“Do no’ hit him, Alysander,” William warned as he too got up on his knees. “Ye’ve been in enough trouble these many days.”
While it made every bit of sense to not hit Almer and end up in more trouble, the urge to ignore William’s warning was almost too great. But before he could make the decision, William made it for him.
“But me?” William said as he smiled down at Almer. “I have no such troubles.” And with that, he slammed his huge fist into Almer’s face. The sound of Almer’s nose breaking was music to Alysander’s ears.
* * *
Whilst George helped Almer to his feet and out of the gaol area, Finnis explained the situation to Alysander.
“Thanks to William, Robert is convinced that ye had absolutely nothin’ to do with Delmar Wilgart’s death.”
While Alysander was relieved to hear that bit of news, he still worried over Moirra. No matter how badly she had hurt him by going to Thomas McGregor. “And Moirra?” he asked, his voice cracking ever so slightly.
Finnis’ expression turned even more serious before he answered. “Again, ye can thank William here. Robert holds the same opinion fer Moirra.”
Relief washed over Alysander, his shoulders sagging as he let loose the breath he’d been holding. “I do no’ ken how ye did it William, but I be grateful to ye.”
William grunted. “I rode like the devil with Bruce and Alec, sacrificed food, sleep, and the warmth and love of me wife for more than a fortnight, to go to Stirling and meet with Robert,” he told Alysander as if this was something he did every week but hated to do it. “Ye can thank me later, fer now, I need to see me wife. And I swear to ye, Alysander, if ye made me miss the birth of me second child, there will be nowhere safe fer ye to hide from Joanna’s wrath.”
Alysander chuckled as he gave William a friendly slap on his shoulder. “Then be gone with ye, man!”
William gave a nod to the men and hurried out of the room.
Alysander turned his attention back to Finnis. “Me friend, I could live a thousand lifetimes and never be able to repay ye fer what ye’ve done.”
“I ken,” Finnis said matter-of-factly. “Add this to the long list of debts ye owe me.”
Finnis only spoke the truth; therefore, Alysander could not argue with him.
Connor clapped his hands together excitedly. “Let us away from this Godforsaken place and go get that bonny wife of yers.”
Any lightheartedness Alysander might have been feeling evaporated almost instantly. “Nay, Connor, we can no’ do that.”
A look of astonishment fell over both Connor’s and Finnis’ faces. “What the bloody hell do ye mean we can no’ do that?” Connor asked.
Believing there was no way to hide the truth, Alysander said, “There be much ye do no’ ken, Connor. Moirra be at Thomas McGregor’s home as we speak. He tells me she has decided to break our handfast and marry him.”
“Have ye lost yer mind?” Finnis asked in stunned disbelief.
“Nay, I have no’ lost me mind,” Alysander growled back. “She does no’ want me anymore. She has made her decision and I’ll no’ go chasin’ after a woman who does no’ want me.”
’Twas in that small, tiny moment of time, that Finnis Malcolm lost control of all the anger he’d been keeping tamped down and hidden. Drawing back his hand, he rammed his fist into Alysander McCullum’s face, knocking him down to the stone floor.
“Ye are a bloody fool!”
* * *
For nearly a quarter of an hour, Alysander remained seated on the stone floor, his nose and face throbbing while he listened to both his friend and his brother go on and on about the soundness of his mind and the fact that God had never placed a bigger fool on His earth than the likes of Alysander. “I have never even met yer wife and I ken yer a fool for throwin’ her away on the word of one man!” Connor told him as he furiously paced across the floor.
“I have met her, albeit she was quite ill at the time. But I’ve talked to enough people to ken that Connor be right. Good God, Alysander! Ye are an exasperatin’ fool!”
Finally, Alysander was able to ask a question. “Then why be she in Thomas McGregor’s home?”
Finnis stood dumbfounded by the question. “Where else was she to go? Do ye no’ remember the state of distress she was in when she left here those weeks ago? ’Tis by God’s own hand that she has lived, ye fool. They took her to the McGregor home because that be where Deirdre lives. What did ye want them to do, take her to what was left of yer home? Make her sleep in the cold barn while she tries to heal and get better?”
Alysander hadn’t thought of that before. Soon, his face felt warm and he ashamedly had to admit that Finnis was right. A heartbeat later, he said, “If I ever get the chance to kill Thomas McGregor, I will take it.”
Twenty One
As soon as Harry learned that Alysander McCullum was being freed, he slid out the back entrance of the gaol and raced to the stables to retrieve his horse. Though honestly, he did not like Thomas, the man was always good for a bottle of whisky or a silver coin for a good deed done well. Harry knew that Thomas would want to know as soon as possible that Alysander had been freed by order of Robert II. Mayhap the news was worthy of more than a bottle of whisky or a silver coin.
Either way, no matter how Thomas might reward him, he headed out of town as fast as he could to the McGregor home. News often spread like fire in these parts and he wanted to be certain he was the first one to tell him.
* * *
Alysander felt all kinds the fool as he left the gaol with Connor and Finnis. In a moment of weakness, he allowed Thomas McGregor to convince him that Moirra no longer wanted to remain with him or marry him. He allowed doubt and fear to rule his common sense. He could blame his lack of intelligence on being locked away for weeks. He might also blame it on the fact that he was overwrought with worry over Moirra and their daughters.
But truth be told, he was simply a man. A man who still felt, at times, wholly inadequate and unworthy.
As he stepped out into the first light of day he’d seen in weeks, the brightness of the sun burned at his eyes. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he stood just outside the gaol, waiting for his eyes to finally adjust. Once they did, he looked out to the streets of Glenkirby.
“What the …” he was taken aback by the sight of at least one hundred, if not more, McCullum men and their mounts. The streets had been flooded, quite literally, with these brave warriors that Alysander had not seen in close to a year.
“I brought reinforcements,” Connor said as he stepped toward his horse and took the reins from one of his men. “I like to be prepared.”
“Did ye think ye were goin’ to war?” Alysander asked.
Connor put one foot in a stirrup and hoisted himself to his mount. “I did no’ ken what to expect, brother. But I knew I was no’ leavin’ this bloody town without ye.” He gave a nod to another warrior, who stepped forward and handed Alysander the reins to a large, black gelding.
Alysander snorted in disbelief. “And ye say da thought me the most intelligent?” he mumbled under his breath as he mounted the steed.
“Where be ye goin’, now?” Finnis asked from the steps outside the gaol.
Alysander smiled as he answered. “To get me wife.”
Finnis nodded in agreement. “Mayhap ye should think about bathin’ first?”
Connor agreed. “Aye. Ye smell like ye’ve been sleepin’ in yer own shite and filth.”
“I have,” Alysander said. “There be a wee loch between me home and the McGregor’s. I shall bathe there.”
Connor tapped the flanks of his horse as the rest of the McCullum men mounted their horses. “How far be that?” Connor asked.
“No’ far.”
“Good, but mayhap ye could ride at the back of us. Keep yer smell downwind of us. I fear yer scarin’ the horses.”
Alysander laughed heartily at his brother. For the first time in weeks, he felt hopeful and alive. “We would no’ want to
scare yer mount, would we. Lord knows ye have difficulties keepin’ yer seat on a tame horse.”
Connor rolled his eyes, ignored him, and took off to lead the small army of men out of the village.
Alysander had yet to find out how his brother had come to know he was here, or what the changes were that he had spoken of earlier. He supposed that after he bathed and changed his clothes, his brother might be more apt to have that much needed discussion.
* * *
As they neared the small farm Alysander had called home these past months, he galloped to the head of the army to lead the way. Autumn was settling across the land, the air crisp but clear and bright. A day like this made a man feel glad to be alive. The leaves were just beginning to turn from the vivid, lush green he remembered from weeks ago. It would not be long before the land would be an explosion of vibrant colors before turning to the sleepy whites of winter.
Soon, they were pouring into the small courtyard. As soon as Alysander caught sight of the unfinished cottage, he felt guilty. He had been so consumed with worry over Moirra that he had not finished putting on a new thatched roof. An eerie silence fell over the little farm as he dismounted.
No chickens scratched at the earth, no sheep bleated or grazed on the nearby hill. No barking dog, no children’s laughter clinging to the air. The entire space had been abandoned. Everything was brown and lifeless. Weeds had overtaken the small garden that sat next to the cottage.
And the fields they had worked so hard to plant and had tended with such loving care? Useless now. The barley had gone to seed.
What had he expected? Everything to be exactly as it had been? With Moirra singing while she did the wash? Esa and Orabilis chasing rabbits from the garden? Mariote and Muriale baking bread?
’Twas a sad sight indeed and left him feeling melancholy and longing.
He slid from his horse and went inside the barn that had served as their makeshift home after the cottage had caught fire. Not only was his horse gone, but so was the milking cow and nearly all that remained of their belongings. He searched through the small stall and was glad to see the pallet along with his pack of clean clothes had been left behind. Everything else, from the blankets to the pillows, to Moirra’s things were gone.
He grabbed the pack and flung it over his shoulder and left the barn. Connor’s face bore an expression of sadness, as if he could feel the pain that stabbed at Alysander’s heart.
“The loch be no’ far,” Alysander said as he mounted his horse.
Connor remained silent as he and his men followed Alysander out of the small yard and toward the loch.
Twenty-Two
For the first time in many days, Moirra felt strong enough to leave the bed, though she’d not gone far. Deirdre had helped her bathe, don warm woolens and a clean shift, before leaving her alone. Moirra wrapped a shawl that Deirdre had given her earlier around her shoulders and padded to the tiny window. Pulling away the fur, she rested her head against the sill and stared out at the landscape below.
Where was Alysander?
She knew Thomas had lied to her yesterday. Mayhap not all of what he had said was a lie, but a good majority of it was. So this morning, when Deirdre had come to help her, Moirra had asked what, if anything she knew of Alysander’s whereabouts. “As far as I ken, he is still in the gaol.”
For reasons she couldn’t quite fathom, she took comfort in knowing Alysander was still behind bars, but only because that meant he couldn’t leave her. ’Twas probably wrong for her to think such a thing, but at the moment, she cared not about proper thoughts.
Her deepest worry was how Alysander would respond once he learned she had lost the babe. Would he leave her then? Was that the only morsel of truth in Thomas’ words? Mayhap the loss would be too much for Alysander. Mayhap that would be the one thing that would send him back into the arms of his family and not hers.
There was no doubt in her heart that Alysander loved her. The only lingering question was, did he love her enough to stay? Did he love her enough to remain on their little farm? Was his love for her stronger than the hatred the townspeople held toward her?
In her heart of hearts she did not think she had the right to ask him to stay, to live out the rest of their lives under such scrutiny and shame. The farm itself no longer mattered. She would give it all up in the time it took a heart to beat but once. But, where else did she have to go? The farm was all she had left in this world, besides her four daughters. After that, she had nothing.
Alysander had options, far more than she. He could go back to his family, he could go anywhere his heart desired simply because he was a man. As a woman, she did not possess such a luxury. As a mother, she had too many people who needed her and counted on her for their very existence.
What kind of life lay ahead for them? Even if Thomas were correct and Alysander was set free, what of her? Was Almer at this very moment on his way to arrest her again for Delmar’s murder? She couldn’t bear the thought of going through that hell-on-earth again.
There were far too many unanswered questions to make any kind of decision on the future. Knowing that left her feeling even more despondent. How could she plan her future when she did not know from one moment to the next what would become of her this very day?
For the briefest moment, she contemplated taking her own life. She could leave behind a note confessing that she had, in fact, killed Delmar and could not bear living with the guilt any longer. That would certainly solve a multitude of problems. Her daughters could move on with their lives without fear lingering over their every waking moments. Alysander could go back to his clan and find a woman who had far less troubles.
The only thing that stopped her from tying a rope around her neck was imagining what her mother would have thought of such a coward’s way out. That and knowing that if she took her own life she would spend the rest of eternity rotting in hell. Never again, either in this world or the next, would she rest her eyes upon her beautiful children or Alysander.
She was stuck in a proverbial quagmire of troubles and there was no hope in sight.
* * *
Alysander, Connor and the rest of the men thundered across the hills toward the McGregor home. Alysander felt better after having scrubbed away the weeks of gaol filth, shaving his face, and washing his hair. It felt good to don clean tunic and trews. Refreshed and with a lighter heart, he led the charge. He was a man on a mission. He was going to get his wife and children back.
They were very near the McGregor home when Connor called for a stop with a raised hand. “Brother, I wonder, should we take all the men to retrieve yer wife, or just a few?”
Alysander looked at the massive amount of men on horseback. While he would certainly take delight in scaring the bloody hell out of Thomas McGregor, he couldn’t say he wished to visit the same fear upon the other inhabitants. “Mayhap just a few,” he agreed. “But keep the others within shoutin’ distance, just in case we need them.”
Connor gave the order, pulled ten men from the line, and in no time, they were approaching the McGregor home. The home lay in a bowl of sorts, surrounded on all sides by hills of varying sizes. They paused briefly at the top of the hill and looked below. From this vantage point, Alysander could just make out Orabilis and Esa playing out of doors with Wulver. God, how he missed them! Even Wulver the mutt that Orabilis so dearly loved.
They were about to descend the hill when Connor and Alysander spotted two men on horseback heading toward them from the farm below. After a few moments, Alysander could see that it was Thomas McGregor and the fool gaoler, Harry.
“Caution, brother,” Alysander warned. “Yer about to meet the biggest horse’s arse in all of Scotland.”
Connor gave a shrug of his shoulders. “But there be only two of them.”
“Aye, but I trust Thomas McGregor about as far as I can throw him.”
* * *
Alysander, Connor and the ten McCullum warriors, did not have to wait long before Thomas and Har
ry thundered up the hill. They were on full alert, ready for whatever the two men might do.
Thomas did not look the least bit surprised to see Alysander. “What do ye want, McCullum?” he asked as he reined in his mount.
“I’ve come fer me wife and children.”
Thomas chuckled. “Ye can have the children, but yer wife stays with me. As I told ye last night, she is mine now. She wants nothin’ to do with ye.”
Alysander knew that Thomas was baiting him. He wasn’t biting. “She can tell me that herself, McGregor, now stand aside.”
“I do no’ think so, McCullum. And if ye try to fight yer way through, ye’ll find that Almer and at least twenty other men are on their way here as we speak. I’ll have ye thrown off me property and arrested fer trespassin’.”
“Twenty, ye say?” Connor asked as if he were giving the information some weight.
“Aye,” Thomas said with a sneer. “At least twenty. Ye’ll be no match fer them.”
Connor chewed on it for a brief moment before looking at Alysander. “Mayhap we should turn back, brother.”
Alysander smiled. “But it be only twenty more men, Connor.”
“True, but it will no’ be much of a fight will it?”
Alysander pretended to mull it over. “Probably no’.”
Thomas smiled. “Now ye be thinkin’ like a smart man, Alysander. Turn away now and we shall let ye live another day.”
Alysander raised one brow. “Och! Ye thought I meant ’twould no’ be much of a fight fer yer men.”
Confusion washed over Thomas’ face. Before he could ask his next question, Connor gave out a loud whistle. Almost instantly, the ground shook with the reverberation of more than one hundred horses. It rattled the ground as the McCullum men thundered up the hill and spread out behind Connor and Alysander.
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