Much Ado About Highlanders (The Scottish Relic Trilogy)

by May McGoldrick

  “She sends them to the stables to protect the furniture in the Great Hall.”

  Fiona was pushing him across the landing. “And the three of us need some woman time.”

  As he let his mother move him, Alexander’s gaze found Kenna’s. She nodded and motioned to him to go. She felt perfectly at ease with Fiona and Tess.

  Fiona patted Kenna’s hand as they made their way through a throng of people toward the Great Hall. “I’m giving him less than an hour before he comes searching for you.”

  “He has the look,” Tess agreed.

  “What look is that?”

  “A man in love.” Fiona smiled. “You’ve done it, child. You’ve captured his heart.”

  Kenna blushed. A mother could see.

  “And he has captured mine,” she whispered.

  Fiona squeezed Kenna’s hand. “I know. Regardless of what your father likes to think, with your free spirit, you wouldn’t be here unless you loved him.”

  She had no chance to say more as Lady Fiona introduced her to an aging steward named Robert inside the wide doors of the Great Hall.

  “No trunks. No baggage. Just like the day you arrived, Lady Fiona,” Robert observed. “The same with you, Lady Tess. Women with no possessions. Nothing to haul to the upper floors. I’m delighted to meet you, m’lady.”

  “Don’t take to heart anything he says,” Fiona said. “He means no insult. He has been here with us for so long that we can no longer even discipline him, though my husband occasionally threatens it. Robert is family.”

  “Aye. Family. So it is.” The man’s thin face creased in a smile. “I’ve served my lady for many years. Before coming to Benmore even. Aye, she was the Angel of Skye then.”

  “Angel of Skye?” Kenna asked her mother-in-law.

  “Aye,” Robert continued, ignoring the warning look from Fiona. “As Lord Alec still says, my lady here wasn’t only a king’s daughter. She was the fairy princess who rescued those in danger. She was a wood nymph who guarded the lepers. She was a kelpie who swam the lochs. She was a beloved rebel who broke every rule. Aye, this lady before you here is the Angel of Skye.”

  Kenna hadn’t thought she could be more impressed, but here she was, awestruck.

  “Will you tell me about it?” she asked Fiona.

  “Someday, perhaps.” She patted Kenna’s hand. “We have far more important things to do first. I want to show you around. Then we need to get you ready for the banquet tonight.”

  “You’ll be formally presented to the Macpherson clan,” Tess told her.

  Fiona turned to the steward. “And I believe you have work to do?”

  “Aye. And why is it that you felt the need to move the newlyweds to the Roundtower Room?” he complained. “Those are perfectly good chambers Alexander occupies.”

  “Robert!” Fiona’s sharp tone sent the steward scurrying off, grumbling under his breath.

  “A tradition that began when I first arrived at Benmore,” Fiona told her. “That was my room. Then Tess stayed there before she and Colin married and took charge of Ravenie Castle. I thought you could use that room while you decide which chambers in the castle suit you and Alexander. This is your home now. The decision will be yours.”

  The rush of emotions came quick. Kenna somehow managed to murmur her thanks. But no words were enough to describe how welcome Fiona had already made her feel.

  “And the builders and construction.” The older woman waved at the crew of men working on ladders and scaffolds in the Great Hall. “It’s Benmore Castle’s destiny always to be undergoing renovations. My mother-in-law was determined to improve the place. I’ve done my share over the years. And now you’re next. Decide what needs change, and you’ll have an army of helpers to do it for you.”

  Growing up, there had been no expectation of Kenna getting involved in doing anything at Castle Varrich. There had been no changes since her mother’s death. The household ran just as her mother arranged it. No one offered to teach her or involve her. Everyone always knew that one day she’d marry and go.

  Kenna had much to learn from these two women.

  “The Great Hall is magnificent.” She let her eyes travel the length of the chamber. Each of the plastered walls was covered with colorful tapestries and hangings of embroidered velvet, silk, and damask. The floors were covered, as well, with ornate rugs fine enough for hanging on the walls. From behind them, the chatter of people starting to file into the hall filled the air with laughter and good cheer.

  Lady Fiona led Kenna toward an arch and into the quiet of a long corridor.

  As they made their way along, Kenna asked the other women about the history of the castle and the improvements that had been made.

  Fiona was delighted at the show of interest and made a point of taking her through every room they passed. Her mother-in-law’s pride in Benmore had no bounds. Kenna saw glazed windows and the new fireplaces in living quarters. She was led through new kitchens and the brew house, and then up one floor to some smaller guest chambers directly above. By the time they had worked their way around to the other end of the castle, Kenna was amazed at the effort and expense that had gone into the castle’s renovation.

  Kenna took Tess’s hand. “Alexander told me before that you and Colin spend a great deal of time at Ravenie Castle. Why don’t you live here?”

  “I ask them the same thing.”

  Tess smiled. “Ravenie Castle burned and lay in ruins for years. Colin and I are rebuilding it. For all that time my clan was abandoned. It’s our responsibility to be there, to help rebuild and strengthen the clan. But, as you’ll find out, we enjoy spending time here with the family.”

  Moments later, Fiona led them up a winding stairwell. Kenna held her breath as she entered the Roundtower Room.

  “This is absolutely exquisite.”

  “I remember thinking the same thing,” Tess whispered, standing beside her in the doorway.

  The room was large and airy, with leaded glass windows to keep out the cold Highland wind but still provide a sweeping view of the hills outside. The base of each window was corbelled, with a bow-shaped oak sill wide enough to sit on. A large canopy bed with richly embroidered curtains sat against an inner wall. The floors were made of oak, and a handmade rug covered only part of the burnished wood.

  “I’ve kept everything here the same.” Fiona motioned them to the middle of the room.

  “I can see why.”

  “It’s delightful how much the three of us have in common.”

  “Me?” Kenna replied, surprised, looking at the other two.

  Fiona nodded, helping Kenna out of her cloak and drawing her down beside her onto a bench. Tess moved to the window, looking out at the view.

  “I was torn from my family as a child. Drummond Castle, where my mother and I lived, came under attack the same night I was to meet my father for the first time. I left there that night, knowing that I would never see my parents again.” Her voice wavered. “I was raised simply, without the comforts and finery that life in a good family offers.”

  “But you were a king’s daughter.”

  “To those wonderful nuns who raised me, I was a castoff.” She looked at Tess.

  “I was taken away from a burning castle as a child, too,” Tess said. “There was so much that I didn’t remember. I washed ashore on the Isle of May and was raised by a kindly old couple who lived alone on the island.”

  “The reason why we bring this up is to let you know that we understand,” Fiona explained. “Although you grew up at Castle Varrich and among your clan, we know the hardship you went through after your mother’s death.”

  Kenna shrugged. “My clan folk are good people. Many showed me kindness when I needed it.”

  “But your father didn’t,” Fiona corrected. “I know.”

  “How . . . do you . . . ?”

  “I was in the room when he was trying to order my husband about and telling James to use whatever means possible to bring you back to Benmore
. It was clear to me that he wasn’t concerned about his daughter. He was discussing property of his that needed to be delivered.”

  Anger flowed through her veins like a river of ice. “When was this?”

  “It was just before James made the arrangement with the MacDougalls to hide one of our ships and fool Alexander into going to Craignock. Of course, you know the rest.”

  Kenna did and she didn’t. So she and Alexander had been tricked. She harbored no resentment toward James for what he’d done. He’d been doing the best he could with the task he’d been given. But what she was feeling about her father was another story.

  “Where is Magnus MacKay staying while he’s here at Benmore?” she asked.

  Fiona and Tess exchanged a quick look of alarm.

  “He’s in the guest chambers in the wing beyond the next tower.”

  “Would you forgive me if I leave you for a few moments, m’lady?” Kenna asked, standing and heading for the door.

  “Where are you going?” Tess asked. “You can get lost. Can I come with you?”

  “I’ll find my way,” Kenna said, pretending calmness while her heart pounded with fury. “I had no opportunity to greet my father properly when I met him on the road.”

  Without another word, she disappeared through the door.

  Chapter 26

  O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place.

  “I’m looking for my father. Have you seen him?”

  The steward was coming into the corridor from the stairwell. Tess had been correct. The castle was a maze of wings and twisting passageways. Finding Robert was a blessing.

  “Nay. That I haven’t. I’ve just come up from the Great Hall. I can tell you he wasn’t down there with the laird and your husband.”

  “Do you have any suggestions where I might find him?” she asked, trying to remain patient.

  The steward looked at her closely. “I should think the MacKay went off to his chamber to rest and prepare for tonight’s events. Would you like me to take you there?”

  “If you please.”

  “Aye, then. This way.” Robert pointed back the way she’d come.

  It had all come to this moment, after a lifetime of being silent. Well, not exactly silent, she conceded inwardly. But in any event, it was time to face him. She would speak her peace or she would explode. Six months ago, he’d inflicted the deepest of wounds and she’d run away. No more. It was time she faced him and spoke her peace. She wouldn’t start her life at Benmore dragging the past behind her.

  “Shouldn’t you be doing the same?” Robert asked, casting a side-glance at her as they moved down a few steps into a different part of the castle. “Shouldn’t you be resting? You’ve been on the road for quite some time, I hear.”

  “Thank you, but I’m fine.”

  They walked along in silence for a while.

  Any show of daughterly decorum be damned, she fumed. She would no longer do this. She would not build a marriage with Alexander while Magnus MacKay went around taking credit for it. She would not allow him to belittle her before her new family. And she would not tolerate his dark cloud over every joyful event of her life.

  They climbed a few stairs into yet another part of the castle.

  Robert paused by an alcove. A torch sputtered above them. “I was not always a steward, you know. In fact, that wasn’t my intention, at all, when I was a lad.”

  Kenna stood waiting. When Lady Fiona had taken her through the castle, the place had seemed large, but it was clearly even more extensive than she’d thought. Still, she’d said the MacKay’s chambers were just in the wing beyond the next tower.

  “I was squire to Lord Alec when he was sent to Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye. Did you know my lord and lady met on that island?”

  Kenna motioned with her head that she was listening.

  “Aye, that was a wild place. But Lord Alec soon set it aright. With my help, of course. Nothing like the peaceful haven we handed over to Malcolm MacLeod a few years ago.”

  “Of course,” she said shortly. “If we could continue—”

  “Certainly. Certainly.”

  Robert started along the corridor again.

  “You know Malcolm is step-brother to your husband. Raised by Lord Alec and Lady Fiona, he was. Like he was one of their own. Have you met Malcolm’s wife, Jaime? She is another Macpherson.” The steward never waited for acknowledgment, but continued talking. “Daughter to Ambrose and Elizabeth. Jaime is a spirited lass, to be sure. Used to chase after Malcolm and call him ‘husband’ from the time she was just a wee sprite of a thing. Always saw herself as the ‘intended’ and never settled until he married her. A great adventurous tale, if it were to be told. Would you like to hear it?”

  “Perhaps another time.” Kenna looked around her. This passageway looked familiar. “Robert, didn’t we just come through this hallway a few moments ago?”

  “I don’t know that we did, mistress. Benmore is a braw, great place. And the way Lady Fiona had it rebuilt, everything looks the same, but finer.” Robert waved in the air and motioned her to follow. “As I was saying, when I was much younger, my one wish was to become a fighter, a warrior. I wanted nothing more than to go out and train with the men instead of looking after the low tasks that squires need to see to.”

  “And did you train?” Kenna asked.

  “Aye. In fact, Lord Alec encouraged me.”

  “And?”

  “A woeful tale, it is. I found out soon enough that I’d become afraid of heights. Not just afraid. Petrified. I’d look over the edge of some cliff or wall, and I couldn’t move. Felt like I was about to fall, or worse, leap off. It sounds mad, I know, but there it is.”

  “That must have been difficult for you.”

  “Aye. Devastating. Now, I know wielding a sword at the edge of some cliff is not necessary for a warrior, but it still made me question what exactly it was I wanted.”

  “And what did you decide you wanted?”

  “To belong. To be part of a family. To be with people who care about me. Folk I can care for. To be useful. That’s what mattered.”

  As they entered another corridor, Kenna looked at the set of doorways. About halfway down, she spied an alcove with a sputtering torch.

  “Stop right there,” she told him. “I recognize this. You are taking me down the same hallways.”

  “Am I, mistress?”

  “Why?” she asked, facing him. “Why are you doing this?”

  The steward looked down at her. “Are you armed, Lady Kenna?”

  “What?”

  “Are you carrying a knife or a weapon of any kind?”

  “Perhaps I am. Why?”

  “May I see it?”

  Kenna glared at him for a moment. She didn’t know what this was about, but she decided to go along. She cautiously drew her dirk.

  “May I, if you please?”

  He stretched out his hand, palm up. She placed the knife in it, and he inspected its blade and tested its weight and balance.

  “A fine thing, this. I’ll hold onto it for the moment, if you don’t mind.”

  She bristled. “What’s this all about, Robert?”

  He motioned to the door they were standing in front of. “These are your father’s chambers. I’ll be standing guard with your dagger until you come out.”

  The merry chase he’d set her on became clear. Robert had been trying to give her a chance to cool her temper.

  “You’re a strange man.”

  “Thank you, mistress,” he returned with a smile. “I’ve been called far worse.”

  “And you talk too much.”

  “A unanimous position, I believe.”

  “But I hope you don’t think I’d stab a guest—never mind my father—inside the walls of Benmore.”

  “I could never think such a thing, mistress.”

  “Very well.” She held out her hand. “Then you’ll give me my knife back.”

  “Nay. I won�
�t.” He took a step back and hid the weapon behind him. “I’ll tell you the honest truth, Lady Kenna. I saw the look in your face. And your reputation precedes you. I’ll just be holding it for you here.”

  She considered wrestling him for it but decided there was no point in that. She wasn’t planning to use it, anyway. And he’d succeeded in diffusing her rage.

  “We’re not finished with this, you and I.”

  “As you wish, mistress.”

  “You will not eavesdrop on our conversation.”

  “I swear.” He nodded and crossed himself. “The wood is too thick, in any event. I’ve tried before.”

  Kenna turned to the door, her mind clearer on what she wanted from this meeting with her father. She knocked once.

  The library instead of the stables. Conversation in lieu of physical combat.

  Alexander had known the traditional homecoming of two brothers teaming up against one would not be a wise move today.

  James was upset, and while that didn’t generally stop them from showing their fraternal “affection,” he had a feeling that today someone might get seriously hurt.

  And after forcing their brother to tell them what had transpired—the kidnapping from the tavern in Oban, the dungeons at Dunstaffnage, the involvement of Kester—Colin and Alexander exchanged a look, knowing they’d done the right thing.

  “And you never suspected a thing?” Colin asked.

  “Nay, the bloody chit is a wily thing. You wouldn’t know it to look at her.”

  “Aye, she’s a right bonny lass,” Alexander put in, drawing a sharp look from James.

  “But why?” Colin continued. “Why go through such a scheme?”

  “I don’t know,” he spat. “But I guess she wanted to teach me a lesson. We hadn’t included her in the plan for Alexander and Kenna.”

  “You never told her it was staged?” Colin said.

  “Not until later.”

  “So she turned the tables on you.”

  James scowled and stalked to the fireplace.

  “That is one smart woman,” Colin said admiringly. “Though it seems strange that she’d jeopardize her future, with her wedding so close.”