David gave a quick nod and turned his horse away. In short order, he had twenty good men pulled from the ranks and sent on their way toward the Lindsay keep.
“Do we wait here, Daniel, until the scouts return?” David asked as he shifted in his saddle. Although he loved riding as much as any other man, his arse had gone numb. He could not wait to be off his horse, to stretch his legs, and mayhap enjoy a hot bath and a good meal. But such creature comforts would have to wait.
Daniel thought on David’s question for a moment before answering. “Nay, we forge on to the Lindsay keep. We’ll slow the pace a bit for now, but we must get to Seamus as soon as possible.”
David gave another nod, adjusting the hood of his cloak as he urged his horse onward. The men did not wait for instructions, wordlessly falling in behind their leaders.
Three hours later, the rain had gone from its torrential offensive to a slightly softer splatter and the wind had settled but the sky was still a dark, iron gray. It was an improvement, albeit a small one.
They were just under a mile from the Lindsay keep when Daniel and David caught up with the scouts.
“Their towers are manned, Daniel,” a young soldier informed him. “Their flags still fly. It does no’ appear anything is amiss.”
Custom dictated that flags were withdrawn whenever the chief or leader of a clan was away from his keep for any extended period. If the flags were flying it meant that Seamus was in the keep. Why the Lindsays had no scouts along the boarders or this close to their keep was anyone’s guess.
Daniel chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought on the situation for a few moments. There were two reasons why no scouts patrolled the Lindsay borders. One, there was trouble afoot and the MacDougalls could be riding into it. Or two, it could be that Seamus had already learned what had happened to Angus and Duncan and he and his men had readied themselves and now waited for instructions. Something warned Daniel that it was not the latter.
“David, stay back with half our men. I’ll take the others on to the keep. Mayhap Seamus has already learned the news and he has left for Edinburgh. Or he and his men await us inside the walls of the keep,” Daniel said as he rolled his head in a circle to work the kinks out of his neck. “I still do no’ like the fact that no one greeted us at the border.”
“I agree. Me gut warns me somethin’ be no’ right. I can feel it in me bones as well.”
“If all be well, I’ll send someone back fer ye,” Daniel said before giving instructions for half the men follow him.
“Keep a vigilant watch, little brother,” Daniel said with a smile before guiding his horse away. “I do no’ wish to tell mum that I lost ye.”
David laughed aloud and called back to his brother. “Aye, she would miss me more than ye, fer I be her favorite child!”
They both knew it was a lie. It was their baby sister, Moira, who was their mother’s favorite child, and everyone knew it. She was, after all, the only daughter among seven sons. Though their mum would deny having a favorite child, each of the brothers knew it to be true. Moira was the sweet, bonny lass every mum dreamed of having for a daughter. It only made sense that she would hold a very special place in their mum’s heart. The sons of Floyd of Dunshire were, after all, hell-raising, woman-chasing, fight-seeking men.
Although their mum and sister were sorely outnumbered by the men in their family, all knew ’twas the women who were in charge. They had the sons of Floyd wrapped securely around their dainty little fingers. Neither Daniel, David nor any of their five brothers would have it any other way.
Daniel and his band of MacDougall men took great care in arriving at the gates of the Lindsay keep. Vigilant and watchful, their keen senses were on high alert and their weapons were at the ready. The closer they drew to the keep, the more Daniel’s instincts warned him something was amiss. That warning pulled tightly in his gut, his eyes open for the slightest irregular movement ahead of them, his ears keenly alert for the slightest sound of trouble.
They passed several cottages that sat near the walls of the keep. Smoke billowed from chimneys, battling with the breeze and the rain. Furs covered the windows and doors were pulled shut. Daniel supposed the rain could be what kept people in doors.
Daniel and his men were able to ride straight to the gates of the keep, without so much as a how-do-ye-do from anyone. The three-story Lindsay keep was old, but in good repair. Constructed of large blocks of limestone, it had a tall, thick curtain wall surrounding it. Not quite as big as the Clan MacDougall keep, it was still a formidable site.
The scouts had been correct. Nothing appeared amiss. The Lindsay flags were raised. Drenched from all the rain, they hung limply from their staffs. Occasionally, a gust of wind would catch the heavy fabric and beat it against the wooded poles. Save for the thud and whack of the sodden flags, an eerie silence enveloped the keep.
“Who goes there?” a man shouted from atop the wall, breaking the unnerving silence. The sound startled Daniel’s horse, which whinnied its protest before angrily shaking its head. Daniel shushed the animal and patted its neck, quickly settling the animal.
Daniel could barely make out the shapes of men along the upper wall. The disembodied voice sounded auld and tired. He sat taller in his saddle, one hand holding the reins, the other resting on the hilt of his sword. “I be Daniel, of the Clan MacDougall,” he shouted into the rain and wind. “We need to meet with Seamus Lindsay. It is a matter of utmost importance.”
Daniel and his men kept a safe distance from the gate, should the need to defend themselves arise. From his vantage point, he could see along the upper wall and the upper stories of the keep. He could make out three dark shadows along the wall, the fact that set his nerves on alert. There should be at least a dozen men lining those walls.
“And what business do ye have with the Lindsay?” the voice called out. Daniel was finally able to make out which shadow the voice belonged to. He wore a long black cloak with the hood pulled over his head. The man resembled more a hangman than a watchman. Daniel hoped that was not a sign of things to come.
Daniel gritted his teeth before he answered. “We come on urgent business that is fer Seamus’ ears alone. Tell him that Angus McKenna, chief of the Clan MacDougall, is invoking the bond and promises of the seven. He’ll ken what that means.”
The figure stood still as stone, as if he were sizing up the matter. Moments later, he turned and swiftly walked away. A much smaller figure stepped forward. Either a very short man or a young lad had just taken his place.
What the bloody hell is going on with the Lindsays, Daniel wondered. He cast a curious glance at the two soldiers mounted on either side of him. They looked as perplexed and as concerned as Daniel.
Arline sat quietly next to her husband, wholly dumfounded by the information he had just shared. In her right hand, she clutched a small iron key, in her left, her husband’s cold, clammy hand.
She felt as though she had just been tossed into an icy loch. Trepidation fell around her like freezing water, sending prickling sensations over her skin. She shuddered, awash in a sea of disbelief. For the first time in a very long time, she felt exceedingly afraid and alone.
Arline stared down at her husband. It had been difficult for him to share these horrid secrets with her. His voice had cracked several times over the past hour as he choked back tears of guilt and remorse.
Although his body had been ravaged by age, the same could not be said of his mind. In complete control of his faculties, he was as lucid and as sharp as anyone she knew.
Were it not for the other person in the room -- the stranger who had arrived less than two hours ago -- Arline would have been content to believe her husband had suffered an apoplexy. However, the stranger hiding in the shadows had shattered that hope by affirming everything Carlich had told her.
“Carlich,” she whispered, “Are ye certain?” The information he had just given her would destroy countless lives. Part of her wished she were back in Ireland, but he
r father was there. Nay, even with Scotland in turmoil and balanced precariously on the cusp of something horrible, it was still better than being anywhere near her father.
Carlich nodded his head and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Aye, lass, I be certain. Do as I told ye. Keep that key and the box with ye at all times. I need ye to leave straight away for Stirling.”
Her heart pounded ferociously. “But husband, why me? Mayhap he should do this,” Arline said with a nod toward the silent stranger. She was unable to see the man’s face for he had not moved from the darkness of the corner.
“He canna do it, wife. Were anyone to ken he was here, we would be as good as dead,” Carlich answered. He took a fortifying breath before going on. “Wife, there be no other I can trust.”
Carlich knew he was asking much of his wife. She was young and innocent, but he also knew she was a strong and intelligent young woman. He knew she worried over leaving him.
“Wife, I promise I’ll no’ die until ye return,” he said, trying to interject some levity into the serious atmosphere that had taken hold in the room.
Arline was about to chastise him for making light of such a serious matter when a knock came at the bedchamber door. The man in the shadows moved swiftly yet silently toward the door, doing his best to remain in the shadows. He advised Arline to keep his presence secret.
Arline felt uneasy, not liking the clandestine atmosphere that had taken over her home these past few days. And she especially did not like the fact that she could not see the shadow’s face. Neither the shadow nor her husband would divulge his identity. It was for her own good they had assured her -- she was better off not knowing.
“M’lady.” It was Fergus’ voice she heard coming from the other side. At one time, Fergus had been Carlich’s second in command. He was younger than Carlich by eight years. Though he was still of sound mind and body, he was far too auld to do more than offer advice and occasionally take a spot on the wall. When he wasn’t keeping Carlich engaged he could often be found helping to tend the gardens.
Arline had done her best to convince her husband to share with Fergus what Carlich had shared with her. Carlich refused insisting that the fewer people who were aware, the better off they all were.
Arline stood, tucked the key into the pocket of her dress and hid the box under Carlich’s blanket. The stranger gave a nod of his head as he pressed himself further against the wall. Arline resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him before she opened the door just a crack.
“M’lady,” Fergus said.
Arline saw the look of apprehension painted on the man’s face. What more could go wrong this day? She wondered to herself.
“What is wrong, Fergus?” she asked, stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind her.
“There be men at the gate. At least a hundred. They be MacDougalls.”
Arline’s brow knitted as she waited for Fergus to catch his breath and continue.
“They say they need to speak with Seamus. He said to say that Angus McKenna sent them and he wishes to invoke the bond and promise of the seven.”
That bit of news, combined with what Carlich had just told her, sent another involuntary shiver down Arline’s spine. She knew exactly what those words meant, for Carlich had shared it in confidence with her not long ago.
Seven clans had formed an alliance. They would work together to fight for Scotland’s freedom against the English, or any other invaders. And should any one of the seven clans invoke the bond, the others would respond with whatever aid they could.
When Carlich had divulged what he knew of the meeting, Arline had been surprised. She had asked him how he knew of the secret meetings. Carlich simply smiled and waggled his eyebrows. “People have a habit of speakin’ freely among the verra auld and the verra young. Mayhap because they think the verra auld or the verra young incapable of understandin’ certain things.”
“Verra well,” Arline muttered. “Allow only three to enter. Take them to Carlich’s auld study. Have a fire lit and food brought to them. I shall meet with them shortly.”
Fergus put forth no effort to disguise his surprise. “Ye, m’lady?” he asked.
“Well, ye dunna think Carlich can meet with them, do ye? Or mayhap I should ask the cook or the stable master to go in my stead?”
Were it anyone else Arline that had spoken to in that tone, they would have run away with their tail betwixt their legs. Fergus was not one of those people. He smiled, realizing at once that he had underestimated the determination of his lady.
“Me apologies, lass. I sometimes ferget what a determined young woman ye be.”
Arline smiled brightly before shooing him away and returning to her husband’s bedside. She did her best to ignore the quiet man in the shadows but ’twas next to impossible. Even hidden in the shadows his countenance bespoke a man of great power, though not necessarily in the physical sense of the word. Nay, it was something else altogether. Instinctively she knew ’twas better to have the man as an ally than an enemy.
Daniel was only slightly relieved when they were granted permission to enter. He was very curious to find out where the rest of the Lindsay men were. He chose Ronald and Roy to accompany him into the keep. The rest of his men would make a temporary camp just outside the keep’s walls.
As soon as they walked through the open gates two young lads came to tend to their horses. Daniel and his men were taken to the keep, led by a man of questionable age. The auld man had introduced himself as Fergus before telling them to follow him.
With their clothes and boots drenched, Daniel and his men left a trail of water along the stone floor of the keep. There was no way around it other than stripping to bare skin and leaving the sodden clothes at the door. Daniel reckoned that none of the women of the keep would appreciate such obnoxious behavior.
The auld man, Fergus, took them to the second floor of the keep. No warriors, no young men capable of defending the keep were seen as they walked down a long, dark corridor. Only women and children seemed to grace the rooms and hallways.
The room to which Fergus took Daniel and his men smelled of age and dust, as if it hadn’t been used in a goodly number of years. A fire roared in the fireplace, its warmth immediately drawing Daniel and his men toward it. The warmth from the crackling flames felt good against their cold, damp skin. Without a word, Fergus left them to their own devices, quietly closing the door behind him.
The men, soaked and cold to their bones, peeled off their plaids, draping the sodden fabric over the backs of chairs set next to the fire. They were left standing in damp tunics, trews and boots.
As they stood warming themselves by the fire, a young woman entered the room carrying a tray filled with tankards of ale. Following close behind her was an older woman with a tray of cheeses, breads, and meats. Neither woman spoke as she set her tray on the dusty table near the tall windows. Daniel guessed the younger lass to be around six and ten, the older woman as old as Methuselah.
The pretty lass smiled and curtsied at the young men, but cast a flirtatious wink toward Ronald. The auld woman gave a haughty, disapproving humph as she pulled the young girl from the room. As the door closed, Daniel heard the auld woman chastising the young girl. “Them be MacDougall men, lassie! Ye want nothin’ to do with that lot. Womanizers every one of them be.”
The three MacDougall men in question eyed each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. “I see our reputation precedes us,” Ronald said.
Daniel and Roy agreed.
“I do no’ think of meself as a womanizer,” Daniel said. “More of a teacher of the ways of the heart.”
“More like ways of the body,” Roy said with a snort.
It felt good to laugh, even for a brief moment. They were also thankful to be out of the rain and wind, even if the reprieve was temporary.
They assumed that Seamus would be along shortly and soon, they would be back on the road for Stirling. Holding trenchers of food, they sat in the chairs in
front of the fire, soaking up the heat, enjoying the quiet solitude that settled in around them.
Little did they know as they warmed themselves that it would be a long time before they laid eyes on Seamus Lindsay.
SEVEN
Word of Angus and Duncan’s incarceration had spread across the Highlands like wild fire. By the time Caelen and Nial and Bree and their son had arrived at Findley and Maggy McKenna’s palatial estate, Findley had his men at the ready.
Nial’s original plan had been to send Bree and Jamie ahead with a handful of men while he and Caelen rode on to Edinburgh. Caelen disagreed, raising concern over the fact that they still had no idea where Isobel and Aishlinn were. There was nothing to say that whoever had taken the two women and the children weren’t also preparing to take the rest of Angus’ family.
Nial considered that prospect and agreed. Admittedly, he was relieved as well as happy to spend another few days with his wife and babe.
McKenna's Honor, a Novella, Book Four of the Clan MacDougall Series Page 4
