The Border Lord and the Lady (31 page)

The laird nodded. “Aye, in mid-February. Did James Stewart forbid it?”

Cicely hurried into the hall holding her pale blue gown up so she would not trip over it in her haste. “Sir William! Welcome back! I was told you had come. Tam! Wine for Sir William. He looks fair worn. Come, my lord, and sit by our fire. It may be April, but the day is still sharp.” She led him to a tapestried chair and gave him a goblet of wine from Tam’s tray. Then, sitting opposite him, she said, “Now, my lord, what news do you bring us? Has the queen birthed her prince, and are mother and child safe?”

“Princess Margaret was born in December, and the queen is again with child,” Sir William said. “The queen is strong, and says she will give her husband many bairns.”

“If she says she will, she will,” Cicely agreed. “Jo . . . the queen always keeps the promises she makes. But what of the king?”

“He is well,” Sir William said shortly.

“And?” Cicely probed.

“Duke Murdoch and two of his sons have been executed, as well as some others. It was to be expected, of course. The king holds the old duke, Murdoch’s father, responsible for all those years in England. He is showing no mercy to those he deems his enemies.” He turned to Ian. “You’ll have to go to court to present the patent you hold for your lands, kinsman. Every laird and earl in Scotland is required to do so. Do you have the patent to show? I know Glengorm goes back several hundred years.”

“The patent for these lands was given to us by King Robert the Bruce,” Ian answered him. “Aye, I have it. Do we have the king’s permission to wed?”

“Aye,” Sir William said.

“Thank God!” Cicely said, relieved. “When will the king turn over my dower to my husband, Sir William? Ah, but perhaps when we go to court with the patent.” She paused a moment. “Did the king give the queen’s young cousin to the Gordons?”

“Aye, they were wed before Lent. She’s gone from court now to Fairlea,” Sir William said. He had bad news for them, but hesitated to speak. If they were going to court they would learn soon enough, the clan chief decided. Why should he be the bearer of unfortunate tidings? “The king will be in Edinburgh next week. You should take that opportunity to make your peace with him, my lady,” Sir William suggested. “And you, Ian, will want to get the patent to your lands firmly confirmed. The sooner the better.”

“Glengorm has belonged to my family for centuries,” Ian said.

“Kinsman, the king is still angry at you for stealing Lady Cicely. And getting the Gordons to accept the queen’s cousin, Elizabeth Williams, was not easy. The cost was dear for her dower was not the size of Lady Cicely’s. Andrew Gordon had gathered his Fairlea clansmen together, and was prepared to ride into the borders to retrieve your lady. It took tact and diplomacy to calm the Gordons and get them to see the advantage of having the queen’s blood kin married to one of them.”

“I doubt it not,” Ian replied scornfully, “for they could see nothing but my ladyfaire’s wealth.”

“Bring your patent to the king, Ian, and let us be done with this. You will have to apologize for your actions as well,” Sir William said.

“Apologize? For what?” the laird demanded.

Cicely put a gentle hand on her husband’s arm. “For abducting me and spoiling the king’s plans, my darling. You are a big enough man to do that, for you have me for a wife now, and I love you. You say you love me. Then make your peace with James Stewart, even if it means you must briefly bow your head in subservience to him.”

“Very well,” the laird of Glengorm said to his wife. “I will do this for you, but why the king, who claims to have fallen in love with his queen at first sight, cannot understand that the same thing happened to me is beyond comprehension.”

“Thank you, Ian,” she answered him.
Blessed Mother!
The king was overly proud, and so was her husband. But Ian Douglas had no real idea of how ruthless James Stewart could be. His decisive actions and firm grip on Scotland were not those of an easy man. Everything the king did was done with a purpose, and carefully thought out beforehand. She would have to apologize too, Cicely knew. And not just to the king, but to Jo as well. “Let us leave for Edinburgh in a few days,” she said.

The laird nodded. “I’ll have Ambrose bring me the patent for our lands. He has them.”

Sir William found himself relieved, but he feared for his kinsman when he learned how the king planned to take his revenge on Cicely and Glengorm. He hoped his kinsman had been speaking the truth these many months.

He spent a pleasant evening with Ian and Cicely, departing in the morning after a good night’s rest in a comfortable bed and two excellent hot meals. The laird and his wife would survive James Stewart’s wrath. He had seen for himself how much they loved each other. Their love would sustain them.

Ian was not pleased at having to ride to Edinburgh to prove his ownership of his lands, but every man and woman holding property in Scotland was required to do it. But spring was a busy season. There was some planting to be done. The cattle and sheep had to be driven to their spring meadows. And spring was the beginning of the raiding season. Hopefully with an English queen the raiding would cease, or at least lessen. It was not safe to leave one’s lands.

But then Andrew Grey of Ben Duff sent word that he would be going to Edinburgh also, and suggested that if Ian was going they might travel together, for safety’s sake. He would bring six men-at-arms with him. Ian sent the Ben Duff messenger back, saying he intended departing in two days, and that Cicely had to travel with them, as she was going to claim her dower from the king.

Cicely packed for them both, for the only way to get her husband off in a timely manner was to tell him when to get on his horse the morning of their departure. They had no intention of remaining long in Edinburgh. They would do what was necessary and quickly return home. She was certain Andrew Grey would agree, for he was leaving Maggie and their child alone. She packed lightly. They would both wear breeks to ride, for it was easier, and they could make better time. Orva helped her carefully fold her dark green velvet gown to wear when they spoke to the king. It had a wide, low neckline and fur-trimmed sleeves. She would tuck her long hair in her gold caul and set a sheer gold veil atop her head. Her garb would show respect for the king’s majesty but would not make her appear proud. For Ian she put in a fine silk shirt. He would wear his breeks with a length of his Douglas plaid slung across his chest and fastened with his clan badge. She folded the wool plaid and tucked it into a saddlebag.

“Will you take any jewelry?” Orva asked.

“A gold chain, three or four rings,” Cicely answered her. “I don’t want to appear overproud. I am the laird of Glengorm’s wife, and no more.”

“Nay, you are the Earl of Leighton’s daughter too,” Orva said. “You
have married for love, ’tis true. You must never forget that, or let your children forget it.”

Cicely reached out and patted Orva’s hand. “I never forget who I am, but I also know I must beg the king’s forgiveness meekly so that he will continue to be our friend.”

“Lady Joan will protect you,” Orva said.

Andrew Grey and his six clansmen arrived just as the spring dawn was breaking. Cicely invited them all into the hall to eat, for the loss of half an hour would not trouble them, as the days were longer now. But as soon as they had eaten they departed. Six Douglas men-at-arms assured their protection. That night they stopped at a small monastery, where they were given shelter and a meal. They departed the following day at sunrise, reaching Edinburgh just after sunset. One of the Douglas men-at-arms traveling with them was married to the daughter of a man who kept a small inn on the edge of the town just off of the High Street. They would be staying there.

As they arrived the innkeeper himself rushed forward to welcome them, and brought Cicely and the two lairds to a small private room, where a hot supper was immediately served, along with a surprisingly good wine. The two men fell into conversation while Cicely slipped into the little bedchamber, washed, and, climbing into the bed, fell asleep. She was half wakened when Ian joined her, but fell back to sleep.

As the inn was small, Andrew Grey had slept before the common room fire on a pallet their host had brought for him when the dishes were cleared away. Ian awakened him early, already dressed to ride up to Edinburgh Castle. Cicely came forth from the bedchamber, inviting the laird of Ben Duff to use the chamber to refresh and relieve himself. He thanked her, and a short while later came forth. Like Ian he was dressed in border garb, the difference being his plaid, which was dark green with a design of stripes in red and deep blue and black.

“I didn’t know the Grey family had a plaid,” Cicely said.

“The Greys don’t,” Ben Duff replied. “We are an allied family of the Stewarts, and I am wearing old Stewart, for the clan has several different plaids. The allied families usually wear either this one or the one called dress Stewart.”

They left their men-at-arms at the inn. There was no need to take them to the fortress castle on the hill that overlooked the town from a height of three hundred feet. They had no need to make an entrance that would draw attention to themselves. They were simply two border lords coming to obey the king’s command. Riding through the town they arrived at the esplanade, which was set before the curtain wall of the castle. The space was always left open so any enemy approaching might be seen and identified. They traversed the open space, their horses clopping across the drawbridge spanning a wide moat, finally arriving at the gatehouse, where they dismounted and identified themselves. Their horses were taken, and a soldier called to bring them to a chamber where they would wait until the king deigned to receive them.

“Where is the queen?” Cicely asked the man-at-arms escorting them.

“She is probably in her apartments, madam,” he answered as he brought them into a small paneled room with a single window.

“You will take me to her,” Cicely said in an authoritative voice.

The man-at-arms looked confused. He was not certain what to do.

“Ladyfaire,” Ian said to his wife.

“I must make my peace with her first,” Cicely said. “I am in her service. Besides, the king, when he learns who has come, will keep you waiting for several hours so there is no doubt in your minds that he is in charge.”

Andrew Grey snickered. “She’s right, Ian,” he said.

Cicely turned back to the man-at-arms. “I am Lady Cicely Bowen, the queen’s close companion, and you will take me to her
now,
” she said firmly.

“If you will follow me, my lady,” the man-at-arms said, and led her away through several narrow corridors until he stopped before a large oak door. He rapped sharply, and shortly the door was opened by an older lady who peered out.

“My lady!” she cried, a smile wreathing her face. “Come in, come in!” She looked at the man-at-arms. “Go about your business now.” She waved him away.

“Thank you,” Cicely said to the soldier, who bobbed his head to her.

“Oh, the queen will be so happy to see you, dearie,” Bess, the queen’s old tiring woman since her childhood, said. “And wait until you see the child she birthed. Bless me, the wee princess is sturdy and healthy, praise God!” She crossed herself piously as she led Cicely into the queen’s apartments and through the dayroom to the queen’s privy chamber. Cicely recognized some of the women, for they had been there before. And they obviously recognized her, for they began to whisper to one another.

Bess threw open the door to the queen’s private chamber. “My lady, my lady, look who has come to see you!”

Queen Joan looked up from her sewing. It dropped from her hands, and she jumped up to embrace Cicely. “Oh, Ce-ce! I have missed you so much!” She stepped back. “Are you all right? Was it dreadful in the borders? Did you really wed
him
? Oh, come and sit by my side and tell me everything.” She looked to Bess. “Don’t let anyone disturb us, and I promise to enlighten you afterwards.”

Bess chuckled and exited the chamber.

“In answer to your questions, I am fine. The borders are beautiful. And I love my husband very much, Jo. He is the best of men!”

“But he abducted you!” the queen said.

“Aye, he did,” Cicely said with a smile. “He trussed me up like a sheep to market, and rode hell-bent from Perth to Glengorm. I was very angry, I can tell you, Jo. But then Ian told me why he had done it, and my anger lessened. He swore he had fallen in love with me at
first sight, even as the king did with you. He said that when he saw me that day on the road to Perth he knew I must be his wife, and he would have no other. But then when he came to court he could scarce get near me for the Gordons.”

“I remember,” the queen replied. “I felt so sorry for him, for it was obvious then that he had fallen in love with you. I thought his cause doomed.”

“Ian isn’t a man to give up easily,” Cicely said with a small smile. “He was determined to have me to wife, and so he made a plan to kidnap me.”

“We were so worried at first when we did not know what had happened. The Gordons were furious, especially Andrew. I thought he would be a good husband for you, but when he came to Scone to learn the details of your abduction I overheard him say to Huntley that even if Glengorm had had his way with you, he would wed you so as not to lose your fine fat dower. From that moment on I disliked him. I didn’t want Jamie to give my cousin Beth to him, but she had seen him and had stars in her eyes. She was not only willing; she was eager to be Fairlea’s bride. But tell me, why are you here?”

“The king’s decree that the lairds come with their patents to prove ownership of our lands,” Cicely said. “Ian wanted to do it quickly, for spring is a busy time for Glengorm. We came with Ben Duff. Maggie had her child, a lad, Torquil. He was born in our house when they stopped on their way home. He’s healthy, and Ben Duff is more in love than ever before with his Highland wife.”