Flame
Page 31
“You know that we had nothing to do with this.”
“I know,” Gavin replied. “Your brother, it appears, had a ritual of his own.”
“As children, we were told of the Ironcross curse,” Mater started. “We learned the tales of the women. The stories of their deaths, and of the deaths of the lairds, as well. But there was never anything said of our father or grandsires being in any way responsible for any of it.” The old woman shook her head emphatically. “They were the stewards, ‘tis true. But I cannot believe they were killers.”
“I believe you,” Gavin nodded. “After Duncan’s treatment of you, it must have been easy for Allan to imagine the past as he wished it.”
Margaret’s head now rested on Mater’s shoulder, and the old woman supported her weight, running a gentle hand through the weeping woman’s hair. “I should have seen it, though, in the past. All those deaths...all the supposed accidents. And it wasn’t only the lairds. Now so much makes sense. Whoever offended him, or challenged him, they all seemed to just vanish. I should have known.”
“‘Twas Allan who frightened the priest into running away.” Gavin nodded. “And he killed Father William when he found them returning to Ironcross.”
Margaret’s head lifted slowly and her eyes teared again as they gazed into Mater’s. “Al...ki...Wi,” she nodded.
“In Allan’s mind, his sisters were as sacred as the saints.” Mater looked down at the frail woman in her arms. “‘Tis was the reason why he never allowed Margaret to wed when she was much younger. The killing of the priest had more to do with William touching her than anything else. In Allan’s thinking, I suppose, that was a crime punishable only by death.”
“H...ki...va...”
“He killed David as well,” Gavin repeated, looking carefully at Margaret. “Athol had the stablehand watch this loch when he saw Joanna’s possessions scattered about, but no one ever saw the young man again.” He nodded toward the mute woman. “But it seems Margaret may have witnessed the killing.”
The mute woman nodded slowly before returning her head to her sister’s shoulder.
“On that full moon, the night when your parents were lost in the fire...” Mater’s eyes rested on Joanna, "that was the first time I sensed something gravely wrong in my brother. He was restless, and yet jubilant, and for no reason that we could see. ‘Twas his behavior before the gathering that caused me to go back to talk to him afterwards. But by the time I came up into the passageways beneath the castle, the south wing was already ablaze.”
“I suppose I was traveling the same paths as you,” Joanna whispered, staring at Mater. “But I must have fainted in the passages of the south wing.”
“The smoke was thick enough to kill.”
Joanna and Gavin stared at her.
“‘Twas you, Mater!” Joanna whispered. “You were the one who saved me from the fire. That was how you knew of my burned hands.”
Mater paused a moment and then smiled grimly. “Aye, Joanna. I brought you down here with the hope that you would be safe. I went back to the Old Keep, but I couldn’t find Allan. Everyone else seemed to be doing what they could to put out the fire, so I came back to you. But by the time I returned with the others to the loch, you were gone. Then, when you did not come to me, when you decided to keep your existence secret, I feared that you suspected us. I knew that I must leave you to find the truth for yourself.”
“I could have died in those passages. But you saved my life, even after all Duncan did to you. All of this comes from the cruelty of my kin.” Joanna pressed. “If it were not for the terrible sin against you, and Allan seeing it...”
“Nay,” Mater interrupted. “My brother would have found another reason. ‘Tis all so much clearer now, my dear. Even as a child, before ever witnessing Duncan’s act, he was far too consumed with the past. ‘Tis a family trait, it seems.” The old woman gazed over at the still body on the slab. “His actions, his ways should have warned us long ago. While we were happy to sacrifice a cock pheasant at the full moon, he wanted to kill a dozen sheep. Now I know that he really wanted to be the high priest--like in the old religion--the slayer who draws blood.”
Joanna gazed at the dead steward, his own blood seeping onto the rock slab.
“We were blind to it.” Mater looked away.
“What do you want done with him?” Gavin asked, holding Joanna tightly to his side.
“He is...he was my brother, and I will grieve for him. I will pray for his soul. But I cannot forget that his actions have forever stained the pure memory of our sisters. He almost destroyed all we have strived for so long to remember...the promise of the healing Power.”
Joanna felt the pressure of Gavin’s hand and looked up and gazed into his dark eyes. The message was silent, and she agreed.
The young woman left his side and moved to Mater.
“Mater,” she whispered, quietly drawing the old woman’s gaze up to her own. “Word of Allan’s actions, his ties to the women of the abbey, need never leave this place. You have done far too much for far too long to let one man’s fall tear open the bond that unites so many.” Joanna linked her hands gently with the gnarled bones of Mater. “Why not leave him with us? We will bury him in the kirkyard and take care of all that needs to be done here.”
It was a long moment before Mater nodded her consent. “Will you come and see us?” she asked, looking deeply into Joanna’s eyes.
“I will, and I’ll bring my husband with me.”
Mater’s eyes sparkled as they glanced approvingly to the giant Lowlander. “Aye, you’ll bring him to us. And we shall welcome him as our laird.”
As the old woman and her sister turned to leave, Joanna stepped back beside Gavin, taking his hands in hers. In a single line the rest of the women followed their leader out of the cavern loch. The cook Gibby, however, moved out of her place and paused before the two.
“I should have known that Allan was up to no good when he came himself and fetched your platter this noon.”
“And all along I thought it was your cooking that laid me so low.”
The large woman blushed crimson.
Gavin smiled. “I thought it had to be something like that. But whatever he added to my food wasn’t meant to kill me, since I am already starting to feel my insides.”
The woman nodded in approval. “Get well, laird, and I’ll cook you a meal that you will never forget.”
“Aye, I’ll hold you to that,” he said as she joined the end of the line of women.
Joanna watched them until they all filed out, and she and Gavin were all that remained.
“I could kill you, Gavin Kerr, with my own two hands,” Joanna exploded the moment they were alone. “Of all the stubbornness! I never witnessed anyone more obstinate than you. Damn it, you are not even a Highlander. What did you think you were doing, coming down here all alone?”
“Alone? Och, by the devil!” Gavin grabbed her hand tightly in his own and began pulling her in the direction that Allan had brought him in.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, grabbing the torch that the steward had dropped. “And what are you going to do with that dead body?”
“I’m certain my three best warriors would be delighted to come down later and carry him up for a proper burial. But for now, my love, we cannot tarry here.”
Joanna began to run to keep up with his lengthening strides. As they hurried through the passageways, she pulled on his hand, slowing him a bit. “Gavin, did you suspect Allan?”
“Aye, from the first time he took me into the south wing and made sure I went into the chamber with the bad floor. He placed some things of value, some books, where I couldn’t help but see them. He wasn’t the only one I suspected, but I soon saw that he was always absent when an attempt was made on my life. Then, after the bridge was cut at Hell’s Gate, I knew it couldn’t be Athol, and I knew that whoever it was had to be strong enough to nearly shake us off those ropes.”
“Then why didn’
t you stop him?”
“There was too much that I didn’t know. Too many questions were still unanswered. I couldn’t even be sure if Allan was acting alone, or as an accomplice to Mater and her women.”
Joanna pulled on his arm, slowing him further.
“Then I am glad that you waited,” she said innocently. “It would have been horrible to hold them responsible for a crime they didn’t commit.” She smiled and then shook her head. “Honestly, to think how much damage we could have done together, if we had been in agreement as well as being wrong.”
Gavin nodded with a grim smile. “Aye. There wouldn’t be a soul left alive at Ironcross Castle. We would have killed them all.”
Joanna shuddered with exaggerated horror, and looked into the darkness ahead of them. “So where are you taking me?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Grabbing her hand, the Lowlander hurried on. In just a few moments, though, as they neared the slaughter chamber, her steps began to falter.
“What else is there, Gavin, that you haven’t told me yet? Please don’t tell me that there are more dead bodies waiting for us.”
He gave her a quick grin as they turned the last corner. “I wouldn’t be that hopeful, my love. That would really be far too much to ask.”
The sprawled figure of the Highlander lying motionless by the door to the chamber brought a gasp to Joanna’s lips. “Is he dead?”
“If I were only that lucky,” Gavin teased, motioning for her to bring the light closer as he rolled the Highlander gently onto his back. “Nay, he’s not dead. John Stewart has too thick a skull to die from such a gentle tap to the head.”
“Gentle...tap?” Athol groaned, his eyelids fluttering before staying open. “My head has been split in two, and...”
“You blackguard!” Gavin scolded, taking a closer look at the gash to the side of the man’s head. The blood had already started to harden at the cut, and a large, handsome lump was forming around it. “This whole time, while Joanna and I were saving the Highlands from the devil incarnate, you were up here taking a nap! What happened to watching my back?”
“Is there...och, stop the room from going around, will you?” Athol squinted at the two of them. “Is there something wrong with your back?”
“You were supposed to be down here in case of trouble?” Gavin prompted.
“Trouble? What trouble?” the Highlander asked, forcing one eye to open wider. “Is there trouble?”
Gavin looked up into Joanna’s face and smiled. “My prayers have been answered at last. I believe, with this last blow, the good earl has indeed become an idiot, my love.”
“Injured or not, you villainous dog, I won’t have any Lowlander calling me ‘my love,’” Athol tried to shout before wincing and finishing with a whisper. “By His Wounds, I’ve a reputation to consider, you know!”
EPILOGUE
June 1528
A gentle breeze played against the pillars of the new abbey church as a silence fell over the gathering of women.
The light of the full moon poured in through the high windows on the side of the altar and blessed the three people and the bairn in a soft, bluish glow.
Feeling the reassuring touch of her husband’s hand on her shoulder, Joanna reached out and placed their sleeping son into the outstretched hands of Mater. The abbess’s gray eyes shone with affection as they looked down in the round face of the slumbering bairn.
This morning Joanna and Gavin had watched their child be christened in the font of the chapel at Ironcross Castle. To their great delight, even Lady MacInnes had made the long trek northward. Though frail with advancing age, Joanna’s grandmother had put aside her fears and her bitter memories of the past, and had accepted Elizabeth and Ambrose Macpherson’s offer to accompany her on this trip. More than anything in the world, she had wanted to be here with her granddaughter and witness the baptism of her great grandson.
And tonight, Joanna and Gavin had brought their son into the midst of their people for this second blessing. The new church had risen out of the ashes of the old with the aid of the Ironcross laird and his wife. These were now Gavin Kerr’s people, and it would be a place of peace for the women of the abbey, as well as for all the rest who were returning to the lands and villages surrounding Ironcross Castle.
Tearing her eyes away from her son’s cherubic face, Joanna looked up and caught her husband gazing lovingly on her. Her heart swelled with all that she felt for him. He’d brought her back from a life without a future, and warmed her with the rays of the sun. She knew that the flames of love burned within him. He cherished her beyond all others. And he had made her believe in the power of living.
“Sisters...and brothers!” Mater cried out, bringing Joanna out of her reverie.
“For the blessing of this child, we invoke the Power!”
The congregation answered in unison. “Mater! We invoke the Power!”
“For the healing peace this son of ours will bring to our land, we invoke the Power!”
As the warm breeze wafted in through the open door, Gavin and Joanna turned their gaze to the sleeping bairn in Mater’s arms.
“We invoke the Power!”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Unlike our past works, in which we have tried to combine the history and politics of the 16th century with stories of love and passion, Flame is something a bit different. This novel represents our effort to bring our readers a dark and richly romantic tale, but one with a feel of Scotland’s ancient, haunted castles--places with names like Fyvie, Cawdor, and Lochidorb.
There are curses that transcend time. There are ghosts who linger through the centuries.
And we are happy to admit that this book was written in response to the many letters we received after introducing Gavin Kerr in Heart of Gold. For those kind souls among you who wrote to us and asked for Gavin’s story, thank you. We certainly hope you have not been disappointed.
John Stewart will be the hero of our next book, The Dreamer (Book 1 of our Highland Treasure Trilogy.)
We love to hear from our readers. You can contact us at:
May McGoldrick
e-mail: JanCoffey@JanCoffey.com
www.JanCoffey.com
The 'May McGoldrick Family Tree' Book Information
Our 16th Century books...
In The Thistle and the Rose, Colin Campbell and Celia Muir are introduced...
And we also introduce Alec Macpherson, who is the hero of our second book, Angel of Skye...
Alec has two brothers, Ambrose and John, who are the heroes of Heart of Gold and The Beauty of the Mist, respectively...
In Angel of Skye, we also introduce a little boy, Malcolm MacLeod, and in Heart of Gold we introduce a little girl, Jaime...
When Malcolm MacLeod and Jaime grow up, they are the hero and heroine of The Intended...
In Heart of Gold, we also introduce Gavin Kerr, who becomes the hero of Flame...
In Flame, we introduce a number of characters who show up in The Dreamer, The Enchantress, and The Firebrand (the Highland Treasure Trilogy), including John Stewart, the earl of Athol and a number of villains...
The Highland Treasure Trilogy is the story of three sisters...Catherine Percy of The Dreamer, Laura Percy of The Enchantress, and Adrianne Percy of The Firebrand...
In The Enchantress, we introduce Sir Wyntoun MacLean, who also appears in The Firebrand...
In The Firebrand, we also introduce Gillie the Fairie-Borne, who may just have a story of his own one day...
Colin Campbell and Celia (from The Thistle and the Rose) also make a 'cameo' appearance in The Firebrand...
Alec Macpherson and Fiona (from Angel of Skye) have three sons. The youngest, Colin Macpherson, is the hero of Tess and the Highlander (a young adult novel published by HarperCollins in November 2002)...
Our 18th Century Books
In The Promise, Samuel Wakefield, the earl of Stanmore, and Rebecca Neville/Ford are the hero and heroine...
&nb
sp; In that book we also introduce Stanmore's friend, Sir Nicholas Spencer, who becomes the hero of The Rebel, which is set in Ireland...
Stanmore and Rebecca also appear in The Rebel...
In The Promise, we also introduce Rebecca's friend, Millicent Wentworth, who becomes the heroine of Borrowed Dreams...
Borrowed Dreams is the start of a new trilogy about three Scottish brothers, starting with Lyon Pennington, earl of Aytoun. We also meet a new cast of characters who show up in the trilogy. Violet, from The Promise, plays a big role in this book, too. She will show up again in the third book in the trilogy, Dreams of Destiny.
In Captured Dreams, we see Lyon and Millicent and the entire household of Baronsford in Scotland, along with wonderful heroes and villains that David Pennington meets in colonial Boston.
In Dreams of Destiny, the mystery of Emma's death is solved...
Ghost of the Thames…a Dickensian novel.
Visit us at www.JanCoffey.com and on May McGoldrick, facebook page for discount offers of our other ebooks.
About the Author
Nikoo & Jim McGoldrick have spent their lives gathering material for their novels. Nikoo, a mechanical engineer, and Jim, who has a Ph.D. in sixteenth-century British literature, wrote their first May McGoldrick novel in 1994. Since then, they have taken their readers from the Highlands of Scotland to the mountains of Kurdistan in bestselling, award-winning historical romance and contemporary suspense novels under the names May McGoldrick, Nicole Cody, and Jan Coffey.