Page 53 of A Knight To Call My Own
“Leave us,” Lady Fiona ordered.
Lynet stretched and laid a hand on Nessa’s shoulder. “Why do you not go over near those roses, Nessie, and see what help you can give the poor things. They are in much need of your loving care.”
“Aye, Mistress Lynet,” the girl whispered afore quickly gathering her things and heading out of hearing distance.
Lynet stood and turned to face Ian’s mother who had a grim expression on her visage. “What can I do for you, my lady?” Lynet asked quietly whilst wiping her hands on the apron tied at her waist.
“You could leave Urquhart and return from whence you came, but I have no doubt that is not an order you would care to follow,” Fiona huffed with a frown marring her otherwise wrinkle-free complexion.
“The only orders I plan to follow are my husband’s.” The audacity of this woman astounded her. “Do you really believe I would leave Ian to suit your whim, becauseyouinsist that we are not man and wife? I would think the ceremony last eve afore your own priest and the entire clan would have settled such an issue.”
“I am his mother. Ian will listen to me and my council.”
“Aye, you are the woman who gave him life. Give him sound advice, and I believe he would listen to what you have to say…within reason, of course.”
“You do not belong here,” Fiona declared. “There are others here, who would be far better for our clan and to our way of life in the Highlands than a woman who is obviously more English than Scot!”
Lynet eyed the lady and was thankful her upbringing at a border castle had prepared her for this type of confrontation. She considered herself more than capable of handling this woman, much as she had seen her sister do as mistress of Berwyck.
“And yet, here I am, and by Ian’s own words, sworn to him in the eyes of God that we are wed. I have no plans on going anywhere, madam, so you may as well get used to having me around.” Lynet watched as her words sank in with the woman standing afore her. Did it appear some of the fight left her as the reality that she was unable to control the situation finally registered?
“I only wanted what was best for Ian,” Fiona whispered afore she rubbed at her eyes as though to clear her vision.
“What makes you think I will not be good for your son? I have loved him for as long as I have known him, even when he thought of me as only a child. I cannot think of a better reason than such a devotion as love to be good enough for another to hold dear.”
“Love? You are so young,” Fiona surmised, looking Lynet up and down as if assessing her worth. “What do you know of love, or what a mother would do for her child?” Fiona went but a short distance away to sit on a lone stone bench. Since she left enough room for another to sit next to her, Lynet did just that and watched as the woman began wringing her hands in uncertainty. “I suppose, since I caused you such ill will, that you will now have Ian send me away.”
Lynet surprised her when she reached over to take hold of Fiona’s shaking limbs. “I may be young, my lady, but I know what love is. One day I, too, will know a mother’s love and will no doubt protect my bairns just as fiercely as you yourself have done. My children will need their grandmamma near so they can learn from her. I would not think of sending you away, but we must needs find a common accord. Do you not think the love we both bear your son is enough for us to begin again?”
“You willna send me away?”
“Nay, I will not.” Lynet watched the resolve in Fiona’s face and gave Ian’s mother a timid smile that she hesitantly returned.
“Then let us begin, again,” Fiona proclaimed.
For the first time, Lynet saw the woman give her what appeared to be a genuine smile. Perchance, there was hope for them after all. “I would like that, my lady.”
They sat in silence with clasped hands, listening to nature’s song. The chirping birds in the treetops, the rustle of leaves within the branches overhead, the feel of the soft breeze caressing their cheeks as they sat side by side in thought and enjoyed this moment together. But ’twas the sound of a distant thunder that began rolling over the hills that caused both women to look up to the sky in puzzlement. ’Twas unusually sunny, considering Urquhart’s location so far north, and the sky did not appear as though a storm was in the vicinity that they would need to worry about rain.
A warning shout from a guard posted upon the battlements was repeated by another. Lynet and Fiona came simultaneously to the same conclusion.
“Nessie!” they called in unison.
The girl looked up as Lynet grabbed at her skirts and ran in her direction.
“To the keep!” Lynet yelled.
The girl took off like a jackrabbit bouncing away from a hungry fox intent on devouring its next tasty meal. She obviously knew the routine and was used to raiding clansmen intent on stealing whatever was available on MacGillivray land. Lynet could not say the same, since she was as yet unfamiliar with the complete inner workings of this particular keep.
“Go on, now,” Fiona urged, “follow her, and get to your chamber. ’Tis the safest place for you.”
“I have to find Ian,” Lynet protested.
Fiona took hold of her arms. “Ian will know where to go to find you and will expect you to keep yourself safe. The laird’s wife would bring quite a high ransom, and we cannot risk you being captured in the event the gate does not hold. Run!”
Lynet’s eyes widened at the thought of being apprehended, yet again. With a nod of assent, she hitched up her gown and began running towards the keep. She was unprepared when she rounded the corner of the garden wall to meet a shovel that was well aimed at her head. Once again, she fell backwards and watched as the sky swirled around and around ’til her vision turned fuzzy. An unexpected face loomed afore her with an evil leer.
“You are mine now, my lady,” the face afore her jeered in satisfaction.
