The Viking (23 page)

The priest studied Agnes’ feeble looks, realized he was staring at her too long and looked away. “And William, ye will swear it ‘twas yer uncle?”

“I will,” said William. He wondered for a moment just how much trouble he was going to be in with God, but the damage was done and it was too late. Besides, the crime Agnes plotted was far worse than his tiny little lie. When he looked, both of her sons were staring at her and she was backing away.

“My father will not take me back if I am accused o’ adultery.”

Macoran finally stood up. “Then ye have a problem, my dear, because I will not have ye either.”

“What will I do, where can I go?”

It was something Macoran had not considered and he paused to think about it. “If ye will leave, and leave quickly, and if the priest agrees, what happened here today will not cross our lips. What ye tell yer father be up to ye.” Inwardly he smiled. The twins would surely tell on her and she deserved punishment.

“And my sons?”

“Take them with ye. Should they ever grow up to be lads o
’ honor, I will welcome them back. But I suspect they will be far happier with the Brodies. Are we agreed?”

She had no choice. The priest was nearly finished writing on the parchment and all Macoran had to do was sign it. “Ye will send a guard with us?”

“Aye, I will send them until ye are across Limond land, after that…” he watched her dart up the stairs, heard her screech at her sons to gather their things and then slam the door to her bedchamber. Macoran went to the front door, opened it, yelled for his guard to make ready and came back to the table. He wanted desperately to smile, to laugh, to jump for joy. But he held his emotions until he made his mark on the parchment, thanked the priest and handed him a gold coin for his trouble.

It was another tedious hour before Agnes had her things situated, the horses loaded, and the boys in toe. Macoran stood on the landing, watched the three of them mount their horses and then nodded for his guard to take them away. He wanted to savor the moment and when Agnes glared back at him, he blew her a kiss.

*

Stefan and Kannak would have stayed on the hill top the rest of the day just holding each other, but there was some sort of commotion in the village. Both of them moved quickly to the place where they could see the shore. There were no longships.

Stefan laughed. “And to think I was a Viking once. Now I am afraid they will come back.” He took her hand and started down the path. “I cannae wait to see Jirvel.”

“Stefan, ye are dragging me again.”

“Oh,” he stopped, kissed her passionately and then slowed his pace. “Is she well?”

“She will be once she sees ye?” There were more shouts in the village and as they grew closer, they sounded more li
ke a celebration than a battle.

Even Jirvel came out to see what all the commotion was. The people were dancing, shouting, clapping their hands loudly and she could make no sense of it. Before she could resist, Macoran suddenly grabbed her around the waist, kissed her breathless, lifted her up and carried her toward the courtyard.

“Put me down!”

“Not until we are married.”

“Ye have gone daft, finally.”

Macoran stopped and tried to kiss her again, but she refused. “Did I not say? Agnes has been set aside
. Seems her sons are not mine.”

Jirvel didn
’t believe him. “Put me down.”

He did as she said, but he did not let go of her. “Marry me, Jirvel and make us both happy.”

She realized everyone had abruptly gotten quiet and turned to see what the matter could be now. Just as they all were, she found herself staring at a Limond kilt. But when the man opened his arms to her, she finally recognized him and ran. “Stefan!”

Stefan wrapped his arms around her and began to swing her all the way around. Then he set her down and let her touch his face.

“I cannae believe it is truly ye. What a glorious day this be and I see ye have found Kannak. Good. I…” Tears came to her eyes and she hugged him again. “My son be home.”

“And yer husband to be is waiting for an answer.” Macoran folded his arms and began tapping his toe.

Jirvel turned to her daughter, “He claims he has set Agnes aside. Do ye believe him?”

“
‘Tis the first I heard o’ it.”

William took up a position next to his laird, “I am witness to it myself. She be gone and gone for good.”

Conspiratorially, Jirvel leaned closer to her daughter. “Him I believe. Should I marry Macoran?”

“Aye,” said Kannak, “but this time we should lock him away so he has no opportunity of changing his mind on yer wedding day.”

Every eye was on them and everyone seemed to be leaning closer to hear what they were saying. Stefan put one arm around each woman. “Do the Marocans yet have a priest?”

“Aye,” both answered at the same time.

“Then I suggest we find him and get married today afore anything can go wrong.”

Kannak leaned around Stefan and looked at her mother. “I think he means all four o
’ us.”

“I think he does too.”

Macoran cleared his throat. “Make up yer mind, lass. I have waited long enough to call ye mine. Say it afore the priest gets away.”

“Aye!” Jirvel shouted. She ran back to him, threw her arms around his neck and kissed
his
breath away. When they realized the crowd was cheering, both of them blushed.

*

For having no time to prepare, the weddings were a grand affair. Several of the women gathered flowers and made wreaths for Jirvel and Kannak’s hair. As soon as they were changed into their better clothing and their hair was brushed, they donned the wreaths and came back to the courtyard where the priest, Stefan and Macoran waited. And just before he began, Macoran slipped another two coins in the priest’s hand in hopes of a shortened ceremony. It did not matter, of course, the four of them were so blissfully happy they hardly heard the words anyway.

Their wedding feast was as tasty as the clan could manage on such short notice and served to the couples at the long table in Jirvel
’s new home. The singers came to sing, the flutist played a happy jig and when the feast was over and all of the others were gone, Macoran closed the door and the great hall finally got quiet.

Stefan kissed his wife and then stood up. He walked to Macoran
’s trophy wall, lovingly touched his father’s shield and then took it down off the wall. Once too large for him to manage, he slipped his hand through the grip in the back and it fit perfectly. He had grown up and was no doubt every bit as big as the great commander of so many Viking ships.

“
‘Tis yer’s if ye wish to have it,” Macoran said behind him. “Was it yer father’s?”

Both Jirvel and Kannak were shocked. “Ye knew?” they both asked at the same time.

Macoran rolled his eyes. “Did ye truly think ye could hide a Viking among us without my knowing?”

“Does everyone know?” asked Kannak.

“If not, they are daft. My guards did not see a lad his size pass onto our land from the north or from any other direction. But he was just a laddie so we let it pass.”

Jirvel had not taken her eyes off of Stefan. “Be it yer father
’s shield, Stefan?”

“Aye.”

“Then it belongs to ye,” said Macoran.

Stefan turned a
round and grinned at Macoran. “‘Tis not enough. I will have Anundi’s sword as well.”

“This sword
…with the golden handle? I love this sword.”

“So did Anundi.”

“Who be he?”

“He was my father
’s second but now has taken his place as commander and I will have his sword.”

Macoran took a deep breath and looked to Jirvel for help, but she was not forthcoming. “I suppose,” he began, “if ye were to promise to bring my daughter to see us often, I might…be persuaded. Though I love this sword. It fits my hand perfectly. Jirvel, do something, he be yer son.”

Jirvel stood up, walked to her husband and took his hand. “What I have in mind dinnae have to do with
our
son.” She led him toward the stairs. “Which bedchamber be ours?”

Stefan laughed, watched them go, hung his father
’s shield back up and held out his hand to his wife. “Have we a place to sleep?”

“Now we do, now that mother lives here. Come, I will show ye.” She kissed him passionately and then took him home.

*

Every clan had a beginning
, and so it was that this small clan began in a hidden castle. The Viking named the clan after Jirvel’s brother, Greagor, and they called themselves MacGreagors. One by one, the men who served as slaves with Stefan brought their families and friends, and by spring the clan numbered sixty-seven. They built stone cottages, for if they knew anything at all, they knew how to build.

Stefan used his father
’s money to buy the tools, seed, horses and weapons needed, beyond those the other men brought, and his grandfather sent as wedding gifts. He named William his second in command and soon, Diarmad and Blair together with their families, joined them. Naturally, they made an alliance with the Macorans and all lived in peace, even with the Brodies – although the Brodies were far from easily trusted.

He took Kannak often to see her parents and the two elders came often to swim in the warm water of the loch. But Macoran would not part with Anundi
’s sword and it became a running joke between them. After all, Stefan was to save ten women and he had yet to save any after Jirvel.

His grandfather came often too. He hired a new builder and this time he paid men to reinforce his castle. Their strained relationship turned more pleasant as the days went by and both learned how to laugh again. Stefan often thought about the day they landed and wondered if his father meant to land them on Limond land instead of Macoran. If so, it was a mistake Stefan thanked God for every day.

At least he learned to listen to his foreboding and not wait to take action. He thought he saw the gray wolf once, but it did not stay and the black stallion never did come back. He found that comforting for it must mean Kannak was safe…at least for now.

But Laird Stefan Macgregor had a thing on his mind he could not dismiss. So one evening he gathered hi
s clan and proclaimed an edict.

For all the women he said, “Heretofore, no lass will be betrothed to a lad she dinnae want.”

For his father and his grandmother’s sake, he said, “Heretofore, any lad who forces a lass shall be put to death.”

And for Jirvel and Kannak, he said, “Heretofore, any lad who lays hand on a lass, a laddie or a lassie out of anger, or drunkenness, or spite
, shall also be put to death.”

And so the edict
was handed down to all the sons Kannak gave her husband, and from them, it continued to pass from generation to generation.

~- the end-~

Coming soon – The Viking’s Daughter

MORE MARTI TALBOTT BOOKS

Marti’s latest book –
The Billionaire’s Will
– a clean mystery/romance.

Marti Talbott’s Highlander Series
, (books 1 – 14) is a continuing saga that spans four MacGreagor generations, and sees them through plagues, wars, kidnappings, poisonings, and the day-to-day challenges of love and survival.

The first five books contain twenty short stories, while the rest are complete novels. They include:
Betrothed
, Book 6,
The Golden Sword
, Book 7,
Abducted
, Book 8,
A Time of Madness
, Book 9,
Triplets
, Book 10,
Secrets
, Book 11,
Choices
, Book 12,
Ill-Fated Love
Book 13, and
The Other Side of the River
, Book 14.

The Viking
was written after the first twenty short stories, yet it is a prequel that explains how the clan came into being.

Marti’s
Marblestone Mansion (Scandalous Duchess Series)
follows the MacGreagor clan into Colorado’s early 20
th
century.

Other Marti Talbott Books include:
The Promise
, (Carson Series, Book 1),
Broken Pledge
, (Carson Series, Book 2), and
Seattle Quake 9.2
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Marti is currently working on
The Viking’s Daughter
and book 7 in her
Marblestone Mansion
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eries
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