“Give it to my page,” the king directed the laird. “He will take it to the justices, and it will be reviewed in due course.”
“The parchment is fragile, my liege,” the laird said, but he handed the roll to the young boy, who, to his credit, took it carefully and hurried off.
“Consider yourself fortunate, my lord, that I do not have you thrown into the gaol. You abducted an innocent girl and forced her to your will. Because my queen loves Lady Cicely Bowen I will show you mercy.”
“Thank you, my lord!” Cicely quickly said. “But would you allow my husband to explain his actions? When you learn them you will understand.”
“Will I?” the king said coldly.
“Oh, you will!” Cicely assured him, causing a small smile to touch the king’s lips.
“Very well, madam, I will hear what your husband has to say,” the king replied.
“I fell in love with her when I first set eyes on her,” Ian began.
“And that would be when?” James Stewart demanded to know.
“That day when I stopped your train to pledge you my loyalty, my liege,” the laird of Glengorm said. “But when I came to court I could not get near her for the Gordons. If my ladyfaire was to know me, to love me, I had no choice but to carry her off.”
“I will accept that you were attracted to her when you saw her that day,” the king answered. “But once you got to Perth you certainly heard the rumors of her large dower. I know Glengorm is not a rich holding, my lord. Perhaps you sought a wealthy bride, and carried her off for no other reason than her dower.”
“My lord, I would have taken Cicely in her chemise and with nothing more!” Ian Douglas declared passionately. “I love her!”
The king’s amber eyes narrowed as he looked at the laird. Then he said, “I hope that is so, my lord. When Orva left to join her mistressat Glengorm she took with her all of your wife’s personal possessions. ’Tis all Cicely has now. There is nothing more.”
“That is not so!” Cicely burst out. “My father placed a large sum of gold in your keeping, my liege. What has happened to my dower?”
“I have taken it, madam, in forfeit,” the king said in a hard voice. “Do you know how insulted the Gordons were by your behavior? I had to placate them by paying them a mulct. Did you think it would come from me? And then I had to convince that fool Fairlea that taking my wife’s kinswoman for his bride was far better than having you for a wife. Our children would be blood kin. But Beth’s dower was small. I had to supplement it, and so I did. The Gordons never knew how much you actually possessed, and so by adding some of your wealth to Beth’s dower I was able to placate them quite nicely.”
“You gave Huntley and his kinallof my dower?” Cicely demanded angrily.
“Nay, not all of it,” the king told her. “Some remains, madam.”
“Then I want what is left,” she replied. “How can you do this to me, my liege? I did nothing wrong! I was abducted. I did not go willingly. I am not to blame that all your plans to have me marry Fairlea, and spy upon the Gordons went awry.”
“I never asked you to spy, madam,” the king said in an icy voice.
“Nay, not in so many words, my liege, but am I a fool that I could not read between the lines? You are ruthless, James Stewart, but I have done you no real harm. I want my dower, at least what is left of it. Why do you blame me for what has happened? And in the end has it not all worked out for the better?”
“I might have forgiven you, Ce-ce,” the king said, “had not Sir William Douglas come to me with his clever plan for his kinsman to gain you and your wealth while the queen’s cousin would be given to the Gordons instead. Am I a fool that I could not see he meant to have his kinsman profit by his lawlessness? The lawmustbe upheld!”
“My liege.” Ian Douglas spoke. “I did not take Cicely for her wealth. I took her because I loved her. It makes no difference to methat she no longer has her dower. I still love her. I will love her past death. Knowing how I felt, Sir William sought but to aid you in what he knew would be a difficult situation. In the larger scheme of things neither Cicely nor I is important or should be considered. You have problems in the north that need your attention far more.” Suddenly Ian Douglas knelt before the king. “I humbly request that you see me confirmed in my lands, my liege. ’Tis all I seek. Nothing more.”
James Stewart actually looked uncomfortable. “Get up, man!” he said. He believed this border lord, and honest men were few, he knew. “The justices will look at your patent, then see what other sources may be used to confirm it. You will be notified. For now, Glengorm is yours. Take your wife. Go home.” He waved them away.
“I want my dower!” Cicely said angrily.
“Come, ladyfaire, it matters not to me,” Ian Douglas said.
“But it does matter to me,” Cicely retorted. “Without my dower I am valueless.” She turned to the king. “Do not do this to me, my liege. Do not render me valueless, I beg of you!” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she swallowed hard to prevent a sob from escaping her throat. The king couldn’t do this to her.He couldn’t!
“Farewell, madam,” James Stewart said coldly.
She wanted to remain, to scream, to protest, but her husband drew her away. “Cicely, I love you. The dower matters not.”
“But it does, Ian,” she said as he pulled her from the king’s little privy chamber. She stopped in the narrow corridor outside as the door behind them closed firmly. The tears she had valiantly tried to stop now began to pour down her face as she looked up at him. “A woman is judged by what she brings to her husband, to the marriage, be it gold, or land, or powerful kin. Without my dower I have brought you nothing, and am not worthy to be your wife. I can be naught but your housekeeper, your whore. For without my dower I am nothing more than that.”
“That is ridiculous!” he almost shouted.
