Page 30 of The Wild Rose of Kilgannon (Kilgannon #2)

ELEVEN

T he morning after Alex sailed had dawned sunny and warm, as though Edinburgh were at long last celebrating summer.

But I paid no attention. Anguish and fear washed over me in alternating waves.

I knew the overwhelming sense of loss would never leave me; I wore it like a second skin.

Robert had brought us back from watching Alex’s ship sail, wordlessly handing me and the boys into his coach.

He then climbed in himself, sitting between Angus and Matthew in silence.

I had not argued when he’d brought us to his house, but had retreated at once to my room, keeping the boys with me.

Matthew slept across our door and Angus elsewhere, but Robert had left at once.

I’d not slept, but spent the night in a chair before the fire, trying to determine how I’d get to England.

If Alex was going to London, I’d go there as well.

Angus and Matthew left at dawn to see what they could find out about the Mary Rose ’s seizure.

To keep my sanity I kept myself busy. I had determined that I could not spend another moment in Robert’s house and hurried the boys into packing, then harried the Campbells into bringing my luggage below.

We were ready to leave as soon as Angus and Matthew returned from their visit to the ship.

And to the lawyer. I’d reminded Angus, who had forgotten, that the Mary Rose was my personal property, not Alex’s, bought with my dowry and kept in my name, as Alex had insisted years ago.

I wanted Kenneth Ogilvie, Alex’s lawyer, to confirm that she could not be seized as Alex’s property, and Angus had gone to see him.

But neither Angus nor Matthew returned. Robert did. He arrived in the late afternoon and I was summoned to him at once. When I entered the room, he was standing by the window and turned a grim face to me.

“Mary,” he said, “your luggage is downstairs. Are you leaving this house?” I nodded. “Where do you think you can find shelter in this city?” His tone was quiet but I knew he was very angry.

I sighed. “Robert, it is no longer proper for me to stay here.”

“Why? Nothing has changed.”

“Everything has changed.” He turned back to the window.

“Robert,” I said, pleading. He did not respond and I moved to stand next to him, placing my hand on his arm.

He watched me glacially. “Robert, please. I must go,” I said softly.

“I thank you for all your kindness and your generosity, but I cannot stay here. Surely you can see that. I must go.” He was silent and I turned away, tears in my eyes. After a moment Robert turned to me.

“Where will you go?”

I met his eyes. “To London.”

“How?”

“I don’t know yet,” I said, “but I will get there. I’m going to go to the Mary Rose now and get her released. And then I’ll go to London.”

“And then what?” He frowned and held his hands up in anger. “And then what, Mary? What can you hope to accomplish?”

“I will continue to try to free Alex.”

“Unlikely at best.”

“Yes.”

“You know what will happen. Why would you want to be there to watch it?”

“I no longer know what will happen. I could not have predicted that we’d be where we are now, and I have no idea of what the future will bring.

” I sighed. “But he’s my husband and I love him.

I must try.” The silence stretched between us.

“Robert,” I said, “I do thank you. For everything. I am mindful of your sacrifices for me.”

“But you are going to London.”

“I am going to London.”

“As you will, Mary,” Robert said, and I heard the hollow echo of Alex’s words. It will be as you wish, Mary , he’d said so long ago. It will be as you wish if you go and get it , I told myself. I thanked him again and he nodded, moving toward the door. “I’ll call my carriage,” he said. “Come.”

I collected the boys while Robert waited, and then we followed him down the stairs, the boys and dogs making a terrible din behind us, William Wallace nearly knocking Robert over in his excitement.

At the street Robert ushered us into the carriage and stood at the door.

Robert the Bruce rose to nuzzle him, and Robert gave him an affectionate pat.

His eyes met mine and I shrank from what I still saw in them. I extended my hand.

“Thank you, Robert,” I said, “with all my heart, thank you, for your generosity and your kindness. ”

He took my hand in both of his. “You are welcome, Mary,” he said, each word weighted, “you are welcome. With all my heart.” We stared at each other for a moment, then he glanced behind him.

“My men will take you to your ship.” I thanked him again.

He lowered his voice. “Mary, a long time ago I told you that if you ever needed me, I would be there. I have tried to be. But now I am considering my pledge fulfilled. I wish you well.”

My eyes filled with tears and his expression softened as he saw them. I withdrew my hand. “Take care of yourself,” I said.

Robert stepped back. “Godspeed, Mary,” he said as the carriage lurched away. “Safe journey.”

The Mary Rose was docked and guarded by armed soldiers, but we were not prevented from approaching her.

Matthew stood by himself on the wharf while the men of Kilgannon hung over the ship’s rails above him.

As the carriage drew to a halt and the boys burst out, followed by the dogs, a cheer rose from the clansmen.

And when I emerged the roar that greeted me was overwhelming.

I smiled up into their faces, surprised by their welcome, and saw Gilbey just above me, Thomas and Dougall at his side, and many others, including Calum MacGannon, the Mary Rose’ s captain.

Thank God , I thought, Gilbey is safe. They are all safe .

My vision blurred, but I smiled again and waved to them, calling my greetings while the soldiers watched us warily.

“Where is your father?” I asked Matthew. His expression was worried as he pointed to the small building on the dock .

“The English willna release the ship even with the lawyer.”

“We’ll see about that,” I said and raised my chin.

It had been easier than I’d thought. I had walked into the building boldly and in my most imperious manner told the assembled men staring at me in astonishment that I was the Countess of Kilgannon come to claim my dowry.

I said I wanted to go back to England and was claiming the Mary Rose as my personal property and had waved my receipts at them as though that would solve everything.

The soldiers had scrambled to find me a chair while Angus crossed his arms over his chest and watched me from under bushy eyebrows, then introduced me to Kenneth Ogilvie, who I’d heard of for years, but never met.

Alex’s lawyer, a quiet man of medium height with sparse dark hair and startling blue eyes, had watched me with open amusement.

When the English army officer argued that the ship belonged to Alex and had been forfeited, I waved his words away.

“Check with the shipwrights. My solicitor has already told you the same. She is my ship. It was my money that bought her, not my husband’s, and it is my name that she carries.

I am going on board now and then I am going home to England.

” I looked from the blazing face of the officer before me to his captain, who watched me cautiously.

“Sir,” I said to the captain, my voice full of the tears that were never far away, “I am an English citizen and the Mary Rose is my property, the only property I have left. I want to go home. Have I not suffered enough in Scotland?” Tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks, but I ignored them as I continued.

“The ship is mine, sir, and I want to go home.” I wiped my cheek.

I was not lying. I did want to go on board the Mary Rose and more than anything I wanted to go to England.

The captain’s expression softened and he nodded slowly. “You may go aboard, madam, with your sons, but I’ll have to have orders from the castle before I can release the ship.”

“Thank you, sir. I will wait on board for your news.”

The captain bowed. I turned from him and tried not to trip over the jumble of boys and dogs before me.

I did not look back as I left the building, and when I came to the gangplank the soldiers there moved aside.

I went on board the Mary Rose , followed by the boys and Angus and Matthew and Kenneth Ogilvie, and was greeted with a roar of approval by the clansmen.

Angus was not so pleased. He shook his head and frowned. “Well, lass, ye got us on board, for whatever good it will do. What have ye accomplished? We’ll all be prisoners here the now.”

I met his gaze evenly. “What do you think I’ve been at Robert’s? At least here, prisoners or not, we are all together and that’s a far sight better than where I’ve been. And we’re going to London.” I ignored Angus’s raised eyebrows and turned to greet the men.

My luggage was brought on board eventually, amidst much amusement at the number of pieces.

I ignored all the jibes and settled us into the big cabin.

And at last found a quiet moment. London , I thought.

We will go to London . I knew that we were not yet free to go, but legally the ship was clearly mine and Kenneth had told me it was within my rights to demand return of my property.

I wanted more, though, and that could be difficult.

I wanted all the Kilgannon men to be allowed to leave with me.

Ogilvie warned me that here I was on shaky ground.

These were the same men who had taken arms against England, and while they would not be imprisoned now, I could hardly expect beneficence from the English army while I was in their company.