Pride of the Clan by Anna Markland

Author:Anna Markland
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: BleuBelle Press
Published: 2015-04-05T04:00:00+00:00

BACK AT BLAIR

Billeted at Blair Castle, Rheade visited the turret room only once. He looked longingly at the small bed where he and Margaret had cuddled, praying she was safe.

He climbed into the hayloft, immensely relieved to locate Stewart’s sword exactly where he’d hidden it.

Some of the local peasants who’d worked at the castle gradually returned, apparently no longer in fear of their lives. Who would blame peasants for the actions of noblemen? And a castle ran better with servants. They removed the stinking bodies from the entryway and cleansed away the blood and gore, along with a maggoty pile of horse shit he suspected Bàn was responsible for. Fresh rushes were strewn and the stench was slowly disappearing. He couldn’t smell the aroma of hop Margaret had detected, but the servants had definitely added something to sweeten the rushes.

The ostler who’d returned to look after the horses was ancient and it was doubtful the man would attempt the rickety ladder up to the hayloft.

Rheade liked Blair, mayhap because it was where he’d asked for Margaret’s hand. It was a bonny castle, despite the Stewart ghosts.

He hadn’t witnessed the gruesome executions in Edinburgh, but strangely he’d known the moment Robert Stewart’s life had ended. He’d been forced to sit, shaken with overwhelming relief. He hadn’t cared a wit about the Earl, but Robert’s anguish tormented him because he sensed Margaret was feeling it too.

He strode out to the bailey and looked up at the turret room. The window had been repaired. “No trace of the chamber pot,” he quipped to Logan who came to stand beside him.

They’d been alerted earlier to the approach of their chieftain and the men who’d accompanied him to the executions. The outriders posted on the Edinburgh road had evidently passed on the message the search headquarters had moved to Blair.

He looked out towards the Grampians, and the meadow below them where he’d bested Robert Stewart. He’d feared for his life in those moments. The assassin hadn’t yielded without a fierce fight.

He clenched his jaw as he waited for the brother who’d stolen the glory of his conquest. He wasn’t looking forward to Tannoch’s return, not that he was ever overjoyed at the prospect. Garth had also decided to go to Edinburgh, “for Joan’s sake”, whatever that meant. Surely the Queen hadn’t witnessed the executions.

In their absence Logan and Rheade had led shorter excursions, but there’d been no sign of Graham. The wretch had disappeared from the face of the earth. It was possible the rumors he’d fled to France were true. It was well known he’d attended the University of Paris when it was the fashion for young Scottish noblemen, before the never-ending war between France and England.

Rheade dreaded being forced to listen to Tannoch’s account of the executions.

He caught sight of Garth first, and didn’t recognise the man riding at his side. “What in the name of—” he gasped to Logan, whose mouth had fallen open.

Tannoch had evidently shaved every hair from his head.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.