Highland Redemption: A Duncurra Legacy Novel

by Ceci Giltenan

  “Ye’re right, about Lady Katherine. This was her clan,” said Ethan. “But ye shouldn’t miss yer sister’s wedding. I’ll stay if these other two can be talked into it.”

  Drew nudged Tomas in the ribs. “What do ye say, Tomas? It’ll be fun. Like when we were in training, except we’ll be the ones in charge now.”

  Tomas considered everything. As much as he wanted to turn his back and say no, what they’d said about his mother was absolutely true. She loved this clan every bit as much as she loved the MacIans. Hadn’t she shown her love for him, the very least of her clansmen, by wrapping her body around his and taking the lashes meant for him? What’s more, this was his clan too. The fact that Ambrose was at the head of it was no one’s fault but the late King David’s. Finally, Tomas said, “I’ll stay. But only for a short time. We’ll head for home when the weather breaks in February…if not sooner. By then, if the Ruthven men are not vastly improved, we’ll offer to escort Lady Vida to her cousin for her safety.”

  Laird Carr nodded. “Agreed. And for what it’s worth, I know this decision was hard, but I think ye’ve made the right one.”

  “I hope so, sir,” said Tomas.

  “Just remember, the three of ye are here on yer own terms. If it simply isn’t working, if the men cannot be trained, or if the situation changes and siege is imminent, don’t remain a day longer. Ye don’t owe them anything, certainly not yer lives. Offer a safe home to Lady Vida and leave. If ye push, ye’re only a hard day’s ride from Castle Carr—a day and a half at the most.”

  The three young men agreed.

  “Also, whether ye tell Laird Ruthven who ye really are, is up to ye. I suspect it is better to remain silent, at least for the moment. I’ll see that yer lairds receive the gold he pays me for yer service. The agreement never to bear arms against my clan is probably only of real value to me, as my holding is nearest to Ruthven. He’s not likely to march into the Highlands after the MacIans or the MacLennans and he’d have to go through my territory to get there anyway.”

  When they returned to the great hall, a hush fell.

  Laird Carr addressed their host. “Laird Ruthven, after consulting with my guardsmen, I have decided to leave three men with ye: Ethan MacLeod, Drew MacBain, and Tomas MacHenry.

  Had Tomas imagined Lady Vida’s small smile when Laird Carr said he’d be one of the men staying?

  Chapter 4

  Tomas, Drew, and Ethan began working with Ruthven’s men that morning after Laird Carr left with the rest. Ruthven introduced them to the captain of his guard, Gregor Hay, before returning to the keep.

  Tomas had faint memories of Gregor. He had been Laird Ruthven's squire for years and had become a member of his guard before Tomas and Katherine left. Mainly, Tomas remembered that his grandfather had liked Gregor. His grandfather judged men by a simple rule, “Don’t trust a man who doesn’t treat his beasts well. It’s a sure sign something rotten lurks beneath.” Tomas’s adoptive father had a similar belief, “A good man respects his mount and treats it with the care he’d give his own sword arm, for they are extensions of each other.” Tomas had memories of Gregor, in the stable, helping to take care of horses.

  As soon as Ruthven had left them, Tomas said, “Perhaps we should just start by watching yer men train?”

  “Sir, I think we should start with an apology. I am sorry, and ashamed that it was necessary for the laird to ask ye to do this.”

  Tomas shook his head. “First, just call me Tomas, not sir. I think that goes for all of us.” He glanced at Drew and Ethan, who indicated their agreement. “And second, ye needn’t apologize. The person responsible for ensuring that his garrison is adequately trained is the laird. Ye can only do what ye can do with what ye have. Our purpose here is not to lay blame, but rather to teach ye what we can.”

  Gregor offered him his hand. “Thank ye.”

  They spent the rest of the day watching the Ruthven men train. Afterward, they sat down with Gregor to discuss what they’d learned.

  Tomas said, “It isn’t that ye’re men aren’t skilled. I suspect they have had very skilled instruction, but from only a few men, so it has been limited. They go through the exact same exercises over and over. If an opponent approached them in that way, he’d be sliced down.”

  Ethan nodded. “Aye, but when there is any variation, they have to decide what to do and in those infinitesimal delays, an opponent with more skill can gain the upper hand.”

  “We can help round out their skills,” said Drew. “Tomas and I are among the finest swordsmen in the Highlands, because of the way we were trained. And Ethan’s not bad either,” he teased.

  “I’ve kicked yer arse on occasion,” said Ethan with a grin.

  “Well, I’d appreciate any help ye can give us,” said Gregor.

  “What’s more concerning,” said Tomas, “is the fact that ye’ve suffered as many raids as ye have. It tells me that whoever is doing this is growing more and more confident of their success and your inability to defend against them. We have to prove them wrong. As far as I can tell, you send out men to patrol your borders in a fairly predictable pattern.”

  “That’s a bit like training with the same exercises,” said Ethan. “Your enemies learn how to avoid you.”

  “So, we change our routine?” asked Gregor.

  Tomas grinned slyly. “Nay, ye don’t. Ye keep sending the two patrols of four men exactly as ye have been. But ye send others too, and those are the ones whose movements ye vary. If ye double yer number of patrols, and have four groups of men out every night, two of which use more covert tactics, you will stop the next raid.”

  Drew said, “We’ll put eight men in each of the other two patrols. One of us will go with them the first few times as a training exercise.”

  “Why eight men?” asked Gregor.

  Tomas answered, “It is unlikely that more than four men are doing the thieving. It would be easier to detect them if they were using men than that. Additionally, they aren’t taking huge numbers of beasts, only what they can manage to move quickly. Eight men with average skills—and yer men do have average or better skills—can easily prevail against four. We don’t want lives lost.”

  Ethan added. “The predictable patrols can continue to be just four men for a while because we’re fairly sure your enemy is making every effort to avoid them.”

  Tomas nodded. “As soon as we thwart one raid, we’ll increase the number of men on the other patrols and stop the established pattern altogether. One failed attempt will be enough to tell them ye’ve changed yer tactics and hopefully tell us who’s behind it. They’ll be more cautious then next time.”

  “But if I send twenty-four men out every night, and others are busy guarding the keep, how will we accomplish any training?” asked Gregor.

  “It’s easier than ye might think,” answered Tomas. “Ye have two men at the gate and another six on the wall at all times and they are on duty for four hours at a time. Ye have a total of about one hundred men?”

  “Aye, a hundred and three to be precise.”

  Tomas said, “Well, divide them into four groups of at least twenty-four men and they will cycle posts every three days. One group will ride patrols. Two groups will split their time between guarding the keep and training. Each man will work four hours at a guard post and will train for four hours either in the morning or the afternoon. The remaining group will train both morning and afternoon for three days. We won’t train on Sundays.”

  “That means in twelve weeks, each man will train for eighteen full days and thirty-six half days. Each man will guard the keep for four hours on forty-two days including six Sundays, they’ll serve patrol on twenty-one days including three Sundays, and they’ll have three Sundays completely off,” said Drew.

  Tomas said, “It’s a fairly intense schedule, but we will only be here until February. If after one twelve-week cycle, everything is going extremely well, ye can make changes. Reduce the number of men on patrol to eighteen, give the men
who serve watch between midnight and prime the day off from training. Ye can decide based on the situation then.”

  Gregor nodded. “Aye, we’ll start tomorrow.”

  “We’ll start tonight,” said Tomas. “Ethan will take sixteen men out tonight to begin training them to patrol. He has stellar tracking skills. Drew will take them then next night, and I’ll take the next. We’ll rotate like that until we’re comfortable that everyone is well enough trained at patrolling to leave them on their own.”

  Gregor smiled. “All right. I want to go, so I’ll select seven more.”

  Ethan smiled. “Good. We’ll leave immediately after supper and return after daybreak.”

  ~ * ~

  After Laird Carr had left with his men, Vida had given in to Emma’s nagging and returned to her chamber to stay off of her injured ankle. She soaked it from time to time in cool water. The swelling had gone down considerably by evening, however, and she refused to stay locked away in her chamber. She wanted to be at the table and hear the discussions of how the day of training had gone with the Carr warriors.

  When the Carrs entered the hall with Gregor and some of the other men, Vida was glad that her father called for them to join him at his table. If he hadn’t, Vida would have, but it was better that the invitation came from him. She simply had to listen to the conversations to learn all she needed to.

  “So,” asked her father, “how did things go today? Please tell me my men aren’t hopeless.”

  Sir Tomas laughed. “They aren’t hopeless. Far from it. They have just been exposed to less variety. The skills they have are very good. They have had excellent instruction, but men can only teach what they themselves have learned. Our skills aren’t necessarily better, just different because we’ve had different experiences. So, it’s really just a matter of broadening their skills by exposing them to diverse techniques.”

  Vida was amazed. With a few words, Tomas had managed to give both her father and Gregor a bit of their pride back.

  Tomas and Drew talked about honing instincts and shortening reaction times and her father was rapt. At one point he asked, “I wish I were younger. I’d like to learn these things as well.”

  “Laird Ruthven,” said Drew, “Laird Carr has more than three score years to his credit and he still trains some every day.”

  “Does he? But he has such a capable guard. Surely he no longer needs to defend himself.”

  A frown flitted briefly across Sir Tomas’s face. “Laird Carr prefers not to let other men fight for him. As long as he can lift a sword, he’ll fight beside them. The only way he can do that is to keep his skills as sharp as possible.”

  “Then you think I could train with the men?”

  Drew nodded. “If ye wish.”

  Ruthven turned to address Tomas directly. “Will you work with me, Sir Tomas?”

  Vida couldn’t quite read the expression on Tomas’s face. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if he were horrified, but it must simply have been shock or surprise. In fairness, Vida herself was surprised. For years her father hadn’t done more than occasionally spar briefly with Gregor.

  “Aye…uh…if that’s what ye wish,” answered Tomas.

  “I don’t want to take away from the time ye spend with my men, but aye, I’d like that.”

  “Well, then…uh…perhaps ye’d like to join us tomorrow after the midday meal?”

  “That would be perfect.” Her father smiled, appearing truly happy. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Sir Tomas and Sir Drew also explained the problem they had identified with the way the Ruthven men patrolled the holding. Her father asked questions, appearing truly interested. “Can I ride patrol with you one night?”

  Both of the Carr men frowned.

  “Sir, I appreciate yer desire to learn,” said Sir Tomas, “But I fear ye’d be putting yerself in harm’s way. It would be better to wait until I’m certain yer men can protect ye well. The last think we’d want would be for ye to be taken hostage.”

  “Aye, then it’s probably best to wait a while on that.”

  The talk of the day’s training went on throughout the evening meal, Sir Gregor and a few of the other Ruthven knights joining in to praise the Carrs. When supper was over, her father rose from the table. “I’m going to retire for the evening. Please enjoy yourselves. Vida, shall I help you up to bed?”

  “No, thank you, Papa. I’ll come up in a bit.”

  “Very well. I’m certain Sir Tomas will help you up the stairs if you need it.”

  She could barely contain a chuckle. If it was possible, her father gave every appearance of being smitten by Sir Tomas. “Aye, Papa, I’m sure he would, but I think I’ll be fine.”

  The men dispersed from the tables and the servants cleaned up the remnants of the meal and took down the trestles. To her disappointment, Sir Tomas too rose to go with the men. She wanted to spend a little more time in his company, but to do that she had to think of a way to keep him from leaving. “Uh…Sir Tomas…I…uh…do you play chess?”

  “Do I...I’m sorry, did ye ask if I play chess?”

  She smiled at him in the way she did if she needed her papa to do something. “Aye, I did. Do you? Play chess, that is?”

  “Aye, of course.”

  “Would you care to play with me?”

  A salacious grin spread across his face and Vida felt a hot blush rise in her cheeks.

  “I…I…I mean, chess. Would you care to play a game of chess with me?”

  “Aye. I’d be happy to play a game of chess with ye.”

  “Emma,” she called. “Would you mind bringing me my chessboard and have Nuala bring us wine?”

  “Certainly, my lady.”

  Sir Tomas sat back down. Vida wasn’t sure why she’d done that. She’d never desired to spend time in any man’s company. But then, Sir Tomas MacHenry wasn’t just any man. He was the very attractive young man who had saved her from a kidnapper. Plus, he appeared to have won her father’s affection, which was beyond amusing.

  “Do you make a habit of playing chess in the evening?” he asked.

  “I used to. I played with Papa nearly every evening. But over the last few years, he has grown less fond of the game. I can usually coax Father Michael into a game if he’s free.”

  “And no one else will play with ye?”

  “Sometimes, if we have guests such as yourselves, I can find someone willing to play, but otherwise, nay.”

  Vida noticed Moyna, the elderly woman in charge of the kitchens and not the young maid Nuala, hurrying towards her from the back of the hall bearing a tray with a ewer of wine and two goblets.

  “Moyna, you didn’t have to bring that yourself.”

  “’Tis no trouble, my lady. I did want to be certain you didn’t want to make any changes to tomorrow’s meals.”

  Vida smiled. She suspected the truth was that the older woman just wanted to get a look at their guests. “Nay, what you’ve planned is fine.”

  “Very well, my lady.” Moyna bobbed a curtsy.

  “Moyna, this is Sir Tomas MacHenry, one of Laird Carr’s men. Sir Tomas, this is Moyna. She’s in charge of the kitchens here.”

  Sir Tomas stood, turned towards Moyna, and gave a small bow. “It’s very nice to meet you, Moyna.”

  Moyna’s eyes widened, then her brows drew together in confusion. “Sir Tomas? Sir Tomas MacHenry, you say?

  “Aye, Moyna, this is Sir Tomas MacHenry. Surely ye’ve heard that three of Laird Carr’s men are staying at Cotharach to help better train our men-at-arms.”

  Moyna’s gaze seemed fixed on Sir Tomas’s face as if searching for something. “Aye, my lady,” she answered distractedly. “I’m pleased to meet you, Sir Tomas. Very pleased, indeed. If you need anything, anything at all, just ask. ’Tis a very good thing you do.”

  “Thank ye, Moyna,” said Tomas, bowed again. He didn’t seem to find her behavior strange.

  “Excuse me, please. I’ll just go back to the kitchen.” Moyna bob
bed another curtsy and hurried out of the hall.

  Vida smiled and poured a goblet of wine for Sir Tomas as he sat back down. “Pardon her unusual behavior. I suspect she’s been curious about our visitors all day and could wait no longer.”

  “Ye’ve nothing to apologize for. She seems very kind.”

  Emma finally arrived with the chess set. Vida set it up and, taking a pawn in each hand, put her hands behind her back then presented him with her closed fists. “Which hand do you wish, Sir Tomas.”

  “Please, just call me Tomas.”

  “Tomas, then. But in that case, you must just call me Vida.”

  He smiled. “Very well. I’ll take the left hand, Vida.”

  She turned over her palm to reveal the black pawn.

  ~ * ~

  Tomas took the pawn from her hand. “White goes first, make your move.”

  Initially he was distracted, thinking of Moyna. She appeared to recognize him. That she didn’t acknowledge it was good. He would have to try and find a way to talk with her. But after the first few less than well thought out moves, Tomas realized he had to focus while playing chess with Vida. He also thought he might have an inkling why no one, especially her father, would play with her—they didn’t like to lose. She was exceedingly good and he lost the first game in minutes.

  “Ah, Vida, I made the classic mistake of underestimating my foe. Will ye allow me to redeem myself?”

  She gave him a heart-stopping smile. “Of course. I’d love to play another game.”

  This time he was prepared and paid closer attention.

  Perhaps trying to distract him, she asked lots of questions about the Highlands, his home, and Clan Carr. He did his best to answer without telling too many lies.

  “Tomas, tell me, is it usual for men to name their horses?”

  “That’s an odd question, why do you ask?”

  “I just heard once that seasoned warriors don’t name their horses, but you called your horse Duff.”

  “I don’t know if it’s usual everywhere, but the warriors I know name their horses. A horse is not a piece of equipment. It is a living creation of God, and in battle, an extension of oneself. I’ve heard some men name their swords. It seems much more reasonable to me for them to name a beast they depend on.”