The Kissing Stone

by Amanda Scott

  De Raite loudly insisted to everyone that he had seen many such events before, but he became more irritable than ever.

  By then, a week had passed since Will’s return, and his ankle no longer troubled him, but Liam had insisted on continuing the patrols southward. As much as Will wanted to see Katy again, he did not want to draw de Raite’s fire by arguing with Liam and had not dared risking a signal until he could be sure it was safe.

  Then, Friday morning while nearly all who took meals in the great hall were still breaking their fast, de Raite stood abruptly to announce that he had decided upon a new course of action.

  Will stiffened, fearing that he meant to attack somewhere else, even Finlagh.

  “Sithee, our Will and Alyssa dinna be wrong tae want peace,” de Raite said, glancing down the table at them. “Our Hew were right, too, tae say that without peace, the Malcolmtosh and his damnable Confederation might try tae seize Raitt from us. Still, I ha’ decided that we canna wait for the Malcolmtosh tae request such peace, for I dinna think the man has the wisdom tae do it.

  “So, though Liam already be on the ridge and this goes against me own nature and good sense,” he said, “I sent a running gillie tae Moigh nobbut an hour ago wi’ a message tae Malcolm. I told the man that our losses ha’ been so great—as, in troth, they have—that I be willing tae bury animosities and establish friendly relations wi’ him and his Confederation if he will agree tae such. Tae that end, I ha’ invited him, his two knights—Sir Fin o’ the Battles o’ Finlagh and Malcolm’s war leader, Sir Ivor Shaw-Mackintosh o’ Rothiemurchus—along wi’ their lawful tails, tae celebrate our agreement here at Raitt a sennight from tonight wi’ a grand banquet. We must seal such an agreement wi’ proper ceremony, aye?”

  The hall remained silent, as if everyone had stopped breathing.

  Then, Colley said, “Is that no too soon tae expect the man tae come here, Da?”

  “It is not,” de Raite retorted. “God created the world in six days! I also said that Malcolm must send his reply tae me by me own gillie, for I didna want tae give him time for plotting schemes o’ his own. He need only command Sir Ivor tae meet him at Finlagh. We just had a full moon, so they will still ha’ a good half-moon tae return tae Finlagh after the banquet. I ha’ also decreed that, since it is tae be a celebration o’ peace, nae one is tae bear arms.”

  Again, silence followed his words. Below the dais, men were looking from one to another, making Will wonder if they were thinking as skeptically he was.

  That de Raite would not only entertain a peaceful solution but offer one to Malcolm seemed so unlike the man as to be almost humorous. He could think of nothing to say, though, and he was certainly not going to laugh.

  Abruptly, Alyssa clapped her hands together and exclaimed joyfully, “Oh, Father, what a splendid notion! How wise and generous you are to think of it!”

  A cheer sounded, then another and another, here and there, until everyone was cheering and clapping.

  De Raite beamed, accepting the ovation as his due.

  Will told himself firmly to be grateful and to do all he could to see that de Raite followed through with his offer.

  “Will, is it not wonderful?” Aly exclaimed. “Now we can—”

  Leaning swiftly closer, he muttered, “Whisst, lassie, whisst! Say naught more of this now. We’ll talk of it later.”

  Some of the light went out of her eyes, but he could not help that. Even if de Raite did mean to make peace with Malcolm and the Clan Chattan Confederation, he would never agree to a marriage of his daughter to Malcolm’s son—especially his youngest one, who, as youngest, had little to recommend him—or, come to that, to one between his own youngest son and a daughter of Fin of the Battles, no matter how beautiful, desirable, and incredibly lovable she was.

  That last thought tied a knot in his chest and erased what little was left of the brief surge of hope he had felt after de Raite’s announcement.

  The fact was that de Raite was not only deceitful himself but distrusting of others, all of whom, he chose to believe, were as dishonorable as he was. By comparison, the Mackintosh was a prime example of honor.

  A notion stirred then that de Raite might be counting on that trait for some scheme of his own.

  Will felt desperate to see Katy, but what he might say to her and how they could safely meet if Liam continued to claim his patrol he did not know. Just then, as if the thought had conjured him up, Liam strode into the hall, looking grim.

  De Raite snapped, “What the devil be ye doing back here so soon? Ye canna ha’ been gone longer than an hour or so.”

  “Two great wolf dogs tried tae attack me is why!” Liam snapped back.

  Beside Will, Aly started and turned to him, but when he put a warning hand on her arm, she settled back in her seat and pressed her lips together.

  “Did ye kill them?” de Raite demanded.

  “Nae, I did not, for I were just above Finlagh. They appeared of a sudden right before me. Then, a woman some distance back o’ them saw me, so I shouted doon tae call off the dogs. She just stared at me, so I shouted that I’d lost me way, a-heading for Nairn. When she pointed northward, I hied m’self back here.”

  “Seems tae me ye should ha’ been much farther south by then,” de Raite said. Without giving Liam time to reply, he looked at Will. “Has anyone ever caught ye on yon route, William?”

  “Nae, sir,” Will replied firmly. “I expect I’ve had more training than Liam, though, in moving through woodland without raising an alarm.”

  Liam glowered, but de Raite ignored him, saying, “Then ye’ll return tae that duty, Will, at once. I want as much news as ye can glean from there. Keep watch over paths tae the south, too, where Malcolm or Sir Ivor might travel.”

  “Aye, sir, willingly,” Will said with deep sincerity.

  Katy felt as if she had tiptoed through the week in near isolation from the rest of her world. She had neither seen nor heard from Will and feared he might have suffered more injuries than he had admitted.

  She had left her kerchief on a shrub near the pool after a visit to Granny Rosel two days ago and could recall nothing now that the two of them had discussed.

  Leaving the kerchief in place, she had twice visited the Stone, hoping to find Will waiting for her, but she had not left a cairn there and had retrieved the kerchief earlier that Friday morning, because she dared not return three days in a row. As it was, she had risked Fin’s discovering her absences and demanding explanations she would prefer not to give.

  Clydia, having had her say, would not betray her. Her twin’s anger had evaporated once she had expressed her opinions and Katy had listened to her.

  Katy had made her no promises, though. Nor would she.

  She had spoken the truth in declaring her love for Will, and she wanted to believe that her declaration had made them lawfully husband and wife. She was sure that her parents would object to such a union nonetheless and that Fin, who knew the King of Scots personally, would find a way to nullify it even if it was just as legal as Brother Julian had said it was.

  As for de Raite, she did not want to imagine how he might react if he found out about her declaration, or what he might do to Will for knowing her.

  What she wanted, more than anything, was to see Will and hear his voice.

  She was deep in such thoughts during Friday’s midday meal, wondering how she could love a man so and fret herself nearly sick over him, when she had known him for such a short time and seen him so few times since meeting him.

  “Who the devil was he?” Fin demanded so abruptly that his question pierced straight through Katy’s thoughts and drew her startled gaze.

  He was looking at her mother, though, as Cat turned calmly to nod at the manservant holding a basket of apples for her to select one.

  Leaning close to Clydia, Katy muttered, “Who was who?”

/>   “A man Da just heard that Mam saw yesterday in the woods, above … um …” Lowering her voice, she leaned closer and breathed, “the pail-and-smack—”

  Her interest suddenly intense, Katy turned back toward her mother.

  Apple now in hand, Cat said mildly, “I don’t know who he was.”

  “Then why did you not raise an alarm?” Fin demanded.

  “Because he was well above me on that slope and shouted that he’d got lost trying to reach Nairn. I pointed northward, and he went on his way. Come to that, my love, I expect that someone on the ramparts heard us shouting and told you.”

  Fin nodded, frowning thoughtfully.

  “How did you see him, Mam?” Katy asked. “I was not paying heed.”

  “The dogs alerted and cornered him,” Catriona replied with a smile.

  Katy relaxed. Argus and Eos knew Will and would not have treated him so.

  Concern swept back when she realized that the man her mother saw might have been one of Will’s brothers spying on them. De Raite had likely sent someone else to patrol the ridge while Will’s ankle healed.

  Still pondering, Katy returned her attention to her food.

  She and Clydia headed for the garden that afternoon. Opening the shed where she kept her tools and pails, Clydia said, “We’ll fetch water first from the stream.”

  “Aye, sure,” Katy agreed, taking the pail she handed her. Leaving the courtyard, they walked down into the woods flanking the south stream.

  When they reached the eddy from which they usually took water for the garden, Katy noticed a neat pile of stones that had not been there the day before.

  “Clydie, Will has been here. That cairn is his signal. Usually, it means he will meet me at the Stone the next day, but it would not do to irk Da just when Will is back again. If he left this cairn this morning as he was heading south, mayhap I can meet him here on his way back.”

  “You must not come here alone,” Clydia said.

  “Nae, I’ll bring the dogs. They will know he’s coming before I will.”

  Will had made his escape the minute he could that morning, having concern only lest his headaches return or his ankle fail to withstand a whole day’s patrol.

  Within half an hour of leaving Raitt, away from his difficult family, he was pain free, alone with his thoughts in peaceful woodland, and grinning at a squirrel as it darted down a tree. It hesitated when it reached the ground to look at him and then ran across his path into the shrubbery beyond.

  He had not gone as far south as usual, because it was his first day out. He had taken his time, and he wanted to be home in good time for supper.

  He had also taken time earlier to leave a cairn of rocks by the pail-and-smack stream as a signal for Katy that he hoped to meet her the next day.

  Nearing Finlagh, he decided to see if she had left a sign of her own.

  Angling down the slope when he saw the castle, he wanted to end up just above the stream where he had met her twin.

  The breeze blowing toward him was pleasantly cool, and the day was fine. Yet he saw no person outside the castle wall, nor any kerchief on shrubbery near the pool above the knoll. Still, she might have left a sign near his cairn.

  Hearing distant yet unrecognizable feminine voices ahead, he slowed, taking care to move even more quietly. If one of them was Katy, the other was likely her twin, and he had no idea if that lass’s opinion of him had improved since their first meeting. At least, he was upwind of them, so if they had Argus and Eos with them, the dogs were unlikely to catch his scent.

  Minutes later, he halted, stunned, able to recognize both voices.

  Katy was talking with Alyssa.

  “Art certain of that?” he heard Katy demand.

  “Aye, for Father said so just today,” Aly said. “He sent a running gillie—”

  Will heard no more, for heaving caution aside, he hurtled down through the shrubbery, making enough noise to alert both dogs. One made a snuffling noise, the other was silent. The voices had also fallen silent, for which he was thankful.

  “I knew it was you, despite all the noise you made,” Katy said with a grin when he plunged out of the bushes.

  Will was watching Alyssa. “What are you doing here, Aly?” he asked, forcing calm into his voice.

  “Looking for you,” she said. “Meggie is in the clachan, but Father will not look for me today. He is talking with Hew and Liam and will not even miss me.”

  “You must not talk of things that you hear at home, lassie,” he said gently.

  “Och, how could you hear what I was saying when you were making so much noise yourself?”

  “I began making noise because I did hear you. So might someone else.”

  “I forget how keen your hearing is,” Aly said with a sigh.

  “Is it not so, then, that de Raite means to offer reconciliation?” Katy asked. “I feared that it was not true. But, oh, how I wish it were!”

  “As to that, we know only that he said he had sent a message to the Mackintosh. Until we hear Malcolm’s reply, though, we must not speculate, so I beg you, Katy, to say naught of this yet. It could cause grievous harm if word of it gets out before any agreement occurs. In troth, the Mackintosh will likely come to Finlagh or send word of his decision to Sir Fin when he has made one.”

  “Aye, sure,” Katy said. “I shan’t speak of it. I would have to explain to my parents how I know of it, and I have told them naught of meeting you or Aly.”

  “I’m sorry, Will,” Aly said dejectedly. “I did not know it was to be a secret. Father rarely says aught to me that he wants kept secret, so I thought …”

  When she fell silent, he said, “I ken that fine. You do know better than to talk to others of what happens at Raitt, though. I am not angry, but mayhap you should start back now. I’ll catch up with you, but I want a word with Katy first.”

  “Aye, sure, and if you take longer, recall that I go over yon pass and through the clachan. I’ve become gey deft at slipping in and out of Raitt whenever I like.”

  “Argus,” Katy said. “Go with her. Eos, stay.”

  Aly grinned, patted the dog, and went on her way.

  Will watched her depart and opened his arms to Katy.

  “Oh, Will, she was so excited,” Katy said as she snuggled into them and held him tightly around his waist. “I’m sorry you had to spoil her delight.”

  “I, too,” he murmured. “But I distrust de Raite, and it will spoil her pleasure more if he decides he wants no part of reconciliation. Now, kiss me, mo bhilis.”

  “But this is not our kissing stone,” she murmured mischievously.

  “Then I shall just steal one,” he said, tilting her chin up with one hand while holding her close with his other arm. When his lips touched hers, he pressed harder, wishing he could do much more with her and realizing as he did how much he had missed her. He wanted to stay, not just to continue kissing her but to talk, too. “I do love being with you,” he murmured.

  “If your father means all he says, mayhap it will become easier for us.”

  “Perhaps.” The word stirred strong misgivings, though he could not have said why it should. “I must go, lass, and we must continue to be cautious. Until we know more, I’d liefer not take the chance of anyone seeing us together.”

  “Very well, then, sir. When you catch up with Aly and Argus, just command him to ‘go to Katy.’”

  He smiled. “I’ll tell him.”

  “I won’t tell anyone about Aly or her news, Will, or about you.”

  “I know, Katy. I trust you.”

  He was gone on those last words, and Katy promised herself that, come what may, she would prove worthy of his trust. Taking time only to tumble the cairn and await Argus, she headed back to Finlagh.

  Saturday and Sunday passed slowly, bringing her to a strong, unfamiliar r
ealization that, for the first time in her memory, she was purposefully keeping secrets, even from Clydia, just because Will had asked her to do so. Guilt stirred, but common sense and her promise to him steadied her.

  He was right, and while Clydia might disagree with her, Katy knew from experience how difficult it was to keep secrets in a castle, where every wall and floor seemed to have ears. One had only to recall how easily Rory had listened from behind the Stone, twice, to all that she and Will had said to each other.

  If Bridgett should overhear her talking of such things with Clydia, Lochan would soon know and Fin and Catriona soon after that.

  Katy shivered at the thought. Recalling how easily Catriona and Clydia seemed to read her very thoughts, she knew she would have to take special care to think of anything but what Aly had told her. She wanted to talk to Will, though, so Monday after the midday meal, she slipped away to the pool with Argus and left a kerchief with hopes that Will might see it and that she could meet him the next day.

  Fortunately, she had no need to keep what she had learned to herself for long, because Gilli arrived late Monday afternoon with big news, which Fin announced to the family in the inner chamber just before supper that evening.

  “Malcolm has had a message from de Raite, offering reconciliation due to their overwhelming losses at Loch Moigh.”

  “Mercy!” Catriona and Clydia exclaimed together.

  Cat grinned at Clydia but said to Fin, “Do you think the villain means it?”

  Katy kept her mouth closed and shifted her gaze from her mother to Fin.

  “Who can know what that man thinks, let alone what he means by it?” he said. “I certainly don’t trust him, but Gilli Roy says Malcolm is pleased. De Raite has invited him, your brother Ivor, and me, with our lawful tails, to join him and his remaining men at Raitt Friday for a grand banquet in honor of the new peace.”

  “But not your wives or daughters?” Catriona said musingly.

  “Raitt is a household of men, my love. You and the twins would be most uncomfortable there. This will be more like the signing of a treaty than a cèilidh. In fact,” he added, “until this agreement is signed and done, everyone here must take extra care when going outside the wall. If you see or hear aught that seems amiss in any way, be sure to return swiftly and report what you’ve seen.”