“She says not to send Robbie even if Agnes begs,” Annabella told her husband.
“I don’t intend to. My nephew is a Ferguson, and he will learn to behave like one,” the earl said. “We dinna involve ourselves, but neither do we commit treason.” He was holding a second open parchment in his hand, and looking extremely irritated.
“What is the matter?” Annabella asked him.
The earl held out the letter and shook it as a dog might shake a piece of prey. “Thisis the matter,” he said. “It is from Matthew. He informs me that a vessel will shortly be anchoring in the harbor beneath the castle. We are to grant its captain and crew our good border hospitality.” He flung the parchment from him. “Who the hell does my brother think he is? This ship bodes no good, and once again Matthew endangers Duin wi’ his arrogance. I hae no intention of granting it permission to anchor in my harbor.” He called the courier to him. “Ian Elliot, tell me what ye heard in the Hamiltons’ hall. What do ye know of this ship?”
“I heard them speaking about a plan to rescue the old queen from England. They mean to bring her to Duin, where she will board the waiting vessel and be taken to France,” the messenger said. “From there the Hamiltons will restore her to Scotland.”
“Jesu!” the earl swore. “What wily fools these petty conspirators are. If they mean to restore her, why send her to France? Nay, they mean to take control in her name while keeping her in France waiting for the proper time to return. It will nae come, of course.”
“And Duin will be implicated in this new treason, because the ship will anchor in our harbor,” Annabella said, as angry as her husband. “We canna allow this to happen, Angus! But how can we stop them?”
The earl smiled a wolfish smile. “I possess two cannons that sit on the battlements,” he said. “That is why the Irish stopped raiding here. We shall make certain the cannons are primed and ready for our guests.”
“Your boat from the New World never came,” Annabella said.
“It hae been delayed, then,” the earl said. “It will come.”
And it did, sailing into the harbor several days later, looking rather battered and damaged. When the tide was out enough to allow for a landing, a small boat was lowered into the waves and rowed to the narrow strip of beach. A man got out and climbed the interior steep cliff staircase up to the castle. When he arrived in the hall he went directly to Angus Ferguson and bowed.
“My lord,” he said. His accent was light but there.
“Captain Diego, ’tis good to see ye once again, but the ship is obviously the worse for wear. Ye encountered difficulties.”
“Aye, my lord, we did. We are fortunate to be here at all, but thanks be to God, the lord Jesu, and his blessedMadreMaria, we have survived. I bring bad news, however.” The captain took a silver goblet of wine from the servant with the tray and drank deeply before continuing.
The earl waited politely for Captain Diego to continue. He saw his wife signal for food to be brought. Good lass, he thought. Hot food and wine were exactly what the seaman needed to become more comfortable, to loosen his tongue.
Finally, his thirst assuaged, the captain spoke. “My lord, yer mines are finished. The gold and the silver I bring is the last of it. I was fortunate to get it out, for all properties owned by foreigners are now being confiscated by His Most Royal Majesty King Philip. I had to run a gauntlet of Spanish warships several times before I was finally able to escape, and then it was as if the devil himself had put every storm upon the face of this earth in my path. Then we were accosted by pirates off the west coast of Ireland, and escaped only when a thick fog blew in, allowing me to navigate around Mizzen Head and Cape Clear before they might find us again. There were English ships in St. George’s Channel to avoid as well. I’ve never been so glad to see Duin in all my life.”
“Come to the high board,” Annabella invited him, and then saw him made comfortable with a round bread trencher filled with lamb stew.
Captain Diego ate the food eagerly. His cup was refilled once.
“Ye went to the mines yerself?” the earl asked.
“Aye, my lord, I did. There were more Indians in their village center than inside the mines. I have noticed over the last three years the workers being fewer and fewer. I had spoken to yer steward about it the last time I was at Duin. Did he not tell ye?”
“Nay, he did not,” the earl said grimly. “My half brother has unfortunately chosen to disagree wi’ me at every turn in recent months. He hae now departed Duin.”
The seaman nodded as he scraped the last of the stew and bread from his trencher. “It is sometimes difficult for the younger ones to obey the elder,” he said.
Then he became all business once again. “We will off-load your cargo in the morning, my lord, if that will suit ye.”
Angus Ferguson nodded. “And ye will remain in the safety of my harbor until yer vessel can be restored and is seaworthy once again,” he said. “I’ll send a servant to tell yer man ye stay the night here in the castle. Tomorrow we’ll ride into my village for workers and materials for the repairs.”
“I’m grateful, my lord,” Captain Diego said.
“I’ll want ye to hae the ship,” the earl said. “’Tis nae use to me any longer.”
“My lord!”
“Ye’ve served me well these past years, Captain Diego. I’m a reclusive Scotsman. What use would I hae for a sailing ship?”
“’Tis too generous, too generous,” the seaman said. There was just the hint of tears in his eyes, and his voice almost shook.
“Nay, ye’ve risked yer life many times to bring yer ship to safety in my harbor,” Angus Ferguson said. “Now, I’ll hear nae more about it. Ye’ll hae the vessel’s papers transferred into yer name when ye’re ready to depart. And my wee harbor is always open to ye, sir. Come! We’ll drink on it!” And he raised his own goblet.
