Page 12 of Rebellion's Fire

For some reason, she wanted to laugh. It caught in her throat, fighting its way up until she swallowed it back with a sound halfway between a gasp and a gurgle.

Adam MacHeth strode to his horse, issuing rapid orders Christian couldn’t quite grasp. At one point, he called someone’s name. Eua. The woman from the house went to him. Christian couldn’t be sure of her status. She was neatly dressed, her hair covered with a simple veil. She was still young and comely. The braids peeking from under her veil were pale yellow. She didn’t look like a servant, but neither did she appear noble.

But then, neither did Adam MacHeth, and his grandfather had been the Earl of Ross. His great-great-grandfather had been King of Scots. The woman glanced at Christian, frowned, appeared to argue, and then, sighing, she nodded.

The men rode off without a backward glance. Baffled, Christian wondered how Adam meant to make the exchange. Finding his wife here would hardly compel William to release his captive. He was more likely to kill him or at least retain him for the extraction of further advantage.

The woman, Eua, walked slowly toward Christian. Her eyes were cold, and she didn’t look friendly. Christian didn’t blame her.

We’ll give them Tirebeck, Adam had said. Against all the odds, perhaps because he knew now she was Rhuadri’s daughter, he was letting her and William stay here. Providing, presumably, Donald was released. And yet he’d gone without waiting for his brother. She couldn’t believe he’d trust a stranger to that degree… But in the meantime, she had to gather the shreds of her dignity and deal, first of all, with the hostile Eua.

“You live here,” Christian observed in Gaelic. The first words she’d spoken in the old tongue felt difficult on her lips.

Eua’s eyes widened slightly. “I did. Now, apparently, you do.”

Christian nodded. It was the way of the world. If Adam MacHeth hadn’t put her here, William would.

Eua said, “He told me you lived here before. In Rhuadri’s time.”

Christian took a step closer to her. “You remember my father?”

“No. We lived farther west then. My husband, Loegaire, and I are stewards here.”

“For Adam MacHeth?”

She shrugged. “For his father, the earl.”

His father wasn’t the earl, but Christian let that pass. “Men make plans without considering the domestic practicalities,” she observed. “What will you do?”

Eua shrugged. “Go back to the Lady of Ross. She won’t let us starve.”

The Lady of Ross. Adam’s mother, surely. Malcolm MacHeth’s wife, who hadn’t seen her husband, to Christian’s knowledge, for more than twenty years.

Christian considered the other woman. She didn’t know anything about her except that she was loyal to Christian’s enemies. But this whole country was loyal to her enemies, and she had to start somewhere. Besides, she rather liked Eua’s honesty, hostile as it was.

“The King of Scots gave this land to my husband,” Christian observed. “Whatever right you think he has to do so, it’s done.”

Eua’s eyes flashed. “I heard what Adam said.”

“I have brought a few attendants,” Christian observed, “none of whom have experience running a household. My husband brought soldiers, not farmers. As far as I’m concerned, you’re free to go where you like, but if you wish to stay, you could run things for me. Much as before, except the lady will not be absent.”

Eua stared at her, her mouth slack with astonishment. “You have a right,” she acknowledged at last. “But does your husband agree to this plan?”

It didn’t matter. Christian would find a way to make him. “I can’t see why he wouldn’t. Uninterrupted stewardship has to be an advantage.”

Eua lifted her chin. “We may not like to work for you.”

“We may not like you either,” Christian agreed. “We can call it a trial. For a month, if you wish.”

“We’ll never renounce the Earl of Ross or his sons.”

“I know.” Never was a long time.

Eua stared at Christian a moment longer, then nodded once. “Very well. I’ll speak to my husband. And then, when he comes, you had better speak to yours.” She glanced at the sky. “It’s going to rain. Come inside and see what the King of Scots gave you.”

*

In contrast tothe outside, the inside of the hall didn’t flood Christian with familiarity. It was a gracious enough hall, but not old or rich with memories.

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