by Susan King
"Hold, lad." Jock paused. "Simon took her as a legal pledge in her brother's place. He has the right to keep her in custody and he can turn her over to the English warden to serve Iain's fate. He said she offered to do it. I doubt that, but—"
"Do not doubt it," Rowan muttered.
Archie rode. "Rowan–Simon sent me out to find you and give you your orders as deputy."
"Well?" Rowan snapped.
"You are to bring Alec and Iain to Abermuir, alive or laid out, Simon does not care. Bring them by sundown tomorrow, or he will take your bride to Carlisle."
Rowan gripped the reins hard. "I'll have her back tonight."
"She's guarded by fifty men on the road and a hundred more at Abermuir. You will not win her free out here."
"Here and now is best, as I see it," Rowan said coldly.
"If you snatch a legal pledge," Archie said, "you're on the wrong side o' the law. Best find Alec and Iain and trade them for your bride. It means betraying your brother and hers. I know. I'm sorry for it," he added.
Geordie came forward. "Forster likely will not accept the lass in her brother's place. Pledging is peculiar to Scots law. You could wait until Simon takes her to Carlisle, and get her back when Forster refuses her."
"I'll have her back now, if I have to take Abermuir apart stone by stone to do it."
"By hell," Jock said. "Your horse is weary. So are you. Have some sense. Get some food and think about this."
"You sound like Anna," Rowan said.
"The lass is safe for now," Jock replied.
"He's right," Sandie said. "Get dry first. Then we'll all go visit the warden, hey." He looked at Archie. "If you mean to go off and tell your warden that, by God, I'll make you a prisoner here and now. Someone will pay good ransom for you."
Archie smiled dryly. "None, I think. But I'll ride with the lot o' you, if there is room for one more." He looked at Rowan. "What Simon has done is not right. I'll not act as his deputy in this rough matter."
"I'm in agreement. I'll ride with you too," Geordie said.
"My thanks." Rowan nodded. "We'll go to Blackdrummond for now. Could be Alec and Iain are already there."
"The warden will look for them there. They'll hide for a bit," Christie said.
"He's right. But where?" Jock asked, frowning.
"After we're warm and fed, we'll think on it," Sandie said. "Come ahead, then."
Rowan listened, thoughtful. "You go on. I will be along soon."
Jock frowned, his gaze keen. "Be wary o' the phantoms that ride this road, lad."
"I will, sir." Rowan touched his fingers to his helmet brim. "If there are ghosts here, I will find them."
Jock nodded and rode off with the others. Rowan urged Valentine forward and headed for the Lincraig hill.
Dismounting in the yard outside the ruin, Rowan led the horse into the darkness of the crumbling building. He left the horse to nuzzle the wet grasses between the fallen stones.
Rowan moved forward with careful steps in the thick darkness. Reaching the entrance at back of the chapel, he stopped to listen. He heard only the rain and emptiness.
No other noise—and yet he knew they were here. Felt it in his gut, like a rope pulled tight. He began to descend the steps.
Nearing the crypt, he smelled a faint trace of smoke, like a candle recently extinguished. The silence had a vital quality, as if someone listened, or hid in the shadows.
"Alec," he said casually, "you never liked coming here."
"I've grown up," a mellow voice replied. "Greetings, Rowan. Have you come to arrest us?"
"Could be," Rowan answered as he stepped down into the chamber. A spark flickered from a scraped flint, and he smelled fresh smoke as Alec lit a candle. Rowan ducked his head to allow for the curve of the low vaulted ceiling, and moved toward the stone tombs that filled the middle space.
Alec stood beside the center tomb sculpture, watching him warily. Iain stood beside him and set the lit candlestick on top of the tomb, near the feet. The faint golden light cast flickering shadows around the small chamber.
Rowan stepped forward. His heart thundered inside his chest, his mouth dry, hands trembling as he faced his brother over the stone effigy.
"Rowan." Alec tipped his head in greeting, black hair sliding along his dark-whiskered cheek. "You saw our horses, then, inside the corner tower."
"I did not see them," Rowan said.
"Then how did you know we were here?" Iain asked.
Rowan kept his gaze directed at his brother. "I knew," he said simply. "There were always ghosts in this place."
Alec smiled, a wry pinch of his lips that Rowan knew well. His eyes crinkled, and the candlelight showed the brilliant color in his hazel eyes, deep green and brown ringed together. He had not shaved for days, and his beard stubble was dark and thick over the squared jaw and handsomely shaped chin. He shoved a hand through his unkempt black hair and smiled again, ruefully.
"Ghosts, aye," he said. "Say boo to my brother, Iain."
Iain nodded silently. His gaze, silvery gray, was very like his sister's—and was now keen and wary.
Rowan gave no hint of the turmoil inside as his blood pounded and his heart hammered. He fisted a hand to bring himself under control.
"What are your orders?" Alec asked. "I assume the crown and the warden have troopers looking for us. Do you mean to bring us back to enjoy the warden's own sense of justice?"
Rowan watched him as thunder roared and rain began to pound the walls, gusting through the cracks in the stone. He placed a hand on the cool limestone effigy of a long-dead lady. Cruel irony, he thought, to have the tomb of a dead woman between he and his brother now.
Suddenly he reached out, with force and speed, to grab Alec's loose shirt, pulling him forward over the tomb. Iain took a step toward them, alert to trouble.
"We have matters to discuss, you and I," Rowan said fiercely. "Then I will consider my orders."
Alec's expression was calm; his hazel eyes never wavered as he watched Rowan. Beside him, Iain stood tense and ready.
"Three years, brother," Rowan said, "I have thought about what you did to me. I wanted to find you, ask why you would do me such a betrayal. It was a coward's deed, to take my betrothed while I in prison and helpless to win her back."
He dragged Alec closer, his fist tightening on the shirt, his knuckles white, breath hard and fast. Still Alec said nothing. "But once I was free, I did naught—biding my time. I have not forgotten. I cannot forgive it."
"You stayed away when it was easy enough to find me at Blackdrummond, two years and more," Alec said huskily.
"I did not come back because I feared I would kill you."
The silence in the crypt was heavy, saturated with unspoken thoughts, anger, resentment—yet some other emotion caused Rowan to release Alec's shirt. He stood back.
"I feared I would kill you," he repeated softly.
Alec straightened, eyes darkened, inward. "I regret that Maggie and I did not tell you. But I cannot regret what we did."
"Maggie died," Rowan growled low. "I never saw her, never had the chance to speak with her about it. And you—you have a son o' her. A bonny son."
His voice nearly broke on the last word. He swallowed the bitter grief, as he had always done. But if he did not clear this demon from him, he would never find peace.
"Maggie asked me to keep it secret," Alec murmured. He touched the tomb sculpture, resting his fingers on the lady's folded, serene hands. "I agreed. She was a sweet lass. A man might do anything to see that smile."
"Sweet, or so I thought," Rowan drawled. "What would she keep from me? That she did not love me, but you instead? Did she prefer to wed the man that was there, than wait for the man who was in prison? She did not want to wed a criminal?"
"None of that. She knew you went to prison for me."
"And yet she wed you and did not wait for me."
Alec sighed and glanced up. "After your trial, Forster sent word that you would be exec
uted. He sent your belongings home with the messenger, with word that the corpse would arrive soon. Maggie came to me and asked me to marry her."
"You could not wait until the body was buried?" Rowan asked sarcastically. "Maggie and I were handfasted. Was there no loyalty from the almost-widow?"
Alec frowned. "She was loyal, always. But... she pleaded wi' me. I could not deny her. We were wed the next day."
"Why?" Rowan demanded.
Alec met his gaze. "To give your son a father."
Rowan felt as if the blow was direct to the heart. He almost stepped back at the silent impact.
"Jamie?" he asked in a whisper.
Alec nodded. "She did not want you to know, when we heard you would die. After we heard the sentence was rescinded and you had been transferred for longterm custody, we were already wed. And Maggie said, what would be the use o' telling you that she was with child, your child, and wed to me? Maggie said it would only hurt you more. She was happy you were alive, and terrible distressed by what we had done. It was hasty, in hindsight. We talked of divorce once you were free—but that is uncommon and not easy, and we knew the truth would have to be told." He shook his head. "But it was not necessary. She did not survive the birth."
Rowan blew out a breath and shoved his fingers through his hair, looking at the woman's placid stone face. He had no words. He reached out, touched the effigy tentatively. No words.
"Without intention, Rowan," Alec said. "I am sorry."
Rowan nodded, swallowed. "Jamie is mine? You are sure?"
"Aye," Alec said gently. "I know it."
Stunned, he let out another slow breath. "Anna and Jock, do they know?"
Alec shook his head. "Maggie did not want anyone to know the mistake we had made. I think Anna suspects the truth. But we let everyone believe that we—" He paused. "That we were cold in the heart." He shrugged.
"Oh God," Rowan said. "I owe you an apology—all this time, I thought..." He did not finish.
"You were imprisoned for my crime, Rowan, and so I felt a strong duty to keep care of Maggie—and your child. I would never betray you, brother," Alec murmured.
Rowan nodded, hardly able to speak. He glanced at Iain, who watched them with silent understanding.
And suddenly he knew that the loyalty and trust that Mairi always gave Iain, and that Rowan had thought lost to him, had been there all along. The relief, the gratitude for it nearly overwhelmed him. He grasped Alec's hand tightly.
"Aye, we are kin," he said gruffly.
"And kin is all." Alec smiled. "Now, brother, we have an urgent matter to discuss with you about spies and gold." Iain nodded and murmured his agreement.
Reminded of his other task, Rowan took a step back and leaned against another tomb. He folded his arms over his chest thoughtfully. He wanted this explanation—and he feared that Mairi's life was in danger. He must act quickly.
"I'll hear your tale," he said. "But first, best know that Simon Kerr expects me to bring you back in my custody. He means to give both of you over to the English." He looked evenly at them. "And Simon is now holding Mairi as a pledge for your necks. If I bring you to Abermuir, she will be freed."
"Jesu," Iain muttered. "He thinks to barter us for her?"
"Aye. But I have another thought."
"What is that?" Alec asked sharply.
"Give me some answers first. If you are guilty, either I take you down or someone else will," he said grimly. "If you are innocent, I want proof."
Alec and Iain exchanged rapid glances.
"Tell me now, privately, or tell all of us at Blackdrummond," Rowan said. "Simon's deputy Archie is there, and so is Forster's deputy. You did me a kindness, brother, when I thought you had played me false." He turned to Alec. "But I will take you down if you have truly committed treason."
"Simon holds Mairi pledge, and that gives you reason to capture us," Iain said. "But why do you care about the rest of it? You were a notorious man yourself, long before you were a deputy."
"I was sent here by the council to pursue Scottish spies who took Spanish gold from a shipwreck," Rowan said. "I know that Heckie Elliot and his gang are part of this. I want to know the rest. I owe Heckie Elliot for an ambush he set on me."
"We know Heckie is art and part in this," Alec said. "But what do you care about the gold?"
"I promised Mairi, for Iain's sake, that I would learn the truth. And I wanted to know if Alec was clear." Rowan smiled, flat and brief. "And the English queen will have my own head on a pikestaff unless the Spanish gold is found and the spies discovered. I am still notorious in English eyes, though a deputy. So tell me," he said. "Where did you acquire that Spanish gold that Simon found in your satchel?"
"We had it in our hands but an hour when Simon took it off us," Alec said. "Iain and I rode out one night to follow some English reivers who had snatched Blackdrummond cattle. We were crossing back into Scotland wi' our own cattle when we met Heckie Elliot and his gang. They ambushed us, but we turned guns on them, and ran. We captured one of Heckie's packhorses. There were two large sacks strapped to it."
"We saw gold and were pleased, thinking we had Heckie's own horde," Iain continued. "But then Simon came after them, and gave us chase. He took me down wi' the gold. Alec got away. I learned later it was Spanish stuff."
"Two sacks?" Rowan asked. "What was in them?"
"We hardly saw, before Simon appeared and took it all."
"What were Scottish reivers doing wi' Spanish gold?" Alec asked. "I tried to discover more about it while I was in hiding, and Iain was in Simon's custody. We found a letter in one o' the sacks, which I had on me. 'Twas written in Spanish."
Rowan narrowed his eyes. "Spanish?"
Alec shrugged. "I could not read it, but I went back to Iain's house and hid it in his loft, meaning to come back for it. I never had the chance, with Simon's troopers searching everywhere."
"Mairi found that letter," Iain said.
"Aye," Rowan agreed. "But why should I believe your tale? Found this, stumbled on that." He folded his arms and looked narrowly at his brother.
"The council sent you out here to follow spies?" Alec asked. "As Simon's deputy?"
"They did."
"Last year, the council sent a message to Blackdrummond with an offer of a barter. If I would act as king's agent, they would release you. I agreed."
"So that was why I was pardoned?" Rowan asked, astonished.
"Aye. The privy council gave you a post in the East March. I acted as land sergeant to Simon Kerr for a while," Alec went on. "I began to suspect that Heckie and his brothers were linked to something unscrupulous, and I followed them. Archie Pringle helped—he is a trustworthy man. He wrote to the council about the matter. But Simon suddenly dismissed me from my post. He would have dismissed Archie too, but Archie's father is a powerful man, and Simon did not dare cross him."
"That was when Heckie began demanding black rent from Alec and me," Iain said. "Simon did not do much to stop it."
"I am not surprised," Rowan said. "Go on. What more?"
"That is all we know," Iain said. "We are no spies against Scotland. I hope you trust that, Rowan Scott."
Rowan frowned thoughtfully. "Perhaps the raven's moon could tell us something about this matter."
Both men looked at him blankly. "Moon? 'Tis still raining, I think," Alec said.
Certain that neither had ever heard the phrase, Rowan smiled. "I owe you another apology, Alec. And you, Iain. I suspected you both of treachery. I am glad I was wrong," he added quietly. "Mairi told me I was wrong."
Iain laughed. "She would know—you should listen to her."
Alec looked around. "This is an eerie place, full of ghosts and memories. I never liked it much as a lad." He smiled at Rowan. "Let's go home. I want some hot food—though we will all be dosed with some of Anna's cream posset once she sees how wet and filthy we are."
Rowan chuckled in agreement and blew out the candle as Alec and Iain turned to climb the steps.
He drew a breath, taking a little of that peace with him as he ascended the steps.
Chapter 27
Ay through time, ay through time,
Ay through time was he, lady,
Filled was wi' sweet revenge
On a' his enemys, lady.
—"Rob Roy"
"Scumfishing," Sandie said. "That's what we'll do."
He sat back, decided, to look at Jock, Christie, and Geordie, seated at the trestle table in Blackdrummond's great hall. Nearby, Alec, Archie, and Iain stood near the hearth. They all stared at him.
Rowan, seated by the hearth, grimaced to himself.
"Scumfishing in the warden's tower?" Jock asked. "Are you a daftie?"
Sandie grinned. "We'll go to Abermuir now, in the dark, send torches through the windows, and smoke them scum out o' there. Scum-fishing. A fine Border custom. You and I have done it many times, hey."
"We have not smoked men out o' their tower for years," Jock grumbled. "There are better ways now."
"It is direct, I'll admit, but not recommended for a March warden's tower," Archie said.
"What of Mairi?" Christie asked. "She is in there too."
"True," Rowan said. "And she is the reason we must breach Abermuir. Scumfishing flushes everyone out. We only want to remove Mairi, without disturbing the rest. Although I may have a few words with Simon," he added.
"You will not bring him these two traitors?" Archie asked.
"He will not have to. We'll be with him," Iain said.
"Are you art and part of this, Archie Pringle?" Rowan asked.
The other deputy nodded. "I am. Simon has pushed my good nature too far this time."
"And you, Geordie Bell?" Rowan turned.
"I've been a March deputy for years. I'm weary of my fine, lawful behavior." Geordie grinned.
"By hell, Geordie Bell," Archie Pringle said, to low chuckles from the others.
Rowan did not smile, only nodding. "Good. We're agreed. We'll fetch Mairi, and I'll have a wee chat with Simon."
