A Spinster at the Highland Court: The Highland Ladies Book One

by Barclay, Celeste

  “Are you warning me away from Lord Edward?” Amelia looked down her nose at Elizabeth, even though they were the same height.

  “No. I know I don’t need to. I don’t have to worry about my husband having a roaming eye, and I trust you’re wise enough to recognize who not to cross.” Elizabeth’s tone remained soft, but the steel rang in each word. “I admit to wondering what it must be like to have so many men flock to you. Now that I am no longer a maiden, I can speak more freely. I’ve seen you over the years, and even men you barely glance at seem drawn to you like you’re a siren of some sort.”

  “Entertaining.” Amelia offered only one word as she looked past Elizabeth as though she grew bored with the conversation now that Eleanor wasn’t at her arm.

  “I would imagine having such choice must be very freeing,” Deirdre spoke up. “I remember when I was being forced into a betrothal with Lord Hay, I felt trapped, but once I reunited with the man I wanted, it was like they had released me from a cage.”

  Amelia paused and studied the two women before responding.

  “I don’t dislike either of you even if I desire your husbands. A lesson you would do well to learn with warriors for husbands is to remember you control your own lives far more than any man wants you to believe. In all likelihood, they will leave you widows sooner rather than later, so you’ll find yourself in need of protection. That doesn’t come from any man; it comes from your wits. Choose your bedmates for their looks and their prowess alone, and you will be satisfied but destitute. Choose your bedmates based on what they want to learn, and you will find security as long as you are judicious in what you share.”

  Amelia’s revelations stunned Elizabeth and Deirdre. Neither was sure which was more shocking: the realization that Amelia had just offered them confirmation that she traded in court secrets, or the fact that she’d offered them advice that was sound.

  “Thank you, Lady MacAdams. That is a notion to keep in mind. Now that I’m not much in favor with my clan, I would have to rely on the generosity of the Sinclairs if something were to happen to Magnus. I don’t enjoy the idea of ever bedding a man besides my husband, but I’m afraid the king or my parents would order me to remarry if I waited too long. Keeping my ability to choose is paramount after being manipulated for so many years. But I fear I would be too naïve, even after my years at court, to pick the right protector.”

  Amelia appeared aggrieved as she considered what to say to two young women who she never guessed would ever be her tutees. She studied both women who’d lost the naivete inherent in virgins, but they still weren’t worldly enough to understand why she chose some of her partners. She remembered being their age not so long ago when she was still a young wife, newly arrived at court and on the elbow of a robust husband. While they hadn’t been a love match, they were well suited. She hadn’t been lying when she said she was too heartbroken to marry again. The pain of having to learn to navigate through the dangers of court life, the pain of knowing there was little to return to on either MacAdams land or Gordon or Grant, the pain of sacrificing her body to provide for herself had all broken her heart. She refused to be so reliant on any one man ever again. However, despite knowing there was little for her if she returned to her husband’s clan or those of her parents, she remained loyal to a fault. She tolerated a great deal to protect the ones she loved.

  “Men come and go as easily as the weather in Scotland. Women persevere and exist like the mountains that are the heart of our land. Men want pretty women in their beds; lusty ones are all the better. But their greatest shortcoming is underestimating a woman’s intelligence. They assume we’re featherbrained, which I will never understand. What do they think happens with all that they tell us? In one ear and out the other? Does it fall upon our pillows while we sleep? Men love to hear themselves talk, and a woman who allows them such self-interest is one who will never fear for her next meal and will always be in demand. Squirrel away the drivel they spew for a rainy day. The knowledge may be the difference between serving men on your back in a castle rather than a tavern. For all they think you’ll forget when they are the ones doing the talking, they’re quick to pursue you for what someone else may have told you. These secrets are your currency. Trade them for the necessities, and I mean more than just jewels. Trade them for the clothes on your back and the table at which you dine. You can sell the jewels to pay your servants.”

  All that Amelia shared left Elizabeth and Deirdre agog. Neither had ever heard her speak so many words to any other woman let alone to them. Elizabeth deduced Amelia had no indication they suspected her in the attacks. It was obvious she considered them naiver and more gullible than they were. Elizabeth understood if her life had taken a different path, the thoughts Amelia proselytized would’ve been ones she’d remember for later use. But for now, she took them as a veiled confession to possessing secrets that might affect those at court and beyond, in particular Edward and her. She just needed some names.

  “I wouldn’t even know who to approach,” Elizabeth murmured.

  “Approach only the men you want for your own entertainment. Let the men with power and influence approach you. They always will since you’re both beautiful in your own right. These are the men who want to chase, then dominate, for the sake of having what another does not, even if it’s only for a night.”

  “But what if a man approaches that I neither desire nor think can do me any favors?” Deirdre wondered.

  “Consider what information you might gain rather than what you can offer.”

  “I suppose that is a favor in a way,” Elizabeth mused.

  “Exactly,” Amelia nodded.

  “But that still doesn’t clarify which men to accept. I mean I understand what you’re telling us, but I suppose I want to figure out which men are too dangerous to tangle with.” Deirdre adopted a pensive expression as she tried to steer Amelia toward naming anyone she might have bedded who was a threat to women who supported Robert. “I mean what if the wrong person approaches?”

  “They’re only the wrong person if you can’t make use of what you learn. Every man can have his own use. Some men like their bedsport rough. Those are men to avoid, unless of course, you’re into that.” Amelia’s gaze swept over Elizabeth and Deirdre before she gave a brief knowing nod. “Other men can grow angry if they doubt you’ve shared enough, or they realize they’ve shared too much. But most men are just happy to swive. The more adept you become, the more power you realize you have. Empires have been built and fallen from what a woman knows.”

  Elizabeth and Deirdre nodded before Deirdre offered, “I never realized all of that. That’s rather profound.”

  “And true,” Amelia looked past the cousins and appeared to grow bored once more. Neither woman wanted to push their luck after everything Lady MacAdams divulged. They watched as she glided toward the queen and Lady Gordon joined her.

  “Lady Gordon is quite a wealth of information,” Ceit spoke, but her lips barely moved; a skill she perfected during her days as a spy. “It thrilled her to share Lady MacAdams’s extensive list of bedfellows. She painted quite the picture of a whore dressed as a lady. Seemed more like the pot calling the kettle black.”

  “You may have done better than we did if that’s the case.” Elizabeth murmured. “Amelia said she doesn’t dislike us even if she still wants our husbands. She offered a few life lessons for women who must make their own way. She admitted she trades her body for secrets, so I’d say it’s probable that she’s involved in this even if she isn’t the mastermind.”

  “Let’s find the men and retire to a chamber where we can speak.” Deirdre looked toward the queen who watched them from the corner of her eye. Deirdre nodded, to which the queen responded with her own nod toward the door. Ceit, Deirdre, and Elizabeth slipped from the salon and made their way to Elizabeth’s chamber. It was the largest of the three couples, so it made the most sense for everyone to meet there.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Where are t
hey?” Tavish paced like a caged animal as his gaze darted to the door every few seconds.

  “The queen won’t release them until the woman is ready to retire for the night. I don’t like it any better than you do, but we must wait.” Edward fastened his own gaze on the door.

  Magnus sat before the fire, neither watching his brother nor the door. Instead, he sat pensively. The only outward sign of his anxiety was the white-knuckle grip he had on the chair’s armrests. He sprang from his seat at the sound of someone pressing the outside door handle. The wives entered, chattering and laughing, to find three husbands who stood with their feet hip-width apart and arms crossed. The women jerked to a stop when they saw their brooding men, but Ceit burst into laughter.

  “Look, Elizabeth. Your husband has become one of them. He uses the Odin stance, too,” Ceit guffawed.

  “We call it the Sinclair stance at court, but aye, Edward does resemble them. Maybe a cousin with the red instead of brown hair.” Elizabeth approached Edward, using his crossed arms to brace herself as she rose on her toes to give him a peck. Edward’s arms snagged her against his chest as he captured her mouth in a searing kiss. If Elizabeth had looked around, she would’ve discovered her cousin and friend were similarly engaged with their husbands. “You need to remember that we were all ladies-in-waiting long before we came to live with our husbands. How do you think we survived before we had you to safeguard us?”

  “I never doubted your ability to survive at court, but that doesn’t mean I have to like you sitting in a den of vipers,” Edward stroked her hair back from her cheek. “I want more than anything to get you away from here, and yet, you are still in the thick of things.”

  “Ye both are more than welcome to come home with us,” Tavish offered. “The air is fresh and doesnae have the taint of these bastards. We can leave in the morning.”

  Tavish’s offer brought smiles to everyone’s face, but they were small and weak. They all recognized they could go nowhere until they put this situation to rest.

  “We’ll take you up on that offer, friend,” Edward nodded at Tavish and Magnus.

  “In the meantime,” Ceit broke in. “We have plenty to tell you.” She practically crowed as she drew Tavish toward the fireplace. Tavish sat and pulled her onto his lap. Magnus followed his older brother’s lead, and Edward was only too happy to follow suit.

  “Beth and I spoke to Amelia,” Deirdre explained. “And while she didn’t give up any names, she confirmed she trades her favors for secrets. I almost feel sorry for her, to be honest. It’s clear she can’t or won’t return to MacAdams land nor Grant or Gregor. I don’t understand why that is, but she’s decided that court is her home, and she’s willing to do what she must to remain.”

  “Eleanor had no such qualms gossiping about Amelia’s exploits. I had to keep repeating the names in my head to make sure I didn’t forget any on the long list. The woman has slept with a man from nearly every clan! Several from some clans.” Ceit cut her a husband a glare before going on. “Most recently, she attached herself to delegates from Clans Gunn, Kerr, and Hay.”

  “The three clans we’ve had the most trouble with,” Tavish mused. “She obviously likes to stay abreast of the current political climate. She couldnae get aught from Magnus or me while we were here, so she went to the other side.”

  Laird Liam Sinclair had originally sent Magnus to court a few months earlier to resolve issues with the Gunns, Kerrs, and De Soules after his older brothers’ wives’ families caused strife with the Sinclairs. When Magnus reunited with Deirdre, the ensuing intrigue kept him from settling the problems and kept him away from home so long that their father sent Tavish to discover what was keeping Magnus. It was also a chance for Tavish to meet Ceit, the woman his father and the king intended him to marry. Fortune smiled upon both men because they found the women they loved. But that didn’t change the tensions that existed among the clans, and Amelia MacAdams seemed to be in the thick of it.

  “But there’s so, so much more,” Ceit responded. “Eleanor hasn’t forgiven her for her dalliance with her own dead husband, who was the brother of the current Gordon laird. In fair turnaround, Eleanor bedded a Grant and a Gregor, at the same time mind you, that Amelia had her eye on. I don’t think Eleanor realized it, but I would assume these were men Amelia had business with beyond the bed sheets. Amelia made them merely seem to be the object of her desire and nothing more. Apparently, she’s also been very cozy with her late husband’s nephew, Hamish MacAdams, who’s been at court for the past couple of moons. It’s said he’s best friends with Roy Gregor, the son of the Gregor laird.”

  “I suspect she’s funneling information to Hamish to give to Roy and his father.” Edward mused. “The Gregors won’t show up here any time soon, since there are too many Campbells floating around. That said, I’m certain they’d like to be kept apprised of what is happening with the Campbells. Losing that land came as a hefty shock.”

  Edward hadn’t agreed with Robert’s choice to reward the Campbells at the Gregors’ expense. The Gregors had been just as loyal as the Campbells once they came over to Robert’s side, but didn’t have the numbers or strength that their neighbors did. Robert needed the Campbells as a foundation for his army. The Campbells were gloating and harrying the Gregors, pushing them into smaller and smaller tracts of land, and Robert had turned a blind eye.

  “That’s exactly what she must be doing, because Eleanor said she was entertaining a Campbell who visited court a few months ago at about the same time as when Robert ceded the land to the Campbells.” Ceit responded.

  “How does she find the time?” Deirdre wondered aloud before blushing.

  “We all ken there is plenty of time for that much bedsport.” Tavish nipped at his wife’s ear. “But how does she find the time to juggle so many without one growing jealous or suspicious?”

  “How’d she manage her time with you?” Ceit snapped.

  Tavish swallowed so deeply that his Adam’s apple bobbed. He kicked himself for not keeping his mouth shut. He closed his eyes before answering his wife.

  “I didna care who else she was with. I had other diversions.”

  Tavish opened his eyes and looked at his brother, who offered him no sympathy. He glanced at Edward, who looked just as uncomfortable. Edward was only slightly less miserable since he’d resorted to finding his diversions with servants and tavern wenches toward the end of his relationship with Sinead. Bedding ladies seemed to enrage the fiery redhead, so he avoided them.

  “I’m guessing most of her lovers are the same way,” Elizabeth, always the arbitrator, tried to smooth out the discomfort this conversation caused. “That’s why she can have so many bedfellows, and that’s why men end up sharing more than they intend. They consider their time with her a dalliance. They must say things in passing, thinking it matters little since they don’t have a more lasting attachment.”

  “I agree. That’s probably how she does it. I assume she sets them at ease with her, ah—skills--, and the pillow talk results.” It embarrassed Deirdre to discuss the matter in front of her two friends, who were in turn trying not to show how much discussing their husbands’ former lover bothered them. She thanked God that she never had to contend with such awkwardness and embarrassment with Magnus. She feared he’d moved on during the time they were apart. She’d never felt more relief and more cherished than she did when she discovered Magnus had been as faithful as she had, despite the years separating them.

  “Who else?” Tavish asked.

  “The only other name that stuck out was Baird.” Ceit’s tone was tart, but she relaxed against Tavish’s chest as he stroked her back and whispered something in her ear that seemed to soothe her. “Eleanor discovered Amelia was entertaining a man in secret out in town. She saw her slip out of the castle one night and sent one of her guards to follow Amelia. Thank heavens for Eleanor’s nosiness; otherwise, we wouldn’t have a clue that Amelia was involved with the last suspect on our list. Eleanor gloated that she sedu
ced the man after meeting him in the market ‘by accident’. She didn’t want Amelia to have something she didn’t, but I suspect Amelia’s reasons were very different. From what’s said, the man looks like a toad.”

  “You must be talking about Carnwarth then. He is mealy mouthed and two-faced.” Edward’s lip curled in disgust. “But as weak as he appears, we shouldn’t underestimate him. He’s not welcomed at court, but if Amelia is slipping out to see him, then she must have a good reason.”

  “How long ago did Eleanor say Baird was in Stirling?” Elizabeth asked.

  “He’s here now,” Ceit grinned. “And what’s more, Eleanor said she knows Amelia’s had him smuggled into the castle every evening for the past sennight. She didn’t mind letting him go, said he was nothing to write home about, but I think she envies Amelia for having such an illicit affair.”

  “I know what I have to do,” Elizabeth bit her bottom lip, waiting for her husband’s explosive refusal.

  “No! Absolutely not, Elizabeth.” And there it was. Elizabeth looked at her husband’s face as it turned into the hardened appearance of a warrior. “You’re not going traipsing through those passageways. No!”

  “Eddie,” Elizabeth kept her voice low and reached out her hand to stroke his forearm, but he yanked it away. “I’ve been wandering around those tunnels for the entire time I’ve lived here. I did long before I met you, and I survived just fine.”

  “But that was before---” Edward trailed off.

  “Before what? Before you cared about me? Or more accurately, before I was carrying your heir.” Elizabeth’s chest hurt to think Edward’s worry had little to do with her, but more to do with the vessel carrying his child being harmed.

  “Don’t, Elizabeth. That’s not fair, and you know it. I was about say before I knew you. I have tried to convince you not to go into them alone since I followed you through one. I’ve feared you falling or becoming ill and being lost in there forever. I had those feelings long before you got with child. You insult me, and I don’t appreciate your low opinion of me.” Edward’s voice trailed off, so only Elizabeth heard his last words.