Chapter 32
Over the next weeks, the weather grew warmer and Mairin spent as much time outside the keep as she could. Though she wouldn’t admit as much to Ewan, she kept a sharp eye to the horizon, watching for when her dowry would be brought by the king’s escort.
Ewan’s missive to the king had gone unanswered thus far, but Mairin held hope that any day they would hear the news that the dowry had been carried to McCabe land.
Her belly had pooched ever so slightly. It wasn’t noticeable under the full skirts of her dress, but at night, naked, beneath Ewan, he delighted in the tiny swell that harbored his child.
He couldn’t keep his hands or his mouth from the mound. He’d palm and caress it and then kiss every inch of her flesh. His obvious joy over her pregnancy brought Mairin great satisfaction. Her clan’s joy over the announcement warmed her to her toes.
When Ewan had stood during the evening meal and announced Mairin’s pregnancy, the hall had erupted in cheers. The word raced throughout the keep and a celebration ensued, lasting well into the night.
Aye, life was good. Nothing could mar this day for Mairin. She patted her belly, breathed in the perfumed air, and set off for the courtyard, eager to get a glimpse of her husband training.
As she descended the hill, she looked up and caught her breath. Her heart pounded furiously as she watched the distant riders galloping toward the McCabe keep. Unfurled and flying, held by the front rider, was the king’s banner bearing the royal crest.
Her haste was unseemly, but she didn’t care. She picked up her skirts and ran for the courtyard. Ewan was already receiving word of the imminent arrival of the king’s messenger. Word had raced like wildfire around the keep and her clansmen popped from every corner, crowding into the courtyard, the steps of the keep, and the hillside overlooking the courtyard.
The air of anticipation was thick and sparked like fire as the excited murmurs buzzed from person to person.
Mairin stood back, her bottom lip clenched so tightly between her teeth that she tasted blood. Ewan’s brothers flanked Ewan as he waited the approaching riders.
The lead rider cantered across the bridge and pulled his horse up in front of Ewan. He slid off his mount and called a greeting.
“I bear a message from His Majesty.”
He handed a scroll to Ewan. Mairin surveyed the remaining riders. There were only a dozen armed soldiers, but there was no sign of trunks or anything that might signal the arrival of her dowry.
Ewan didn’t immediately open the scroll. Instead he extended hospitality to the king’s men. The rest dismounted and their horses were taken to the stables. The McCabe women brought refreshment to the men when they gathered in the hall to rest from their travel.
Ewan offered them lodging for the night, but they refused, their need to return to Carlisle castle pressing. Mairin died a thousand deaths as she hovered, waiting for Ewan to open the message. Only when the messenger was seated with drink and food did Ewan also sit and unroll the missive.
She whispered to Maddie to fetch quill and ink, knowing that Ewan would need to pen areply if one was necessary before the messenger took his leave.
As his eyes moved back and forth, his jaw clenched and his expression became murderous. Mairin’s chest tightened in dread as she watched anger gather like a storm in his eyes.
Unable to restrain herself, she rushed forward and touched Ewan’s shoulder. “Ewan? Is something amiss?”
“Leave me,” he said harshly.
She instantly recoiled from the fury in his voice. Her hand dropped and she took a hasty step back. Ewan raised his gaze to the others assembled and barked an order to clear the hall.
Mairin turned and left, avoiding Maddie’s look of sympathy when she passed her by.
Ewan read the missive again, unable to believe what was before his eyes. He scanned the signature at the bottom, noting that it was signed by the king’s closest advisor, not the king himself. He wasn’t sure what to make of that.
Regardless of whether it was signed by the king or his advisor, it bore the royal seal and was carried by a contingent of the king’s royal guard. Ewan was compelled to obey, despite the fact that the accusations were laughable and an insult to his honor.
“Ewan, what has happened?” Alaric demanded.
The king’s messenger eyed Ewan warily as he shoved his goblet aside. “Will you be penning a response, Laird?”
Ewan’s lip curled and he barely restrained his urge to wrap his hands around the man’s neck. Only his knowledge that it was hardly fair to slay the messenger for the words of another kept him from venting his rage.
“You may bear my response back verbally. Tell our liege that I will come.”
The messenger stood and, with a bow, signaled his men and beat a hasty retreat.
The hall was empty, save Ewan and his brothers. Ewan closed his eyes and brought his fist down on the table with a resounding crack.
“Ewan?” Caelen’s concern was sharp, as both he and Alaric leaned forward in their seats.
“I’ve been summoned to court,” Ewan began. He still couldn’t believe the contents of the missive.
“To court? Why?” Alaric demanded.
“To answer charges of abduction and rape. Duncan Cameron has taken his suit to the king and claimed that he married Mairin, consummated the marriage, and I abducted and abused her sorely. He put in a claim for Mairin’s dowry that predated my own, and now he demands the return of his wife and the immediate release of her dowry.”
“What?”
Both Caelen and Alaric roared their outrage.
“I’m to bringnsummated in to court, where the king will decide the matter.”