Chapter Twenty-Four

Rowenna hurried through the kitchen, grabbing some chicken, apples and cheese when the cook was not looking. Her wretched brother did not deserve her compassion, so the food was not kindness but a bribe. She needed Bran to tell her about Cecily because she was sure he knew something about her disappearance.

‘Rowenna, are you with child?’

Rowenna looked up to see Maeve standing before her, with arms crossed, watching. ‘Are you eating for two? Is that why you have to steal food from your own kitchen?’

‘Nothing of the sort. The weather is chilly and fires my appetite.’

Maeve looked at Rowenna’s belly as if to test her theory. ‘Well, if you are with child, then you’d best not hide it from my brother.’ She sauntered over, looking uncommonly well, with a rose to her cheeks, eyes bright and lively. ‘I am surprised to find you here,’ she continued. ‘I thought you ran away.’

Rowenna said nothing, hoping she would let her be.

‘Why did you come back?’ said Maeve.

‘Because I had no choice and nowhere to run.’

Maeve grabbed her arm. ‘Then you will understand, more than any of them, because you don’t want my brother any more than I want Carstairs.’

‘Maeve, it is not as simple as that.’

‘It is for me. I am to be married off so that I do not vex Jasper or my mother any more. Everyone says it is a good match, but I cannot bear it.’

‘This is none of my business. You should talk to Jasper.’ Rowenna tried to free her arm, but Maeve’s grip was surprisingly tight.

‘How do you endure lying with a man you do not want? I am dreading it, you see, for Carstairs is loutish. He disgusts me.’

‘If he cares for you, then I am sure you can find happiness. And the act itself is not so bad. It can be nice.’

‘I know that,’ she snapped. ‘But I do not desire Alec in any way and that is what I cannot stand. Rowenna, last time Carstairs came, when we were alone for a moment, he put his hand down my bodice and pinched my breast and laughed.’

‘That is wrong, and you should tell your mother about his lechery.’

‘My mother! She does not care. She and my father despised each other, and that is all she knows of marriage. There was not one jot of affection in their union.’ Maeve’s fingernails dug into Rowenna’s arm. ‘Can you keep a secret? You look like the type who can.’

Rowenna was not sure if that was a compliment or not. ‘I do not want your secrets, Maeve,’ she said, pulling free, for she had enough secrets of her own to contend with.

Maeve was not deterred. ‘There was a groom at my aunt’s. He was so handsome and kind. He was soft on me, and I liked him, so I let him take liberties.’

‘But surely, you knew there could be no future in it,’ said Rowenna.

‘Of course. I’m not that much of a fool. He was just a diversion. He is poor as dirt, and the dullard cannot even read. Mother found out and had the skin whipped off his back.’

Rowenna could not think of what to say in the face of such selfish disregard for the welfare of others.

‘So you see, Rowenna, now that I know what it is to burn under a man’s touch, the thought of lying with Alec disgusts me.’

‘You must put it behind you.’

‘I cannot, for I fear Alec will find out.’

‘I am sure your mother can keep her counsel on your indiscretion.’

‘No. What I mean is, on our wedding night, when we consummate the marriage. He won’t know that I have let another man…you know?’

‘Oh, God. Did you lie with this man fully, Maeve?’

‘No, of course not,’ she said lightly. ‘But I think I might not be a virgin any longer because of what he did with his hands.’

Rowenna had no intention of asking exactly what the lad had done with his hands. ‘I am sure you are still a virgin, Maeve. If you were not, believe me, you would know it. That is all I can tell you.’

Maeve let go of her arm. ‘Thank you, Rowenna. It is bad enough marrying someone you don’t want, let alone him finding out that you are not chaste.’

‘I am sure that Carstairs would forgive you if he truly loves you.’

‘Don’t be too sure about that. No man can forgive a wound to his pride and his manhood. I may be a virgin, but even I know that much, and so should you, Rowenna.’

Maeve hurried away, and Rowenna was left with the awful feeling that the ground was shifting beneath her feet. She had wounded Jasper’s pride by lying with him to get Bran out of his imprisonment. What if he still secretly resented her treachery? And what if Jasper did not believe her when she said she had enjoyed his bed all those times they had lain together? It did not matter that they had shared their bodies and secrets just a few hours since. She was still at odds with her husband.

And she had not told him everything, especially that Sir Henry had manhandled her. God forbid Jasper should rush off in a fit of rage to protect her honour and kill the Warden.

And worst of all, Jasper had said he would not lie with her again unless she begged him to? Did he mean it? Rowenna nursed a vague feeling of rejection, for she craved his touch and ached to have him again. It was all too vexing, and now she had to face her loathsome brother.

***

Jasper strode into Kransmuir in a state of unease. He had his wife back, but whether she would stay was another matter. Did he blurt out words of love because he meant them or because they were a means of getting his own way? He preferred the latter, but he did not know his heart anymore. Anything else was weakness, and as if to confirm it, Criedne appeared.

‘Back, are you? Did you drag the lass back as well?’

‘What business is it of yours?’

She shuffled closer. ‘There is a change in you, a softening since last we spoke.’

‘No, as it happens, I have hardened considerably since last we spoke, old woman,’ he said, with a smirk, thinking of Rowenna’s delicious body squeezing around his cock. But his jest was lost on Criedne, who had no discernible sense of humour. ‘And Criedne, we do not speak. You spout utter nonsense, and I try to ignore it.’

‘Love denied, I said. And?’

‘And nothing.’

She placed a wizened hand on his breast. ‘Your pox-ridden heart bleeds love like a black river, Jasper Glendenning.’

‘Love is not something I want nor seek. Step aside.’

‘Ignore me, and you will lose your prize.’ The old woman slithered back. ‘You have a visitor in the hall.’

‘Who?’

‘A maggot of a man, all pale and puffed up, and he smells of devilry to me.’

Jasper ignored her and hurried onwards.

‘He’s a hound who will lead you to your doom. I have seen it, clear as day,’ she muttered at his back.

Jasper entered the hall to find Alec Carstairs standing, buttocks to the fire, warming himself. Why did his heart always sink when he encountered the man? Alec was rich, of an age with Jasper, and from a good family. Their fathers had been friends for years and allies in times of need. As boys, they had grown together, though Jasper recalled that in a tussle, he could always knock Alec onto his arse easily enough. Perhaps the fellow still resented that?

They should have much in common, but though Alec was a handsome enough fellow with thick brown hair and a winning smile, he was a little on the flabby side, ruddy-cheeked. And there was something sloppy about the man. He had slack, full lips, and his hands were white and plump, like risen dough, the nails overly long. He spent most of his time on his ample backside, and his main virtue seemed to be his ardour for Maeve and willingness to take her on as a wife, even though she was fey and empty-headed, and if his mother was to be believed, rather free with her favours.

‘Ah, there you are, Glendenning. I heard you had to retrieve a runaway wife?’ Alec guffawed loudly.

Ah, there was another thing to add to his faults – a big mouth and lack of discretion.

‘On the contrary. She can’t get enough of me,’ Jasper replied smoothly, glowering at Alec.

‘As I cannot get enough of your comely sister, Jasper,’ said the man, swallowing hard. ‘And on that note, I am here to hasten our marriage so that I might be as blessed in matrimony as yourself.’

‘Why the haste? Maeve is young and needs to reconcile herself to the match.’

‘Reconcile? Is she not terribly fond of me?’

‘Of course, she is, but you know how it is with young lasses - always contrary.’

‘Aye, they keep a man hanging to inflame his ardour, the little witches?’

Jasper reined in his temper and tried not to think of how Rowenna had inflamed his ardour to make him her puppet.

‘Are you going to get to the point soon, Alec?’ he said.

‘I propose a grand wedding, a week hence, at Annancross. My mother is keen to put on a show of us joining our blood with the mighty Clan Glendenning and chews at me tirelessly to get this thing done. Maeve can get married in all pomp, and you and your family will be our honoured guests.’

‘Maeve will be married from Kransmuir, as is custom,’ said Jasper.

A pained expression crossed Alec’s face. ‘Aye, but I thought it might be best, what with the troubles of late – the raids and burnings on your land, and the Warden breathing down your neck, if I have it right. It might be prudent not to invite lairds of other clans here. Would that not seem like plotting or even sedition? We are clear of this fight, us Carstairs, and surely, getting Maeve safely out of it would be a good idea. You would have one less soul to protect and more privacy for you and your bonnie, new bride, eh.’

‘I wonder that you are so eager to marry my sister, given that our clan is in dire straits?’

‘I meant no offence. And I am eager because I am in love with her, you know that. I want us to start our lives together. Maeve will grace my hall with her beauty and gentleness. She will elevate my soul and give it succour. And she will give me strong sons to seal our alliance in blood.’

Jasper would never have uttered such flowery words about any woman, even Rowenna, but the man was right. Maeve would be out of harm’s way. Her worst impulses would be checked by a respectable marriage. Well, that was how his mother had put it. And the Warden’s spies would undoubtedly be in uproar if they thought he was plotting with other lairds.

‘I would meet her, your lovely bride. She is reputed to be a great beauty,’ said Carstairs.

‘She is attending to her duties around Kransmuir at present.’

‘One would think she really has run away,’ said the man, smirking.

‘Then I will endeavour to find her, to put your concerns to bed.’

‘Excellent,’ declared Carstairs

***

Bran wolfed down some cheese and then held his hand out for more. It was the story of his life – taking, always taking.

‘I have no more for you until you trade,’ said Rowenna.

‘Trade what?’

‘The truth, Bran.’

‘What are you babbling about, sister? The truth is this. You should have used your wiles on that man of yours to get me out of here. Are you not keeping him happy? Have you failed me, your own flesh and blood?’

‘I have done my best to free you, but a recent visit to our father has shown me that your imprisonment is well deserved. I chanced upon him entertaining Sir Henry Harclaw at Fallstairs. Now, why on earth would he do that?’

Bran glowered. ‘That is father’s business, not mine, and certainly not a woman’s. Are you getting a bit above yourself now that you are spreading your legs for a laird?’

‘Tell me the truth, Bran, or I will leave you in the dark to rot.’

‘What has that old fool said now? He is losing his wits. You should pay him no heed.’

‘He said you were stealing and slaughtering Jasper’s cattle with the Warden’s son, Edmund.’

‘So what if I was? A man has to shift for himself, and I was offered a pretty penny. Cleared my debts.’

‘And then spawned new ones when you had drunk yourself into a stupor with the Warden’s money. And his son has disappeared. He searches everywhere and threatens to take lives for each day his son is missing. And he went missing the same day as Cecily. I cannot think that is a coincidence, Bran.’

Bran flinched at the mention of Cecily.

‘Please tell me what you know. Our sister could be in danger.’ Rowenna held out a chicken leg and another hunk of cheese. Bran’s eyes lit up, and he reached out to grab it, but she backed up.

He sighed heavily. ‘Alright, but none of this is my fault. The thing is, I might have bragged to Edmund Harclaw about Cecily.’

‘What did you say to him?’

‘That Cecily was the most beautiful lass in all the West March, that sort of thing. He might have sought her out for a look.’

‘For a look! You put a stranger on her scent, like a hound after game. How could you put her in danger like that?’

‘Do not fash. If Cecily has run off with Edmund, at least he is rich.’ Bran shrugged as though it were nothing to serve his sister up to a wicked young man, who, in all likelihood, had carried her off or worse.

‘Edmund Harclaw has not been heard of for weeks,’ said Rowenna. ‘And do you think a warden’s son would offer marriage to Cecily? Why would he do that? If she was meeting him, then all sorts of harm could have befallen her. A Marches lass is nothing to these people. She could be imprisoned, raped, or lying dead in a ditch somewhere, you fool.’

‘Do not name me a fool. You understand nothing, Rowenna.’

‘I understand this. You brought Jasper’s wrath down on us for a few measly coins. You are in the service of an Englishman who seeks to destroy us, and you have thrown our sister at a man you know nothing of.’

‘Why would you want Cecily back? Did she not always eclipse you in beauty and prospects? You should not seek her, for she might tempt Jasper more than you, and he will throw you over.’

‘You can be as spiteful as you like, but it won’t free you from this dungeon. If anything has happened to Cecily, it is on your head.’

‘I did not mean for Cecily to be harmed. Please, Rowenna. I swear.’ His voice was a whine of self-pity. ‘Please forgive me.’

‘How could you bring all this trouble down on us, Bran? The wrath of the Warden will fall on all of us if he cannot find his son.’

‘It will fall on us even if he does find Edmund. It is not Sir Henry who wants to destroy Jasper. ‘Tis that other one.’

‘What other one? Who are you talking about?’

He shook his head and backed away from the bars. ‘I’ll not say it aloud unless you let me out, for ‘tis more than my life is worth.’

‘God, you are useless.’

‘And you are a bitter lass, Rowenna. Do you know why I did not brag about you? Because you are a harpy, with nothing to recommend you, always gainsaying me and our father. Soon, you will lose your bloom. I hope Glendenning pounds it out of you until you have no value except for birthing.’

‘Rot in hell, Bran.’

Rowenna walked away, anger clawing at her throat.

‘Come back, you bitch. Let me out,’ cried Bran, but she ignored him

She reached the kitchen, wiping away tears, shaking with anger, where she encountered Jasper. He pulled her into a store room, out of earshot of the cook.

‘What is it, lass? You look grave. Did you find out anything from your brother?’

‘Aye, and none of it was good,’ said Rowenna. She could not tell him how skillfully Bran had sliced at her pride. ‘Bran boasted to Edmund Harclaw about Cecily’s beauty. So I think he may have sought her out, and Cecily might have run away with him - the Warden’s son, Jasper. You know how that might end.’

‘Aye, in her ruin and degradation.’

‘A lord’s son would not care about a lass with nothing to her name and no powerful friends to protect her.’

‘But if Cecily was in his power, and he used and discarded her, then what has become of Edmund?’

‘What if they truly fell in love and ran away together?’ said Rowenna.

Jasper frowned. ‘After what we have inflicted on each other, do you think that is possible for anyone?’

His bitter words cut her to the quick, coming so soon after Bran’s. Jasper would discard her, just as Cecily had been discarded. Men did that after they took your innocence or put a bairn in you. Why had she ever been so na?ve as to think otherwise? Suddenly, she was unsure of Jasper again. He had listened to all the details of Bran’s and her father’s treachery without anger and insisted she return with him to Kransmuir. They had shared a bed without touching each other, just talking in the darkness. Was she mistaking lust for affection? Was she just seeing what she wanted to see? Why did he not kiss her now when she wanted him to?

‘I must go, Jasper,’ she said.

‘No. Stay here with me. I am avoiding Alec Carstairs who has come to pay court to my sister.’

‘I am sure Maeve will avoid him too, for she does not like him.’

‘He’ll do well enough as a husband.’

‘As I do well enough as a wife?’

‘That is not what I meant.’

‘Of course not. I am sure you have much to do, Jasper, so I will leave you in peace.’

He grabbed her arm. ‘Not so fast.’ His mouth claimed hers in a brief kiss, hesitant, gentle, totally unlike Jasper. ‘I would know that you are well, lass and that you are not miserable at being back here with me.’

‘It was my choice. But I must get on. Folk will think we are doing something we should not.’

He smiled, melting her heart a little. ‘And what might that be, lass?’ His hand slid around the back of her neck and up into her hair.

Rowenna’s cheeks took flame at how Jasper was looking at her, but instead of swooning into his arms like a weakling, she wriggled free of him and left him standing there with an injured look on his face. She hurried into the yard and came upon Jasper’s mother, talking to a heavy-set man with a laugh that carried over the sound of the wind howling around the walls.

The man noticed her and shouted, ‘Now, who is this comely lass?’

‘That is Jasper’s wife,’ said Joan icily. It did not escape her notice that Joan did not use her name. To her, she was a wife, servant, bearer of children, not a real person.

The man strode over. His brown eyes were warm and round, and he was handsome, in a groomed kind of way. But something about the man set her teeth on edge.

‘I am Alec Carstairs, soon to claim Maeve as my wife,’ he said.

‘Claim? You make her sound like a piece of land,’ said Rowenna.

‘Hold your tongue, chit,’ said Joan.

Alec laughed, and his smile did not falter. ‘Well, what a beauty you are.’ He picked up a strand of her hair. ‘Remarkable. So fine. No wonder Jasper set off in pursuit, eh?’ he said over his shoulder to Joan.

‘The lass needs a firm hand and a lesson in discipline for wandering without her husband’s leave. Go inside,’ she spat at Rowenna.

Rowenna stood her ground to confound Joan and smiled sweetly at Alec Carstairs.

He laughed again. ‘Let the young lass have her head, I say. That is what I will do when Maeve and I are joined. I will not be a tyrant of a husband. What do you say to that, Rowenna?’

‘I am sure Maeve will appreciate your kindness. Like every young lass, she hopes for a gentle husband who will protect and cherish her.’

Joan snorted. ‘Do not suppose you know what my daughter wants.’ She came to stand beside them. ‘Rowenna was brought up roughly and has none of the manners and grace of my daughters, as you can see. It is nothing a good whipping won’t cure.’

‘Ah, but she makes up for it with that fire in her belly, and I am sure Jasper has many ways to keep her obedient,’ said Carstairs, taking Rowenna’s hand in both of his. His gaze roamed over Rowenna, making her flesh creep, and she stepped back to free herself of his small, plump hands. Had those same hands been thrust down Maeve’s bodice, pinching her tender parts?

‘If you have finished flirting with my wife, you should take your leave, Alec. There is a storm brewing.’

Jasper stood at the door, leaning casually on the wall. But inside, he would be raging at another man’s hands being on her. She dearly hoped he would not blame her for Alec Carstairs’ over-familiarity.

Alec glanced up at the grey clouds looming overhead. ‘Aye, I’d best go, or else I will get a drenching.’ He nodded a farewell, mounted his horse and smiled back at her. ‘It truly was a pleasure to meet you, Rowenna. And you are a lucky man, Jasper, to have caught such a beauty.’

‘Well, I didn’t give her much choice in the matter.’

Alec laughed again and hurried away, and Joan strode inside with a sour look at the two of them.

Rowenna watched until Carstairs and his men had ridden out of the gates. Jasper came to stand beside her, waves of jealousy radiating off him. She wanted to take his hand and rub her thumb over the rough palm. She wanted to have his arms around her, holding her close. But he was remote again, so she could not touch him.

‘You should not marry Maeve to that man,’ said Rowenna. ‘He will not make her happy.’

‘Why not? You seemed to enjoy him fondling you.’

‘I did not enjoy anything about him, so stay your jealousy. I feel that Alec Carstairs says one thing and does another.’

‘You just met him. How could you possibly know that?’

‘Because he reminds me of my brother, Bran. He presents one face to the world and another behind closed doors. If he says he will not be a tyrant, he will. If he says he will make Maeve happy, he won’t.’

‘You sound like Criedne, with all her doom-laded foretelling.’

‘Good, for folk say that she speaks a lot of sense if only you would listen. And so do I, Jasper. You are selling your sister into purgatory, forcing her to wed a man she does not want.’

‘Like you were, you mean?’

‘Aye, but if it was purgatory to begin with, it doesn’t have to be now. Yet you continue to treat me like an object you own, with no mind of my own and no desires beyond giving you what you want. Until that changes, I will be unhappy, and you will be an unloved fool.’

Jasper’s anguished look as she left him standing made her heart clench.