The Kadin Part 36

"Just seventeen. How old were you when you had yer first?"

"Almost fifteen."

"Oh, Jane!" cried a disappointed voice. "You hae met her first."

A slender girl flew down the steps and across the room to Janet. "Welcome home, madame belle mere. I am Fiona." She chuckled as Janet's startled eyes swept her figure. "I never show except the littlest bit." She pulled her gown tight across her middle revealing a gentle swell of belly. "Awful, isn't it? I am so proud of bearing Charles' children, and no one ever knows it till I appear wi' a bairn in my arms!"

"So, mother, ye've met my wench," said Charles entering the hall.

"Barely. And I've met Jane too. I have been so very sad about leaving your brother and sister, and all their children behind; but I can now see I have a lovely family right here. Sit down, Fiona, and let me look at you."

If she had picked the girl herself she could not have been more delighted. Ma.s.ses of tumbling blue-black hair surrounded a rosy face. She had dark blue eyes, a straight little nose, and a rosebud mouth set with a sweet expression. It was an intelligent face, and a kind one.

Janet turned to look at her son. "You hae yer father's eye for beauty, my son."

"Aye," he said, "I do. I also look as he did for loyalty, intelligence and spirit. Like you, Fiona has all of these qualities."

For a moment her eyes filled with tears, but she held them back. "Where is my grandson?"

He laughed, "I thought you would be unable to contain yourself for very long, mother. Ah, here is his nurse now."

A pink-cheeked young woman descended the steps into the hall She carried a plump, dark-haired baby boy with a serious expression in his bright eyes. Janet held out her arms, and without a murmur the child went to her. For a minute they looked at each other, then the child touched her cheek with his tiny hand, and said, "Mam!"

"Yes, Patrick. I am your grandmother. I am mam."

Sitting down on the settle, she placed the baby on the floor and handed him a gold bracelet from her arm, which he began to chew on vigorously.

"I do not believe it," said Fiona. "Patrick never goes to anyone but his father, nurse or me. Even Uncle Adam cannot thaw him, and the Lady Anne sets him to scream-mg.

"But I am his grandmother," replied Janet with aggravating logic.

And for the next hour the little group sat talking, reminding Janet very much of the evenings she, Selim, and the Lady Refet had made a family party. Then Ruth came to escort her to her apartments.

Marian, Ruth, Hannah, and several maids had worked quickly. They had swept the entire tower apartment which consisted of three floors. The first contained an anteroom and two small bedrooms; the second floor was a dining room and a little kitchen. The top floor of the tower held the master bedroom and garderobe. All of the rooms excepting the garderobe had fireplaces, and all of the fireplaces were blazing merrily, taking the chill off the long-unused tower.

The garderobe bulged with Lady Leslie's clothing, shoes, and jewels. On the sideboard a great silver charger gleamed, and crystal decanters sparkled with golden sherry and ruby wine. And everywhere pure, faintly scented beeswax candles twinkled.

"A miracle," said Janet upon finishing her tour of inspection. "Thank you for all your help. If I might ask one more favor, Hannah, would you have hot water brought for my bath? Marian, has the tub been put in the garderobe?"

"Yes, m'lady. Shall I have it set up by the fire?"

"Please." Turning to Hannah again she said, "Go to my sister the Lady Anne and tell her I am now comfortably settled, I shall look forward to meeting her at the dinner hour."

It was at least another half an hour before Hannah was able to return to her mistress's apartments, and then she had to wait as the earl was with his wife. When he had finally left, she bustled in.

"Where have you been? It's been three hours! I understand my lord's sister brought wi' her two servants. She will have to dismiss them. I will not feed idle mouths. Such airs! She is little better than a servant herself. It is bad enough I must feed and house her, her son, his wife and children."

"M'lady. I think Lady Janet can more than well afford servants, and these women-a mother and daughter-hae been wi' her for many years."

"I shall speak wi' her myself, Hannah. Has she been settled in her room in the North Wing?"

"Nay, m'lady. The Lady Janet wanted the apartment in the West Tower."

"Did she? I see that we hae an autocratic old woman who would try to run my house. Have her baggage put into the room I had prepared, Hannah! I must be firmer than I thought Well, what is it?"

"Madame, I think I would suggest that you meet the Lady Janet before making any decisions. I cannot force the lady, my lord's sister, from her chosen place."

The countess looked outraged, then said, "Aye. It would be better for me to make my position clear at once with this old woman."

"She is nae old, m'lady."

"Not old? Of course she is old. She has pa.s.sed the half century mark."

"My lady Anne, the earl's sister may have lived fifty years, but her face and form are those of a much younger woman. She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen! And what's more, she is, I believe, extremely wealthy!"

"Hannah! You've been bewitched! Come along! I shall go and meet this wonder."

Upon her arrival at the West Tower, the countess was told by a firm Marian that she would have to wait until the Lady Janet was finished bathing. Ten minutes later she was ushered upstairs to Janet's bedchamber. The woman who greeted her literally took her breath away. She wore a loose pale green silk garment the top and sleeves of which were embroidered delicately in gold thread and tiny seed pearls. There were matching slippers on her feet, and her hair flowed loosely, thick and pale red, down to her knees.

"My dear Anne," said the beautiful woman, "how kind of you to shelter me in your home." The countess felt herself kissed on each cheek. "I do hope," the voice went on, "you will forgive me for appropriating the West Tower, but your good Hannah said it was not being used I am sure you worked hard to prepare charming quarters for me, but I thought I should be less trouble to you here out of the way. It will only be until my own house is built."

"Yes, yes. Whatever pleases you," Anne heard herself say. "You are building a house? Where?"

"Adam has sold me some land Glen Rae, the loch and its island for 250 pounds. I know I am wicked to spurn your hospitality, but I shall not be happy until I am in my own home again. Besides it will be a fine legacy for Charles and his family, don't you agree?"

"Oh, yes! A fine legacy. I hope you will forgive me for invading your privacy, but I did want to be sure that everything had been done for your comfort"

"How kind you are," murmured Janet sweetly. "I see, dear sister, that you admire my caftan,"

"What?"

"My gown. It is called a caftan in the East A loose garment for relaxation. I have brought you one. Ruth, the scarlet caftan, and matching slippers."

Before Anne could protest Ruth was hurrying out of the garderobe carrying a folded scarlet gown and slippers. She held it up for her mistress's inspection, and Anne gasped The caftan's embroidery was of tiny diamonds, turquoise and gold thread "When Adam told me of your wonderful dark brown hair and fair complexion, I had this made for you." Instinctively Janet had played on her sister-in-law's vanity. "Dinna refuse me, Anne."

For a moment the countess's features softened as she fingered the lovely silk. "Thank you, Janet It is the loveliest thing I hae ever owned."

"I am so pleased I chose well," said Janet "Now, dear sister, you must excuse me. The day has been a long one, and I would rest before the dinner hour."

"Yes, yes, of course," replied the countess allowing herself to be led out A few minutes later Marian returned to her mistress. "Ah, madame, the Lady Anne came to cause trouble, but you have confused her completely."

"For the moment my friend. I was expecting an attack and acted accordingly. However, dear Anne will recover quickly and try to attack again. It will be amusing to play with her. She is her own worst enemy."

"I am happy to see you have recovered from your melancholy," chuckled Marian. She drew the coverlet over her mistress. "I will call you in time for dinner madame."

Janet lay quietly, her green-gold eyes closed. I am home, she thought I have fulfilled a childhood promise and come home. I wonder what will happen next?

41.

BY THE TIME ANNE L LESLIE reached her apartments she was beginning to recover from the severe shock she had received upon discovering that her sister-in-law was not only beautiful, but obviously extremely wealthy. It would take a readjustment in her thinking to decide what to do and how to handle the situation. In the meantime she needed someone upon whom to vent her frustration. Unfortunately the earl chose that moment to appear in his wife's rooms. reached her apartments she was beginning to recover from the severe shock she had received upon discovering that her sister-in-law was not only beautiful, but obviously extremely wealthy. It would take a readjustment in her thinking to decide what to do and how to handle the situation. In the meantime she needed someone upon whom to vent her frustration. Unfortunately the earl chose that moment to appear in his wife's rooms.

"Ah, my dear, I was looking for you."

"I have been wi' your sister-if she is yer sister. For a woman over fifty, she is remarkably youthful."

"Isn't she?" smiled Adam. "But then father was eighty when he died last year, and yet no one would believe his age. Most took him for sixty-five or so."

"You look your age!"

"I also look like my mother's family. Jan is pure Leslie."

Anne took another tact "I can believe she's pure Leslie. She has high-handedly appropriated the West Tower!"

"It wasn't being used," he replied. "I thank G.o.d my sister dinna see the room you did did prepare for her! What were you thinking of, Anne? A tiny room no bigger than a nun's cell next to the servants' quarters in the oldest part of the castle-wi' no fireplace and only a pallet bed and one chest" prepare for her! What were you thinking of, Anne? A tiny room no bigger than a nun's cell next to the servants' quarters in the oldest part of the castle-wi' no fireplace and only a pallet bed and one chest"

"I believed I was receiving an elderly woman who would need peace and quiet."

"But no heat," finished the earl wryly. "Anne, yer a b.i.t.c.h! Janet is my sister, and the odds that I would find her were incredible. My father grieved most of his life for her. I only wished to heaven he'd lived another year to see her safe home. She is to hae whatever she wants in this house!"

"From what I gather she already had, m'lord. How could you sell part of our son's inheritance? And for only 250 pounds?!"

"250 pounds gold, gold, my dear avaricious wife." my dear avaricious wife."

"Gold?"

"Gold," smiled Adam Leslie. "And Janet is ent.i.tled to Leslie land. Like our son, she, too, was born a Leslie." So saying, he turned on his heel, and left his countess openmouthcd.

But Anne's ordeal for the day was not quite over. She went down to dinner to find her beautiful sister-in-law the center of a happy family gathering. Janet was clad in a simple, high-necked, long-sleeved gown of midnight blue silk with creamy lace showing at the neck, and cascading from the wrists. Her lovely hair, center parted and braided in a three tier coronet added elegance. Around her neck was a simple gold chain. Seated on a wooden settle by a fireplace she was surrounded by Fiona, Jane, and-much to Anne's surprise-Agnes, her daughter, home from the convent The earl, Ian, and Charles, dressed in their kilts, stood on the outside of the group.

For a moment Anne was enchanted by the charming picture, but then a stab of jealousy went through her. Never since she had come into this house as a bride had the hall rung with merriment like this. Never had her own daughter, or daughter-in-law, or even Fiona, laughed with her as they were doing now with Janet The woman was obviously a witch!

The countess walked to the dais. "If ye dinna come to table, the dinner will be burned," she said sharply. Angrily she watched as her own son seated Janet to his father's right in his own place and then sat next to her.

During most of the dinner, Anne remained silent listening as they all plied Janet with questions about the East its peoples, and their ways. Wretched G.o.dless infidels, thought Anne Leslie. They ought to be burned to ashes. Lewd, l.u.s.tful creatures openly debauching innocent Christian virgins, male and female. She had heard stories! They should all be destroyed including her sister-in-law who had lived among them What kind of a woman lived for almost forty years in a non-Catholic land and came back unscathed?

Within a week, Janet was thoroughly at home again. To Anne's dismay, she even allowed a tribe of gypsies to camp for a few days on the estate, and when they left, Janet was the owner of a large, half-wild black stallion that she took to riding at breakneck speed all over the district He was a magnificent beast and she knew it was considered outrageous that she owned him Women were supposed to ride dull, docile brown creatures named Lady, or Princess, not big, sweating black brutes called Devil Wind. Selim had owned such a horse with the same name, and when she had seen her own Devil Wind, she had known she must have him. She had bought him in late June-a skinny, half-broken two-year-old-from a tribe of pa.s.sing tinkers. She had known at once that he was pure Arab, and consequently had barely haggled the price with their leader. And despite Anne's carping, Janet had offered the gypsies the hospitality of Leslie lands. The headman had thanked her.

"Majesty, we are grateful for ourselves, and for the horses." Falling to his knees he made her obeisance.

Startled, she told him to rise. "I am no queen, man!"

He looked at her, his eyes startlingly clear, and bottomless.

"Ye shouldna left him, my lady. He will be great but had ye stayed, he would hae been greater."

For a moment she could neither speak, nor breathe.

"I see things, my lady. I canna help myself."

She nodded and, feeling able now to reply, said, "Bring the horse to the castle tomorrow. I'll pay then-in gold-and dinna try to cheat me by switching horses."

He flashed her a smile. "And be hunted through half the world, madame?"

She laughed. "Ye see too much, tinker."

"I see the truth, madame."

She turned and walked away.

"Allah go we' ye," he called softly.

"And ye also," she replied as softly, never turning back.

When she went riding, Janet was invariably accompanied by Adam's b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Red Hugh More, who had trained Devil Wind.

Anne, on the other hand, had spent a good part of her married life avoiding Hugh More. Despite the fact that he was Adam's only byblow and had been born before she even came to Glenkirk as Adam's wife, Anne hated Hugh, and his mother Jeannie.

Jeannie's family had lived and worked on Leslie lands for as long as anyone could remember. Jeannie had been a sixteen-year-old milkmaid when she had caught Adam's eye. She hadn't been a virgin since she was twelve, but she was no wanton. When she told Adam she was expecting his child, the fifteen-year-old boy knew she spoke the truth. When the child was born at Michaelmas, it was obvious that he was Adam's son; he had his father's nose, mouth and birthmark on one b.u.t.tock and his paternal grandfather's red hair. The Leslies recognized him, and Patrick Leslie held him at the christening while Adam acted as G.o.dfather to his son. Jeannie was offered, and accepted, a small cottage on the estate, and a yearly annuity.

She lived quietly with her child, who saw his father quite regularly. Occasionally Adam even sought solace in her bed, for his bride was a cold, proud girl. Jeannie was careful, however, that there were no more children. Hugh was eight when the countess discovered his existence.

Heavy with her second child, mourning the death of her first son, Donald, she had several times pa.s.sed a boy exiting the family vault in the chapel. Upon entering she had found wildflowers on her baby son's tomb. She was touched, and after this had happened several times she stopped the boy.

"Do you put flowers on Lord Donald's tomb?"

"Aye, madame," came the reply.

"Why?"

Red Hugh More had never seen the countess in his life, so it was in all innocence that he answered, "The bairn were my half-brother."

Numbed, Anne asked, "Who is yer mother?"

"Jeannie More," said the boy. "We hae a wee cottage in the glen."

"And yer father?" Her voice shook slightly.

"The lord Adam, ma'am"