Betrayed

first wench to give him a bairn.'

'But I am the first one to give him a legitimate heir,' Fiona said quietly. She felt a sudden desire to protect her temporary husband from this vicious harridan and her poisonous tongue. She stared directly at the older woman, her gaze icy and unwavering.

Moire Rose opened her mouth but no words came out.

'God's bones,' Nairn said, 'I can't believe my eyes! Not in all my lifetime have I seen anyone render ye speechless, madam.' He held out his hand. 'Now give me the keys to the household, for they are Fiona's from this time onward.'

Yanking them from her girdle, Moire Rose flung the keys at his feet and stormed from the entranceway. Colin MacDonald picked up the keys and handed them to Fiona. 'I'll have the servants assembled so they may meet their new mistress,' he said. He took her arm and led her into the small family hall, where a cheerful fire burned.

'The priest was right,' Fiona said slowly. 'Father Ninian observed that yer mam is sustained by her own venom and has a wicked tongue and evil mind. 'Twas harsh, I thought, but now that I have met her, I can see he spoke the absolute truth. I am sorry he left us to go farther south. I would value his counsel right now.'

'Don't ever let that woman suspect any weakness in ye, sweeting,' he warned her. 'Remember yer husband is the Lord of Nairns Craig, and yer its mistress. 'Tis yer word and not hers that will rule this household.' Then he asked, 'Ye do know how to manage a household, do ye not, Fiona mine?'

Fiona laughed as she settled herself in a chair by the fire. 'Ye've waited until late, my lord, to inquire, have ye not? Aye, put yer mind at rest. I know well how to manage a household. Don't forget 'twas I who raised my sisters. Although Brae had a housekeeper, I always observed Mistress Una for the day when the responsibility would be mine.'

'I am relieved to know that Angus Gordon's household will not be discommoded by yer absence.'

'Don't taunt me, Colly,' she said low. 'Angus Gordon loved me, and I loved him. One day he may come knocking at yer gates seeking my return. I could go with him.'

'Over my dead body,' he answered her fiercely.

She laughed. 'Don't tempt me. Ye owe me much for yer mistreatment of me, Colin MacDonald, but I may forgive ye yet, my lord.' Then she said, 'I think it best we not tell yer mother the full truth of our courtship. She would as like to send to Brae to rid herself of me. Angus, most likely, would not have me back, but the situation would create a feud for both yer honor's sake. I should not like that.'

'Nor I,' he responded honestly. 'But if I were he, I should want ye back-and that, too, would make a dangerous situation, Fiona mine.'

'So we are agreed then, Colly, that we will make our peace for everyone's sake.'

He nodded. 'I don't want to fight with ye, sweeting.'

Again Fiona laughed. 'I know,' she told him drolly, 'yer objective has always been verra clear, my lord.'

'I've missed ye these past nights,' he murmured, kneeling by her side, taking her hand in his, and kissing the upturned palm.

'Oh, fie, my lord,' she scolded. 'Ye’ll not get me in yer bed before ye feed me. I am ravenous from our ride today!'

'Then, lady, by God, you shall be well fed, first by my kitchens, then by my passions!' he cried, leaping up and shouting loudly for his servants.

Chapter 10

After a bit more than a month's absence, the laird of Loch Brae returned to the court in the last days of October, having escorted the queen's young cousin from York. They had traveled slowly, for Mistress Williams was a delicate creature and could bear the shaking of her transport cart only a few hours a day. Although she rode, she rode badly and preferred not to mount the gentle palfrey that was hers. They did not leave each day until midmorning. They ceased their travels in midafternoon. It made for a tiresome journey, and Angus Gordon was happy to be back at Scone. In the morning, he determined, he would depart for Brae, and his brazen wench. He loved Fiona. He was going to tell her so. The sooner their marriage was celebrated, the happier he would be.

The royal household steward greeted their party as they dismounted in the courtyard. 'I will escort Mistress Williams to her majesty,' he said. “The king has asked to see ye as soon as ye arrive, my lord. Here is his personal page, who will escort ye to his presence.'

Angus bid a polite farewell to the young girl who had been his companion for the past few weeks. 'I hope ye will be content with the queen, yer cousin, Mistress Beth,' he told her.

'Thank ye, my lord. Ye made the trip a pleasant and easy one for me. I do not like traveling particularly. Will I see ye again?'

'It is unlikely, Mistress Beth. I am for Brae in the morning.' He kissed her hand.

Elizabeth Williams followed the royal household steward. 'Farewell, then, my lord,' she replied.

'Lead on, laddie,' the laird said to the page. Angus followed the boy, who brought him to the king's privy chamber, ushering him inside and closing the door behind Angus Gordon. 'My lord!' Angus said, bowing to James Stewart, who sat before the fire.

'Pour yerself some wine, Angus,' the king said jovially, 'and then come and tell me about the trip.'

The laird followed his instructions, and when he had settled himself opposite the king he said, ' 'Twas an uneventful journey, my liege. The lass was waiting at the Convent of Saint Frideswide in York. The only difficulty was that she is not a good traveler, and it was necessary that we proceed slowly. She's with the queen now.'

'Good, good,' the king said. 'I knew her dislike of travel, which is why I sent ye, Angus. I knew ye would not be impatient with Beth. She's a sweet lass, is she not?'

'Aye,' the laird answered shortly.

'She'll make a man a good wife,' the king persisted.

'Aye,' came the dutiful response. Then the laird smiled at the king. 'Now, my liege, I have done yer bidding, and on the morrow I will depart for Brae. My lass will be waiting. I plan to fetch the priest from Glenkirk Abbey, and marry her. A wedding feast will be set. I'll not admit it to my sister Jan, for 'twould give her too much power over me, but she was right in that I should have wed my lass when we first came together instead of waiting these two years.'

A moment of guilt overwhelmed the king, but he manfully swallowed it back. 'Angus, my old friend,' he began, 'there has been a terrible happening. Fiona has been abducted on her way home to Brae. We can find no trace of her. We don't even know who took her.' He went on to explain to the stunned laird. When he had finished he said, his voice rich with sympathy, 'I am so sorry, Angus Gordon, but I will give ye the queen's cousin to wife if ye will have her. I know first ye will want time to recover from this tragedy.'

Angus Gordon was numb with shock, but not so numb that he did not quickly refuse the king's apparently generous offer. 'My liege, if the truth be known, Mistress Williams is pretty, and she is certainly sweet-natured and obedient, but as God is my witness, my liege, she is the dullest female I have ever met. I thank ye, but I will not wed her. I must go home to Brae, and I must search for my lass, for if I can't have her to wife, I will have no woman to wife. 'Twas not to be a marriage of convenience or one in which lands were exchanged. I love my lass. There is no other for me.' He quaffed down the rest of his wine, then arose.

The king stood, too. He put a hand on the laird's shoulder. 'Go and take yer rest, Angus. My page will take ye to a comfortable chamber, for the apartment ye shared with Fiona is stripped bare. Come to me in the morning before ye depart.'

When the laird had departed, the king poured himself another goblet of red wine and sat down again before the fire. Slowly he rotated the goblet back and forth between his palms. Angus Gordon must absolutely not mount a search for Fiona Hay. There was always the danger he might stumble upon something. There was also a chance that he might remember The MacDonald of Nairn's interest in Fiona and then go to Nairn, where she was undoubtedly now in residence. There would certainly be an altercation. No matter who won it, James Stewart would lose. No. Angus Gordon could not look for his beloved. She was proving invaluable, as he had thought she would. Only the day before he had received her first communication, reassuring him that the Lord of the Isles did not mean to pledge him fealty yet, but neither would he provoke a confrontation. There would be peace in the winter months.