Highland Lover: Book 3 Scottish Knights Trilogy (29 page)

“She will indeed, Father,” Alyson said, smiling.

Abandoning what was doubtless undue caution, Jake said, “In troth, Father, she’ll need more than supper. I’m hoping you know a respectable woman who might be willing to stay overnight with her here. The fact is that
things are not as we’d hoped, but I must speak with Bishop Wardlaw before I say more.”

“I understand, sir,” Father Porter said. “I will seek to arrange for a suitable woman before we sup. Now I will take you to the bishop.”

They followed him up the shallow steps to the great hall and across it to the adjoining room in the far corner that Wardlaw, like Traill before him, reserved for private matters.

Thrusting the door open after a single rap and preceding them inside, Father Porter stood back and said, “My lord, here is Sir Jacob Maxwell returned to us.”

“Come in, Jake,” Wardlaw said genially. “I must make you known to the Papal Legate. Father Antonio de la Luna, allow me to present Sir Jacob Maxwell, one of Bishop Traill’s former students and a knight of the Scottish Realm.”

Politely, Jake greeted the legate, a slender, dark-haired man of middle age dressed informally in his black surplice and a white cap. Wardlaw, too, wore his surplice and was, at present, bareheaded. He was the younger and stouter of the two.

“Father Antonio has been kind enough to come all this way to consecrate me as Bishop of St. Andrews and as Prelate,” Wardlaw added.

“I thought ye was already a bishop,” Will said. “Be ye
not
one then?”

Jake put a quelling hand on the boy’s shoulder, but Wardlaw said, “He asks a good question, Jake. I was already Bishop of Glasgow, Will, and the Pope himself named me Bishop of St. Andrews, so I do serve in that position, too. Consecration here in Scotland will emphasize the power
of the position by reminding people that the Bishop of St. Andrews is first bishop of the Scottish Kirk.”

To the legate, he said, “Young Will was my student here this past year, but he has been away. I own, I did not expect you back again so soon, lad.”

Feeling Will tense under the hand still on the boy’s shoulder, Jake said, “We do bring news, sir. First, though, I should present to you both the lady Alyson MacGillivray of Perth. She was a passenger aboard a ship called
Maryenknyght
, as was her husband, Niall Clyne, who served as a secretary to the Earl of Orkney.”

“Mercy,” Wardlaw said, crossing himself. “I will own that, not having expected your return for a sennight or longer, I feared that something had gone amiss. Lady Alyson, you are welcome here at St. Andrews, although I fear that we are an all-male establishment. You and your woman will—”

“Forgive me, my lord,” Jake interjected. “I should explain further, if I may.” He glanced pointedly at Father Antonio.

“Aye, sure, Jake,” Wardlaw said. “Whatever you say, his eminence should hear. We do not keep secrets from Holy Kirk.”

“As you will,” Jake said, but his thoughts tumbled over one another, and instinct warned him to tread lightly. The Holy Kirk being well-known for its own secrets and machinations, he would choose his words with care. “See you,” he said, “I was on the
Sea Wolf
, and as I mentioned when last we spoke, sir, we headed south through waters some distance off the northern English coast…”

He paused long enough for Wardlaw to interject more information if he chose. When the bishop continued to gaze blandly at him, giving only the slightest of nods,
as if acknowledging a previous conversation, Jake went on. “The storms that plagued the whole coastline for a fortnight before then were still fierce when my lads and I came upon a merchantman in difficulty. Pirates patrol that portion of the coast, which is—”

“Pirates!” Father Antonio exclaimed.

“Five ships, your eminence, with cannon,” Jake said. “Two had flanked the
Maryenknyght
, and men boarded her and took captives whilst we watched. I should explain that my ship is a small vessel and my men and I carry only swords and dirks as arms. I doubt that, in their eagerness to assail the
Maryenknyght,
the English ships even saw us. When they left her, she was listing badly. Seeing movement aboard, we went closer, boarded her, and found the lady Alyson and young Will. The
Maryenknyght
sank soon after we rescued them.”

“Were they the only ones you were able to rescue?” the legate asked.

“Aye, sir. These events occurred a mile off a point called Flamborough Head. I talked with a taverner nearby and learned that the pirates sailed for London the next morning with their captives. Forbye, he also told us they threw everyone overboard who would not fetch a great ransom in return for his release.”

Crossing himself again, Wardlaw murmured, “The blessings of God be upon them and remain with them. But how many captives did they take?”

“We
know
of only two, my lord, although the ship’s captain may be a third,” Jake said. “They apparently threw everyone else overboard. The two that we know they kept are the owner of the
Maryenknyght
and a lad traveling in his charge.”

“Prithee, who is this unfortunate owner?” the legate inquired.

“Henry Sinclair, second Earl of Orkney, your eminence.”

“That young man is certainly wealthy enough to arrange for ransom,” Wardlaw said. Then, forestalling further questions, he added, “We must talk more about all of this after supper. They will be serving it shortly.”

The legate said mildly, “Regarding young Lady Alyson, Sir Jacob. You say that she was aboard that ship, but surely she had a duenna to bear her company.”

“Her companion was captured whilst helping Lady Alyson hide from the pirates, your eminence, and fell overboard whilst attempting to cross to one of their ships. In the heaving seas, they were unable or unwilling to rescue her. Lady Alyson’s husband likewise fell captive and would have fetched little ransom, if any. The English pirates are known by repute to men of that area, who told us that any man lacking wherewithal for ransom would not have made it to shore alive.”

“Then you declare that, to the best of your knowledge, this woman is a widow and has been in your sole charge, aboard your ship, for nearly a fortnight. One must understand that her reputation is now at dire risk.”

Relieved though Jake was that the legate had fixed his attention on Alyson’s plight, rather than on demanding to know more about Orkney and his young charge, those last few words put Jake’s internal warning system on full alert.

Chapter 14

A
lyson stood quietly beside Jake while he talked with Bishop Wardlaw and the Papal Legate, who, despite a heavy accent, spoke Scots understandably and seemed to understand Jake and Wardlaw, too. Now, although Jake did not say a word or make any discernible movement, she felt his tension in response to the legate’s words as surely as if she had been touching him.

Bishop Wardlaw must have sensed his reaction, too, because he smiled at the legate and said, “I think you will agree, Father Antonio, that we should discuss her ladyship’s situation later. Forbye, I will order our supper served here. It will be more comfortable for her than our refectory would be.”

“Surely, we should discuss her situation with Sir Jacob first,” the legate said.

Alyson thought he looked at Jake rather sternly as he spoke. She ached to insist that she be party to any discussion that concerned her, but she knew better than to set herself against two such powerful men of the Kirk.

Jake was another matter, however. She hoped she might find a way to speak privately with him. Things were happening too quickly if his eminence expected to
do something about her “situation” as fast as it seemed that he did.

Jake still had his hand on Will’s shoulder. He released the boy and said to Wardlaw, “I think Will might be happier to join the men in the refectory, sir.”

“He would, aye,” Wardlaw said. Picking up a long-handled silver bell from his desk, he rang it, whereupon Father Porter entered, thus informing Alyson that he’d waited outside the door for such a summons.

Wardlaw said to him, “Will can accompany you as far as the lavatory, so he can wash for supper. Then he may join Sir Jacob’s men in the refectory to sup. Meantime, prithee have our meal served here in this chamber. We must also make arrangements for Lady Alyson’s comfort whilst she stays with us.”

“Just so, my lord,” Father Porter said. “I took the liberty of sending for Mistress Fenula Hyde and asked that she be prepared to join you here immediately after supper. I also ordered a cot set up for Mistress Hyde in the guest chamber that we reserve for our noble guests.”

“Good,” Wardlaw said, beaming. “You will like Mistress Hyde, my lady. She is the wife of one of our burghers, a capable woman and kind withal.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Alyson said, wishing she could demand to know what they planned for her. Did they expect her to keep this Mistress Hyde with her aboard the
Sea Wolf
when she returned to Perth, as Jake had thought might be the case? Whatever they decided, they obviously expected to ordain her fate for her, just as Will had feared they might ordain his.

She believed she could hold her own in a discussion about her future. But, since the men outnumbered her
three to one and clearly meant to discuss her fate privately, and since the woman chosen to protect her was one in whom the bishop put his faith and therefore unlikely to support her, the likelihood…

Jake stepped nearer. As he did, his elbow brushed her upper arm just below her shoulder, and it was as if an electric shock went through her. Her disquiet eased, although she could not have said why it had, even to herself. Somehow, that light touch seemed to say that he would protect her or help her protect herself. And she believed in him.

So lost in thought was she that she realized Wardlaw and the legate had been murmuring to each other only when Wardlaw said, “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

Bracing herself, she looked at them.

Wardlaw said with a smile, “His eminence desires to refresh himself before they bring our supper, my lady. If you would like to do likewise…”

“Thank you, my lord; I have no need. Sir Jacob’s
Sea Wolf
boasts excellent amenities.” Unless Wardlaw ordered her from the room, she would resist letting him plan her future alone with Jake. Nor would she voluntarily give the men a chance to decide that they need only fob her off on this Mistress Hyde by suggesting that the woman take her home as her guest for the night.

Wardlaw merely nodded, and when the legate had gone, the bishop asked Jake to describe more of what had happened, adding, “Keep your ears aprick for Father Antonio’s return. I’d not want him to think we’ve been talking secrets. He may suspect as much, though. I’ve found most Spaniards of my acquaintance to be both secretive and suspicious that others conspire against them. I have no cause to believe that Father Antonio is of that sort. But I’d
liefer learn that he is—
if
he is—without giving him more information about this matter than necessary. So the English have Jamie,” he added grimly.

“They do, sir. We could do nowt to stop them.”

“Nor did I mean for you to try. Orkney and I, and one or two others, did all we could to protect the lad, and succeeded for a full year. But wickedness such as this goes beyond our control. We must be thankful that Orkney is with the lad.”

“Aye,” Jake agreed.

As much to see if they’d let her join the discussion as because she wanted the information, Alyson said to Wardlaw, “How long do you think it will be, my lord, before they can be ransomed?”

The two men exchanged a look. As they did, a chill shot up her spine and the air in the room began to quiver. Although she remained aware of the bishop and Jake, other figures—strangers—surrounded them, passing in front of Wardlaw as they crossed either the room she was in or some more distant one. She saw Jamie then as she had last seen him. Before her eyes, he aged and grew taller.

She blinked and the air cleared as Wardlaw said gruffly, “We must hope they return quickly. But it takes time for arrangements and for messages to travel back and forth. Likewise, Albany or his grace must…” Grimacing, he fell silent.

Jake said, “Orkney has bankers in London as well as Paris, Danzig, Rome, and other cities, my lord. He won’t depend on messages to and from Scotland.”

“Even so,” Wardlaw said. “Such an amount as the King of England will demand, especially as he’ll doubtless want to reward these pirates…”

“I think someone else rewarded them, too,” Jake said. “In troth, sir, I have doubts that they
were
pirates. They failed to protect the
Maryenknyght
, despite a valuable cargo of hides and wool, not to mention valuables that Henry and other passengers carried with them. Only three pirates stayed long enough to seek treasure they’d heard was aboard, and they failed. Otherwise, according to our Will, those so-called pirates took interest only in passengers, specifically in James.”

Frowning, Wardlaw said, “How could Will be sure of that?”

“He was with James when the villains boarded. Their captain, according to men we met that night at an alehouse—or tavern, as they call it—near Flamborough, is one Hugh-atte-Fen out of Norfolk. His ships had been prowling the coast for a fortnight, the taverner said. But they seized no other ship.”