"Grandsire did not wish to begin a feud with Lord Hay," Maggie said, "but if it had been up to me, I would have hanged him too! I doubt Lord Hay will be pleased to see his brother back."

"From the first time he came to Brae Aisir, the Hay l.u.s.ted after ye, my lady. He'll not cease wanting to have ye, or wanting Brae Aisir's riches until he's dead. Mark my words, my lady. The Hay will cause us trouble once again. Ye'll eventually have no choice but to kill him."

Maggie had an uncomfortable feeling the cook was right. As long as Ewan Hay lived, he would seek to take what wasn't his. "Have the men put everything out on the trestles when they're finally set up outside of the keep. And tomorrow fetch back the la.s.ses who were yer helpers from the village," Maggie told her.

"I will, my lady, and be glad to see them. Lads in a kitchen are not to be borne," the cook declared, "and they've been little help to me."

"Don't forget to come up from yer kitchens and join the rest of the clan folk when all is set out," Maggie reminded her.

The cook bobbed a curtsy. "I will, my lady."

Chapter 18.

The trestles from the hall and their benches had been brought out and set up on a level piece of land on the far side of the drawbridge. The food was brought forth, and the clan folk from the village came to celebrate the Midsummer holiday, and especially the departure of the Hay and his men. Throughout the late afternoon, men, women, and children had gathered wood for the great fire that would finally be lit at the moment of the sunset. Both men and women brought good-size pieces of wood, and the pyre grew and grew. The little ones found sticks and bits that they added, dashing up to the great pile to fling them on it with shouts of glee.

To the west, the skies finally began to glow with the coming sunset. A wash of orange was streaked with crimson and edged in gold. Small dark purple and pale pink clouds seemed almost stationary in the pale blue sky, its edges trimmed in palest green. The sun sank lower and lower. Torches were lit, and everyone stood poised for the blazing orb to sink behind the now-dark hills. No one spoke. They were surrounded by silence.

Then the old laird of Brae Aisir stepped forward and thrust his torch into the great pile of wood. Maggie and Fin followed. On all sides of the pyre, torches were thrust into the wood. The Midsummer fire caught. It blazed high into the night, and the clan folk cheered. Finally, when the fire was burning well, the laird called for silence, inviting his guests to seat themselves on the benches.

"My grandson will now tell his tale of Solway Moss, and why it took him so long to return to us." Dugald Kerr sat down next to his granddaughter.

Fin stood upon one of the trestles in their midst so he might be seen. His deep, almost musical voice carried to all the tables. He told them of the battle, and how because a spy among the Scots had warned the English, the attack, which should have been successful, turned into a rout. He told them of how many of the king's lords would not fight for James V. Too many of them remembered Flodden when so many of Scotland's first families had lost all of their adult males.

"Many of these lords embrace the new Protestant faith," Fin explained. "They felt the king went into England for the pope's sake, not Scotland's."

There were some small murmurings among the trestles, but Maggie didn't know if they were in ageement with the king or those who espoused the new faith. Times were changing in Scotland, and men preaching the new religion had come through the Aisir nam Breug ready to lead Scotland away from the Catholicism of its ancestors. While there were some things about the church that chafed at Maggie, she wasn't certain she was quite willing to give up one faith for another. G.o.d was G.o.d, and Jesu, Jesu.

Fin continued telling them of the battle. He explained that when he had seen how things were going, and that there was no hope of the Scots' prevailing, he had sent his own men away. "I remained for the sake of my kinsman, King James, may G.o.d a.s.soil his soul. I fought on until I was injured." He explained to all his fascinated listeners that the blow to his head had taken his memory from him, a condition worsened when he was struck a second time after having awakened to find scavengers stealing his boots, among other things.

He told them how he recalled nothing else until he found himself upon a stretcher, and an old woman shrieking for all who could hear that he was her son, Bobby. "Finally the officer in charge had them carry me to her cottage," Fin said. "I suppose they thought I would die, so they let the old woman deal with it if she wanted me."

Lord Stewart continued on with his tale. He told his listeners that while he could dredge up no memory of who he was, or where he had come from, he knew for certain he was not the old woman's son, Bobby. But Old Mother-he never learned her Christian name-nursed him back to health over the next few weeks. The winter had now set in, and because he had no idea of who he was or where he belonged, he remained with her. Then his memory began returning in small bits and pieces. He dreamed of a man named Iver, and then of one called Archie.

"I had no idea who they were," Fin told his wide-eyed audience, "but I realized I must find them. But then Old Mother grew ill. I remained to nurse her, and I buried her when she finally died." At that point, he explained, she realized that he was not her son. Her son had gone off to war almost thirty years prior and died at Flodden among the English dead. More of his memory returned. He knew he owned a house in Edinburgh, and he realized he had to get there if he was to unravel the mystery of who he was.

"It was there I found him standing before the door of his house," Archie broke in.

"Aye, he did," Fin said. "And thanks to being with my old friend and retainer, the rest of my memory was restored over the next few days. When I finally remembered, Archie told me of the troubles here at Brae Aisir with the Hay. We rode for the Borders, arriving in the village a few days ago and driving the Hays from the keep. That is the tale of why it took me so long to return home and why no ransom demand came for me."

"Ye didn't remember me?" Maggie was glaring at her husband, and a ripple of laughter arose from the clan folk around them.

"To my discredit, Maggie mine, I did not," Fin admitted candidly.

She threw her silver goblet at him, but he ducked, avoiding another injury to his head. The clan folk roared with laughter as Fin leaped from the trestle, grabbing his wife, whom he turned over his knee. He smacked her bottom twice, then tipped her back onto her feet and kissed her long and pa.s.sionately.

"Yer a fool, Fingal Stewart!" Maggie shouted at him, breaking away from his embrace and dashing off into the darkness.

He followed after her shouting, "Come back here, ye d.a.m.ned border vixen!"

Dugald Kerr smiled, watching them go. He wondered if they would return to the keep tonight or settle their silly differences in the heather. He drained his own goblet down; then turning to Clennon, Kerr said, "Take me in, man. The night air, for all 'tis summer, is making my old bones ache. I need my hearth."

Fingal Stewart found his wife quickly, for she made no effort to hide as she crashed down the hillside in her temper. Catching up with her, he pulled her into his arms again. "If I promise never to forget ye again, will ye forgive me?" he asked, and he kissed her on the very tip of her nose.

Maggie didn't struggle. Her outrage was gone as common sense had set in. Still, she would not allow him to believe he could wheedle her so easily. His arms felt wonderful about her-making her all warm and safe. "Yer a great fool," she repeated. "How does a man forget a woman he says he loves? Have ye stopped loving me?"

"Nay, I love ye now more than I ever have, for I could have lost ye, Maggie mine. Had my memory not been restored to me, I would not have known where to come home," he told her. He looked down into her face. "I loved ye yesterday. I love ye today. I'll love ye tomorrow and forever," he promised her. "I always knew something was missing," he told her. "There was always something I was struggling to recall."

"No more wars!" Maggie said sternly.

"No more wars," Fin promised her. "James Stewart is dead, and my first loyalty is now to ye, to our bairns, to Brae Aisir. I'll fight only in defense of these lands. The French queen knows little of me. She has a coterie of great lords squabbling to rule for her daughter. Marie de Guise is a strong woman. She'll struggle with every bit of her being to see that the little queen is safe. Remember her powerful kin in France, her brothers, Franois, the duke de Guise, and Charles, the cardinal of Lorraine. And for all the reformers, Scotland is still a Catholic land. Our biggest worry must be the English king, for I heard in Edinburgh that he wants our little queen as a bride to his son and heir, Prince Edward. Many favor such a match."

"I don't want to talk politics tonight," Maggie said boldly.

"Ye don't?" he teased her softly.

"Let's go home, my lord," she invited him.

"Ye wouldn't rather remain outside tonight?" he asked her.

"Nay," Maggie replied. "While this should not be a night for raiders for the moon is dark, and most celebrate this night, I shouldn't like to be caught outside my walls if someone decided to come calling uninvited."

"Yer a practical woman," he chuckled.

"Ye'll like my bed better than a rocky hillside," she promised him, taking his hand to lead him back up the hill. The Midsummer fire still blazed, but the trestles and benches were even now being carried back into the house as they walked slowly together across the drawbridge. The laird was nowhere to be seen.

"Let me make certain he is settled," Maggie said as they climbed the stairs together. "Then I'll come to ye." Giving him a quick kiss, she turned to the door to Dugald Kerr's bedchamber.

But Fingal Stewart reached out to draw his wife back to his side. "Listen," he said softly. "I believe yer grandsire is well settled, Maggie mine."

She listened, and then blushed furiously. From her grandfather's bedchamber came several easily identifiable sounds; the bed ropes creaking rhymically, the happy giggles of a woman, and the satisfied grunts of the man laboring over a woman. "G.o.d's toenail!" Maggie whispered. "He has a woman in there with him." Then she chuckled. "The next time he pretends to be frail to gain his way with me, I shall remember this."

"He's setting us a proper example," Fin murmured in her ear as he drew her into her bedchamber. Shutting the door, he backed her up against it, his big body pressing into hers, his mouth seeking and finding her lips. His hands came up to undo the laces of her shirt, pushing it back over her shoulders. His fingers tore at the fabric of her chemise as he kissed her over and over until his own head was spinning with the sweetness she was returning. His hand clasped about her waist, lifting her up so his mouth might clamp about the nipple of a breast. He groaned as his nose pressed against the silken flesh.

His lips! Holy Mother Mary, she had missed his lips! His mouth was big, but his lips were long and shapely. They knew how to give a woman pleasure so sweet that she would not care if death overtook her at that exact moment as long as his lips remained on hers. She gave herself over to his foraging mouth, kissing him back again and again until she was dizzy with the sweetness herself. When he had lifted her up to take her nipple in his mouth, Maggie gave a distinct cry of pleasure.

"Oh G.o.d," she gasped, "I've missed ye so, Fingal Stewart!"

He suckled on the nipple but a moment before setting her back on her feet. Maggie's legs felt like jelly, but she managed to retain her balance by clutching at him. As if guided by another, she tore at his shirt, ripping it open and licking at his flesh with long strokes of her wet tongue. His fingers found the tie holding her skirt up. He pulled it open so that the skirt fell to the floor. Her fingers found the b.u.t.tons to his breeks, and undid them, pushing them off and over his hips. He ripped the remainder of her chemise away. She reached for his c.o.c.k, finding it engorged and ready for play.

"Here!" he said, his hands beneath her b.u.t.tocks as he lifted her up.

"Now!" she acquiesced, her hands guiding him.

He thrust hard, groaning as the heated silken walls of her sheath swallowed him whole. How long had it been? He struggled to control his unfettered l.u.s.t.

She wrapped herself about him, legs around his torso, arms encircling his neck. "Oh Fingal!" she breathed hotly into his ear as his thick length filled her. She hadn't realized until now how much she had missed this pa.s.sion between them.

He began to move upon her, driving back and forth into her, but despite his great need, he found he wanted more and more of her. Holding her tightly in his arms, he turned and walked across the chamber to lay her upon the bed. Her legs fell away from him as he set her down, but reaching for those legs, he drew them up and over his shoulders. Then standing over her, he began to piston her once more with long deep strokes of his c.o.c.k over and over and over again until they were both almost unconscious. Maggie screamed softly as each delicious thrust brought her closer and closer to perfection. Fin groaned at the incredible sweetness the possession of her body gave him. Finally he could contain himself no longer. His juices burst forth, sending them into a paroxysm of ecstasy that left them totally exhausted as incredible pleasure flowed through them.

Withdrawing from her, Fin fell facedown onto the bed, where he lay for some minutes. Finally turning over, he gathered her into his arms, breathing slowly, his face in her scented hair. He felt her hands caressing him gently. Together they fell into a contented sleep. When they awoke shortly before the early dawn, they were still where they had fallen earlier, and chilled by the night air. They crawled beneath the coverlet, Fin drawing Maggie against him, his hand clasping one of her plump b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her bottom pressed into his groin.

He awoke upon his back with the sun up and shining into the bedchamber to find his wife straddling him, playing with his upstanding c.o.c.k. Maggie smiled wickedly down into his face; then without a word she raised herself up to sheath him. "I have always enjoyed a brisk ride in the early morning," she said mischievously.

He grinned back, reaching up to take her two b.r.e.a.s.t.s into his hands so he might fondle them. "How alike we are, Maggie mine," he said.

"Yer content to be my stallion?" she asked, jogging just slightly.

"I expect to see ye ride me at a full gallop, madam," he told her.

"Gladly, my lord," Maggie said.

Then she rode him hard until he rewarded her with his tribute, but not before turning her over onto her back, reversing their positions, and galloping her all the way home. They fell away from each other, gasping, and laughing.

"Oh, Maggie mine, how I love ye, la.s.s!" he told her.

"And I love ye also, Fingal Stewart." Then she grew serious. "Ye'll keep yer promise to me? No more wars?"

"No more wars, love. I will only take up my sword in defense of Brae Aisir and what is our own," he promised her. Then he sealed his promise with a deep kiss.

Maggie could have let him go on kissing her, but she didn't. "We have to get up," she said to him. "There is much for us to do today. I want to send a message to Netherdale that we are coming to fetch the bairns."

"Aye, we'll go tomorrow," he agreed as he climbed from their bed. "I'm a selfish man, and I want one more day with just ye alone, wife."

"Now that ye have yer memory back," she teased him.

"Will ye never let me forget my sins, madam?" he asked, smiling.

"Nay, never!" she told him, and then Maggie laughed aloud.

Two perfect summer days in a row were a gift. Fingal Stewart and Maggie rode out after their morning meal with a party of their men-at-arms to explore their lands, making certain that the Hay was gone from them and that all was as it should be. They were relieved to find no trace of Ewan Hay, but disturbed to discover that a flock of sheep in the summer meadows had disappeared. At first there was no sign of the shepherds or the dogs, but then they found them in a wooded copse. Men and dogs had been slain.

The clansmen gathered up their kinsmen, returning to the village so the shepherds might be buried properly and mourned. The canines were buried where they had fallen.

Maggie shook her head. "I did not think raiders would strike on Midsummer, and without a bright border moon."

"They were probably killed at dawn or close to it," Fin said. "Neither dogs nor men were quite cold yet."

"Our location has usually kept us safe," Maggie said sadly.

"We need to get our bairns home," Fingal Stewart said.

"I dispatched the messenger," Maggie told her husband. "We go tomorrow."

They departed before the sun was even up the next day, but the coming day was already bright. They had not yet reached the border when they saw Rafe Kerr riding towards them with a man-at-arms. Each man carried a boy before him on his saddle. The two lads waved and called out to their parents.

"Rafe!" Maggie waved a welcome. "Ah, how good ye are, Cousin. Ye didn't have to bring the boys. We were happy to come and fetch them."

" 'Twas better I brought them, and quickly," Rafe Kerr told her. "Da was of a mind not to let them go. Aldis took him off to calm him. He grows stranger as each day pa.s.ses, Maggie. This obsession to control the whole of the Aisir nam Breug is a sickness with him, and it grows stronger. I'll do my best to keep him under control, but beware." He held out his hand to Fin. "I'm glad to see ye returned safely."

"He lost his memory for a time," Maggie told her cousin. "Imagine forgetting me! I am not certain I can forgive such an oversight."

Rafe Kerr laughed. "Aye, Cousin, I can't imagine such a thing." He winked at Fingal Stewart. "I hope ye've chastised him properly for it." He lifted David Stewart from the front of his saddle and handed him to his father as the man-at-arms pa.s.sed Andrew to Maggie.

"Ye came home, Da! That poxy Hay said ye were dead, but Mama said nay," Davy Stewart told his father. "Our mama never lies," Davy confided to his companions.

"Did ye kill the Hay?" Andrew asked.

"Nay, lads, we sent him back to his brother," Fin told his boys.

Davy and Andrew looked disappointed.

"Yer da was very brave and captured the keep right out from under the nose of the Hay," Maggie said. "When we get home, I'll tell ye all about it," she promised. She looked to her cousin again. "Thank ye, Rafe."

He nodded.

"We were raided last night in the far summer meadows," Fin told Rafe. "Two shepherds and their dogs were killed, and a flock of sheep stolen. There will be more raids back and forth, I'm certain. Keep a watch."

"The sheep can be replaced," Rafe said, "but the men and dogs can't." He shook his head. "It's going to get bad. The travelers are falling off, which is always a warning sign of trouble. The gossip I'm garnering says that King Henry will have your little Queen Mary for his son, Prince Edward. He'll not take no for an answer either."

"French Mary, I suspect, plans a French marriage for her daughter. The French king's heir is available. She will hold to the auld alliance, Rafe."

"G.o.d help us all here on both sides of the borders," Rafe Kerr said.

They parted, Maggie and Fin taking their sons home again. Their daughter had been brought up from the village by her new wet nurse while they had been gone. Annabelle Stewart was now almost three months old, and Fin was enchanted with this pet.i.te black-haired replica of his wife. The news Rafe had pa.s.sed on to them troubled him. As he held the tiny girl in his arms, he felt more strongly than ever the great responsibility that Brae Aisir was. He couldn't fail his family, his clan folk, or the laird.

The news as the summer progressed grew worse. The peace treaty that had been drawn up between England and Scotland lingered, waiting to be signed. A second treaty that would send little Queen Mary to England as Prince Edward's bride when she was ten, and he fifteen, also waited for signatures. But Henry Tudor's arrogance was badly eroding the pro-English faction in Scotland. Any child produced by a marriage between Mary and Edward would inherit Scotland's throne. The English king was not treating Scotland as an equal, but rather as a va.s.sal state.

Cardinal Beaton, released from confinement, welcomed back from voluntary exile in France the abbot of Paisley, who was the Earl of Arran's b.a.s.t.a.r.d half brother, along with the Earl of Lennox. The pro-French faction grew stronger with the return of these two men. Feeling more secure than she had in months, the Queen Mother removed her infant daughter from Linlithgow to the better-fortified Stirling Castle protected as they traveled by twenty-five hundred hors.e.m.e.n and a thousand men-at-arms on foot.

On the ninth of September 1543, little baby Mary, seated upon her mother's lap, was officially crowned queen of Scotland.

The year came to a close, and the English parliament had not ratified the peace treaty between the two countries. Nor had they confirmed the marriage agreement that would unite the two countries. It was at this point the Scots, directed by Cardinal Beaton and the Queen Mother, suggested that the queen, now a year old, be wed to the twenty-six-year-old Earl of Lennox, who now stood second in line to the throne behind the Earl of Arran.

At Brae Aisir, other than a few more raids that summer that were beaten off, the countryside was quiet as it waited for Henry Tudor to retaliate. The Earl of Arran, the little queen's heir, was not pleased at the thought of the Earl of Lennox marrying her. Nothing, however, came of the suggestion. The Borders lay waiting for what would come next in this drama between their rulers.

The autumn and the winter came. Annabelle Stewart was toddling all over the keep after her brothers. Both Davy and Andrew could now ride by themselves. Fin was surprised to one day come upon his wife teaching their sons the rudimentary uses of a sword. The boys had been outfitted with wooden swords just their size. He watched fascinated as they parried and thrust.

Seeing him watching them Maggie called out, "Ye'll soon have them to teach yerself. I thought it was time they started learning. After all, they don't live in Edinburgh." And she grinned at him.

"Tell me when ye think they're ready for me," Fin said.

"Watch me, Da!" Davy called, waving his wooden sword.