The Highland Commander

by Amy Jarecki

  Many times her mind had conjured images of the fleeting moments she’d spent in Aiden’s arms. Their liaison had been wrong in so many ways, yet Maddie refused to feel guilty about it—except the night when John had caught them. To his credit, the Marquis of Tullibardine had been courteous toward her—especially when he’d been within his rights to throw her out of the Atholl apartments for her scandalous behavior. If the marquis harbored any ill sentiments, he’d masked them well.

  Unfortunately, Maddie had met many people who were kind to her face yet abhorrent behind her back. Though if the marquis was anything like his younger brother, he’d act honorably and with discretion.

  She sighed. It was unlikely she would ever again have the opportunity to meet Aiden’s brother.

  “M’lady.” Agnes hastened inside. “A guard is here. The queen has requested an audience.”

  The lump in Maddie’s throat felt as if it grew two sizes larger. “The queen?”

  Agnes clapped her hands together, looking like a wee lass at Yuletide. “I pray your father will be released and we can return to Stonehaven within the sennight.”

  Standing, Maddie reached for her lady’s maid’s hands. “Please let it be so.”

  “You mustn’t tarry. Go and bring the good news swiftly.”

  As she followed the guard, Maddie’s palms perspired and her stomach squeezed with her every nervous thought. Ushered into the queen’s presence chamber, Magdalen dipped into a reverent curtsy.

  “Come forward,” commanded the queen in her imposing tone as she sat on her high-backed throne.

  Maddie had never seen this chamber before and took in the grandeur as she moved deeper inside. Life-size portraits of past kings hung on the walls, and on the ceiling a renaissance mural of angels gazed down at her. The queen’s throne sat atop a red carpet raised by a small dais. Behind the great woman was a velvet drape with the royal coat of arms embroidered in rich golds. The drape continued to the ceiling, making a canopy, as if the queen needed to be shaded indoors.

  “Have you enjoyed your time in London?” the queen asked.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” What else was Maddie to say? She hated London, and now that Lord Aiden had been called to sea, she desperately wanted to see her father freed from the Tower so that she could return to Scotland.

  Her Majesty’s smug smile looked very similar to a frown. “Such news makes me happy. I do quite admire your music.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  The woman shifted in her seat. “I have considered the petition submitted by the Earl of Seaforth on your father’s behalf.”

  Maddie drew in a deep breath and stood taller. “My father is a loyal servant to the crown. I ken in my heart he is innocent and—”

  “Silence. I do not need to listen to the pleas of a bastard.” How quickly the tides could turn with Her Majesty. Seconds ago she’d spouted praise, and now she barked with disdain.

  Maddie pursed her lips. Holy crosses, how daft could she be, chattering like a hen?

  Queen Anne sniffed with a flutter of her fan. “Now then, I have a proposition for you.”

  “Aye?” Maddie asked reticently, almost afraid to speak aloud lest she be reprimanded.

  “If you agree to be my personal harpist, I will release your father to attend the next session of Parliament. And if he supports my defense against those nobles attempting to abolish the Act of Settlement, I shall consider absolving him entirely of any suspicion of treasonous acts.”

  The perspiration under Maddie’s arms stung. She could barely take a breath. “You mean for me to remain in London, Your Majesty?”

  “Well, you couldn’t very well play your harp for me sitting in some drafty hovel in the north of Scotland.”

  “No… Apologies.” Maddie dipped into another curtsy. “Forgive me.” There was so much to consider while the queen impatiently drummed her fingers on the armrest. Everyone and their grandmother knew the Earl Marischal supported the movement to abolish the Act of Settlement. Discriminating and a political sham, the act had put an end to the true monarchy by stating that anyone who practiced the Catholic faith or married a member of the Catholic faith would lose his or her right to inherit the throne.

  But couldn’t Da side with the queen on this one thing? It would ensure his freedom.

  On the other side, how long was Maddie expected to remain in London?

  The queen snapped her fan closed and clapped it in her palm. “I sense you are hesitant about my offer.”

  Dear Lord, I could ruin our lives with my next utterance.

  Maddie curtsied deeply. “Your offer is quite generous, Your Majesty. I consider such a proposal not only generous, but a greater honor than a lass of my station could hope for. And I am certain to the depths of my soul that my father will stand beside Your Majesty whilst you face your enemies in Parliament.”

  A faint smile played on the queen’s lips—one that reflected a great deal of cunning. “I thought you’d be overjoyed; thus I’ve taken steps to reinstate your father’s apartments. You must vacate the Duke of Atholl’s residence at once. I should not have allowed you to remain there this long.”

  “No, Your Majesty?” Maddie’s face burned as if held to hot coals.

  “Oh please, I’ll wager you are not impervious to the gossip. If it weren’t for your lady’s maid’s being in attendance, I would have not been able to ignore the situation as long as I did.”

  Again she curtsied. “Thank you, Your Majesty. We were in dire need. I do not ken what I would have done if Lord Aiden hadn’t come to my aid.”

  “Hmm.” Her Majesty glanced away. “The realm could use more white knights such as he.” Then she flicked her fingers at Maddie. “Move into your new quarters today. The Duchess of Marlborough will keep you apprised of your harpist appointments.”

  Maddie curtsied for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Thank you ever so much, Your Majesty.”

  As she made her way back to the Duke of Atholl’s apartments, Maddie tried to focus on the positive. Her father would be freed. For the first time since she was seven years of age, she would spend time under the same roof with him—at least until this session of Parliament ended.

  Regardless, her stomach twisted in knots and her shoulders drooped a bit more with her every step. How would she survive the gossip without Aiden to guide her through the mire? Merciful Father, she missed him something awful. Things were so dreary without him at Whitehall.

  Agnes would be disappointed for certain. And what would happen to the hospital? She’d never intended to be gone for so long, and now who knew how long she’d have to bear the ladies-in-waiting’s wicked stares and snooty jibes?

  Blast it all, she should be overjoyed that Da would finally be freed, and if playing her fingers to the bone for the queen was the price she had to pay, then so be it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  London, 14 June 1708

  Over a month had passed since Da’s release from the Tower. They’d received news of the birth of his daughter, whom the countess had named Anne after the queen in an attempt to gain favor. Fortunately, both mother and child had come through the ordeal well.

  Maddie sat across the table from her father, porridge spoon in hand. “Every time I hear anything about the war, I nearly stop playing.” Honestly, every time Prince George visited the queen, Maddie’s ears homed in on the conversation, trying to garner any news about the Royal Mary. “Were you aware the Royal Navy engaged the French in cannon fire, in an effort to protect the Netherlands’ trade routes?”

  Da looked up from his gazette. “I beg your pardon?”

  Maddie blinked. “Why are we protecting the Netherlands’ trade routes?”

  Flicking his hand as if he were swatting a fly, Da huffed. “The queen believes there’s an imminent threat of French domination.”

  “I have no idea why we have to involve ourselves in the war on the Continent. Haven’t we enough to worry about on our own soil?”

  “My sentimen
ts exactly. I swear that woman engages the French merely to thwart our efforts for the cause.”

  Maddie shrugged. “She no longer thinks the prince poses any sort of threat.”

  Da set the gazette on the table. “What’s that? Do you ken this to be true, lass?”

  “Aye, I heard it from the queen’s mouth but a sennight ago.”

  “Why did you not tell me sooner?”

  Maddie scooped a spoonful of porridge. “I thought you were already aware.”

  Da leaned nearer, stroking his clean-shaven chin. “What else has Her Majesty said about her brother?”

  “Not much.” Swallowing, Maddie composed her thoughts. “She believes him to be a coward, of course. You ken they’re calling him the Pretender.”

  “Aye.” Da narrowed his gaze. “What else?”

  “Not certain. She receives reports on his whereabouts, but they’re dull mostly. James attended a ball or the opera or he dined with the Duke of Berry.” Maddie held up her finger. “Oh, there was a rumor of his betrothal, but that turned out to be false—after all, he’s only twenty.”

  Da slapped his hand on the table. “I cannot believe you have been holding this information from me. Do you have any idea how important it is that you divulge everything you hear, especially when it pertains to the cause?”

  Maddie rested her spoon beside her bowl, a prickly sensation spreading across her arms. Then she leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Are you asking me to spy on the queen?”

  “Och, dear gel, everyone at court spies. Surely you’ve been here long enough to realize that. How else are we to make informed decisions?” He slapped his folded gazette. “We surely cannot find it in this compilation of gibberish.”

  True, Maddie had been listening in, trying to learn anything about the fleet or the Royal Mary’s whereabouts. “You’re saying you want me to relay reports about the prince?”

  Da leaned forward and jammed his pointer finger into the table. “You cannot be so naïve to think we are not in a war—and mark me, I am not referring to the French. Aye, you did what you had to do to free me from the Tower, and for that I am grateful. But I do not intend to see that woman rule Scotland or Britain any longer than necessary. She is a poorly educated buffoon—as is her bumbling, rheumy-eyed, self-appointed-admiral husband. You may fancy yourself a musician, but you will always be my daughter and loyal to the Highland way of life. Never forget your duty.”

  “I haven’t. My duty is the reason I came to London in the first place.”

  “’Tis good to hear you say it.” He patted her shoulder. “Now, I want to be apprised of everything that is said about France, the war, and any wee word about repealing the Act of Settlement.”

  Maddie shook her head. “Ye ken the queen would rather die than allow the succession of a Catholic on the throne.”

  “That could be arranged.”

  “Da!” She clapped her hand to her chest. “What are you saying?”

  He spread a bit of conserve on his toast. “’Twas but a jest, my dear.”

  Chewing her bottom lip, she shook her head. “Somehow spying seems wrong.”

  “Not at all. All I am asking is for you to relay to me things you have heard. For all that is holy, lass, you’ll just be doing more of the same.” He eyed her as he often had when she was a small child. “You’ve earned a position in the queen’s court that few other women of your station could hope to attain. Now you must use it for the good of your clan and kin.”

  “Very well.” Maddie let out a long sigh. “’Tis unlikely she’ll say anything of import in my presence, but if I can be of assistance to the cause, then so be it.”

  Behind him the rising sun cast a pink glow across the shore. Scotland. Aiden hadn’t stepped on home soil since the last time they moored off Stonehaven. Unfortunately, this mooring would be briefer than the last.

  The Royal Mary had intercepted a French galleon lying in wait for a cargo ship headed for Britain. Though neither he nor Captain Polwarth condoned the war with the French, they still had a responsibility to protect home’s merchant ships.

  They’d followed the galleon all the way up to Norway until she opened her cannon doors and fired a warning shot across the Royal Mary’s bow.

  “She has eighteen guns ready to fire, Captain,” Aiden had said from his position at the helm.

  “I reckon we’ve done our duty. The cargo ship is well under way. What say you, Commander? Shall we change course for Stonehaven and replenish our hold?”

  “Och aye, sir.” Aiden’s heart soared until the captain announced only the purser would step ashore, and a host of sailors to transport supplies.

  Now Aiden watched the small burgh of Stonehaven approach with a heavy heart.

  MacPherson stepped beside him and leaned on the rail. “Why so glum?”

  “There’s someone I need to see, and the captain has said no leave.”

  “Have you asked him?”

  “Nay.”

  MacPherson thumped Aiden on the shoulder. “Well, no one ever obtained a thing they wanted without asking.”

  “Right.” He stepped back and looked astern. Bloody hell, this was his chance to see Maddie again. And he was so damned close. What good was the rank of commander if he couldn’t bend a few rules now and again?

  A half hour later Aiden stood at the stern of a skiff, rowing for shore. He had an hour. Plenty of time.

  He hopped onto the pier before the skiff had been tied and hailed the first man he saw. “You there, can you tell me where I might find the Seaside Hospital for the Welfare of Women?”

  The man gave him a leering once-over. “What business have you there?”

  “Lady Magdalen is an acquaintance of mine. I have a message for her.”

  “Och, I was wondering. You didn’t look like a wife beater to me.” Pointing, he gave an overblown explanation of how to turn left at the first street, walk two blocks, and take another left. Fortunately for Aiden, he was a Scot and accustomed to being told to watch out for every storefront along the way.

  The hospital was impossible to miss. Standing alone, the whitewashed building was small and quaint. He could picture Maddie there, running things in her own little world, protected from the malicious gossip of court, yet making a difference for those who needed her care.

  A bell rang when he opened the door and stepped inside.

  It was eerily quiet. He waited, taking in the small entrance hall, the sparse furnishings, the slight scent of vinegar—used for cleaning, no doubt. He examined a landscape portrait of Dunnottar Castle painted on canvas, with a storm brewing in the distance. No matter how one looked at the fortress, it always made for a grand sight, sitting atop its immense promontory, dominating the sea with its majestic presence.

  “May I help you?” asked a woman from behind.

  Though it didn’t sound like Maddie, Aiden’s stomach fluttered as he turned. “I’m looking for Lady Magdalen. Is she about?”

  “No, I’m sorry, she’s presently away.” The woman eyed him from head to toe with a distrustful glint in her eye.

  What was Aiden to expect? This was a hospital for battered women, and he hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself. He swiftly bowed. “Forgive me. I am Commander Aiden Murray from the Royal Mary.”

  The woman dipped her head politely. “Mrs. Boyd, at your service.”

  “I assisted Her Ladyship in London a few months past and stopped in to bid her good day.”

  “Oh dear, you haven’t heard? The queen has asked my lady to be her personal harpist.”

  Aiden felt as though he’d received a blow to the gut. “She’s still in London?” Oh no, Maddie wouldn’t be happy at all.

  “I’m afraid so, m’lord. Things just aren’t the same without Her Ladyship here.”

  “I doubt they are.” A sad smile played on his lips. “Has there been any word as to when she might return?”

  Mrs. Boyd glanced aside while she shook her head. “No. Her last letter said she was staying a
t Whitehall with her father. ’Tis quite an honor to be asked to play the harp for the queen.”

  “Indeed it is.” Aiden bowed, deeper this time. “If you would kindly tell her I stopped by when she does return, I would be grateful.”

  “Of course.” Mrs. Boyd gestured to a table displaying an open book. “I’m certain she would be tickled if you signed the guest log—no one ever does.”

  “My thanks.” Aiden picked up the quill and dipped it in the ink pot, biting his bottom lip. He wanted to say something personal, but nothing that would be scandalous. In the end he decided to keep it short.

  My Dearest Lady Magdalen,

  A dark cloud has shadowed my day now that I have missed you. For your smile would have brought a month of sunshine into this sailor’s heart. Adieu, m’lady. Until our paths shall once again cross.

  Lord Aiden Murray, Commander, the Royal Mary

  Chapter Seventeen

  London, August 1709

  Maddie couldn’t believe it had already been a year and four months since she’d first stepped onto the pier at Blackwall Port. Aside from her brief interlude with Lord Aiden, her life had been dreary, with nothing to look forward to. And spying didn’t sit well, either. The only positive thing that had come of it was she’d proved herself useful to her father for the first time in her life.

  Having finished her afternoon set, she started collecting her things when Prince George entered the queen’s antechamber. “I have news.”

  The queen flicked her wrist at Maddie and Lady Essex, who happened to be the only two in attendance. After a curtsy Maddie followed the countess out the door and pretended to proceed through the passage in the opposite direction. At the corner Maddie glanced over her shoulder.

  Clearly suspecting nothing, Lady Essex had meandered on her way, which was the normal state of affairs. Few if any of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting paid Maddie much mind, unless they had something spiteful to say.

  Steeling her nerves, she tiptoed back toward the door. Whenever Prince George came in with news, Maddie paid extra attention, intently listening for anything about the Royal Mary. Goodness, it had been a long time since she’d had word. A year ago Mrs. Boyd had written that a Lord Aiden Murray had asked for her and signed the hospital’s guest book with a fervent hand.