The Thistle and the Rose by May McGoldrick

Author:May McGoldrick [McGoldrick, May]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, General, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781448640331
Google: ndXSQQAACAAJ
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2009-07-08T21:00:00+00:00

In Argyll's Great Hall there was no sign of the previous night's revels. Celia had followed Emmet down the stone stairwell a few moments after Colin and was sitting among the Campbell fighters, finishing the morning meal. A middle-aged cleric, dressed in a brown woolen gown edged in fur, sat at the dais table with Colin, Alec, and Argyll, silently listening to the increasingly hostile discussion and nervously fingering the beads looped through the silk cord at his waste. Argyll must have sent for the Abbot himself, Celia thought. Watching the faces of the men, she could see Colin's cool, fiercely controlled look as he continued to make demands of the earl. Argyll himself was growing more and more agitated, until, abruptly, he stood angrily at his place, looking around at the large number of people watching the leaders attentively.

Leaning over the table, Argyll said something in a low voice and turned on his heel, striding toward the stone stairwell on the opposite side of the hall. The Abbot followed immediately, but Colin spoke into Alec's ear before following. Alec walked directly to Celia and Emmet and leaned down between them.

“We're going up to Argyll's chambers to write up and sign the documents,” Alec said seriously, gesturing toward the doorway through which Argyll had disappeared. “Keep an eye on things, Emmet.”

Alec turned as if giving an order to the `squire' sitting beside Emmet. “You look mighty pretty today, Jack,” he whispered in a voice that was barely audible. “Without all that dirt on your face.”

Celia barely held back the urge to put her hand to her face. She'd forgotten to cover her features with dirt, finishing the disguise. She lowered her gaze, and as Alec walked across the hall, Celia pulled her hat even lower over her eyes.

“Argyll must be a bit miffed by the punitive conditions that Lord Colin wants written into this agreement,” Emmet said in a low voice.

“Punitive?” Celia asked. I can think of some particularly appropriate punishments for the earl of Argyll right about now, she thought. Forcing me to marry him...I'll kill him first.

“Payment that will be exacted if Argyll doesn't live up to his bargain,” Emmet answered.

“What bargain is that, Emmet?” Celia asked, suddenly very curious about this deal between Colin and Argyll.

“About backing the Stewart's crown prince, m'lady. I mean…Jack,” Emmet stumbled.

A sense of relief rushed through Celia's body. She should have figured that by now. After seeing, hearing, experiencing what Colin Campbell was all about, she should have known that Colin didn't need a request from anyone to do what was right for Scotland. Colin, protecting, backing the Stewart prince, she thought happily. But Colin had said that Argyll was not to be trusted. What did he think Argyll's position would be?

“Colin is trying to drum up Argyll's support?” Celia asked. “I thought Argyll was devoted to the Stewart cause. After all, he is related to the Crown.”

“Was...he was related when his poor wife was alive,” Emmet said as his eyes surveyed the room.

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