Ram reflected that he was past thirty, and he knew it was his duty to produce strong Douglas sons to inherit the land, titles, and wealth and to keep the clan powerful. One of these days he’d have to hold his nose and take the plunge. When the time came, he’d yield to expediency. He’d listen to his head and choose the wife who would bring him the most wealth and power. He could listen to his blood when he chose his mistresses, and if worse came to worst, there were ways of ridding yourself of an unwanted woman.
Valentina Kennedy’s day began splendidly. Ada brought her a breakfast tray with the most divine-smelling, freshly baked French bread. The first strawberries of the season sat in a compote of clotted cream. Mr. Burque had followed Lord Kennedy’s orders to serve everyone at Doon with porridge, but he had provided a jug of sweet golden syrup to make the oatmeal palatable. Tina picked up the fruit but pushed away the fluffy eggs surrounded by thick cured ham.
“I’ll join you,” Ada said, picking up the plate. “If I have to suffer your brothers’ company through one more meal, the back of my skull will fall in. Their tempers are ready to explode.”
“Isn’t it wonderful that for once trouble has passed me by?”
Ada laughed, but at the same time she felt sorry for the lads. “Poor buggers, how the hell are they to hide two hundred shaggy Highland cattle amongst our own herds of red and white Ayrshires?”
“That’s their problem,” Tina said, throwing back the covers.
Ada gave a little gasp as a man climbed in at the open casement. “Heath! God’s nails, you scared me.”
“Liar.” He grinned, spanning her waist with his strong brown hands and lifting the woman for a kiss. “There isn’t a man breathing scares you!”
He occupied the spot Tina had just vacated and pulled the breakfast tray toward him. “‘Tis a bonnie day for a ride,” he told Tina, his rogue’s eyes sparkling.
“Heath, you didn’t!” she squealed with excitement. “Close your eyes while I put on a riding dress.”
The moment he’d denuded the tray of every last morsel, he swung his leg across the sill. Tina prepared to follow him. “Use the stairs, Firebrand—you’re a lady, not a Gypsy,” he said.
“Praise God one of you remembers,” Ada said, rolling her eyes.
Heath had the mare tethered down by the river, away from the castle. As she approached, Tina thought she’d never beheld such a memorable picture in her life. Above, thrushes and yellow hammers flitted in the hazels. She walked across a carpet of moss and ladyferns and slowly held out her hand to the graceful mare. The animal pricked its ears forward, staring at her intently; then catching her scent and accepting her, she lowered her head, blew through her nostrils, and allowed Tina’s hand to rest upon her velvet nose. “Oh, her lines are superb, her color indescribable!” Tina exclaimed with awe. “Wherever did you manage to find her?”
“At the horse fair in Paisley,” he said with a straight face. He took a paper from his shirt. “Listen to me, Tina. It’s important that you have this bill of sale to prove ownership—she’s had one or two owners recently.”
She glanced at him knowingly and took the paper. “Her name must reflect her color. Her coat is the hue of damsons or aubergines—let’s see, Heliotrope doesn’t sound right. I know, I’ll call her Indigo!” She took a few steps back to observe the animal’s lines. Behind Indigo, the water cascaded over the rocks into a deep pool surrounded by bog-myrtle and marsh marigolds The morning sun filtered through the trees, making a nimbus of light about the purple equine, turning it into some mythical, magical creature from the Arabian nights. She looked at the paper again. “Did you really pay this much for her?”
His teeth flashed. “I won her in a knife-throwing contest.”
“I believe you; thousands wouldn’t.”
He lifted her to the mare’s back. “I know you are far too impatient to take her to the stables to be saddled. Just be careful,” he admonished, “and don’t lose that paper.”
Valentina discovered Indigo had a sensitive mouth and responded beautifully to the slightest pull on the bit, but when given her head she could run as fast as the wind. They rode along the banks of the River Doon all the way into the seaport of Ayr. Tina wanted to see how the animal reacted on the streets of a busy town.
Something was causing a stir down at the quay. Curious, she rode through the crowd that had gathered. Suddenly her heart, which had been so high, plummeted to her feet and her spirits sank to the pit of her stomach. The Thistle Doon rode at anchor badly damaged. She now boasted only half a mast, and her taffrails had been blown away by what must have been cannon fire.
Tina dismounted hastily as she saw her mother being helped into a litter. “Mother, whatever happened?” she cried.
“Tina, thank God!” thundered Rob Kennedy, taking a firm grasp of her arm and propelling her some distance from the litter. “The bloody woman will drive me tae violence if ye dinna get her outa ma sight.” His face was purple with choler.
“What happened?”
“The bloody English is what happened! They attacked ma ship, stole ma precious wool, almost sank us. I’ve been limpin’ home fer days, an’ all the bloody woman has done is cry!” He cast a scornful look down the quay. “I tell ye, lass, nothin’ good ever came up from England. Deliver me, there’s a good lass.”
“I’ll take her home and see to her needs,” Tina said, and for once her heart went out to the gentlewoman’s plight.
“‘Tis a curse tae be wed tae a woman who expects ye tae dance attendance on her. I’ve dispatched a rider tae fetch Archibald Kennedy, and I see Arran is here. I’ve a complaint or two fer the bloody admiral. The king must be informed that the English are attackin’ our ships, and all the pathetic woman can do is weep an’ wail an’ gnash her teeth!”
Tina thought she would scream at the slow progress of the litter, but she firmly squelched her impulse to ride hell for leather into Doon to tell her poor beleaguered brothers that not only was Lord Kennedy home, they could expect the chief of Clan Kennedy to descend upon them shortly.
She patiently listened to her mother’s tale of woe, gently helped her from the litter, summoned Duncan to carry her up to her chamber, ignoring his look of desperation, and began to feel positively virtuous for the sacrifice she was making. She ordered the servants to plenish the room, and she bathed her mother’s pale face with rosewater, removed her shoes, and asked softly, “What can I get you?”
“You can get me Beth,” Elizabeth said in tragic tones. “Valentina, you are not the most restful person for an invalid. Just looking at all that flaming hair and vulgar vitality is exacting a toll upon what little strength I have left”
“I’m sorry,” Tina whispered, quickly lowering her dark lashes to mask her hurt. “I’ll get Beth and ask Mr. Burque to make you some chamomile tea.”
“Yes,” her mother said rather petulantly, “but have Ada bring it to me, if you please.”
When Lord Kennedy arrived home, his mind was so preoccupied, he saw naught amiss at Doon. His three sons met him at the door rather than waiting to be summoned. They did not want to further exacerbate Rob Kennedy’s temper.
When Tina joined them in the hall, her father was alternately describing the harrowing sea venture and raining curses upon the English. His Scots was so thick, she could hardly comprehend his words until he said all too clearly, “Arran an’ Archibald Kennedy will be here the nicht. Tina, direct yon peste Mr. Burque tae prepare somethin’ fittin’ fer two earls o’ the realm.”
She saw her brothers exchange trapped looks.
“Tell Elizabeth tae prepare guest chambers. Davie, see there’s room in the stables—they’ll both ha’ their men wi’ em”
David slunk out like a rat deserting a sinking ship. Donal cleared his throat as if he were about to make a clean breast of things. Tina shot him a warning glance and said, “Mother’s in bed.”
“God damn an’ flay the woman! What use is she tae a mon?” he choked.
Tina said,
“I’ll give the servants their orders. Everything will be ready for them. Mr. Burque is ever prepared, no matter how many descend upon us.”
“There’s ma lass,” he said, thankful that one of his offspring could be counted upon. “I want ye at the table the nicht, sittin’ smack atween James Hamilton an’ Archibald Kennedy. Ye can cozen them intae givin’ me their full support when I take ma complaints tae the king. Neither o’ them can resist the blandishment o’ a beautiful lass.”
She glanced at Donal, now feeling just as trapped as he. “It must be catching,” she muttered to herself.
Though he had farther to come, Archibald Kennedy, Earl of Cassillis, was the first to arrive. He had twenty of his men at his heels, all armed to the teeth. David had the presence of mind to keep them out of the stables by having a dozen grooms and stableboys on hand to receive their horses in the bailey as soon as they dismounted.
Valentina took a deep breath and came forward with ale on knees that felt like butter. Archibald Kennedy was so coarse in appearance, he made her father look refined. He had once been barrel-chested, but with age all had slipped into a heavy paunch. It seemed a miracle his short bowlegs supported his girth. He seemed to have no neck—his wide florid face, marred by broken veins, sat directly upon his shoulders.
His men drank off their ale, but he grabbed the goblet from Tina, sniffed it loudly, then flung its contents to the back of the fire. “Wheest, lass, what’s this muck?” he demanded, fixing her with a small beady eye. Rob came forward with the whisky, and Tina thought, well, so much for being unable to resist me!
“There’s no need tae tell me—ye’ve been raided. Yer no’ the only one, Rabbie. Every Kennedy has been systematically raped, frae Newark tae Portpatrick. When we find the culprits, there’ll be the biggest reivers’ battle ever fought. We’ll gibbet the lot! The whoresons lifted all ma prime horseflesh, an’ one in especial was earmarked fer the king!”
Rob looked up sharply at Donal. “We’ve no’ been raided? Weesucks, we’re overrun wi’ horses an’ cattle.”
Archibald’s beady eye became instantly suspicious. “Is that a fact? I’d best ha’ a look aboot Doon. Yer meadows did seem uncommon full o’ beasties when we rode in!”
Rob Kennedy’s face turned purple with choler, but Donal’s ruddiness vanished completely.
“Are ye accusin’ me, Rob Kennedy, Lord o’ Galloway, o’ liftin’ cattle frae ma ain kith an’ kin?” he demanded.
“We’ll see!” said Archibald, snatching up his riding whip and gauntlets from where he’d flung them on the oak table. The two Kennedy lords elbowed each other as they exited the castle, but wide as the doorway was, it could not accommodate two such broad individuals at the same time. Tina noticed it was Archibald who took precedence. She heard Donal mutter to Duncan, “I’ll lay ye ten tae one they’re the earl’s horses.”
Tina followed, unable to resist observing what could very well be the doom of Doon. Rob Kennedy’s eyes bulged as he saw that every stall held at least two animals The stablehands and Archibald’s men fell back to watch the fireworks.
“Ye filthy, thievin’ rogues! Here’s the proof these are ma horses. This Barbary mare was fer King Jamie hissel!”
Rob Kennedy felled his son Duncan with one powerful blow, though Duncan topped him by a full head. Donal had wisely stayed beyond his reach. “Ma ain sons are a curse tae me! What a’ pox have ye been doin’? The minute I’m off tae sea, ye whore aboot the country, disobey ma orders, squander my siller, and now ye’ve lifted the earl’s horseflesh. ‘Tis like bitin’ the hand that feeds ye, tae rob yer ain!”
Tina had to do something. “My lord earl, you are mistaken about this particular mare.” She fished the paper from the leather purse at her belt. “I’ve a bill of sale to show she was purchased at the horse fair in Paisley. She’s mine, and you can see I paid a fortune for her.”
Archibald Kennedy snatched up the paper, and his rage doubled. “‘Tis a conspiracy! Yer lass is the biggest liar o’ the bunch!”
“Why, ye bandy-legged bastard, ye’d best keep a civil tongue in yer haid when ye speak o’ ma daughter Tina!”
“Ye maggot-blown bladder o’ lard, I’m the haid o’ Clan Kennedy—I’ll see ye hanged fer yer crimes afore this day is done!”
A great clatter of horses echoed round the bailey as James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, Lord High Admiral of Scotland, with twenty men at his heels, arrived. Before he dismounted, he was hurling accusations. “Christ’s blood, I’ve worn ma nag’s legs down tae its fetlocks ridin’ about my holdin’s this week. Ma sheep an’ cattle hav’ been disappearin’ like snow in summer, an’ here are the bloody culprits holed up like a skulk o’ foxes!”
Archibald Kennedy, also an earl of the realm, decided to take exception to his words “Yer no’ insinuatin’ the Kennedys have dirtied their hands wi’ yer vermin-ridden sheep, are ye, Jamie boy?”
Arran’s dark, thin face was stiff with outrage. His eyes were narrowed to slits, and his pinched lips had disappeared altogether. Tina groaned inwardly. Just when she had Patrick Hamilton eating out of her hand, their families were determined to start a feud. Still, she mused wryly, if Patrick was going to look like his father in later years, perhaps it was just as well.
Rob tried to speak up, but Archibald was ahead of him He waved Tina’s bill of sale in his hand and said, “Everything on four legs on Kennedy land has been bought an’ paid for, an’ we’ve the papers tae prove it, which is more than ye can say, Hamilton! And while we’re talkin’ plain, our red hair may make us resemble foxes, but we’re all legitimately born here. We dinna ride about wi’ a passel o’ bastards at our back!”
Tina bit her lip at Archibald’s hypocrisy. Both he and her father had their share of by-blows
“We’ll no’ stop here tae be insulted. We’ll ride tae Edinburgh and lay our complaints afore the king,” Arran shouted.
Rob spoke at last. “An’ while yer at it, ye can report that yer doin’ such an admiral job as admiral, the bloody English are attackin’ our ships the minute they sail outa the Firth o’ Clyde!”
Arran dismounted, completely distracted for the moment. “I saw yer ship—I’ll need a full report. Don’t keep us standin’ aboot out here. Yer hospitality is as lackin’ as yer wits.”
Valentina closed her eyes at the thought of having to sit between these two men, who had taken on the characteristics of two bristling boars. In the hall, the Kennedys closed ranks, as any clan worth its salt did in times of trouble. The Kennedys of Cassillis and of Doon presented a solid flank to the Hamiltons.
No sooner were the servitors carrying in the first course of Mr. Burque’s culinary efforts than a great uproar of shouting and brawling was heard outside. Archibald Campbell, Earl of Argyll, strode into the long room. The escort at his back, all Highlanders, looked savage as prehistoric men. Campbell was blue-jowled, hard as granite, and foul-mouthed. “Firkin’ borderers!” He spat a gob of phlegm onto the flagstones. “I come in good faith tae sign the betrothal document, an’ I find ma own Highland cattle that went astray last week. So the Hamiltons and the Kennedys are up each other’s arses! Looks like a treasonable plot tae take ower the whole south!” His fierce eyes beneath his bushy brows challenged every last one seated on the dais table. When his eyes fell on Donal, he recalled his original mission. “Whoremonger! Ye ha’ taken gross and filthy advantage of ma foolish daughter.” He flung out his hand toward the entrance to the hall, and Tina and Donal both realized that Meggie must have accompanied her father. They arose in unison and hurried out to find her.
“Ye’ve foxed and duped, cheated and defrauded Argyll fer the first and last time!” he roared. “I’ll seek damages fra’ the crown, and if ma Meggie has a bairn in her belly, yer son will swing frae the turrets o’ Doon!”
Meggan Campbell, covered with shame, shrank into a corner of the passageway outside the hall Donal slipped a protective arm about her, and she buried her face against his powerful barrel-chest. “Dinna fash yersel, Meggi
e. I’ll put things right. I’ll tell the truth and confess all.”
Tina swept him with a scornful glance. “This calls for more than the truth! This calls for a magnificent lie! This lot will swallow lies a hell of a lot faster than the truth.”
Meggan was trembling, and Donal could not persuade her to come into the hall, so Tina said, “You go up to my chamber, Meggie. As soon as I can get away, I’ll bring you some comfits from Mr. Burque’s kitchen. Donal, stand beside me in the hall and back up whatever I say.”
When the beautiful young woman stood in the center of the hall and raised her hands for silence, she drew every eye until finally the men left off their curses and threats while they drank in the flaming hair and proud breasts. “My lord earls, we have all been the victims of a ruthless freebooter. My brothers are too ashamed to acknowledge how easily they were gulled in my father’s absence. You all know the name of the cattle thieves who’ve made merry hell in the borders for centuries. Their clan has made it their business to keep the rest of us at each other’s throats —made it their business to keep the throne and the kingdom weak to their own advantage. No wonder all men shudder when they hear the name Douglas! ‘Twas Black Ram Douglas sold us Campbell longhorns, Hamilton sheep and Cassillis horses, and provided us with bogus bills of sale. He knew Donal was needing to stock Castle Kennedy in Wigtown before he wed with Meggie Campbell.”
Arran took up the denigration of the Douglas name, and inside five minutes every man in the vast dining hall took up the cry and was banging his tankard or his sword hilt on the table.
Donal felt the sore spot on the top of his head where Douglas had brought down his broadsword. Christ, women were natural-born mischief-makers! A simple man didn’t stand a chance against a clever woman. He thanked God for his Meggie.
Before Tina left the hall, she was amazed that for once they were all in agreement. They would all go to the king in Edinburgh to lay the blame at the door of Douglas. Donal cast Tina a look of alarm. She shrugged one pretty shoulder and came to a quick decision. She wasn’t going to be left behind to face Black Ram Douglas when next he came hotspur to Doon.