Page 12 of McKenna’s Honor (The Clan MacDougall #4)

11

W hen Arline had told her husband about the MacDougalls at the gate and the three in his study, she could see his face light with an idea.

“Their timin’ could no’ be better,” Carlich told her. “They can escort ye to Stirling.”

Arline did not like the idea of going to Stirling and she most assuredly did not like the idea of complete strangers acting as escort. But, if the MacDougalls were as loyal and as fierce as Carlich had described them, then perhaps it might not be such a bad idea.

Carlich had asked very little of her over the past three years. Even if he was as old as dirt, he was still a kind man. He never yelled, never raised a hand to her and in short, had treated her with nothing but kindness and respect.

When she had come to Lindsay lands three years ago, she was a terrified lass of five and ten. Carlich had immediately put her at ease, letting her know the truth behind why her father had arranged their marriage and why Carlich had agreed to it.

Arline’s father, Lord Orthanach Fitzgerald of Kildare, Ireland, had gotten himself into a good deal of trouble and owed some less-than-respectable men a good deal of money. Arline’s mother, Frances, was one of Carlich’s distant cousins. Frances had died when Arline was but ten. Without Frances there to keep Orthanach in check, he rapidly began a downward spiral, spending far more money than he had. By the time Arline was nearing her fifteenth birthday, Orthanach was so far in debt that he feared for his life. The men he owed the large sums to were not patient, nor were they the kind to wait until his financial situation improved.

Her father hadn’t arranged the marriage as a means of protecting her, or for securing her future. It was simply a means to pay his debts, nothing more. After she and Carlich were married, Carlich had explained the situation to her fully. He had even admitted that he had been fully intending to reject Orthanach’s offer of her hand. That was until he met her.

It wasn’t so much her outward beauty that had attracted Carlich to her, but the spark of life evidenced in the way her green eyes twinkled with laughter over a ribald joke he had told her. She reminded him of his sister, long since dead and instinctively, Carlich wanted to protect her.

Carlich was a good, honest, even-tempered man, and for that, she loved him and cherished the friendship they had developed .

Scotland’s future and its freedom potentially lay in her hands. With more than just the lives of Angus McKenna and Duncan McEwan hanging in the balance, she found it quite difficult to deny her husband his request.

Never in her life had she done anything even remotely dangerous. Before her mother’s death, Arline had been raised to be a dutiful, quiet lady who would grow up to be a dutiful, quiet wife. Her destiny was to sit quietly, do as she was told, and never speak out of turn. Never put to voice any thoughts or feeling she might possess. Nay, good dutiful wives were genteel, quiet and unassuming. That was until she came to the Lindsay keep. Albeit she had yet to experience anything dangerous, she had been given more freedom than she had known before. Until now, the most dangerous thing she came in contact with was the bone needle she used for her embroidery.

With Carlich’s help, Arline had found her voice and a backbone. He had always encouraged her to speak her mind, to believe in something bigger than herself and to hold tightly to her convictions. Aye, he was her husband, but he acted more like a grandfather spoiling a favorite grandchild than a husband.

Arline pondered the situation for a time. She worried about the safety of the keep in her absence. Aye, there would be plenty of people to care for Carlich. Knowing what she did now, she fretted over the safety of her people.

Her people. They were just as much hers as Seamus’. Seamus was gone more often than not. His wife had died a year before Arline had married Carlich. Arline was the lady of the keep, the chatelaine, and she did her best to make certain the keep ran smoothly. She loved these people, or at least most of them. She had no great fondness for Seamus or his arrogant son, Aric. Though she was used to their odd way of coming and going without leaving word, it still angered her that they had left with Carlich so close to death.

“Wife,” Carlich sounded hopeful. “Will ye do this fer me?”

Arline gave his hand a gentle squeeze and smiled lovingly at him. “Aye, husband, I shall.”

Suddenly, she felt quite energized by the thought of racing through the countryside, surrounded by a group of fierce Highlanders. The fact that her father would be appalled at such behavior made the idea even more enjoyable.

She looked away from her husband to ask the stranger a question only to find he was gone. He had managed to slip away without her notice.

Spies, Arline thought. Ye canna trust them.

“Yer a good woman, Arline,” Carlich said as he patted her hand and closed his eyes. “A verra good woman.”

Arline stood and kissed his forehead and straightened his blanket. “And ye are a good man, Carlich Lindsay,” she whispered against his cold, clammy skin.

With her mind made up, she set off to see to the men who waited below stairs in her husband’s study.

Daniel felt his patience being sorely tested. He, along with Roy and Ronald, had been waiting for nearly an hour for Seamus Lindsay to come meet with them. Surely Seamus understood the importance of the message he had been given earlier.

Roy and Ronald paced in opposite directions, mumbling curses under their breaths. They were just as offended as Daniel over being forced to wait for the Lindsay chief to grace them with his presence.

“Mayhap,” Ronald began, “they did not relay the message accurately.” He had paused before the fireplace and looked hopefully at his brother, Roy. “I be certain that the Lindsay would no’ keep us waitin’ like this if he knew the importance of the matter.”

Roy was not as hopeful as Ronald. “I swear, if I find he’s been tumblin’ under the sheets with some kitchen maid while he makes us wait, I’ll no’ be responsible for me actions.”

Ronald chuckled at his brother’s threat. “I’ll hold him down for ye, brother.”

Daniel had been seated for more than a quarter hour, waiting for the door to open and the Lindsay chief to walk in. The longer he was made to wait the more his anger boiled. He had finally reached the end of his patience. Bolting to his feet, he headed toward the door, pausing to inform Roy and Ronald exactly what his intentions were.

“If the Lindsay will no’ come to us, then we shall go to the Lindsay!” he seethed.

Roy and Ronald cast a glance at each other, shrugged their shoulders and nodded their heads in agreement. “I could no’ agree with ye more, Daniel. We’ve waited long enough,” Ronald said as they started toward the door.

Before they could reach the door, it opened with a rush of air, startling the three men. Their hopes at giving Seamus Lindsay a piece of their minds were quickly dashed.

With a swishing of silk skirts and the faint scent of lavender, a very comely young lass walked into the room. Auburn curls had been forced into a braid and looked as though they fought desperately for escape. She was taller than most women, with bright green eyes, and a very slender waist.

The three men stood silently for a moment while the lass scrutinized each of them in rapid succession. “Which of ye is Daniel?” she asked, forgoing formal introductions.

Daniel gave a slight bow at the waist. “I be Daniel,” he answered with a tilt of his head and a smile.

She gave a curt nod and wasted no time getting to the heart of the matter. “I apologize for making ye wait, Daniel. Ye are here on behalf of Clan MacDougall.” It was a statement, not a question. “How can I be of assistance?”

Daniel gave a furtive glance toward Roy and Ronald, who stood beside one another, looking just as perplexed as Daniel felt. Daniel noted a very distinct Irish accent and found it as intriguing as he did confusing. What was an Irish lass doing at the Lindsay keep and why was she here instead of Seamus?

“Pardon me, lass, but we are here to speak with Seamus,” he told her. He began to think that Ronald was correct in his assumption that the message had not been delivered correctly.

The lass folded her hands in front of her, her expression unchanged. “I ken that. But Seamus is no’ available at the moment. I act in his stead.”

Three sets of brows knotted in simultaneous confusion. “I beg yer pardon lass, but we must speak with Seamus. Please, deliver to him the message that we come to --”

She held her hand up to stop him. “I ken verra well why ye are here. Ye invoke the bond of the seven. I am fully aware of that bond, Daniel. Again, I tell ye that I act in Seamus’ stead.”

Daniel was growing quite frustrated, but managed to hold his temper in check. He had no idea who the redheaded young lass was nor did he know why Seamus was refusing to meet with them. The lack of soldiers at the border and the lack of men within the castle made the hair on his neck stand up.

“Are ye his daughter?” Roy asked, his ire plainly evident.

She took a slight pause before answering. “Nay, I am no’ his daughter.”

The three men cast more curious glances at one another as their confusion and frustration grew. Daniel decided it was time to take control of the situation. “Lass, pardon our confusion. But who are ye and why are ye acting in Seamus’ stead?”

With a lift of her chin she pulled her shoulders back and looked Daniel in the eye. “I am Lady Arline Lindsay, wife of Carlich Lindsay. Seamus is no’ here.”

The three men could not hide their astonishment. Their eyes snapped open along with their jaws.

Lady Arline had grown accustomed to the reactions she received when she announced who her husband was. While she may have been accustomed to the astonished looks and the way people whispered behind her back, it did not mean she was unbothered by them.

With a slight shake of her head and a roll of her eyes, she placed her hands on her hips. “Lads, close your mouths. Ye be no bairns, ye’re men full grown. Arranged marriages should not be such a shock to ye.”

Daniel was instantly embarrassed by her direct chastisement. He could feel his face burn. Roy and Ronald cleared their throats, but remained quiet. Daniel attempted to apologize for being rude. “I do apologize, my lady,” he said. “It is just that --”

Again she stopped him with a wave of her hand. “Aye, aye,” she began. “I be much younger than my husband. It canna be the first time you’ve ever heard of an older man marryin’ a younger woman,” her tone was firm and direct. “Now, let us get back to why ye be here and what ye need of us.”

Daniel was uncertain if her blunt, to-the-point attitude was a simple matter of who she was or if she was in a hurry to hear them out before sending them on their way. His jaw clenched with annoyance.

Two could play at this game. “Since ye state that yer fully aware of the bond of the seven, then ye already ken what we need.”

“Ye canna have it,” was her curt response. “So ye best be on your way.” She gave a quick nod of her head and started to turn around to leave.

“What do ye mean we canna have it? ” Daniel asked angrily. “If ye be fully informed of the bond, then ye ken ye canna deny us.”

Lady Arline let loose an irritated sigh. “Daniel,” she began. “I canna give what I do no’ have.”

He wasn’t sure how much more of this talking in circles he could withstand. Mayhap the young woman didn’t understand as much as she would like them to believe. He took a steady breath before speaking. “M’lady, are ye aware that Angus McKenna and his son-in-law are now sittin’ in prison in Edinburgh and that they have been sentenced to hang?”

He saw it then, just a flash of surprise in her green eyes. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared. His instincts were correct. She didn’t know as much as she was letting on.

“Hanged?” she whispered softly before she waded through the wall of men and began to pace. “But he’s not supposed to hang,” she murmured, still pacing with her eyes cast to the floor, her arms crossed below her bosom. “Nay, that wasna supposed to happen,” she murmured.

The three men watched as she paced, growing more confused with each statement she uttered. Daniel began to reassess his previous belief that she didn’t know anything.

“Lass, what do ye mean this was no’ supposed to happen?” Roy asked, unable to keep his curiosity in check any longer.

Lady Arline gave a quick shake of her head and waved away his question as if he were a pesky bee buzzing around her head. “Allow me to think, please,” she told him gruffly.

The men looked at one another again. This lass was as confusing a creature as any they’d ever encountered. Daniel was trying to be as patient as he could while the lass paced and mumbled. He couldn’t help but to continue to wonder where Seamus was.

After several long moments of pacing and mumbling, Daniel could take no more. “M’lady, we have no’ much time. Angus and Duncan will be taken to Stirling soon to hang. And their wives are missin’, along with Duncan’s babes. ’Tis verra important that ye tell us why they weren’t supposed to hang.”

Arline stopped pacing and looked at him as if he were some peculiar object. “Their wives are not missing and neither are their babes.”

That was news to Daniel and his men. No one had seen Isobel, Aishlinn or the babes since the night the bastards came for Angus and Duncan. As far as any of the three men were aware, no one knew if the women had left voluntarily or if they’d been taken.

“Ye mean ye ken where they be?” Ronald asked, bewilderedly.

She refused to answer the question and instead, let out a long, heavy sigh as she studied the three men closely. “I think I should take ye to Carlich now,” she said as she headed toward the door.

Daniel, Roy, and Ronald were riddled with confusion. Daniel began to wish that he had stayed behind and sent David in his stead. With a shrug of their shoulders, they followed the lovely redheaded lass out of the room.

Daniel, Roy, and Ronald stood at Carlich Lindsay’s bedside. So stunned were they with the information the auld man had just shared with them that the slightest breeze would have knocked them over.

“Ye canna be serious, Carlich,” Daniel exclaimed breathlessly.

“Aye, I am, lad. I need ye to guard me young wife with yer lives. See her safely to Stirling. Scotland, lads, is depending on ye.” It was growing more difficult for Carlich to speak without losing his breath or bringing on a violent coughing spasm.

Arline sat beside him with a wet cloth. Carlich could not die in peace until he knew that he had done everything he could to see that the wrong was righted.

Arline bent forward and whispered in her husband’s ear. He responded with an affirmative nod. Without turning away from her husband she spoke over her shoulder to Daniel. “We shall let my husband rest now.”

The MacDougall men remained quiet while Arline wiped her husband’s brow and gave his arm a gentle pat. “I shall return shortly, husband. I shall leave you to Meg, but I ask that ye rest.”

For the first time in many weeks, Carlich did not argue with her request. He simply returned her smile and nodded his head slightly before closing his eyes .

From his vantage point, Daniel could tell that Arline held a strong affection for her husband. He wondered briefly at how many women of her age would stay with a man of Carlich’s age, or sit beside his deathbed.

Arline kissed her husband’s forehead again. She left instructions with Meg, one of the servants, before leading the men out of the room.

“I’ve never in my life done anything such as what Carlich is askin’ of me,” Arline told the men as she led them down the hallway. “I can only promise ye that I will do my best to be as little trouble to ye as possible.”

Neither Daniel, Roy nor Ronald liked the idea of escorting the fine young lady to Stirling. It was far too dangerous for such a young lady. Were it anyone but Angus and Duncan’s necks that were at risk, they would have argued more forcefully against the idea. But circumstances being what they were, they knew they had very little choice in the matter.

Ronald had argued that mayhap Arline should stay behind and allow them to carry the information and the documents to Stirling. But Carlich argued against it. His reasons, when one thought them out, made sense. If men from the MacDougall clan showed up with the documents, it could be argued that the documents were forged and held nothing more than lies created by men who wanted to help their chief.

It had to be Lady Arline who presented the documents to Robert Stewart.