Chapter 13
A s they rode out across Gillies Tower land, early in the morning, Sandy couldn’t tear his eyes off Brigid. She kept her gaze ahead, staring out at the landscape in front of them, and he admired her profile. She’d seemed a little uncertain about the saddle when they began, but she was clearly a very experienced horsewoman. Perhaps she was just out of practice. After all, he had no idea what she’d been doing before Edmondson captured her.
One thing was certain - she looked very confident. And beautiful.
She’d spent the previous night in her own room, at the top of the tower. Sandy had lain awake all night, wondering if he should go to her. Wondering if she was thinking of him. In the end, he’d stayed where he was. That had probably been the right decision - but part of him wished he’d climbed those steps and knocked on her door.
Brigid’s cheeks blushed a little. Sandy tore his gaze away, wondering if she’d somehow guessed his thoughts.
“You should let me and Mary come on the raid,” she said, and Sandy realised with disappointment that her thoughts were very different from his own.
He sighed. Why couldn’t she just drop this? “You would be in danger,” he explained. “And perhaps even a distraction to me and Tam.”
Her lips narrowed. Clearly, she didn’t like that answer. She turned back to the front and said nothing more, but Sandy could feel the tension simmering between them. It did not seem like she was going to make this any easier.
He hadn’t even told her the real reason that he wouldn’t let her come on the raid. Probably for the best - it didn’t sound like she’d appreciate even his most honourable intentions. But it was his duty as her husband to protect her, and he intended to uphold that duty to his last breath. It was why he’d brought her along today, on his regular visits to the tenants. He wanted to keep an eye on her, in case any unwelcome visitors appeared at Gillies Tower.
But she probably wouldn’t want to hear any of that. So he stayed silent.
Unfortunately, when they arrived at the first tenant cottage, it became clear that his wife’s displeasure was the least of Sandy’s problems. This was the cottage that had suffered some roofing problems a few days earlier, and Sandy had promised to come back and help them to repair it. The job wasn’t too complicated, it just required an extra pair of hands. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce his wife to a few tenants of the Gillies Tower estate.
At first, the cottager’s family all smiled at Brigid in welcome, apparently delighted to see their laird married at last. But then she quietly replied to their greeting, and every single face went cold.
Sandy groaned inwardly. Of course. Why hadn’t he warned them? An English accent was the last thing these people wanted to hear, after all they’d suffered at the hands of English soldiers and English officers of the law.
From that moment on, everything Brigid said was ignored or, worse, rudely contradicted. It was not long before Brigid ceased even attempting to make conversation. She went over to stand beside the horses and pretended to busy herself rubbing them down again.
“For shame, mistress,” Sandy scolded the cottager’s wife from his position up the ladder. “You should treat your lady with more respect than that.”
“No offence intended, my lord,” the woman said, her eyes downcast. But she made no effort to go and speak to Brigid.
When the work was finally over, he decided to speak to the cottager himself.
“I’m not pleased with how my wife has been treated this morning,” he said sternly. “Your family’s conduct is nothing to be proud of.”
The man shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “My apologies, my lord. But you know how it is. The English aren’t much liked around here. Some things never change.”
“English or no, I expect my wife to be treated with respect,” Sandy snapped.
The man looked at the ground. “Perhaps my lord should have thought twice before marrying an English woman.”
Sandy strode away before he said anything he might regret. At least the roof was finished.
“We’re leaving,” he said to Brigid. She nodded and said nothing as he helped her onto her horse.
“I’m sorry about that poor welcome,” he said as they rode along. She didn’t even look at him. Did she blame him for the way those tenants had treated her? He felt even worse than before. He should have spoken up sooner. So much for making it his duty to protect her. He couldn’t even shield her from a few ignorant cottagers.
Then he heard shouting coming from the other side of a cluster of trees. He rode towards it, letting his horse choose the best route through the undergrowth. Brigid followed him without hesitation. His earlier impressions had been correct - she was an excellent horsewoman.
They burst out of the trees on the other side, where they were greeted by a sight that made Sandy’s blood boil. Two of his tenants, carrying lumpy sacks, were being set upon by men in the uniforms of English law officers. They had the two Scotsmen surrounded, and were shouting threats at them.
Enough! These men had no right to cause trouble on his land.
“Get away!” Sandy shouted. He rode hard towards them, his mount’s hooves spraying up mud. Brigid kept close beside him, riding with a speed that impressed him even through his anger.
The English soldiers gaped at the two oncoming horses. Then, to Sandy’s relief, they scattered and ran.
Pulling his horse to a halt, Sandy dismounted.
“What’s going on here?” he asked his tenants.
“We were bringing our surplus vegetables to Gillieston to sell,” one ashen-faced man explained. “But we were set upon by those men. They insisted we owed it all in tax, but of course we don’t! I swear we don’t.”
“Those men don’t even have the right to collect tax,” Sandy said grimly. “It was robbery, plain and simple.”
“Well, your arrival saved us from being robbed, then,” the man said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am, my lord. And my lady as well, of course.”
“This is my wife, Brigid,” Sandy said.
The men all bowed.
“A pleasure to meet you, gentlemen,” Brigid said softly.
Sandy stiffened, waiting for the warm welcome to go cold. The men’s eyes certainly widened a little, but their gratitude did not seem to fade. And why should it? After all, Brigid had sided with her husband’s people against her own countrymen. It was admirable behaviour indeed.
“Perhaps we should get home,” Sandy said to her. “I should probably get some sort of guard patrol organised.”
He mounted his horse again. “Rest assured that I will take more action to protect the people of Gillies Tower,” he said, looking down at the two men. “Whatever difficulties may arise, your safety is my responsibility. All of your safety.”
He glanced sideways at Brigid. Her expression was so smooth that he couldn’t even tell if she’d heard his words.