Jerald, Tim, Kevin, Brian, Alex, and Howard had taken their places at the dining table.
“Where’s my wife?” Tim asked nervously. He knew he was in trouble with her, she’d been furious when she’d heard that one of them had shot an old woman. Tim was anxious to be done with the scolding he was sure to get.
“All of them are up to something,” Brian pointed out. “Even my own mother. Ne’er trust a woman, no matter what her relation is to ye.”
All of them laughed anxiously.
“Jerald, has there been any news since we’ve been away?” Kevin asked before taking a drink of mead.
Jerald thought for a moment. “Ah yes, Gwendolyn of Gringworthlow is coming to call for ye on the day after tomorrow.”
“What!” Kevin nearly choked.
“Does she come alone?” Tim asked with his eyes closed in an effort to keep his temper down.
Jerald shook his head, “Nay, she comes with both of her parents.”
Brian gasped, “Jerald, ye know that Duggan Fitzhamon has always hated the McKirnans”.
“Aye.”
Jerald wasn’t getting it, so Brian went on, “And one of them is staying in this keep. She may be a female, but she’s still a McKirnan. This is bound to be trouble.”
“All I know is that towards the end of McKirnan’s lordship, Fitzhamon was eager to get his estate. I know that he was one of the forces at Dunvegan the day Riordan escaped.”
“Aye, it was the Fitzhamons, the MacEwens, and the Northumberlands who fought that day. A dirty crew, the lot of them, weel except for the MacEwens. We shall have to be watchful. Kevin, no one is pressuring ye, although it is high time that ye were married. This is your decision, and Gwendolyn Fitzhamon is a lovely girl,” Jerald soothed.
Kevin just stared at him for a few moments before speaking, “A lovely girl? She’s a Fitzhamon. Beneath that ‘lovely’ façade is a the soul of a weasel!”
Tim, Brian, Alex and Howard laughed while Jerald rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Like I said, tis your decision.”
Someone on the stairs cleared their throat and the men looked up. Ann was coming down, followed closely by Jacqueline. “I see that ye could barely wait to begin without us,” Ann scolded.
“Weel, it took ye a mighty long time, mother,” Tim pointed out.
She glared him, “Are ye complaining?”
He swallowed quickly, “Nay.
“Thought so.”
Jacqueline turned to her son, “And do ye have any concerns ye’d like to voice, lad?”
Brian picked up his glass of mead and shook his head.
There was a commotion at the top of the stairs, some whispering, and someone harshly said, “I’ll not be going down to dinner in this! It’s made of silk!”
“Satin! Now go on! Tis only dinner!”
“Exactly, tis only dinner. So why have ye clad me in such finery?”
“Ye’ll get down there right now or so help me……”
Jerald stood and cupped his hands around his mouth, “Is there a problem ladies?”
“Nay,” came Katherine and Ainslee’s reply. “We’ll be down in two shakes of a lamb’s tail!”
There was a bit more whispering, before Katherine rounded the corner beckoning for Ainslee. They were all the way down the stairs and almost to their seats before Katherine realized that Shyla wasn’t with them. “Shyla, dear? Are ye alright?”
There was silence. Katherine took a step to head back up the stairs, but before she could, Shyla slowly came around the corner. All of the men were staring at her and all of the women were staring at the men, namely Kevin, waiting for his reaction. It was priceless. His mouth had actually dropped open.
Shyla slowly made her way down the stairs, all the while glaring at Katherine. They had decided on a deep blue satin gown with a tight corset. The gown fell all the way to the floor, hugging her hips before slightly flaring out, and a small train trailed behind her. The corset rested just at her waist, and pushed her ample breasts together. Her long golden brown hair had been trimmed, and it feel in loose curls to just past the middle of her back. It was mostly down except for intricate braid that held it back like a head band. A few long tendrils were escaping to frame her face. Her soft pink lips were turned down a bit at the corners, and her steel blue eyes had a darkness in them that clearly broadcasted her displeasure. All of the men rose to their feet as she made her way to the table and took her seat, which was coincidentally right next to Kevin.
“So glad ye could make it,” Katherine greeted with a sugary sweet smile.
“Weel, I am a captive after all and didnae have much choice in the matter,” Shyla replied just as sweetly.
Katherine scowled playfully.
Jerald covered his laugh with a cough before asking, “I hope that my mother and wife weren’t too overbearing.”
Shyla smiled at him, “Nay, sir. Just extremely bossy.”
“Ye look verra bonnie, Lady McKirnan,” little Madison piped in.
“Thank ye, lassie. Twas your mother’s choice of dress. Is she this bossy with ye?”
Madison giggled.
Tim, Brian, Alex, and Howard laughed, earning a few glares from the women.
Kevin was still too shocked to speak. ‘She’s gorgeous. Nay, I don’t think I shall like to see her running about in the wilderness dressed like that. Pants will do just fine. She’s a curvy little thing. And those breasts….’
“Kevin, could ye pass the peas?” Tim asked.
When he got no response he tried again, “Kevin. Kevin? Are ye with us, lad?”
“Hm? What? Oh, I’m sorry Tim, what was it ye needed?”
Shyla reached in front of them and passed the peas down to Tim, before turning to Kevin, “He was asking ye to pass the peas.”
Kevin blushed and looked into his food.
Ann, eager to change the subject and take the attention off of her clearly besotted son, piped in, “So, Jerald. Are the Fitzhamon’s still coming later in the week?”
Shyla dropped her fork and it clanked loudly against her plate. She apologized and reached out with a shaking hand to take a sip of mead. Kevin looked at her questioningly, but she looked away from him. Before she turned her head, he could have sworn that he saw tears in her eyes.
“Aye, mother. They are. I told them that we were in the middle of a crisis, but they were eager to get here.”
“No doubt,” Ann nodded, glancing for a moment at Shyla.
Shyla ate silently as the rest of them talked, and not finishing her plate, set down her napkin. “If ye will all excuse me, I’ve had quite a long day and wish to seek a bed.”
“But ye have not even finished your plate, child,” Ann noticed.
“I’m not verra hungry. I really am verra tired.”
Ann smiled, realizing that something was troubling the girl, something that she clearly didn’t want to speak about. “Verra weel. Kevin, would ye mind walking her to her chamber? Ye look verra near to being finished with your meal.”
Kevin nodded and stood up, stepping behind Shyla’s chair ready to push it back in for her.
“Good sleep to ye all,” Shyla said softly.
Kevin looked at his mother, catching the concerned expression on her face, and nodded gently to assure that he would get to the bottom of it.
CHAPTER 7
Kevin walked beside Shyla and waited until they had rounded the corner at the top of the stares to begin speaking. “Ye do look verra bonnie in that dress, Shyla.”
Shyla blushed but smiled at him, “Thank ye. I had thought it much too formal.”
“Nay, tis perfect on ye. Brings out the blue in your eyes,” he said nervously, then silently cursed himself.
“That’s exactly what Katherine said,” Shyla giggled.
Kevin smiled back, “Then I shall have to thank my sister-in-law. She has impeccable taste.”
They had arrived at the door of the chamber that had been given to Shyla. “Weel, thank ye for walking me. I fear that I might have gotten lost if I’d had to find it again on my own,” she laughed shyly.
Kevin cleared his throat, “Not a problem. Shyla, may I ask ye a question?”
She nodded.
“What was bothering ye at supper? Ye seemed a bit….off.”
She looked away from him, “Twas nothing, Kevin. I guess I was more tired than I thought I was.”
Kevin wasn’t satisfied, “Ye only started to shake when my mother asked about the Fitzhamons. I know that your family hasnae had the best relations with them…”
Her humorless laughter cut him off. “The best of relations? I should say not, Kevin.”
“What is the issue with them? Why cannae ye just let the past be the past? Ye’re going to have to get along with each other somehow. Ye’ll be living under the same roof, if only for a wee while.”
“Tis a big keep, I‘ll find a way to stay clear of them,” Shyla snapped.
Kevin sighed, “Can ye at least be civil? They are harmless.”
As she reached out and turned the doorknob to her room, she looked back at him. “Harmless? My good sir, I was but 7 years old when I crouched in a hole in the floor while Duggan Fitzhamon and his men killed my aunt then raped and murdered my mother. Don’t try to convince me that the Fitzhamons are harmless. Don’t try to demand that I be civil towards them. I harbor no ill will towards them for the attempted capture of my father, but what he did to my mother is never to be forgiven. What he stole from me will never be forgotten. Good sleep to ye,” she said quickly, her voice cracking towards the end.
Kevin stood outside her closed door for several moments before moving. ‘Fitzhamon…raped and killed her mother. Fitzhamon?’ He walked slowly back to the dining hall almost as if he were in a trance. When he got there all of the women had already gone.
“Took ye long enough, lad. Stealing kisses in the moonlight, were ye?” Tim joked.
When Kevin didn’t even smile back, the rest of them became concerned.
“What’s wrong, brother?” Jerald asked, moving to sit closer to Kevin.
Kevin looked at all of them before speaking. “We all know that the McKirnans and the Fitzhamons ne’er got along. In fact, it can even be said that Duggan Fitzhamon hated Riordan McKirnan. We also already knew that the Fitzhamons were fighting at Dunvegan the day that that coward McKirnan escaped.”
They all nodded. “What does this have to do with your mood?” Alex asked softly.
“When we were riding back with Shyla and Blithe, Shyla told me that if she had felt that her virtue was threatened, she planned to take her own life. Tis why she wore pants, to further deter the efforts of any rapist. Naturally I was curious as to why she was so adamant about the subject. She told me that I would have been as weel if I’d had listened to my mother’s rape and murder when I was but a wee lad.”
Alex gasped, “No wonder she’s such a tough thing.”
Kevin nodded then continued, “I asked her when I walked her to her door just a short while ago what had troubled her at dinner. She tried to avoid my questions, but I finally forced an answer from her. Twas Duggan Fitzhamon and his men that performed the deed. Twas the Fitzhamon clan that killed her mother.”
All of the men had been stunned into silence.
“Oh dear,” Brian breathed. “This isnae good at all.”
Jerald stood and began to pace. “And Fitzhamon seeks to join his family with ours? Tis no wonder he has lost favor with the king. I was verra young, but I remember father saying that Fitzhamon had gone into Edward’s court full of boasts, but left it with a tarnished name.”
“The dog probably went into the court gloating about having gotten a jab at McKirnan,” Alex seethed.
“I don’t like the idea of these people being here at all,” Howard frowned.
“Do ye think the king knows about this?” Brian asked.
Jerald shook his head, “At the time, Edward the first was king. He probably knew of the pillaging and plundering, but not of this. Surely Fitzhamon would have hung for the crime. The new Edward probably has no idea, he just knows that Fitzhamon is not to be trusted.”
Kevin who had been quiet throughout all of this suddenly stood. “We have to find a way to get Fitzhamon to admit to this. He’s a knight for Christ’s sake! However, he doesnae embody any of the morals and ethics of a king’s warrior! I would ne’er marry into a family like that.”
Jerald nodded, “Ye’re right, lad. We’ll have to get a confession.” He thought for a moment. “If ye don’t mind me asking, where do ye stand with Shyla?”
Kevin whipped around to look at him, “What do ye mean?”
“Ye know good and weel what I mean. Do ye like the girl? And don’t bother lying to us.”
Kevin looked at all of them. “Tis clear, I should think. I willnae even begin to think about that, however, until we have Sir Nicholas back.”
“Ye would marry her?” Brian asked.
“That I do not yet know. Howbeit, I would like to at least get to know the lass,” Kevin sighed.
“Then we shall guard her closely for the short while that the Fitzhamons are here. If we havenae gotten a confession from him in a fortnight, then we will dismiss them and ask for a royal investigation into the matter,” Jerald concluded.
All of them agreed and bade each other good night.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sir Nicholas Carter sat with his back tucked into the corner. He could barely see in the darkened room, and he was chilled to the bone. He rubbed his sore wrists. McKirnan had kept him in shackles for the entire journey, only releasing him at night. His feet were now chained to the bed post. He could hear Riordan McKirnan talking quietly to his sons.
“Roland, how far away are we from Dunvegan? We are in the town of Welsyshire, are we not? ” the aging man asked his eldest son.
“Aye, father. At least another 3 day ride, and I havenae heard from Dylan, the man we sent to survey the place.”
Riordan cursed, “What’s happened to him? We sent him damn near a fortnight ago!”
Just then, Ryder, McKirnan’s second son, clamored though the door carrying a tray of food. “Joseph, the innkeeper, says that the kitchen is closed for the night, so this is all we’ll get tonight.”
Riordan walked over to examine the tray, “Why have ye brought 4 of everything? Tis only 3 of us.”
“This is for Nicholas.”
Roland laughed harshly, “For the captive? Ye wish to feed him?”
Ryder clenched his jaw, “We have to feed him. He has to be alive when we ransom him back to the Richardson clan. They willnae be wanting to pay for a corpse.”
Riordan nodded, “Good thinking there, lad. Although, I would have let the yellow-haired bastard starve.” He laughed and flung some dirt at Nick. “If he really gets hungry, he’ll eat this dirt. Tis good enough for one of his kind.”
“They’re going to come for me!” Nick yelled.
Roland stalked over to him and kicked him sharply in the gut. “Who? Those Richardsons? Ha! They’re so busy rolling around in all of their money, they willnae have the time to come get ye. I’d be willing to bet that they havenae even noticed that ye have gone missing. Just that they’re not missing as much food and mead as they would have been had ye been there,” he laughed nastily and spit in Nick’s face, before rejoining his father to eat.
Ryder brought some food and water over to Nicholas, “I’m sorry about this, Sir Nicholas. Tis a common thing to ransom a person. We don’t have to mistreat ye, though. Pray that your people do pay the ransom soon.”
Nick shook his head, “They willnae be paying a ransom. They’ll be coming to get me and to avenge this abomination. Trust me in this, Ryder. I know that ye’re not like them. I’ll be telling the Bellefleur knights just that when they get here. They’re good men and will be sparing your life if I tell them to.”
Ryder smiled at him and said before standing up, “Don’t be worrying about me.”
CHAPTER 8
“Do ye think it’d even be worth the effort to send a ransom note to your father?” Kevin asked Shyla, as she wiped the light sheen of sweat from Blithe’s forehead.
“If ye wish to make the man laugh, then by all means, go right ahead. But don’t be surprised when ye get the same letter back, coated in a layer of his spit,” Shyla stated nonchalantly.
Kevin stared at her for a few moments. ‘Surely she is not so flippant about this. Her own father doesnae want her’. He cleared his throat. “Weel, I think it is worth the effort,” he stopped when he saw the annoyed look that crossed her face. “Not to ransom ye of course, but to let him know that we have ye. He might become worried that ye’re telling us some of his secrets.”
Shyla laughed humorlessly before walking up and poking one dainty finger into his chest, “I’ll not be given ye any secrets. Mainly because I don’t know any. Even if I did, he’s my father. I may loath the man, but I’ll not betray my own blood…even though he betrayed me.”
Kevin caught her tiny hand before she had a chance to pull away. He looked at her face for a moment. He could tell that she was hurt and confused, but mostly angry. Not having been around her for very long, he couldn’t say whether she was mad at him or not, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she was mad at herself for feeling so hurt. “Ye know, lass, tis not like someone is going to slap ye on the wrist for feeling as ye do. I don’t think I would have the same level as composure as ye do if the roles were reversed. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that I’d wake every day in a murderous rage.”
She lifted her chin, “And who’s to say that I don’t?”
Kevin smiled softly and dropped his voice an octave, lowering his head closer to hers, “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
She knew that she should have, but she couldn’t drag her eyes from his. ‘Tis as if he holds some spell o’er me. He is a rather handsome man…nay, he’s beautiful. Let him send his letter to my father, the sooner I leave this place the better.’
He had wrapped her hair around his fingers, and was toying with it. Although she was an innocent, she knew an attempt at seduction when she saw one. And although his advances should have frightened her, she felt oddly comfortable. In fact, she wanted him. And that frightened her. She was a McKirnan, from a family outlawed by the king. He could never consider her for a wife. She had no money, no lands, no dower, nothing to offer him but a soiled name and herself. ‘Aye, tis best if I leave this place verra soon. I don’t want to catch any sort of feelings for him.’ What worried her, though, was that she feared it was already too late.
He slowly began to lower his head to hers, and she felt herself tense in anxious anticipation for his kiss. Just as their lips were about to meet, Blithe moaned. Shyla jerked away from him as if he was on fire. ‘I am,’ he thought as he rubbed the back of his neck and breathed deeply in an effort to reign in his self control.
“Don’t ye dare even think about moving, Blithe,” Shyla said in a shaking voice.
“I wasnae. Hell, I couldnae. What’s happened?” Blithe slurred. Shyla placed her hand on the old woman’s forehead, and gasped in alarm. She was blazing.
“Blithe, don’t ye remember? Ye took an arrow ‘ere we got to the wood line. I pulled it out and then the men we were running from brought us to this keep.”
Blithe looked confused, “Weel, lass, I cannae recall the things ye say, but they must be true. Send Clifton in, I wish to see him.” Luckily she passed out again before Shyla had to explain once more that Clifton wouldn’t be able to come to her. She tucked the blanket tighter around Blithe’s shoulders and stood. “She’s delirious. That’s the fourth time she’s asked for me send Clifton,” she rubbed the top of her nose, and walked to window.
Kevin slowly walked up behind her and gently reached out to hold her hips, “I’m verra sorry, Shyla.”
She sighed, but her gaze remained away from him, “Tis not your fault, Kevin. I should like to know who set fire to our village. Tis them who shall be sorry.”
Kevin nodded and placed his chin on top of her head, “Why will ye not look at me?”
“Because, I….”
“Ye’re scared of me, is that it lass?” he whispered.
She shook her head, “Nay. I know what I am, and I know what ye are. I know what would be between us, and I know that it would be a joy. But when it’s over I know that it will hurt. I don’t wish to fall into that trap.”
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, “I set no trap.”
“Aye, mayhap not purposely….” she stopped when she saw a slowly moving wagon in the distance. “Those aren’t my people. Riordan McKirnan would be riding most fiercely with his sword drawn. Whoever that is has the luxury of time.”
Kevin squinted, “Aye, ye’re right lass. Tis our guests.”
Shyla nodded, “So I thought”.
He smiled apologetically before turning to leave
~*~*~*~*~*~
Kevin, Jerald, and Tim stood in the courtyard with their mother as the covered wagon that carried the Fitzhamons pulled in. Kevin rolled his eyes as the wagon came to a stop and the driver hopped down quickly to help the ladies from the back. They saw one, then two black stocking-clad legs come out, and a rather dainty foot landed softly onto the dirt, then the bottom of a deep green dress touched the ground. Ginny Fitzhamon scowled at the driver, her deep brown eyes narrowed to thin slits. Her curly grey hair was piled onto the top of her head and a few frizzy strands were sticking out at her temples. Her wide hips and large breasts made her appear bigger than she was, and the puffy material of the dress didn‘t help one bit. She moved aside to allow her husband room to step down from the back of the cart. Duggan Fitzhamon was a rather large man with a belly that overlapped his belt, and wide stocky legs that bowed out and away from each other. His green and black jacket pulled tightly across his midsection and his feet seemed to be swelling out of his olive green slippers. He shooed the driver away and reached up to help his daughter.
Gwendolyn Fitzhamon reached out with one thick, long-fingered hand to take her father’s and eased carefully down from the wagon. She walked around to the front and smiled at the Richardsons, a show of large, well-arranged, but extremely discolored teeth.
“Lord Richardson! How wonderful to see ye. I hope that we aren’t causing too much of a problem for ye with our wee visit,” Duggan smiled, walking, or rather waddling, over to the men.
“Not at all, Lord Fitzhamon,” Jerald forced a smile.
“May I present the Lady of Gringworthlow, Ginny, and my lovely daughter, Gwendolyn.”
Gwendolyn stepped forward then and lifted her hand for Kevin to kiss. As he lifted it to his lips all he could see was the dirt under her nails.
“Charmed,” he said through teeth gritted with disgust and anger.
“Perhaps a bath then,” Ann said before she could stop herself.
“What?” Ginny asked.
“Perhaps we should go inside then,” she recovered.
“Aye,” Duggan nodded. “We have much to talk about.”
Jerald and Duggan walked ahead with Ginny and Ann behind them. Kevin and Gwendolyn were just ahead of Tim, and Kevin took the time to examine her more closely.
She had long, but incredibly thin brown hair, with a few grey strands already mixed in. Her eyes were a dark brown, almost black, and her skin was very dry. Where it was free of blemishes it was peeling horribly. Luckily it was mostly covered in bumps of all sizes. She had a long neck, and broad shoulders. Her corset was pulled tightly so that the skin where her breasts would have been was pushed together in a way that Kevin concluded must have been very painful. She was tall for a woman, nearly as tall as he was, and she had a wild smell to her. It wasn’t overbearing, but once he caught a whiff of it, it seemed to be stuck in his nostrils. Why she had chosen to wear green, he would never know. ‘Now I know why Katherine and Ainslee spend so much time looking for dresses that are flattering next to their skin.’
“We shall be having supper shortly,” Ann announced. “If ye’d like to take a wee bit of time to freshen up from your journey, I can show ye to your chambers.”
Both Ginny and Gwendolyn accepted her offer, and Duggan followed his wife.
After they were out of ear shot, Kevin turned angrily to Jerald, “Lovely! Ye said she was a lovely lass. That creature is a far from it.
Jerald could barely hold in his laughter, “Are ye calling me a liar, lad?”
Tim burst into laughter, “If they wanted ye to know what she looked like, all they needed to do was send her father and a horse. She’s got her father’s build and the horse’s teeth!”
Jerald and Tim were practically falling on each other they were laughing so hard. Kevin, however, could find the humor in none of it. “Why is it that the women who were promised to ye were such beautiful creatures, and I’m stuck entertaining Beowulf’s Grendel?”
This only caused them to laugh harder. “Grendel? Kevin that’s brilliant. I couldnae have come up with a better description myself,” Jerald chuckled.
“Weel, ye’d best keep that kind of talk to yourself,” Ann snapped from the bottom of the stairs.
“Mother,” they all said in unison, Tim and Jerald struggling to stand up.
“Aye, that I am, lads. Ye make jest of our honored guest.”
Kevin scoffed, “Guest, perhaps. Honored, definitely not.”
Ann rolled her eyes. “Go now, we’ll be having dinner soon.”
