Besieged

intolerant mob?' She stepped forward so that his horse was forced to move back a pace. 'How dare you come here and attempt to cause trouble? The Protestants and the Catholics have lived in peace at Maguire's Ford for years. The Catholics here took in the Protestants ten years ago when they had nowhere else to go. They built a church for them, and all have lived in equanimity ever since. How presumptuous you are, William Devers, to think that you have God's permission to come here and cause murder and chaos on this All Hallows' Eve. You are more the devil's disciple than you are God's, I believe. Go now before I set the wolfhounds on you, and your men!'

'Madame, I will have what I came for,' he replied stubbornly. 'Search the houses, and bring out the Catholics,' he commanded.

Suddenly a flaming arrow arced into the darkening skies above the town, and the bells in both the churches began to peal furiously. The doors of the holy houses at either end of the village opened, and the population of Maguire's Ford streamed forth from their separate ends of the town, surrounding the Lisnaskea men. All were armed with something, from ancient blunderbusses to scythes to frying pans and iron pots.

'Our people will not allow you to turn them against one another,' Jasmine told Sir William. 'We all worship the same God.'

'Hear me!' her opponent cried out from his vantage point upon the back of his mount. 'How can you live in the same place as these dirty papists, men of Maguire's Ford? We have cleansed Lisnaskea of their kind, and now with your help we will do the same here! Join us!'

The Reverend Steen spoke for his people. 'We will not join you, William Devers. Go home!'

'Have you joined the legions of the damned, Samuel Steen?' Sir William asked him.

The Protestant minister laughed aloud. 'Do not presume to judge me or mine, William Devers. You have broken more than one of God's commandments. Thou shalt not kill! Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, or lands! Honor thy father, and thy mother! You are no fit leader. You are a bully, and a bigot. Get you gone from here!'

William Devers suddenly kicked his horse, and the beast leapt forward, startled, knocking both Jasmine and the Reverend Mr. Steen to the road. A cry of outrage arose from the Maguire's Ford people, but then to everyone's surprise a single shot rang out. With an absolutely astounded look in his eye, Sir William tumbled forward from his horse and onto the ground.

'They've shot Sir William,' the cry arose among the Lisnaskea men. 'We must be avenged!'

'Nay, the Maguire's Ford men did not shoot him. I did,' a voice from among the Lisnaskea mob said, and surprised, they parted to allow a young lad forward.

' 'Tis Bruce Morgan, the smith's son,' came a faceless cry.

The Reverend Samuel Steen pulled himself to his feet while the duke helped his wife up. 'Why, lad?' the Protestant cleric asked the youngster. 'Why have you killed Sir William, Bruce Morgan?' Gently he took the ancient pistol from the lad, amazed it had fired at all let alone with such deadly accuracy.

'ForAine,' came the devastating reply. 'For Aine, and because of what he did to her. I heard it, but I could not believe it, and so I crept into the house while they were all trying to rescue those in the church. I saw what he did to my lass. We were to be wed one day, you see. I loved her.'

'Do you think I'd let you marry some damned Catholic wench, a whore's fatherless offspring?' his father, the smithy, Robert Morgan said, pushing forward angrily. 'And now look what you've done, you stupid boy! You've killed our leader. You're no son of mine any longer!'

'Sir William was an evil man, Da,' Bruce Morgan replied, drawing himself up to his full height now, and they suddenly saw the boy was almost a man. 'And do you think I would have let you stop me from marrying Aine? I never cared about her religion, Da. I cared about her!'

'Faugh!' his father snorted. 'I'll hang you myself to take the shame of what's been done here off my name.'

There was a faintly audible groan at their feet, and Reverend Steen cried out, 'Sir William is not dead! He is injured, but alive.'

Kieran Devers quietly reached out to touch young Morgan's shoulder while the others were distracted. 'Go to the castle, laddie,' he said. 'I'll not see you hanged. Hurry before they remember you again. Sir William will not be generous in this matter. Go now!' He watched with a faint smile upon his lips as the lad did his bidding.

'Fetch something to use as a stretcher,' the duchess of Glenkirk, finally on her feet again, said. 'I'll not have this man in my home, but perhaps Reverend Steen you will see the physician is fetched, and you will shelter Sir William until he is fit to travel again.' She looked into the mob before her, forcing herself to stand as tall as she might, but the pains wracking her were difficult to ignore. Still, Jasmine reasoned, just a moment more. 'Men of Lisnaskea, are there any of you here who saw Bruce Morgan fire the shot that has injured Sir William? If not, for his father's sake keep silent, I beg of you. You will not see the lad again, and by the time Sir William and his family stop to consider who fired the shot, Bruce Morgan will be long gone from Ulster. He is but a boy, and he loved a young girl who was foully abused and then murdered by Sir William. You know in your hearts what he did to Aine Fitzgerald was an evil iniquity, and a sin as well. Do not compound his sin or the lad's with one of your own. Now go back to Lisnaskea. I will not permit you to wreak havoc in Maguire's Ford.' She stood glaring at them until the men had the good grace to turn slowly about, and start making their way home, their torches lighting the darkened road before them as they went. Jasmine Leslie gasped loudly, and fell to her knees. 'Yer bairn will be early, Jemmie,' she said through gritted teeth.

'Mama!' Fortune ran to her mother's side.

James Leslie didn't bother to wait for help. Pushing his stepdaughter aside, he lifted his wife up in his arms and carried her through the village, across the drawbridge, and into the castle.

Seeing him enter the hall old Biddy called out, 'Have you a birthing table, my lord?'

Rohana came running. 'I will take care of my lady,' she said. 'I have been doing it since she was born.'

'Let Biddy care for the bairn after it is born,' Jasmine said so the old woman would not be offended by Rohana. 'And she can help you now too, for she has had the experience.' Then she groaned. 'This child will wait for no one now it has decided to be born! It will not be like you, my Fortune, taking forever, and then having to be turned about so you could come properly. Ahhh! I can feel the child's head! It is coming now!'

James Leslie knew just what to do. He deposited his wife on the high board, and braced her shoulders so the other women might aid her. There was absolutely no time for niceties. Jasmine groaned with her labor. She had never had so quick a birthing, but she could quite distinctly feel the child's head pushing down. 'Rohana?'

Her serving woman pushed Jasmine's skirts up, and peered between her mistress's legs. 'You're correct, my lady, the head is coming. Push with the next pain. Ohh! 'Tis almost here. Gracious, I have never seen a baby born this quickly, my princess. Ohh!' Rohana caught the infant as it slid easily from its mother's body. The child began to howl almost immediately, waving its small arms protestingly at having been pushed so rudely from its dark and warm safe haven.

'What is it?' Jasmine demanded.

' 'Tis a lass!' James Leslie crowed, delighted. ' 'Tis a fine, hot-tempered wee lassie!'

'Well, Jemmie, you wanted another daughter to spoil, and damn me if