Authors: Virginia Henley
Then she remembered she had told him she was a witch with strong powers over Scotland's enemies.
Summoning all of her courage she warned him, "You are not wanted at this castle. Great harm will befall you and all who dwell here if you do not leave."
"Your Celtic prophesies make me tremble with fear," he said mockingly. "I am not given to superstitions. You forget I am a 69
Norman." He bent his head to inhale thefragrance of her hair and his hard shaftpressed into her soft belly.
Suddenly she realized she had aroused him and her fear doubled. She hated him for the lust he felt and she hated herself for the way he made her feel. "Nay, I don't forget you are a Norman!" she spat.
Lynx saw fear darken her eyes and it gave him pause. If he did not stop teasing her, his body would lose control and he would take her here in the grass. He had never forced a maid in his life.
"Silly wench, I should warm your bottom." He climbed off of her and watched her scramble to her feet. "I warrant your talents are more mischief than magic power."
Though Jane felt threatened by him, his disparaging words challenged her. She knew a need to demonstrate her power. She looked up into the tree where his falcon had flown and held her arms up in a commanding stance. "Come to me, Talon!"
The small raptor glided from the treetop and landed on Jane's wrist. She stroked his blue-gray plumage with a finger and spoke to him as if he were a beloved pet, rather than a fierce predator. "You see, I am able to control him."
Lynx de Warenne took hold of the bird's jesses and lifted him from her hand. "You had better learn to control yourself, mistress, now that I am master here," he advised her as he looked deeply into her eyes. Then he remounted and rode off without a backward glance.
Seven
JLord de Warenne, this is my son Andrew, who is Dumfries' steward-in-training."
Lynx noticed the resemblance between father and son and invited Andrew to join them.
"I'm sure ye dinna need motagging along. Actually the kitchens are in turmoil. There are not enough castle cooks or servers. I must go and solve their problems."
"Put my Welshmen to work. There are some excellent cooks among them," Lynx advised.
Next, Jock Leslie took Lynx to the castle forge and introduced the blacksmiths. "These are my sons James and Alex."
Lynx quirked a brow at Jock, but made no comment. He was pleased that the forge was a large one. "I am going to keep you men busy. Many of our horses need reshoeing and our weapons and armor need repairs. I have armorers of course, so you will have to work together. If there are problems, speak up."
From the forge, Jock took Lynx to inspect the castle stores. As they walked, hens and chicks scattered before them. "Do we have geese?" Lynx inquired.
"Very few, my lord."
"Make a note to buy a large flock. My bowmen prefer the feathers of the gray English goose." As they walked, Lynx noticed the children. He always noticed the children. They were happy and healthy with sturdy legs and red cheeks. Jock spoke to all of them, tussling a wee lass's hair or cuffing a lad across the ear. Lynx was surprised when the children addressed Jock as Granddad, for he was no graybeard.
When they arrived at the castle stores, David Leslie voiced 71
n ien. is. m>u n vm his problems without hesitation. "Comyn's men wiped me out. The thoughtless swines fed my store of grain to their horses when the hay ran low."
Lynx nodded as he walked through the storage sheds, noting they were very low on all food supplies. "Buy more. Buy oats for the horses. Stock up on dried staples, beans, peas, lentils, barley— whatever you need."
"I need siller," David said bluntly.
"Then buy some . . . oh, siller means money, of course!" Lynx laughed and looked at Jock ruefully.
"You didn't tell me the coffers were low."
"The coffers are empty, my lord," Jock replied quietly.
"Don't look so glum, man, that's easily remedied. We will buy what we need for present use, but we must also replenish the livestock for Dumfries' future needs."
Both Leslies looked relieved.
"We'll buy new flocks ... I know that sheep mean wealth in the dales. I'll need to talk with the head shepherds and the cattle herders," Lynx decided.
"I'll tell them tonight. My sons Ben and Sim are the head shepherds and the cattle herders are wed to my daughters."
Lynx looked at Jock in amazement. "Christ, man, how many sons and daughters do you have?"
"Only ten, my lord."
"Only?" Lynx almost choked. "To a man who has none, ten offspring is prolific indeed." Lynx's brows went up as another thought occurred to him. "The children call you Granddad because you are their granddad!"
Jock nodded happily. "I have thirty grandchildren. No, I lie, I have thirty-one. My son Ben's wife had another bairn in the night."
Lynx stared at him in awe; such a feat seemed almost beyond belief. "I envy you, Jock Leslie."
As they walked to the brewhouse, Lynx's steward said, "May 72
I be so bold as to suggest a handfastin' if ye wish to become a father?"
"Explain this handfasting custom to me," Lynx invited.
Jock thought for a minute, searching for an analogy the Norman lord would understand.
"Handfastin' sets decent women apart from the whores. It puts the stamp of approval on a woman lying with a man. In the dales it's usually a preliminary to wedlock. The usual length of a handfastin' is a year and a day. At the end of that time the couple either decides to wed or to part. But if the union produces a child it is legitimate, even if no marriage ever takes place."
"The custom is a safeguard for women and children," Lynx said pensively.
"Aye, my lord; bastardy is frowned upon."
Lynx de Warenne wondered if Jock Leslie was giving him a warning. "My men have their orders; there will be no forcing of women at Dumfries."
******************
In the late afternoon his steward showed Lynx de Warenne over every room in the castle. The two men hadn't stopped talking and planning since early morning. Inside the fortification, Lynx was hard-pressed to make suggestions for improvement. The drains had been cleaned, the floors scrubbed, the fireplaces did not smoke, and even the dogs were penned up and not allowed to run underfoot.
The furnishings of Dumfries were almost luxurious. In most of the chambers, tapestries covered the stone walls to keep out the cold, many of the upper bedchambers had thick carpets on the floors, and the wide beds all had heavy bed-curtains, woven woolen blankets, and spotless linen. Every bedchamber had a spacious wardrobe and some even had hearths.
The castle, built in true Norman style, was flanked on each corner by a square tower. "This is the Master Tower." Jock led the way up the stone steps to the first level, which consisted of 73
A YhAR AND A DAY
two rooms connected by an arch. "These have always been the living quarters of whoever governed Dumfries."
Lynx noted that every chair was cushioned, every bench padded. The furniture was black oak, polished with beeswax. A gamestable boasted a set of chessmen, musical instruments hung from the walls, and there was no shortage of polished silver mirrors. When Lynx heard his squires' voices above him, accompanied by a woman's laughter, he climbed to the upper level, where again two chambers were connected by an arch.
He saw immediately that his squires had set up his own bed, carried up his trunks, including his weapons chest, and were busy hanging his clothes in the wardrobe. But it was the woman who caught and held Lynx's attention, as she spread fresh sheets across the bed. She was a comely wench, dark with a generous mouth and well-rounded hips. The curve of her belly told him that she was ripe with child.
"Should you be doing this?" Lynx asked, concerned for her advanced condition.
Jock chuckled. "This is my daughter Mary. You needn't worry, my lord, this is her sixth bairn."
She bobbed him a curtsy and threw him a saucy look. "Welcome to Dumfries, Lord de Warenne."
"Thank you, Mary," Lynx replied, crushing the covetous feeling that gripped him for the child, if not the woman.
"Ye'llwant a fire to counter the dampness. Mary, show the squires where the wood is stored,"
Jock bade.
Lynx stared after the fecund young woman, shaking his head in wonder. "Do you have any unwed daughters, Jock Leslie?"
Jock laughed and joined in the jest. "I have one lass who isna handfasted yet. Ye'd best hurry if ye're interested, my lord!"
******************
return. She thought of him as the
lynx
because he was the embodiment of the magnificent animal 74
with whom she had had the extraordinary encounter. Now she remembered the name of the man who had accompanied Robert Bruce.
"Lord de Warenne," Jane whispered the name aloud and felt her heart flutter with trepidation. The incident at the forest pool had been unfortunate and disturbing, yet somehow it had had an air of inevitability about it, as if it had been preordained. Her emotions had been in such turmoil, but luckily she had managed to mask the fear and the awe she felt for him.
Jane lifted the touchstone she wore about her neck and gazed down at the painted lynx. The tawny mane, the green eyes, the massive shoulders bore an uncanny resemblance to de Warenne, and she could not help but feel the man posed a threat to her.
Jane did not return home but instead sought out her brother Keith at the stables. He was the only one who seemed to understand the things she felt and did, without finding her strange or, worse still, laughing at her. Jane liked the smell of the stables. The mingled scent of horse, hay, and leather played counterpoint to the acrid smell of horse manure. But when she saw a group of unfamiliar men-at-arms she was filled with trepidation. Jane turned on her heel and was hurrying from the stable when Keith caught sight of her.
He dropped his currying brush and rushed after her. "Jane, don't run off. Come and look at the horses—they're the finest I've ever seen, especially Lord de Warenne's black stallion." Keith took hold of her arm to stay her flight.
"I cannot . . . those men—" The words stuck in her throat.
"Come up to the mews while I return Talon to his perch." Keith took the falcon on his wrist and led the way up to the loft where the hawks were kept. "The men are knights who belong to the new lord."
The hooded birds of prey recognized the voices and screeched for attention. Jane gently stroked the breast of a female 75
merlin, quieting her immediately. "I've seen him," she whispered ominously.
"Lord de Warenne?"
Jane nodded. "I saw him before."
"Aye, he came with Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick."
Jane shook her head. "I saw him before that."
Keith, realizing she was trying to tell him something, gave her his fall attention.
"Do you remember when I saw the lynx at the forest pool? Well, I saw him there again." She lifted the Celtic touchstone on its leather thong. "I took the lynx for my magic symbol. I thought if I could merge my spirit with his, it would give me power and strength. Anyway, the lynx came to me in a dream and he turned into a man ... It was Lord de Warenne."
Keith nodded slowly. "That is second sight . . . seeing things before they happen. Have you had any visions?"
"I saw him at the forest pool this morning, but I don't think he was a vision. I think he was real."
"The lord's name is Lynx."
"What?"
"His name is Lynx de Warenne."
Jane's lips parted in surprise and dismay, for that is what she had called him,
the lynx
. "Keith, what does it mean?"
"I know not. Yet his destiny and that of Dumfries are somehow bound together. There is a purpose; perhaps a divine one, perhaps not. But whether for good or evil, only time will tell."
"I believe00 that my new touchstone will protect me against him!"
0000002Keith's eyes examined her face. "He has frightened you. Jane, I don't believe he is a threat to you."
"I'm not afraid of him," she assured her brother, lifting her head proudly, but deep inside she was afraid of him and of the things he made her feel.
*
V1KUI1N1A HtlNLtY
That evening when the Leslie women gathered at Judith and Ben's house to welcome the new bairn into the family, an air of excitement prevailed. The breathless talk was all of Lord de Warenne, his handsome young knights, and the swarthy Welsh bowmen. The young women downplayed any anxiety they felt toward the newcomers. Yet the edge of apprehension they felt added to the thrilling knowledge that the men were dangerous and undefeated in recent battles.
"Judith, ye're missing all the excitement. His knights are so tall, ye'llnever believe yer eyes," Kate informed her. "The Welsh bowmen are no' so tall, but they make up for it with brawn!"
Mary, bursting with self-importance, announced, "/made his bed today!"
The others turned to her eagerly. "The lord's bed?"
"Aye. He was greatly concerned for me, working in my condition."
The girls laughed. "Making a bed isna work!"
Mary continued, holding up her hands. "He was this close to me. He could have reached out an'
touched me."
"An' did he?" Kate asked suggestively.
"No, Father was there with him," Mary said with a wink. The young matrons hooted with laughter.
As Jane put Judith's children to bed, she listened to the Leslie women. Whenever they got together, their favorite subject was the male of the species, and Jane had always been puzzled that they did not share her fear of men. She kept it to herself that this morning his powerful hands had touched her body intimately as he'd held her pinned beneath him. Jane shivered, remembering his savage masculinity; while the other women were greatly attracted to him, Jane felt wary of him.