The Last Heiress

by Bertrice Small

  “I’ll miss you, Da,” Baen told his father. “I’ll miss Grayhaven.”

  “You’ll have the memories, lad. Cherish them, for they are yours alone. And make new memories. This Friarsgate is a fair place, you’ve said.”

  “Aye, it is. The hills rise all about it, and the lake spreads out before it. The meadows there are greener than anywhere else I’ve ever been. And there is peace there, Da. A wonderful, gentle peace that enfolds it all. I have loved it since the first moment I laid eyes on it,” he told his sire.

  “It sounds to me like home,” Colin Hay said softly.

  “Aye, it is,” Baen admitted.

  “Then that is where you belong, lad. Not here at Grayhaven, but at Friarsgate, with a lass who loves you, and your bairns about you,” his father told him.

  “Will you come one day and see us, Da?” Baen asked his father.

  Colin Hay shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “In my youth I served in the Earl of Errol’s household. While it was exciting to be involved in the king’s court, I missed my home terribly. Once I returned I vowed to never again leave it. Everything I have is here. I visit now again with old Glenkirk, for he was briefly at court with his children when I was there. He enjoys speaking of the old days, as most elderly men do.”

  “Children? I thought the earl had but a son,” Baen remarked. “Lord Adam.”

  “He had a daughter too once,” Colin Hay said. “A beautiful fiery little lass named Janet. I begged my father to make us a match, but then they were gone from court to Europe, for the earl was an ambassador for King James. ’Tis a long story,” he concluded with a smile. “Nay, I shall not go down into England, Baen, and you will not come north again, I know. We shall say our good-byes tonight, my son. Ours is not an unusual situation. Most children bid farewell to a parent at marriage, and never see them again in this life. For twenty years I have had you by my side, and it has pained me knowing I could give you nothing more but my love and respect. That everything else I had must go to Jamie because he is my legitimate son.”

  “He’s worthy of you, Da,” Baen said. “He’s a good son to you, and always will be. And Gilly too. I’ll miss you, but I know you’ll be safe with my brothers.”

  “You speak as if I’m an old man,” the master of Grayhaven snapped.

  “You’re past fifty,” Baen teased him.

  “Not so old that I can’t appreciate a pretty lass, or give her pleasure, lad. I hope you’ll have the same good fortune when you reach my age.” His father chuckled. “Now speak to me of Elizabeth Meredith, for you have said so little of her.”

  “She is a tall girl, and slender, but rounded also,” Baen began. “Her hair is like golden thistledown, and her eyes are a hazel-green. She has a little nose, but slim. And a mouth that was surely made for kissing. She is wise, and her people love her. She loves the land too, Da, with a passion I am almost jealous of but that she loved me the same way too. But Elizabeth is stubborn, and she can be determined beyond anyone I have ever known. I can well believe she was prepared to raise our child alone, for she has no fear of anyone or anything except perhaps the Lord God.”

  “I am sorry then that I shall never meet her,” Colin Hay said. “She sounds like a most worthy young woman. I can hear in your voice how much you love her, Baen. But do not allow her to overrule you, lest that love be killed.”

  “It will take time to regain her trust,” Baen said slowly, “but I believe her love for me has not wavered.”

  “You will soon know, but for good or evil she is now your wife,” his father answered. And then Colin Hay stood up. “I’m going to bed,” he announced.

  “Will you see us off in the morning?” Baen asked his father. “We leave at dawn.”

  “Aye,” the master of Grayhaven told his son. “I will see you off.” Then he turned abruptly and left the hall.

  Baen watched him go. He sighed, and then he too departed the hall to find his bed, for the dawn would come sooner than later. And it did. It seemed to him he had scarce laid his head down when Jamie was shaking him awake. Groaning, he pulled himself from the bed in the chamber he and his brothers had shared. Jamie was a morning person, but Gilly was not. Swearing under his breath, he muttered at his brother for waking him so soon.

  “Baen will be leaving,” Jamie explained. “Do ye not want to bid our brother farewell? Will we ever see him again? Get up!”

  Baen listened to them squabbling back and forth as he washed, scraping the beard from his face, for Elizabeth liked him clean-shaven. It would be many days before he saw her, but he was already eager for the sight of her. He ran the wooden comb through his unruly locks, then pulled on the rest of his garments, dressing warmly, for the ride would be a long one today, and who knew where they would shelter this night. Then, his brothers trailing in his wake, Baen hurried down into the hall.

  The servants were already bringing the meal to the board. Trenchers of fresh-baked bread filled with hot oat stirabout. A platter of ham, poached eggs, cottage loaf, butter, and a sweet berry jam. Logan Hepburn and Lord Cambridge entered the hall to join them. There was yet no sign of Colin Hay. They ate heartily, quaffing down mugs of ale along with their food. And when they had finished, the master of Grayhaven came into the hall, dressed for riding.

  “I’ll go with you a few miles to the edge of my lands,” he said. “I ate earlier.”

  “Then we’d best get started,” Baen responded, touched that his father would ride with him. “I’ll see to the loading of the lambs into the cart.”

  “I’ll help,” Gilbert Hay said.

  Within a short time they were ready. Several shepherds would go with them as far as the borderlands. A messenger would be sent ahead so that when they arrived there would be Friarsgate men waiting to take over. It would be many days, however, before they got there. Baen bade his brothers a tender farewell, embracing them each a final time.

  “Now you can be certain ’tis all yours,” he murmured to James.

  “You knew?” James Hay was surprised.

  “I would have felt the same way if our positions had been reversed; but had I remained here, Jamie, my loyalty would have always been to Da, and then you,” Baen told him. “Now you’re the eldest.”

  “You’re a good man,” James Hay said, “and while I always knew it . . .” He paused.

  Baen nodded, then turned to his youngest brother. “Now, youngster, I expect you to behave yourself, obey our da, and Jamie when his counsel is good. Try not to spread your seed about too much, for I know how much you like the lasses, and that you are already a father several times over,” he teased.

  “I don’t want you to go,” Gilbert Hay said in a muffled voice. There had never been a time in his sixteen years when Baen hadn’t been there for him.

  “You’re not Da. Come down into England and see me,” Baen told the lad. Then he hugged him hard.

  Gilbert Hay nodded, and then, turning, he ran off before they could see him cry. James Hay stood quietly as the men mounted their horses. He raised his hand in farewell as they moved off. The flock of sheep and the wagon carrying the lambs had already gone ahead. He watched as they rode slowly away, smiling as Baen turned once to raise his own hand to salute his brother. James looked relieved, Baen thought, smiling. As if he could not be certain his oldest brother was gone until he had seen him ride off.

  They were fortunate in the weather, for spring was coming. They managed to leave the Highlands behind after several long days of travel. There was no new snow to impede their progress, although one day they traveled in an icy mist for hours. Lord Cambridge, usually amusing, was not that day. At the boundary of his lands Colin Hay bade them a final farewell. He embraced his son one last time, and there were tears in his eyes. Then, with a nod, he turned and rode away. He would never again speak to anyone of the son he had sired on a cotter’s daughter one summer’s afternoon in the fragrant heather. The memories of Baen would always be painful to him, for he loved this eldest son of his, bastard or not, bes
t of all. But his conscience was clear, for Baen would now have a good life. “You’d be proud of him, Tora,” he said softly as he rode away.

  The travelers were both careful and fortunate in their accommodations, staying at either religious houses or farmhouses each night. Their generous donations, paid in advance, assured their welcome, allowing them to keep the flocks safe. Each evening when they stopped they would unload the lambs from the cart. The little creatures would scamper off, bleating for their mothers and, finding them, settle down to suckle contentedly. They crossed from the east side of Scotland to the west as they traveled south towards England.

  And then finally the terrain began to look more familiar to Logan Hepburn. “We’re on my lands now,” he said suddenly one afternoon as they rode.

  “Dear boy, how can you tell?” Lord Cambridge wanted to know. This had probably been the worst adventure he had ever undertaken, and he silently vowed that other than an occasional trip to Friarsgate he would not ever travel again. Never in his life had he been so dirty. Never in his life had his garments stunk so completely. “Are we near Claven’s Carn?” he asked hopefully.

  “It will be near dark, but aye, we can reach it by nightfall,” the laird of Claven’s Carn said, and he smiled. Rosamund. His warm and loving wife would be waiting. He would sleep in his own bed at long last. He was flea-bitten from the bedding they had been offered in their travels. He preferred the warmer months, when a man could sleep on the moors on the sweet grass or in the fragrant heather. Raising a hand, he signaled to one of his clansmen, who rode up next to his chieftain. “Ride ahead, and tell the lady Rosamund that we will be home for supper,” he said.

  The clansman nodded, and then rode off.

  Logan turned to Baen. “Tomorrow we’ll ride on to Friarsgate. The shepherds can come more slowly. It’s important you and Elizabeth settle your differences as soon as possible. The bairn should be born happy.”

  “With your permission I will send my father’s people back from Claven’s Carn,” Baen answered him. “The sheep can remain in your care until I can get my own Friarsgate shepherds to fetch them.”

  “Aye, ’tis a more practical idea than changing the guard at the border,” Logan agreed. He noted the new proprietary tone of Baen’s voice, and smiled to himself. This man might give all due respect to his prickly stepdaughter, but he would be the lord of Friarsgate in the end.

  “You sent a messenger to dear Rosamund?” Lord Cambridge queried.

  “You will have a fine dinner, Tom, and a comfortable bed in which to sleep tonight,” Logan promised him with a grin.

  “It had best not be too comfortable or I shall never arise from it,” Thomas Bolton said almost irritably. “I want to go home to Otterly.”

  “You’re closer now, Tom, than you were several weeks ago,” Baen remarked, and he too grinned. “Just a few more days, my friend, and you will be safe back in that nest of your own making. I hope you will invite Elizabeth and me for a visit soon.”

  “Not too soon,” Lord Cambridge said tartly. “It will take me weeks to recover from this little adventure we have had. But I do believe I was a great help in convincing your dear rugged father to release you to Elizabeth. And I did make a most delightful bride, although none, alas, shall ever know it. Once again I have done my dear cousin Rosamund a great service, and saved the day for the last of her daughters.”

  His two companions laughed, and Thomas Bolton joined them. They were all feeling much better with the sudden realization that the worst of their journey was now almost over. Within the next few days it would all be settled. Elizabeth and Baen were united in matrimony, and the next generation to the Friarsgate inheritance could be born with no stain on his or her escutcheon.

  There was, of course, the temptation to ride ahead in order to reach Claven’s Carn sooner, but mindful of the flock of sheep they traveled with, Logan kept no more than the same daily pace they had done each day. The sun had already sunk behind the western horizon when they finally reached the laird’s keep. The sheep were driven into a safe enclosure and the lambs unloaded to find their mothers before the three men entered the dwelling, walking slowly into the hall. The Hepburn sons looked up, delighted to see that their father had returned. They rushed forward to greet him.

  Rosamund came forward, a smile of pleasure upon her beautiful face. She walked directly into her husband’s arms, taking his face between her two hands and kissing him. “Welcome home, my lord. You have been successful, I see, and brought me a new son-in-law.” She stepped away from him now. “Tom!” She hugged her cousin, kissing his cheek. “Thank you!”

  “Darling girl, you have no idea what I have gone through for you in order to give dearest Elizabeth the happy ending she is entitled to have,” he told her. “I am tired. I am dirty, and the garments I wear will give the fire pause when I dispose of them. But, aye, we have been successful, and brought the bridegroom home.” He kissed both of her cheeks, and stepped back with a satisfied smile.

  Rosamund now turned to Baen. “Do you love her?” she asked him bluntly.

  “Aye,” he answered without hesitation. “I did from the first.”

  “Good,” Rosamund answered him. “You will need the patience of a saint to deal with my daughter until her ire at your departure last October can be cooled. She did not want us fetching you, foolish girl. But I will not have my grandchild born on the wrong side of the blanket.”

  “He will not be,” Baen answered her.

  “So”—Rosamund smiled—“you are convinced you got a son on her.”

  “The Hays have the tendency to throw lads, madame,” Baen told her.

  Rosamund laughed. Then she said, “ ’Tis no longer MacColl?”

  “My father has asked that I be Baen Hay, and I am happy to honor his wish now. Hay is a better border name,” Baen answered, “though some may call me the MacColl.”

  “Aye, a wise man,” Rosamund agreed.

  The servants brought in the food, and Rosamund led the men to the high board. They ate a hearty well-cooked meal, and afterwards the mistress of Claven’s Carn moved to her cousin’s side and murmured something in his ear. Tom Bolton’s face was suddenly wreathed in smiles. He hugged her and hurried from the hall.

  “What did you say to him?” Logan asked his wife.

  “I told him if he would follow Tod he would be led to the kitchens, where a hot tub was awaiting him. He will also find fresh clothing. Perhaps not to his taste, and certainly not stylish enough, but clean. He’ll have no choice, for as soon as he doffs his garments I have given orders that they be burned immediately,” she told her husband.

  Logan and Baen burst out laughing, but their laughter was short-lived.

  “And when Tom has finished his ablutions, Baen will use the water next, and then you, my darling Logan,” Rosamund told them. “You will not infest my clean beds with your nits and fleas. And I will be washing your heads,” she said firmly. “Now I must go to the kitchens, for Tom will surely be ready for me.” And she bustled off.

  “So you love her,” Logan murmured. “ ’Tis a good thing, for these Friarsgate women are strong-minded and willful. There is little use in arguing with them.”

  Baen chuckled. “My stepmother, Ellen, was much like that,” he said. “Da adored her, though he had his other women now and again.”

  “I wouldn’t advise you to follow his example,” Logan warned.

  “Nay, my da married Ellen for sons. She was his third wife. But he did respect her, and they were fond of each other. She knew when he strayed, but she also knew he would come home again, and nothing would change. It is different for me. I love Elizabeth Meredith with every fiber of my being. There can be no other woman for me.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say it. I have no daughters of my blood, but Elizabeth was just a little girl when I married her mother. She does not recall her own father, and I think of her as I would my own child,” Logan said. “I want her happy.”

  “So do I,” Baen replied, �
��but even I know it will take time to regain her trust again. I know now that I’ve been a fool.”

  “Aye,” Logan drawled, “you have. Be sure and tell her that. Women like it when a man admits he has made an error in judgment. It makes them feel so wise and so justified in their own actions.”

  A servant came to tell Baen that the mistress was ready for him now. Baen did not argue, but followed the man to the kitchens. Without a murmur, he stripped off his clothing and climbed into the tall oak tub. To his surprise the water was still quite hot. Rosamund handed him a cloth and soap. Then, climbing up on the tub steps, she plied a brush until he thought she would scrub the skin off his body. Finally she washed his thick, dark hair, her fingers digging into his scalp, swiftly pulling the nits from his black locks.

  “Well,” Rosamund finally said, “you’re finished. At least you won’t stink when you wed my daughter. I’ll ride with you tomorrow to Friarsgate. Elizabeth is in a rather prickly mood these days,” she informed him.

  “Is she well?” he asked anxiously as he climbed from the tub and she wrapped a piece of toweling about him.

  “Aye, she carries the bairn easily,” Rosamund told him. She handed him a clean linen shirt with which to clothe himself, and a pair of dark-colored breeks.

  He pulled the garments on gratefully. “Madame, I thank you,” he said.

  “Send my husband down,” she told him with a grin. He had big feet, she noted, but then he was a big man with a big heart. Elizabeth was a fortunate girl, although right now she knew her daughter was not thinking kindly of her Scot.

  Baen made his way back to the hall, informing his host that his wife awaited him in the kitchens. Then he was led by a servant to a bedchamber, where he found Thomas Bolton snoring on a trundle. He had obviously left the bed for the larger man. Baen fell into it and was quickly asleep. He did not dream.