By Honor Bound Part 35

I'll keep it, she thought cynically. Perhaps it will buy a winter cloak to keep me warm in my old age. She tossed it back into the chest and dumped her old red woolen gown on top of it, and promptly forgot it.

It was nearly three weeks after her interview with Malcolm that Ava finally brought her news of Lulach

and Gertha."Thank heaven," Elen said. "We are leaving for Scone soon. Did Drust find Lulach?""Yes, mistress. Lulach is in northern Moray. He sent you a message.""Tell it to me quickly before someone comes looking for me," Elen ordered. "I am seldom alone these days."

"Lulach has been proclaimed king by the people of Alba," Ava informed her. "He will make his capital in

the north of Moray, where he has the greatest support. He sends word that you will be welcome at hiscourt, and Gertha-Queen Gertha-promises you will be her chief lady.""How can this be?" Elen asked. "I have heard nothing of this. Do you suppose Malcolm knows?""Of course he does. It is not to his advantage to make it common news, is it? People like you, who don't like to see the English flocking into Alba behind Malcolm, would go over to Lulach's side if they knew hehad set up his own court in the north. Drust says Malcolm's control of the country is not as complete ashe would like everyone to think."

"I must go to Lulach, and it will have to be soon, before the court starts south.""There is a lot of confusion, mistress. Everyone is running around packing and movingthings into the baggage carts. We could be gone a long time before anyone missed us.""We?""Drust and some of his men and I will go with you. I will not stay behind when you are in danger, mistress, and I have been away from Drust too often in these last years."Elen accepted this without argument."Did Drust suggest a time for us to escape?" she asked."Three nights from now. Drust will have horses, your own mounts from Laggan, moved outside the castle to wait for us. He said we should go after midnight, when most people are asleep.""I agree. We will need warm clothes, and food for the journey.""I can manage that. Chose just a few of your own old garments, mistress, things Briga won't notice gone if she should open your clothes chest for some reason. Drust says we shouldn't tell Briga about this plan.""Not trust Briga? Why, I'd trust her with my life.""But not with this information, lady. Briga is too friendly with the lady Fionna. She might reveal our plans, thinking it was for your good to keep you with Malcolm's court.""I suppose you are right, though I don't like it. Very well. Come back later and I'll give you some old garments. If anyone should question us, we'll say you asked for them for one of the women in the kitchen."

Throughout that day, Elen hid her increasing nervousness and devoted herself to a.s.sisting Fionna. She

slept little that night. Ava appeared early in the morning.

"It is all arranged, mistress. We will leave after midnight tomorrow night. Drust will come to

your room to guide you out of the castle by a back way." "Good. Don't look so furtive, Ava. I'm frightened, too, but we must hide it." "What is all this whispering?" As Fionna entered the room, Elen and Ava jumped apart. Fionna laughed. "You two look like conspirators." "It's nothing," Elen said. "Just some gossip from the kitchen. You should not tell such scandalous tales, Ava. You may go. Here, take this bundle with you. It's the old clothes you asked for."

"Aren't you going to tell me?" Fionna teased when Ava had left.

"I'd rather not repeat what Ava said." "Oh-well." Fionna dismissed the supposed gossip. "That's unimportant. The king has summoned you."

Elen's heart lurched, then began to beat with unnatural speed. Could Malcolm have discovered her plan to escape?

"Elen, you are as white as a ghost. Malcolm won't harm you. Hurry, he has ordered you to appear at once."

"My hair. My gown."

"No time for that. You look lovely as always, and this is certainly not a formal court. Come along, you mustn't make the king wait."

Malcolm was seated at a trestle table in the great hall, a pile of parchment doc.u.ments and several half-unrolled maps before him. His secretary stood at his elbow, holding still more doc.u.ments. Malcolm's priest stood at his other side.

Elen was surprised to see the priest. Malcolm was far from being a religious man. He must have a specific reason for having a clergyman at hand when Elen was called before him. She wondered what it was. She was also puzzled by the presence of both Conal and Patric.

"Elen of Laggan, come forward," Malcolm called, his loud voice interrupting her thoughts.

Elen glanced at Fionna, who had come into the hall with her, and who now shook her head to indicate she had no idea what Malcolm would do. Conal also looked puzzled. Patric's face was perfectly blank. He stared straight ahead, his eyes on Malcolm, and gave no sign that he knew Elen was there.

Elen moved forward until she stood alone, facing Malcolm. He scowled at her.

"You are one of my most difficult subjects, cousin," Malcolm said.

He had never called her cousin before, not even when his father was alive. Elen was filled with sudden hope at Malcolm's use of the term. Perhaps Patric had reminded Malcolm of that relationship, had convinced him not to take Laggan away from her after all.

"I have decided what to do with you and your inheritance, dear Elen," Malcolm continued, speaking in measured, formal tones. "All of the lands in the north of Lagganshire, and in Moray and Cawdor, which once belonged to Talcoran, Thane of Laggan, which were given to him by Macbeth, must revert to the crown, and I will dispose of them as I wish. That seems fair to me, since Talcoran was Macbeth's man.

"I exempt from this reversion only that portion of Lagganshire originally belonging to Colin, Thane of Laggan, who fought bravely for my father and died in his cause at Durham. This exempted portion I now give freely to that same Colin's daughter, Elen, despite the fact that she is a woman." Elen blinked in surprise. She had never heard of such a royal grant being given to a woman. She knew, for she had had the management of them, that Talcoran's estates were huge. She did not like to lose them, but Laggan, her home, would still be hers. That was what mattered. She could forget her plan of escaping to Lulach, and instead take her servants and return to Laggan and never see Malcolm, or Patric, again. She would find some way to help Lulach from Laggan.

"I regret to say," Malcolm continued, "that there was strong resistance when my soldiers besieged Laggan Castle. It was necessary to damage it and even to burn part of it in order to take and hold it. The owner must make repairs at her own expense. I trust you will be so happy to hold your ancestral lands again that this will not overly distress you." Malcolm watched her, waiting.

"No, my lord," Elen said. Swallowing her pride, she knelt to him at last. "I have no complaint, and as your subject, I thank you." Malcolm nodded, pleased.

"I knew you would submit in time," he said, looking with obvious satisfaction on her lowered head. "You may rise."

Elen stood and faced him. Malcolm's secretary handed him a, parchment doc.u.ment, Malcolm signed it. The secretary then melted a stick of red wax, letting it drip onto the parchment, and Malcolm pressed his ring into the wax. He gave it back to the secretary, who pa.s.sed it on to Elen.

"I make one condition to this grant," Malcolm said, just as her fingers touched it.

"I might have known," Elen muttered under her breath. She clutched the doc.u.ment to her heart. So long as she held it, Laggan was hers.

"Patric mac Keith, come here," Malcolm called, and Patric moved to stand beside Elen. Malcolm looked upon him with genuine affection.

"Patric, you have been my loyal friend for many years. You deserve a reward for all you have sacrificed for my sake. Therefore, I give you those lands in Lagganshire that were once Talcoran's."

Elen watched the king's secretary repeat his previous actions with a second doc.u.ment, which Malcolm signed and sealed, and the secretary delivered into Patric's hands. So, Patric had made a bargain with Malcolm, to divide her inheritance in this way. She did not like the idea of Patric as neighbor, but if that was the price she must pay to have Laggan Castle and the surrounding lands truly belong to her, then she could live with Malcolm's decision, and would even thank Patric for his help.

"This is a vast area I have given to the two of you," Malcolm said when Patric finally held his grant. "I wish to be a.s.sured that it will all be properly administered by the strong masculine hand of one who is completely loyal to me. Therefore, I create Patric mac Keith Earl of Laggan, and I order him to marry Elen of Laggan today."

"My lord!" the priest at Malcolm's shoulder objected, "This lady has been a widow for only two months. Her period of mourning should be longer. And then the banns must be posted and we must observe a waiting period to give anyone who objects to this marriage an opportunity to come forward. Elen of Laggan cannot marry for at least one month."

"There will be no objections," Malcolm said. "And I waive the banns."

"You cannot do that, my lord. This is a church matter."

"I have done it, priest. Marriage is a legal contract between two parties. The church has nothing to do with it save to bless the union after the contract is sealed. These two will marry in

three hours."

Before Elen could gather her wits to do or say anything, Malcolm pointed a finger at her, jabbing it into the air as he spoke.

"That is my one condition, lady. You agreed to obey me when you knelt to me just now. You have Laggan back and it is fully yours. Let there be no protests from anyone. You may go."

September 8, 1057.

"You tricked me!" Elen cried.

She had fled toward her chamber after Malcolm dismissed her. Patric, following, had caught her and pulled her into a nearly empty storage room.

"You don't understand," Patric began. She cut him off.

"I trusted you! You promised to speak to Malcolm for me. Instead, you asked for Laggan-shire foryourself. And Malcolm, that wicked, deceitful man, who was determined to have me kneel and submit tohim, gave me to you in the bargain, just to make it legal by the old laws, as well as by his new Englishrules. Do you think I don't know that once I marry, my property becomes my husband's property? Youand Malcolm conspired together to give Laggan to me, and then to take it away again. And I, fool that Iam, knelt to Malcolm and called myself his subject, just as he wanted."

"It did not happen that way, Elen," Patric said. "I wish you would listen to me."

"Once a traitor, always a traitor. I should have known you would betray me again if you saw the

chance to gain something for yourself."

Patric's patience snapped. He caught her hands and pulled her against himself. His bright blue eyes spatangry fire at her."Would you rather marry the younger son of the Lord of Warkworth?" he asked. "That is what Malcolm had planned for you, to pay you back for your intransigence, until I intervened.""That cross-eyed, fat-bellied English snail?" Elen winced at the thought, but she would not give in. Shewas too hurt and angry. "The one who sleeps with little boys? Aye, I would a thousand times rather bedwith him than with you." Patric choked back sudden laughter. "What, and have the young, half-Englishslugs he gets on you inherit your beloved Laggan some day? I think not. Now listen to me, Elen. You will marry me today as Malcolm has ordered. You will be a wife to me in every way. You may even come toenjoy it before too long.""I will not. I'll never be your wife!" She slapped at him, and then began to scratch."I've had enough of this nonsense." He caught her, pinioning her arms. Enraged by this restriction, she bit his lip when he kissed her, drawing blood.

"Was your marriage to Talcoran so perfect," he ground out, "that you now find it impossible to acceptanother man?""My marriage to Talcoran is not the issue here. Your treachery is.""Answer me." He held her still, and she was forced to look at him, though she wanted to run and hide from the rage and pain in his eyes as he waited for her answer.

"No," Elen said, speaking slowly, forcing her mind away from the day's unhappy events andremembering the past, "No, it was often a difficultmarriage, but in time I learned to love Talcoran, and he always loved me."It seemed to her that a little of the anger went out of him at her honest words."Elen, I don't expect you to forget him and all that happened when you were wed to him. That was an important part of your life and I would not take it away from you."She considered that a moment."Did you never marry in all those years?" she asked."No. There were women." He grinned at her with a touch of his old, boyish deviltry. "Quite a few women, but none of them was you, and so I never wed. I have never loved any woman but you."

He thought he saw a softening in her expression. He kissed her again, and this time she did not resistwhat he was doing."Ah, Elen, tonight when you are mine at last, I'll teach you what love is.""I will never love you. I hate you.""I have good news for you that may soften your heart. We will go home to Laggan a few days after our marriage."It shocked Elen to hear him call it his home."Are you so eager to take control of your new estates?" she said sharply."And of everything else that will be mine." His hand brushed along the curve of her cheek and she flinched at the possessive touch. "Malcolm has given us permission to leave court. We will go the dayafter tomorrow and travel part of the way with the royal procession.""How kind of the king," she said sarcastically. "My father never needed Duncan's consent to retire to his own estates, nor did Talcoran need to ask Macbeth."

"We will be better off away from court, I think. Your sharp tongue will lead us both into trouble if we stay. Have you much to take with you? My man Resad is arranging for the baggage carts. Will you ask Briga to tell him how many chests she will pack?"

"I have but scanty possessions these days, my lord. Those English soldiers from whom you rescuedFionna and me ruined most of my clothes and furniture in their ravaging about my rooms Since then I'vehad no means of acquiring other gowns."

"I will remedy that as soon as I can. You may have whatever you want, Elen. You need only ask."

"I'll ask of you only that you leave me alone."

"I can't do that. I love you. I want to marry you, and I will make you want me."

There was no escaping him. Patric took her into his arms again and kissed her pa.s.sionately, caressing her and murmuring words of endearment. She let him do what he wanted, but she refused to respond.

She told herself that she loathed his touch, indeed hated the very sight of him. She looked forward to their wedding night with dread, fearing that she would lose her self-control and be swept away by his pa.s.sionate demands. She fought her own body's reactions to him with every ounce of her will.

Patric stood holding her, his large hands clasping her b.u.t.tocks, pushing her against his hips, his face buried in her throat. Her arms lay listlessly about his neck. It took all of her strength to deny the urge that was building in her She wanted to move against him, to run her fingers through his thick hair, to open her mouth when

his lips touched her again and take him into herself.

He felt her begin to shiver with the effort to deny her own feelings. He let her go.

"You will love me again," he said."No, I will not.""About Talcoran and your son," Patric went on as if her determined words had not been spoken. "Ishould tell you what I have ordered done." Perhaps if she knew that he regretted the loss of both men,and mourned with her, perhaps that would help to bring her to a more reasonable acceptance of theirmarriage. He had his mouth open to speak further when she cut him off.

"Never mention that good man to me again," she said coldly. "I will not hear his name, or my son's, on your traitorous tongue."

Well, Patric thought, resigning himself to patience, she would find out soon enough. Once they got to Laggan she would know he had had both Talcoran and Colin taken home. He could wait.

Elen had no special gown for her second wedding. As she had told Patric, her wardrobe was in poor repair. She rejected an orange-red silk gown because it was too cheerful, and chose instead a plain dark grey wool, with narrow bands of silver embroidery at the round neck and tight wrists. She refused to wear the golden hair ornaments Talcoran had once given her. She put them into the wooden box with his charmstone, and when no one else was in the room for a few minutes, she gave it to Ava.

"Hide this, and when you can, put it in the bundle of clothes I gave you."