Chapter 34
KAITLYN
THE BUTCHER OF GLENCOE
Magnus and the men had moved the body to a board on his bed at the far end of the chamber.
Throughout the room the furniture was draped with black cloth.
I was relieved I didn’t have to see the body, but also felt sorry for Lizbeth, who was there at the bed, with other women gathered around, washing the body.
They had warm bowls of water scented with herbs.
There was a low murmuring as they worked.
The men were at the other end of the chamber, standing together, talking quietly, the whole room was dimmed, quiet, reverent after the murder scene earlier, vivid and frightening — this was a good change.
I nodded at Lizbeth, who looked normal, competent, like she was handling things.
Magnus asked me, quietly, “Are the bairns well?”
“Yes, Jack was still napping, Isla and Archie are busy, lots going on. Haggis is following at their heels. I promised I would be back in a bit, but I wanted to see what was going on here.”
“Are there discussions?”
“People were whispering, it was unsettling, but they’re all talking about Wilfrey and about you and Sean putting him in the dungeon for it.”
Two of the windows were open, the long curtains hanging damply beside them, rain pouring outside.
Hayley and Fraoch joined us, she said, “Those curtains are going to mildew, could we close the window?”
Fraoch frowned. “That canna be done, the soul of the Earl must be free tae go or there will be a haunting.”
Hayley shivered. “I don’t see why so many have to be open, but I guess if it’s a matter of an open window or a haunting, I don’t want to be the person who chose ‘close the window or the curtains will mildew’ and be responsible for a ghost of the Earl.”
My eyes went to the activities at the far end of the room. “What are they doing?”
Magnus said, “They are goin’ tae wind the body in the sheets tae assure rest. They are near finished.”
I said, casually, “No issues?”
“Nae, but twill be good when this part is over.”
I heard Isla’s voice in the corridor outside, she and Archie had come to find me. So Hayley and I went to meet them. A maid passed Jack, freshly woken from his nap, into my arms. Haggis’s tail wagged around in a circle, excitedly.
“Who died, Mammy?” Isla said, too loudly.
I lowered my voice. “Your Great Uncle, the Earl.”
“Oh.” She said, then, “Who is that?”
Hayley whispered, pulling the door to the solar closed, “The guy with the big wig.”
Isla said, “Oh I know!” Then she asked, “Can I look?”
I shook my head, “Nope, you’ll need to go do something else.”
She wandered away with one of the girl cousins to ‘do something else,’ while Archie asked, “The Earl died? How?”
I said, “He was very old, it’s not a big surprise.”
Archie’s eyes narrowed. “I heard he got murdered.”
Hayley said, “Shhhhh.”
Archie whispered, “Who did it?”
Me and Hayley looked at each other, we had not gotten a story straight for telling the kids, I gulped. “What did you hear?”
“The cousins said that Wilfrey murdered him.”
“Well, it was more like a fight, that’s the best way to think about it, I think—”
Hayley said, “And the Earl was not nice to… but there was an argument… and it was…” Archie’s brow was drawn down like he suspected she wasn’t telling the truth.
She grimaced, “Maybe your da can explain it.”
Magnus and Fraoch came from the solar and Magnus fist-bumped Archie and when Jack put out his chubby paws, took him into his arms. “Did I hear m’name?”
Hayley said, “Archie is wondering what happened, he knows about Wilfrey.”
I said, “It was hard to explain.”
Magnus rubbed Haggis behind the ears, and sort of scoffed, “Tis easy tae explain, the Earl was an arse and insulted Lady Mairead, yer grandmother, Archie. She was offended and so her husband, Wilfrey, demanded an apology. The Earl attacked him and Wilfrey defended himself.”
Archie’s eyes were wide. “It’s true?”
“Sometimes ye canna let an insult stand. Ye tell the cousins that Laird Wilfrey was defending his wife’s honor, that is all they need tae ken, they will understand.”
Archie ran off to tell the cousins with Haggis close at his heels.
Magnus said, “Twas helpful?”
Hayley said, “Yep, I did not have my story straight.”
“Twas a duel, tis all ye need tae say.”
“I don’t get dueling, I suppose.”
Magnus chuckled. “Tis because ye are a woman, ye daena need tae fight.”
Hayley laughed. “Well, your explanation was very simple. But why do men need to fight so much?”
“Tae find out who is right and who is wrong!”
Fraoch joked, “Och, daena let them upset ye, Og Maggy, they are modern. Moderns hae trouble discernin’ between right and wrong. Their morals are askew.”
Hayley whispered, “None of us are behaving morally.”
Magnus put his finger to his lips. “Nae, we arna talking on anything but the duel that took place this day.” His voice raised as people came and went from the solar. “A duel is how men figure out who is right in an argument.”
She said, “But that makes no sense.”
Magnus asked, “Who dost ye think, in the duel between Wilfred and the Earl, was in the wrong, Madame Hayley?”
Hayley lowered her voice. “Probably the guy who killed the other guy?”
Magnus feigned dismay. “But the dead man insulted his wife! He caused the altercation and ended up dead. Wilfrey was just the conduit for the justice that needed tae be served.”
He exhaled. “This is justice that has needed tae be served for a long time. I feel disquieted that twas not I who dealt out the justice, but justice has been dealt on this day.” He added, “On an unrelated point, Lizbeth looks well.”
I nodded. “We talked, she is doing good.”
He then said, “Kaitlyn, would ye want tae go on a short walk with me tae clear m’head?”
Hayley said she would go keep an eye on the kids, Jack put out his hands and wanted to go with her now that he had said hello to Magnus and me.
Haggis plodded along beside us.
Magnus said, “I dried ye down, Haggis, but ye still smell like wet medieval dog.”
Haggis looked up at him, seeming to smile.
Down one of the corridors we passed an opening in the wall and with the rain pouring down, I stopped and joked, “So we’re still on for a day ride to the woods tomorrow?”
He chuckled. “Och nae, the lands of alba are a-flood and I dinna bring a raft.”
“Fraoch might build one, given a heads up.”
He laughed. “Och, but ye see, Kaitlyn, he would need wood tae build the raft and we need the raft tae get tae the woods. Therein is a conundrum.”
“Very funny, and true, and makes me wonder how do we have so much firewood? There’s a pile in every room. How far is someone going in the rain for wood?”
He frowned. “Best not tae think on it, someone must go out in the rain, but not me, nae ye, we are the King and Queen of Riaghalbane, we get tae remain dry.”
“Except this morning.”
“Aye, the king’s folly.”
I said, “Man, this is a long day, and now John is coming?”
“Aye, he will be here any minute now, likely he already kens what has happened, I am sure a messenger was sent.”
I winced. “A messenger in this rain?”
“When I was young, I often spent time doin’ chores in the rain, tis a thing someone must do. Messages must be carried, wood must be brought in, horses must be tended.”
“Well, I’m glad we don’t have to do it, that was enough wet today. And I suppose it’s good that John will know about his father already… But it’s not too late to leave, right?”
He shook his head. “We canna, we must be here tae help Wilfrey.”
“But we could spring him from the dungeon and just go and never come back. By the way, Lizbeth told me why, it was because she was protecting Liam.”
“Aye, I spoke tae her, she told me as well. The Earl threatened Liam. Did she tell ye what twas?”
I shook my head. “No, she said it was a secret.”
“Aye, it involves Glencoe.”
“Oh. Oh no.” My eyes went wide. “You know what it is?”
He nodded. “All of us do, but we daena speak on it. We were all young when it happened. I was the youngest, Liam was the only one barely old enough tae go with the men. We daena speak on it because we ken it could hae happened tae any of us if we had been auld enough tae be told tae ride with the soldiers.”
“And the Earl threatened Liam with it?”
Magnus sneered. “The Earl escaped the gallows but was willing tae threaten tae send other men there for the same actions.”
“And the Earl also told her she could not come back, ever. That’s not the whole reason, but still part of it. She got mad and then she did it.”
“Dost ye ken who gave her the poison?”
“She knew where Lady Mairead had some hidden.”
Our footsteps echoed as we walked down the hall, his heavy, mine lighter and quicker to keep up. “But, ultimately, she really doesn’t want to leave.”
He was really quiet, then finally said, “I ken. I am goin’ tae try tae come up with a better idea. Just give me some time — now we hae tae keep Wilfred from the gallows, that must come first.”
“Do you think you can?”
He shook his head. “I daena ken, twill all depend on John.”
We walked in silence, then I said, “It would be really good if we could keep both Lizbeth and Wilfred from trouble.”
He said, “Wheesht, mo ghràidh, the walls hae ears.”