A Year & a Day

by Virginia Henley

  When Lynx de Warenne saw the small, proud figure of his wife astride the pony, he felt weak with relief. He wanted to make a sign to her, but managed to restrain the impulse. The sweat trickled down his spine from the effort it took. As Lynx watched her, he was consumed by a helpless impotence that almost unmanned him. When he saw her hand go to her head as if she were unwell, he rose up in his stirrups to gallop across the field. Then his heart plummeted as he watched her being returned to the castle and he knew that the deal was not yet done.

  William Wallace waited until his hostage was secure, then he turned back to the Bruce. “What information do you have?”

  “Information about John de Warenne. Information that will allow you to take him yourself if you are clever enough,” Bruce challenged. “Is it a deal?”

  “Perhaps,” Wallace said, nodding.

  Bruce knew it would be a stalemate unless he risked all. “The governor is on his way to Stirling. He commands a force of forty thousand.” Bruce saw Wallace raise his shaggy head and his pale eyes went wide in surprise. “If you get there first you’ll be able to choose the strategic ground. And once again, Percy’s baggage train should be easy pickings—he joins Cressingham at Roxburgh. That’s all I can give you besides the five thousand sterling.”

  “Make it ten thousand and ye’ve bought yerself a hostage … when the money’s delivered.”

  “It’s already delivered.” Bruce showed him the receipt signed by Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow. It was for ten thousand pounds sterling.

  “Ye anticipated me.” Wallace grimaced and raised his signal arm once again.

  This time Robert Bruce saw that Jane rode out alone. He handed William Wallace the receipt. “I’ll throw in some free advice. Don’t place too much trust in Comyn. You are an idealist who seeks to make vassals free men. Comyn has immense land holdings—an end to the feudal system would not be in his best interests.” Robert Bruce took hold of Jane’s bridle and the pair of riders trotted slowly across the open field to where his men waited.

  “Thank you, my lord,” Jane murmured.

  “Do not thank me. It is your husband who will pay the ransom, but don’t mark his presence until we are safely back in Glasgow; if they knew de Warenne was here, they’d have another hostage.”

  The de Warenne knights, cooling their heels at a Glasgow inn known as King’s Crag, let out a great cheer as the dozen men in leathers accompanying Lady Jane rode into the inn yard. Taffy rushed forward to aid her from the saddle and was rewarded by a tremulous smile.

  Lynx de Warenne was almost overcome with emotion as he strode toward his beloved wife. The tenderness he felt at the sight of her brought a lump to his throat that prevented him from speaking. He dropped a gentle kiss upon her brow and then wrapped her in his arms and held her against his heart. He knew he would protect her with his life from this day forward and cherish her with his heart and soul.

  Lynx bade Taffy take her upstairs, then he embraced Robert Bruce and thanked him sincerely. “You’ll have the money back immediately.”

  Robert grinned as he climbed back into the saddle. “I thought there was no point being tightfisted when you were paying. I’ll bid you adieu.” The Bruce men wheeled their horses and were gone.

  Lynx de Warenne spoke low to Montgomery. “Come inside. I want you to carry a letter to the governor. He could be halfway to Stirling by now.” Lynx set down on paper what had happened.

  Fitz-Waren abducted my wife, Jane, and sold her to William Wallace, who offered to exchange her for you. I got her back safely by paying ransom, but urge you to beware of Fitz-Waren, who poses a constant threat to all the de Warennes, especially yourself Wallace had a force of about ten thousand camped between Clydebank and Dumbarton, so he must be in league with Montieth as well as de Moray and Comyn.

  Lynx chewed on the end of the quill as he pondered if Robert Bruce had divulged any information about the governor’s plans. He decided a warning was in order:

  Watch out for a trap at Stirling.

  Snug under the rafters in a chamber at the King’s Crag, Lynx and Jane shared a bath. The wooden tub was hardly large enough for Lynx’s long shanks, but they couldn’t bear to be separated any longer. He made a chair for her with his thighs and she lay back against his chest. “Doesn’t your wound hurt anymore?”

  “No, even my scars have started to fade.” Lynx knew that now she felt safe, Jane would tell him everything that had happened to her.

  “The shepherds from Torthwald didn’t frighten me, even though they trussed me up and put a gag in my mouth. Fitz-Waren was another matter. I knew who he was the moment I saw him. I wanted to kill him for what he had done to you, but I was afraid of him. He never touched me,” she said quickly, “but he told me he had killed Alicia, and would do the same to me, if I didn’t cooperate. But once he turned me over to Wallace, I felt I would be safe.”

  The bastard killed Alicia? Fitz-Waren had much to answer for, but Lynx did not speak of retribution because he knew it would upset Jane. “Thank God John ordered me home, who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t returned to Dumfries.”

  “You didn’t hang Sim and Ben, did you?” Jane asked in a small voice.

  “Do you have some inducement to make me spare them?” he teased gently.

  Jane laughed with relief and slipped further down in the water.

  Lynx dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “You are most alluring when you are reclining,” he whispered, fascinated with her lush breasts bobbing up and down in the water.

  She reached down innocently. “Where did the soap go?”

  “That isn’t it, you little cocktease.”

  They enjoyed a short erotic dalliance, but soon Lynx sobered as he realized how deep his feelings ran for this woman. It had been fully brought home to him just how much she meant to his very existence when he had almost lost her. He dried her carefully and carried her to the bed. “I have something for you, sweetheart.”

  “Oooh, I love surprises,” she purred, but when Lynx held put the wedding ring on his palm, Jane began to cry.

  He enfolded her in his arms. “Hush, love, this is a happy time.” He cupped her face and kissed the teardrops from her lashes. “You are so beautiful, you take my breath away.” He gazed intently at her face and began making love to her with his eyes. She had never felt more feminine and attractive in her life.

  “I love you, Jane. Will you marry me again, so that I can give you my vows?”

  “Lynx, that is so romantic.”

  “You make me feel romantic. I enjoy being your husband, but I want to be your lover too.”

  She lifted her mouth to his and whispered her joy against his lips.

  He began kissing her and suddenly he couldn’t stop. The loveplay of his mouth kindled a smoldering desire that ran through her veins like a firestorm. His hands cherished her body, stroking her hair, caressing her back, fondling her breasts, massaging her belly. His calloused hands cupped her buttocks. “Do you know that your beautiful bottom is heart-shaped?” he murmured huskily.

  Thrilled to her core, Jane smiled her delight. “I had no idea you noticed such things.”

  “Good God, I notice everything about you!”

  Her fingertips drifted down his chest. “Tell me.”

  “Your eyelashes are tipped with gold.” He kissed her eyelids. “Sometimes, when you smile at me, your elusive dimples appear and make my heart turn over with love.” He cupped one of her full breasts and ran his thumb over its tip. “When you know my eyes are on your breasts, your nipples peak and stand out like rubies.”

  Jane gasped with pleasure as she felt them swell at his touch.

  “And your mons”—his hand slid down her belly—“is crowned with red-gold tendrils that would tempt the devil himself.” He threaded his fingers into her curls and Jane went wild.

  Jane responded so passionately to her husband’s adoration that the loving went on and on. They did not separate even after they were weak with satisfaction. They lay
entwined as Lynx held her close, cherishing her, still kissing her, enveloping her in his love. Their need to be one again overwhelmed them both, so Lynx made tender love to her, showing her how precious she was to him, honoring her with his body, until Jane felt worshiped down to her toes. It was the happiest moment of her life; she knew he would love her forever.

  Later, as she lay in Lynx’s arms, she told him what she had seen in her vision. “I’ve always had the feeling that Robert would be king someday, but now I’m certain of it.”

  “I won’t oppose Robert’s bid for the throne of Scotland when the time is right, but he will need more than my cooperation.”

  “The only part of my vision I don’t understand is the lady I saw at his side. It wasn’t Jory, it was young Elizabeth de Burgh!”

  Lynx laughed and hugged Jane close. “By heaven, if Robert could get the power of the Earl of Ulster behind him, he’d soon be wearing the crown of Scotland.”

  Long after Lynx fell asleep, Jane lay in his arms, twirling her lovely new wedding ring around her finger and thinking about what he had said.

  John de Warenne was advancing the army to Stirling by slow stages and Montgomery delivered Lynx’s letter just before they crossed the Antonine Wall, which was the gateway to the Highlands. John reread the letter three times before he fully grasped the depths of depravation to which Fitz-Waren had sunk. He immediately wrote out a warrant for his arrest, cursing himself for sending his bastard into the arms of Wallace. He had always known what he was, but never had the balls to admit it.

  The governor picked up Lynx’s communication again advising him that Wallace had a force of ten thousand at Clydebank. “How many days ago did he encounter Wallace’s army?” John asked Montgomery.

  “Two days back, my lord.”

  John cursed. It would take days yet for his great force to reach Stirling. The river Forth snaked through the whole region making the ground wet and boggy with tidewater. He knew a smaller force not encumbered by heavy cavalry or baggage trains could easily reach Stirling before him. As well, Wallace could have gotten word to the rebels led by de Moray in the north. John de Warenne decided to press on at a faster pace.

  The governor got his army across the river Forth at Abbey Ford and made camp on the lands of Cambuskenneth Abbey. This was by no means the last time they would have to cross the curling river that protected Stirling and its ancient castle, so John sent out his scouts to learn the enemy’s whereabouts.

  As he had feared, Wallace was there before him; his army encamped at the base of the Ochils, a steep ridge of hills north of the Forth. Nevertheless, John de Warenne, a veteran negotiator, believed that the Scots could be persuaded to give up their struggle in the face of the formidable and well-armed English. He knew the Scots were brave, but they were not well-trained soldiers and they had only crude weapons. De Warenne’s army was the best fighting force in the world and behind it he had a constant supply of arms and food, something Wallace’s army lacked.

  When the governor sent his emissaries to negotiate with Wallace, he sent back a challenging reply: We have not come for peace but to fight to liberate our country! John was a patient man who decided to sit pat and try again. Cressingham, the treasurer, opposed this decision. He was all for prompt measures.

  De Warenne pointed out that it was impossible to estimate the enemy’s number, concealed in the thickets at the base of the Ochils. Moreover, to get to them would mean taking the army across the river via Stirling Bridge, which was so narrow it would take a full day to cross. John could not rid his mind of Lynx de Warenne’s warning: Watch out for a trap at Stirling!

  The governor asked himself why the bridge was still standing. Wallace had been first on the ground and should have destroyed it. Had the bridge been left intact as bait? When de Warenne suggested they send out scouts to see if a better way of fording the tide-fed river could be found, Cressingham accused him of cowardice. “There is no use, Sir Earl, in drawing out this business any longer and wasting the king’s revenues for nothing. Let us advance and carry out our duty as we are bound to do.”

  His overbearing attitude divided the forces. Against John de Warenne’s express orders, Cressingham commanded his men to cross Stirling Bridge. After his horsemen, came his foot soldiers and Welsh archers. There was no visible sign of the Scots and by midmorning almost half of the English army had crossed.

  Suddenly the wild battle cry of the Wallace rebels and de Moray Highlanders rent the air. They poured forth with spears and hooked axes, seemingly without end, fighting barefoot so that the boggy ground did not impede them.

  On the other bank de Warenne watched the carnage helplessly as Cressingham’s forces were cut down. Cressingham himself was thrown from his horse in the first moments of the conflict and trampled to death. Within minutes the governor saw almost half his army slain by the fury of the wild keening enemy. When de Warenne realized that the battle was lost, he ordered Stirling Bridge burned and his army to retreat.

  After this impossible victory, the common people of Scotland went wild. William Wallace was knighted and proclaimed guardian of the kingdom. His forces swooped down on the strongholds of Stirling and Dundee, capturing the castles and reducing the towns. The nobility of Scotland, however, held aloof from this commoner who was a threat to their hereditary power and privilege.

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  When Edward Plantagenet learned of the defeat at Stirling Bridge and the death of his treasurer, Hugh de Cressingham, he immediately returned from France and proceeded to organize his forces for the reconquest of Scotland.

  Robert Bruce paid a visit to Dumfries to exchange information. He knew the de Warennes were privy to the king’s plans and he wanted to pass on the dire news that Wallace’s forces were systematically destroying crops and driving off livestock in as many counties as they could.

  “Edward is on his way to join the governor in Edinburgh. He has the levies of many earls with him—Bigod, Bohun, and of course the Earl of Ulster’s Irishmen,” Lynx told Robert.

  “When the vast army moves north of Edinburgh they will find nothing but blackened fields and burned farms. Wallace’s forces are even moving the inhabitants north so that Edward’s soldiers will be deprived of food or aid of any sort. They are moving into our territory; only nightly vigilance keeps them at bay.”

  Lynx looked shocked at such destruction. “We will ride out with you on night patrol, and I’ll inform the governor immediately. Have any other nobles joined Wallace yet?”

  The Bruce shook his head. “Not openly at least, only de Moray, Montieth, and Comyn are allied with him.”

  “They don’t stand a chance this time.”

  “My country is being torn assunder by both the English and the Scots,” Robert Bruce said bitterly. “Never has there been a time in history with more betrayals, treachery, and lies because of pride and greed! The result is mindless destruction. I wish it were otherwise. Our common goal should be unification.”

  The ladies who had come to greet the Bruce overheard his words. Seldom before had they heard such bitterness in his voice. “Poor Robert,” Jory said with heartfelt sympathy. “You wish the English out of your country completely, do you not?”

  “In truth I do, present company excepted.”

  “What about the Irish?” Elizabeth de Burgh asked.

  Robert ruffled her dark curls. “The Scots hate only the English, not the Irish; probably because we share Celtic blood.”

  “Elizabeth is excited because her father will be accompanying the king,” Jory explained.

  “I hope he won’t be too busy to see me,” Elizabeth said longingly.

  “We’ll invite him to stay at Dumfries,” Jane suggested, looking to Lynx for approval. “The king will have far too many for John to accommodate in Edinburgh.”

  “I suppose I’ll have to offer Edward the hospitality of Lochmaben and Caerlaverock, if I hope to keep them in my possession,” Robert said dryly.

  “John will be relieved to know he can cou
nt on your support.”

  “Did he arrest Fitz-Waren yet?” Robert inquired.

  Lynx shook his head. “I have two of my knights watching Torthwald, but the bastard seems to have dropped off the face of the earth.”

  “Let’s not speak of him,” Jane begged. “Lynx is fully recovered and that’s all that matters, at least to me.”

  “Now that you mention it, I think you’ve been feeding him too well, Jane. He’s getting fat.”

  “That’s solid muscle!” Lynx argued. “Try not to be envious, Robert.”

  Jane’s dimples came out of hiding. “Will you stay the night, my lord?”

  “All right, you’ve twisted my arm,” the Bruce replied with a wink, all bitterness gone from his voice.

  “Come to the armory, I want to show you a habergeon we’ve been working on. Instead of a shirt of heavy iron rings, we’ve invented a woven metal mesh that’s almost impossible to penetrate.”

  The minute the men left, Elizabeth and Jory each sought their chambers to adorn themselves in prettier gowns. Jane followed Marjory up to her tower rooms and sat on the bed as Jory inspected her lavish wardrobe. “I cannot bear the thought of Lynx going into battle again … I’m so afraid for him!”

  “Darling, don’t ever let him know you are afraid for him. Let him think he is omnipotent.”

  “I love him so much! Why do they keep fighting wars?”

  “Jane, wars are fought to be won and they cannot be won by anything but violent measures.”

  “Jory, do you love Robert?”

  “Of course I love him, and someday he’ll make a bid for the Scottish crown. That frightens me out of my wits, but I wouldn’t dream of stopping him. Robert believes it’s his destiny, so I must too!”