Chapter 13 #2
“Ye are right, Wife. I presumed too much in trying to spare ye this day. Ye have a right to confront them, if ye wish. I will call the council to judge them, and any in the clan who wish to speak for—or against—them. Can ye bear to hear it?”
“Of course I can. Give me a few minutes to dress and I will join ye.”
“Take yer time. I must rouse the council. I will return for ye.”
When Fiona and Erik arrived at the central fire in the village, Tormod and several of his men stood guard over Tira and Teague. Erik was relieved to see they stood calmly. He’d half expected Tira to put on a show of tears and denials. But perhaps she was saving that for later.
Fiona had paused in mid-step when she spotted them, but immediately resumed walking with him toward where the council waited, facing the accused. Most of the village arrayed themselves around the edge of the central clearing, waiting.
Tormod nodded. They were ready.
Erik nodded to each of the council in turn, then spoke.
“Ye all ken what happened yesterday. I dinna need to repeat the events many of ye witnessed and, no doubt, have discussed among yourselves. Tira and Teague stand accused of attempting to kill Fiona, Lady Ross. Putting her at risk is unforgivable. But rescuing her was my decision, and though it put both laird and lady at risk, I will not hold my actions against them. That said, my first impulse once my wife was safe was to strike both their heads from their shoulders.” Several gasps echoed around the circle, starting with Tira’s own.
He was proud that Fiona’s voice was not among them.
Kester rubbed his jaw, then spoke up. “From what I’ve heard, ye could be mistaken, and Tira did naught wrong save to be careless. The penalty ye propose is too great.”
Erik frowned at the reminder of how he’d punished that man at Rose. He hadn’t broken Kester’s jaw, but it still pained him in some weather. Erik took the reminder to heart. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“What do ye intend?” Teague gave voice to the question that most had to be asking themselves.
Erik nodded to the council. “These men will have the final say in yer fate, taking into account my recommendation that ye be banished from Ross territory by the end of today. Before they render a judgement, I would hear from ye first, then from yer fellows.”
“Tell them,” Teague said to his wife. “He doesna mean to kill us. This was yer idea.”
Tira looked as though she wanted to deny it, but her husband’s accusation was more than she could refute.
“I wanted to get rid of Fiona because she helped secure Erik’s power in the clan.
She kept Teague from gaining influence with Erik of the sort he had begun to obtain while Donas was laird.
Teague should have followed Donas as laird, no’ Erik. ”
Erik glanced aside at Fiona, but she didn’t react. He remained amazed by her strength. “Are there any who wish to speak for these two? Or against them?”
Shuffling and shifting feet met Erik’s request.
Tormod stepped forward. “Tira did not rush to summon help when the tide cut off the next cove, stranding yer lady. She deliberately led Lady Ross there and left her. I ken this because I saw how slowly she crossed our cove toward the cliff path, as if waiting for the tide to rise, until Erik called out, looking for his wife.” At Erik’s surprised expression, Tormod added, “Ye didna see me, but I was coming up behind ye along the cliff edge. Only after ye called out, then, and only then, did she hasten and call out her supposed distress. This I witnessed with my own eyes before I went to round up some men to help.”
Another man stepped forward. “Several of us suspected Tira was up to no good, but to our shame, we stood by and let it happen. We think those who supported Teague felt if she succeeded, so much the better. But if she failed, they would learn from her failure and find another way to take over the clan.”
“I hope they have learned their lesson,” Erik said, taking the warning to heart. Teague and Tira might be done, but others could still cause trouble.
Osgar spoke up, surprising Erik. “To make the laird look bad, Teague told us to slow down progress on the wall. He counted on yer anger to convince everyone ye should no’ be laird.
And he wanted to get a raiding party together.
I’m tired of raiding. I want to be a smithy.
Fiona—pardon me, Lady Ross—is going to make that happen. With ye, Laird, of course.”
Beside Erik, Fiona nodded as if she accepted Osgar’s change of heart. Satisfied that she was holding up well, and willing to follow her lead with that man, Erik let the talk go on until Fiona took his hand. “Enough,” she whispered.
Erik agreed. “Does the council have anything to add? Do ye recommend a different verdict? Or if ye are convinced of their guilt, do ye wish to enact any other form of punishment than what I have suggested?”
After a quiet word with his fellows, the eldest of the Council, Acton, stepped forward. “We agree that banishment is just and sufficient. These two have lost the right to call themselves Rosses. They must leave Ross land today.”
Erik nodded. “And do the people of the clan support this decision?”
A few ayes rang out, then more until the noise became loud enough for the younger members to cover their ears.
“I wish to speak,” Teague said, when the noise died down, surprising them all.
“Very well,” Erik said. “What do ye have to say?”
“Ye dinna have the whole story. There is one on yer council who conspired to destroy yer alliance before it ever happened.”
Erik trained his narrowed gaze on Garrod, the one councilor who often supported things Donas might have done.
Garrod straightened under his laird’s scrutiny, but didn’t quail.
“Name him,” Erik ordered Teague.
“’Twas I,” Acton admitted, stepping forward before Teague had a chance to speak.
He nodded to Teague as if absolving him, then turned to Erik.
“I didna believe it wise to tie us so closely to the very clan we’ve preyed upon for brides and weapons and foodstuffs while Donas ruled Ross.
Munro could, too easily, repay us in kind, or, with their allies, do worse.
I believed, and still do, that this alliance would steal from us the ability to take our revenge. ”
“Ye did this?” Erik couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I have already said so. I have the missive if ye need proof. I took it from Lyall, then sent him to a cousin’s to pass the time he wouldha been gone to Rose.”
“How does Teague ken ye have it?”
“Lyall told me,” Teague said. “He wanted to tell ye, but I warned him no’ to. Ye could have taken all our lives. Donas wouldha.”
Erik turned back to Acton. “Ye ken the danger we’re in, the trouble Domhnall is stirring up over the Ross Earldom. And yet, ye would deny us strong allies over stolen brides?”
Acton hung his head.
Erik turned to Tormod. “Confine Acton to his cot, and find my missive. I willna rule against him today. I will speak with ye and the other members of the council first.”
“And Lyall?”
“Followed orders from Acton. I dinna like what he did, but I willna punish him for obeying a member of the council. A man I once trusted.”
“That is wise, Laird,” Tormod told him, then took control of Acton.
“I will also go into banishment,” Acton blurted before Tormod could turn him away. “To my daughter, who married into Clan Erskine.”
“Granted,” Erik bit out, relieved to have done with him. “Ye, too, will leave today.”
“Send someone with him,” Fiona whispered at his side. “Alone, he’ll never survive to reach her through the mountains this time of year.”
Erik nodded. “I promise ye, I will.”
While Tormod took Acton to pack, Tormod’s men returned Teague and Tira to their cot to gather the belongings they would carry with them.
The rest of the crowd surged to Fiona, offering condolences and apologies for how she had been treated, and to tell Erik how shocked they were at Acton’s betrayal.
Erik wasn’t sure how to extract them from the crush, but Fiona solved that. “I think Cook has a meal ready for all of us. Let us break our fast together, aye?”
“We love our new lady,” one of Cook’s young apprentices piped up.
“Aye, we do,” the other youngsters chorused. “And our laird.”
Ayes rang out again as Erik and Fiona led the way to Cook’s cot.
Erik held Fiona’s hand, wishing never to release it.
He’d nearly lost her yesterday. “I love ye, too, Lady Ross,” he leaned close and told her.
“More than all of yer people put together. More than I ever believed it possible to love someone, I love ye.”
Fiona stopped and turned to him. In front of everyone, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled his head down, and kissed him.
Erik suspected the clan’s cheering could be heard across the firth at Rose.