“Why not?” Adair wanted to know.
“No need for them,” the laird replied, “except perhaps a cook.”
“Men cannot keep a house,” Adair remarked.
“Aye, I’ve come to realize that, but my men are lusty lads. Every cook I’ve had since Mam died has been sent off with a big belly,” he admitted.
“If that is the case, what is to become of me? I won’t be prey to your men, sir,” Adair said firmly. “I am no whore.”
“Are you really a countess?” he asked her. “The Countess of Stanton?”
“I was until King Henry stripped me of my title,”
Adair said.
“King Henry? I thought your king was Richard,” the laird said.
“King Richard was slain at Market Bosworth, and Henry Tudor now claims England’s throne. Andrew, my husband, fought for King Richard. He was killed, and I was punished for it. Now I am plain Mistress Radcliffe,” Adair explained to him. She did not tell him that her lands had been taken from her, for she refused to accept it.
“So you’re no virgin,” he remarked.
“Nay, I am not,” Adair responded.
“Good,” the laird replied.
“I am not a whore, sir,” Adair repeated.
“My lord,” he corrected her. “I am Conal Bruce, the laird of Cleit. Women are useful for cooking, for cleaning, for washing, and for bedding. Naught else. I did not buy you to save you, Adair Radcliffe. You must earn your keep.”
“I will keep your house for you, my lord,” Adair answered him, “but I will not be your whore. I will clean and scrub for you. I have all the talents of a lady born, and know how to manage a household. My father was King Edward.”
“But your mother was not Edward’s queen, I suspect. Your mother was that king’s whore, and you will be mine. Beneath the dirt and grime, beneath the swelling and the bruising you suffered at the hands of Willie Douglas, you are a beautiful woman. I have a sharp eye, Adair. You now belong to me, and I will use you as I see fit. However, I think you will need time to recover from your recent tribulations, and I am content to wait until you do so. If my lust overcomes me in the interim I shall go and visit the cottage of Agnes Carr, like all the men do.”
“How reassuring it is for me to find you are such a gentleman, my lord,” Adair said pithily. “And in the meantime you will give me leave to be your housekeeper, I assume. I shall do my best to serve you.”
He laughed as they crossed the little drawbridge of the keep and entered beneath the portcullis into the courtyard. “I shall expect nothing but the best from you, Adair.” And, pulling his horse to a stop, he slid easily from his saddle, turning to lift her down. “Welcome to Cleit, Adair Radcliffe,” he said.
It was not Stanton, Adair thought, looking about the dusty courtyard of the keep. It was grim and dirty. The stable did not appear particularly sturdy, and the scrawny chickens scratching about in the dirt had obviously not been well cared for in recent weeks. It would not be difficult to hate Cleit.
“Murdoc,” the laird called to his younger brother, who was now struggling with all the supplies they had purchased at the fair, “show Elsbeth and Adair to the kitchens.” He looked at Elsbeth and said sternly, “I’ll expect that roast goose for my supper.”
Young Murdoc gestured to the two women and led them into the keep. “He’s not as hard as he sounds,” he told them. “Serve him well, and you’ll find he’s a good master. He doesn’t beat his servants,” Murdoc reassured them.
They followed him down a small flight of steps from the outside of the keep and into a kitchen. There was no fire in the hearth, and much of the equipment was dirty and in a jumbled heap. The two women looked about despairingly.
“You’ll need some wood for the fire,” Murdoc said, seeing their distress.
“And water,” Elsbeth said. “Where is the well, laddie?”
“Here in the kitchens,” he said. “Our mother did a wonderful thing and had a well dug, for she said much time was wasted running back and forth into the court-
yard for water, especially in bad weather. She also didn’t like the servant girls lingering to talk with the men. She thought it led to trouble, and more often than not she was right.” He grinned engagingly. “I’ll go get you some wood, and start a fire.” He dashed off.
“As soon as I learn the lay of this land,” Adair said when he had gone, “I’ll plan our escape. We must get back to Stanton before the snows.”
“I’ll not see Stanton again,” Elsbeth said fatalistically.
“Nursie!” Adair cried, suddenly frightened.
