsible for the trouble Alec and I were in, and in a way John is fully responsible for it all.'

While Judith brushed her hair, Gillian told her about Arianna's treasure. Judith was captivated by the story, and when Gillian told her about the death of her father, the dear lady looked genuinely saddened.

'Prince John fell in love with Arianna, and though it sounds quite romantic,'tis the truth he was married at the time of his infatuation. It's tragic that Arianna was murdered, but I have no sympathy for my king. He betrayed his vows to his wife.'

'He's been married twice now, hasn't he? And it's my understanding his first wife is still alive.'

'Yes, she is,' Gillian replied. 'John was granted an annulment from Hadwisa after many years of marriage. They had no children,' she added. 'And they were second cousins. The Archbishop of Canterbury had forbidden the marriage, but John got a dispensation from Rome.'

'If John's first marriage was recognized by the church, how, then, did he manage to marry a second time?'

'The Archbishop of Bordeaux and the bishops of Poitiers and Saintes pronounced that the first marriage wasn't valid.'

'On what grounds?'

'Consanguinity,' she answered.

'Because they were too closely related as second cousins.'

'Yes,' Gillian said. 'John immediately married Isabella and stirred up all sorts of trouble for himself because she was already betrothed to another. She was only twelve years old when they married.'

'John takes what he wants,' Judith remarked. 'Doesn't he?'

'Yes, he does,' she agreed.

Judith shook her head. ' England has changed considerably since I lived there.'

'John is the culprit for all the unpleasant changes. He's alienated many powerful barons and there are whispers of insurrection. Worse, he's alienated the church, and our pope has retaliated by placing all of England under interdict.'

Judith gasped. 'Has John been excommunicated?'

'Not yet, but I believe Pope Innocent will be forced to do just that if John doesn't bend, and soon, to the pope's decision. The issue centers around the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. John wanted the Bishop of Norwich, John de Grey, to be elected, and the younger monks of Canterbury had already selected Reginald and sent him off to Rome to be confirmed by the pope.'

'And the pope settled on Reginald, then?' Gillian shook her head. 'No, he chose his own man, Stephen Langton. John was so furious he refused to let Langton enter England and took control of the monastery at Canterbury, and that is when our pope placed the entire country under interdict. No religious services can be performed. Churches are closed and locked, and priests must refuse to bless marriages. They can't administer any of the holy sacraments, except those that are of extreme necessity. It's a black time in England now, and I fear it will only get worse.'

'I have heard that John acts out of anger.'

'He's well-known for his ferocious temper.'

'No wonder you didn't appeal to him for help.'

'No, I couldn't,' she said. 'Do you have family worrying about you?'

'My uncle Morgan is being held captive now,' she whispered. 'And I've been given a… task… to complete before the fall harvest. If I fail, my uncle will be killed.'

'Oh, Gillian, you've had a time of it, haven't you?'

'I need your husband's help.'

'He'll help any way that he can,' Judith promised on Iain's behalf.

'The man who holds my uncle is a close adviser to the king, and John will listen to him, not me. I thought about asking one of the more powerful barons for help, but they are all fighting amongst themselves, and I didn't know who I could trust. England,' she ended, 'is in chaos, and I worry about the future.'

'I'm not going to hound you to answer any more questions,' Judith said. 'You'll have to go through it all with my husband and Ramsey later.'

'Thank you for your patience,' she replied.

A knock sounded at the door, but before Judith could answer, Alec came running into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Gillian.

She stood up and smiled at him. 'Is something wrong, Alec?'