His Lass to Protect (Highland Bodyguards, Book 9)
Page 26
“Consider it a sign of the times, Robert,” Logan said, clasping the Bruce’s shoulder. “We draw ever nearer to our goal of complete freedom from England’s tyranny. Mayhap the Corps’ work is almost done.”
“Aye, mayhap,” the Bruce said, his voice growing wistful.
“No matter what the future holds,” Niall said, giving the Bruce a nod. “Know that you can always call upon us, sire.”
The King smiled softly. “That is a comfort indeed.” He drew in a breath, clapping his hands once more. “Enough of this grave talk, though. I believe ye two have a wedding to plan.”
Epilogue
Scottish Highlands
Fall, 1322
Six Months Later
Niall slowed as he approached Mairin, savoring the opportunity to drink in the sight of his wife.
She stood with her back partially turned, an arrow nocked in the bow she held and her gaze fixed on the target several dozen paces away. The weak autumn sun gilded her in yellow light, shining off her whisky-colored hair and making her look like one of the vibrant multicolored trees behind her.
She raised the bow and drew back on the arrow until the fletching tickled her cheek, took aim, and then let the arrow fly. A heartbeat later, it landed in the center of the target with a resounding thunk.
“A fine shot, wife.”
She turned, and he was gifted with the beautiful sight of her gently rounded belly. His chest swelled with so much love than he thought it might crack. But when he met her dove-gray gaze, her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.
“Dinnae tell me ye are going to attempt to take away my bow next,” she said, glaring at him.
He held up his hands in surrender and approached slowly, though a smile tugged at his lips. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
In truth, he imagined that she’d only be able to accurately shoot for another month or two before her stomach expanded so much that it made wielding the bow difficult.
When she’d revealed a few months back that she was pregnant, he’d insisted that she halt all sparring and sword work drills with the others. In return, she had demanded that she still be allowed to practice with her bow and throwing daggers.
Although Niall felt more protective than ever—for both her and their babe—he’d agreed, knowing that she wouldn’t be the woman he loved and cherished if he clipped her wings in an attempt to keep her safe.
Her pregnancy had caught them both by surprise—which it shouldn’t have, given how much they had partaken of the pleasures they found in each other’s arms. They hadn’t intended to start a family quite so soon, but once they’d learned that Mairin was with child, it had only deepened their love, bonding them even closer than before.
Except when it came to negotiating what Mairin ought and ought not do while she carried a babe.
“I’ve spoken with Lillian and Isolda,” she said, still eyeing him as he drew closer. “They promised to help look after the bairn so that I might return to training sooner. Ye cannae object to that when—”
“I don’t,” he interjected. “Training means a great deal to you. I would never try to stop you.”
That seemed to placate her somewhat, but when she continued to watch him, he couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not your enemy in this, love. We are partners, remember?”
Grudgingly, one corner of her mouth tipped up, and her eyes softened on him. “Aye, I ken it. I only felt I had to be armed against yer overprotective nature.”
“A nature which you’ll have to forgive—and get used to, for I imagine once the babe arrives, it will only get worse,” he said, drawing her into his embrace. He inhaled against her hair as she snuggled close, the babe in her belly tucked between them.
“That reminds me,” she said, drawing back enough to look up at him. Clouds now filled her eyes. “There is something I wish to discuss with ye.”
“What is it?”
She drew a fortifying breath. “If the bairn is a lad, I assume ye’ll have no objection to letting him train with us one day, just as John has begun to.”
“Aye,” he replied, waiting for her to go on.
“But if it is a lass…” Mairin paused for a moment. “I want her to train, too,” she said at last, her voice firm with her conviction. “I want her to learn how to fight, to protect herself, as I have. I ken ye’ll always be there to protect both me and our bairn, but I want her to be strong in her own right as well.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said, smiling at the flicker of surprise, followed by warmth, that filled her eyes. He pursed his lips then as if considering something. “We’ll have to find a truly great warrior to train her, though.”
Mairin’s brows drew together in thought. “Ansel will no doubt offer to help. And Reid and Logan will want a hand in their niece’s training, I’m sure. Kirk could teach her the throwing daggers. Mayhap if Will ever returns to camp, he could—what are ye grinning about?” she demanded.
“It is only that I had someone else in mind.”
“Oh?”
“Aye,” he said, holding her gaze. “I was thinking of the lass’s mother.”
Her eyes widened, then filled with unguarded love before she pulled him down for a hard kiss.
“I love ye,” she whispered against his lips.
“I love you, too. I cannot wait to raise daughters as fierce and strong as you, Mairin. And sons as stubbornly overprotective as me.”
She laughed, the sound making his heart dance with joy.
Aye, their future would be filled with wee warrior lads and lasses—and more love than either of their hearts could contain.
The End
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Author’s Note
As always, it is one of my great joys in writing historical romance to combine a fictional romantic storyline with real historical details. Plus, it’s such a treat to share not only a thrilling, passionate, and emotional love story with you, lovely readers, but to give you a glimpse at my research into the history surrounding this book as well.
And when it comes to research and real history…this book is a doozy! While this is a work of fiction, it is probably my most historically-informed book to date.
If you’ve read the other books in the Highland Bodyguards series (particularly The Lady’s Protector and Heart’s Thief), then you’ve already had an introduction to King Edward II, his cousin the Earl of Lancaster, Andrew Harclay, King Robert the Bruce, and the intricate schemes that bind them all together. The events in this book mark a culmination—and in some cases a spectacular collapse—of those schemes.
Lancaster began plotting against his cousin the King almost as soon as Edward took the throne in 1307. He picked up his efforts after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, which was a disastrous failure for the English under Edward. Lancaster rallied several nobles to him, questioning Edward’s decision-making and working to limit his power. He also entered into communication with the Bruce, looking to secure an alliance with the Scottish King against Edward. By 1321, there were rumblings of an all-out civil war. And in early 1322, they became a reality.
With Pontefract Castle as his base of operations, Lancaster began gathering an army against Edward with the aim of taking the throne for himself. Pontefract was a massive stronghold in its day, practically impenetrable and built with every defensive capability in mind, including two outer baileys, a double wall, and multiple towers (plus the massive multi-lobed mega-tower I described in the book).
Edward, who was furious at Lancaster and the rebel nobles for holding Pontefract against him, and sieging several more castles as well (including Doncaster and Tickhill), sent his own army northward to put an end to the rebellion.
Lancaster set out to meet Edward, but due to severe rain and swollen rivers, his march from Pontefract southward resulted in the loss of men and supplies. It was a portento
us sign and the beginning of the end of his rebellion.
The two armies met at the River Trent, where a three-day stalemate ensued for control of Burton Bridge. During that time, Lancaster hoped more reinforcements would join him, including Richard de Holland’s five hundred men, but de Holland remained about six miles away from the bridge, biding his time to see which side would be victorious. He may have even sent messages to Lancaster trying to draw him away from the river in order to give Edward the upper hand.
After three days, the high-running river began to recede, and Edward managed to cross not far away at Walton-on-Trent. Lancaster quickly realized he was not only outpositioned, but severely outnumbered. He withdrew northward, firing the town of Burton as he went to prevent Edward from using the village’s supplies to his advantage as he pursued the rebels. Sir Roger Damory was gravely injured and died a few days after the Battle of Burton Bridge.
Lancaster was pursued north by Edward’s army, along with the forces of the Earls of Kent and Surrey. As the rebels fled to Pontefract, Edward was able to reclaim the castles that Lancaster had briefly held. Lancaster had hoped to regroup and gain reinforcements at Pontefract, but after the disaster at Burton, not only were his men deserting, but others who’d pledged to join him backed out.
Robert de Ferrers was one such noble to withdraw his support of Lancaster. Earlier in 1322, a black calf was born in de Ferrers’ herd of black-eared white cattle. It was said to foretell the outcome of the Battle of Burton Bridge and the ensuing downfall of the de Ferrers house. Ever since then, whenever a dark-colored calf was born into the de Ferrers herd, it was believed to portend a death in the de Ferrers family within the year. Interestingly, the appearance of a black calf is linked with at least seven deaths in the de Ferrers house over the centuries.
Left with only about seven hundred men against the rising tide of Edward’s army, Lancaster briefly considered holing up at Pontefract. But shortly, it became clear that he wouldn’t be able to hold the castle against such a large force. He decided to retreat farther north to Dunstanburgh (which was one of the locations in The Lady’s Protector), perhaps to either wait Edward out, or to call upon the Bruce for aid.
But at Boroughbridge, just thirty or so miles north of Pontefract, Lancaster was stopped in his tracks. Andrew Harclay had received word that Lancaster was on the move and cut off his flight north.
Harclay was the warden of Carlisle Castle (which the Bruce unsuccessfully sieged in 1315). He had at one point been close to Lancaster—it had been Lancaster who’d knighted Harclay many years before. Though Harclay was disaffected with Edward’s reign, he ultimately chose not to join the rebels. Instead, he seized the opportunity to put an end to the rebellion.
And this is where things get really interesting. It is believed a spy from Lancaster’s army was the one to alert Harclay that Lancaster was passing through Boroughbridge. It is also unclear just how loyal Harclay really was to Edward, for the Bruce did indeed kidnap and ransom Harclay in 1315, and later, he would work directly with the Bruce—treasonously sidestepping Edward—to negotiate peace for the Borderlands.
Harclay’s fortune took a turn for the worse after that, but I won’t say more for now, as that history will be featured in Book 10 of the Highland Bodyguards series (Will Sinclair’s story). But Harclay did successfully halt Lancaster’s progress at Boroughbridge. When Harclay’s four thousand men faced Lancaster’s seven hundred, the battle was short and swift.
Harclay’s men held the bridge with a shield wall (a tactic they learned from the Scots). He also positioned men with spears under the bridge. When they drove their spears up through the planks, the Earl of Hereford was said to have been skewered through his *ahem* rear end. Unfortunately for Hereford, his gruesome and embarrassing death has been memorialized in history.
With his army falling apart, Lancaster fled to the nearby village and tried to take sanctuary in the chapel, but he was taken by the loyalists. Several other rebel leaders were said to have dressed as peasants in an attempt to slip away unnoticed, but just about all the nobles and commanders who’d joined Lancaster were captured.
They were taken to Pontefract, where Edward passed swift and merciless judgement on them. Their trial was more for show, and they weren’t allowed to speak in their own defense. To make matters worse for Lancaster, Archbishop Melton of York had (mysteriously) come into the possession of Lancaster’s messages with the Bruce, proving irrefutably that Lancaster had acted treasonously. Lancaster did in fact sign his letters “King Arthur,” a sign that he believed himself on a mythical quest toward sovereignty. The lines “Come to our aid, and to go with us in England and Wales” and “live and die with us in our quarrel” actually came from his missives with the Bruce.
On the morning of his execution, Lancaster was dressed in the clothes of his lowliest servants and marched up a hill outside Pontefract. The villagers threw snowballs at him, called him a traitor, and someone apparently shouted “Now shall you have the reward that long you have deserved” or thereabouts. In light of the fact that they were first cousins, Edward granted Lancaster death by beheading rather than the usual drawing and quartering for traitors.
Roughly thirty more of Lancaster’s sympathizers were also executed, including Bartholomew de Badlesmere, who was drawn, quartered, and dragged three miles behind a horse before being beheaded. Hugh Audley was spared execution thanks to the pleas of his wife, who happened to be the King’s niece. For his part, Harclay won praise and the title of Earl of Carlisle from Edward for his loyalty.
Historical research doesn’t get much juicier than that! Thank you for journeying back in time with me to medieval England and Scotland, and look for more riveting history and unforgettable romance in the tenth book in the Highland Bodyguards series, Will’s story, coming in 2019!
Thank You!
Thank you for taking the time to read His Lass to Protect (Highland Bodyguards, Book 9)!
And thank you in advance for sharing your enjoyment of this book (or my other books) with fellow readers by leaving a review on Amazon. Long or short, detailed or to the point, I read all reviews and greatly appreciate you for writing one!
Books by Emma Prince
Highland Bodyguards Series:
The Lady’s Protector (Book 1)
Heart’s Thief (Book 2)
A Warrior’s Pledge (Book 3)
Claimed by the Bounty Hunter (Book 4)
A Highland Betrothal (Novella, Book 4.5)
The Promise of a Highlander (Book 5)
The Bastard Laird’s Bride (Book 6)
Surrender to the Scot (Book 7)
Her Wild Highlander (Book 8)
His Lass to Protect (Book 9)
Book 10 coming 2019!
The Sinclair Brothers Trilogy:
Highlander’s Ransom (Book 1)
Highlander’s Redemption (Book 2)
Highlander’s Return (Bonus Novella, Book 2.5)
Highlander’s Reckoning (Book 3)
Viking Lore Series:
Enthralled (Viking Lore, Book 1)
Shieldmaiden’s Revenge (Viking Lore, Book 2)
The Bride Prize (Viking Lore, Book 2.5)
Desire’s Hostage (Viking Lore, Book 3)
Thor’s Wolf (Viking Lore, Book 3.5)
Other Books:
Wish upon a Winter Solstice (A Highland Holiday Novella)
To Kiss a Governess (A Highland Christmas Novella)
Falling for the Highlander: A Time Travel Romance (Enchanted Falls, Book 1)
Teasers for Emma Prince’s Books
Highland Bodyguards Series:
The Lady’s Protector, the thrilling start to the Highland Bodyguards series, is available now on Amazon!
The Battle of Bannockburn may be over, but the war is far from won.
Her Protector…
Ansel Sutherland is charged with a mission from King Robert the Bruce to protect the illegitimate son of a powerful English Earl. Though Ansel bristles at aiding an English
man, the nature of the war for Scottish independence is changing, and he is honor-bound to serve as a bodyguard. He arrives in England to fulfill his assignment, only to meet the beautiful but secretive Lady Isolda, who refuses to tell him where his ward is. When a mysterious attacker threatens Isolda’s life, Ansel realizes he is the only thing standing between her and deadly peril.
His Lady…
Lady Isolda harbors dark secrets—secrets she refuses to reveal to the rugged Highland rogue who arrives at her castle demanding answers. But Ansel’s dark eyes cut through all her defenses, threatening to undo her resolve. To protect her past, she cannot submit to the white-hot desire that burns between them. As the threat to her life spirals out of control, she has no choice but to trust Ansel to whisk her to safety deep in the heart of the Highlands…
Continue reading
Read Logan’s story and meet Mairin for the first time in The Promise of a Highlander (Highland Bodyguards, Book 5). Available now on Amazon.
He is no man of honor…
To help his sister heal from a traumatic captivity, Logan Mackenzie reluctantly seeks the Bodyguard Corps’ protection. After so many years as a mercenary, he is resistant to live by their code—until he rescues a beautiful Englishwoman from a snowstorm. He vows to protect Helena, even though she kindles a desire that threatens to expose his shameful past. Now he must fight to regain the honor he thought destroyed years before—or risk losing Helena forever.