Janet’s decision to enter her and Finn’s private chamber uninvited was not only inexcusably rude, but it also imperiled their future. Margaret eased herself into a chair, folded her hands over her huge belly, and waited for what the woman would do next.
“Forgive my intrusion, but I was curious to meet the woman my friend Finn wed,” Janet said.
Margaret suspected from the way Janet saidfriendthat she had been more than that to Finn at one time. Was there no end to his former lovers? She reminded herself the past was behind them, and she had him now.
“In truth,” Janet said as she sat down and smoothed her skirts, “I thought Finn had made you up entirely to keep me from pestering him.”
Pesteringwas an interesting choice of word.
“I can’t believe you’re Finn’s wife!” Janet threw back her head and gave a throaty laugh. “I’m pleased he took my advice to marry a wealthy woman, but I did not expect him to take it so far as to wed a Douglas.”
“Please, no one can know who I am,” Margaret said. “My brothers believe I died of a fever at Blackadder castle, and I don’t want them to learn otherwise.”
Exchanging letters with her sisters and Lizzy was difficult, but she had eventually received word from Alison telling her of the lie she and Lizzie had told to explain Margaret’s disappearance.
“Now that ye mention it, I did hear a rumor that you were dead.” Janet leaned forward. “’Tis best we keep your secret between us and not tell my son.”
Margaret drew in her first easy breath since Janet appeared. Janet already knew the gossip about Margaret’s first husband annulling their marriage, and Margaret told her briefly about her brothers’ plans to use her before she escaped. Janet listened intently, tapping one manicured finger against her cheek.
“I don’t want my brothers finding me and interfering in our lives,” Margaret said.
“I, more than most, understand how dangerous a woman’s connections to powerful men can be,” Janet said. “I learned from your aunt’s tragic example.”
Janet went on to regale Margaret with tales of her youth. She’d had a fascinating life, but Margaret would not want it for the world.
“Do ye know why your son is here?” Margaret asked. “What does he want with Finn?”
When Janet told her, Margaret grew so tense that the baby rolled and kicked inside her. She took slow, deep breaths to calm herself while she tried to think what to do.
“Finn will never agree to what your son proposes,” Margaret said. “But I have an idea.”
She and Janet put their heads together to work out a plan.
“Take good care of that handsome man,” Janet said with a wink, as she got up to leave. “Now I have business to attend to.”
###
A great deal of whisky, wine, and ale had been consumed before and during the feast, so it took some time for the hall to quiet when Finn stood to make his toast.
“Welcome home, Alexander Gordon, the laird and earl of Sutherland!” Finn said, raising his cup. “Gun cuireadh do chupa thairis le slàinte agus sonas.”May your cup overflow with health and happiness.
“Slàinte! Slàinte!”Shouts filled the room, and the floor shook from people stamping their feet. Finn grinned down at Alex, who sat next to him at the high table, and reflected on how his cousin had grown into a man.
Alex had filled out in the months he’d been away, but the changes went deeper than the physical. The murder of his parents and his brief captivity with the Sinclairs had destroyed Alex’s youthful naivete. While he still showed moments of his old lighthearted self during dinner, Alex had become a serious young man who was determined to become a good laird for his people.
After numerous other toasts to Alex and to the departure of the Sinclairs, Moray, as the honored guest, stood to make the last formal toast.
“We’d be remiss in not recognizing the man who made your young earl’s return possible,” Moray said, then raised his cup to Finn. “Let us drink to the hero who captured Dunrobin and drove out the Sinclairs!”
This time the shouts were even louder. Finn was not pleased that Moray had drawn attention away from Alex, who needed to be recognized and accepted as the new laird.
“I must speak with you alone,” Moray said in Finn’s ear before he returned to his seat.
When he and Moray settled into the solar a short time later, Finn wished Margaret could be there to help him. She understood the politics that motivated a man like Moray. One thing Finn knew for certain, however, was that Moray did not come all this way just to thank him for leading the forces that pushed the Sinclairs out of Sutherland.
Moray wanted something from him.
“Alex can petition the church for a divorce from Barbara Sinclair on the grounds of infidelity as soon as he turns eighteen and his wardship ends,” Moray said. “I’ve already spoken to the bishop.”