“I am not marrying you, my lord,” was her answer to him.
“Aye, you are marrying me,” he responded. “We both have a duty to Glengorm. But I’m a reasonable man. I will give you the month of May to accustom yourself to the idea of a new husband. Speak to Mary Douglas and find a good wet nurse for Johanna. I am not of a mind to be denied my marital rights. We need a son and heir.”
Cicely jumped up from her chair. “How dare you order me about! I am not your wife, and never will be. And my daughter will take her nourishment from my breasts, not from a stranger’s teat. I have nothing else to give her.”
“You have your love,” he said. “If you will not speak to Mary Douglas then I will, Cicely. This is not a negotiation we are having. I would have taken my time and courted you properly had my father not spoken yesterday as he did. But it would seem neither of us has any time. The king is preparing to march north. The Douglases will be expected to march with him, which means I will have to go. This means we must be wed, and you must be bedded. Glengorm will have its heir!”
“You expect much of me, my lord,” Cicely said angrily, “and I do not recall giving you permission to use my name!”
“What would you have me call you then?” he snapped back at her.
“My lady,”she told him loftily. “You may address me as ‘my lady.’ ”
“Since you vow you will not be my lady, I will continue to call you Cicely,” he taunted her. He stepped forward to stand directly in front of her, and tipped her face up. “You have beautiful eyes,Cicely. Did Ian ever tell you what Glengorm means?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “It means blue-green. Glengorm is the blue-green glen. Blue-green like your eyes, Cicely.” Then he brushed her lips with his.
She slapped him angrily. “Do not dare attempt to seduce me,” she hissed.
He slapped her back immediately. “And do not raise your hand to me, madam,” Kier said in a tight voice. “We will wed, and I should prefer that we at least be friends. But if you wish an adversarial relationship I will be content to accommodate you, Cicely.But in June we will be wed.You had best accustom yourself to the idea.” Then he left her, striding determined from the hall.
She was astounded. He had struck her. Kier Douglas was no gentleman; he was a barbarian. She would send to Jo for help. Aye, she would write her this very day and dispatch a messenger. She ran to her room. Orva was not there. She spent most of her time now with Johanna, and Cicely was grateful that she did. Orva had raised her. Together they would raise Johanna.
Opening up her writing box, she chose a small piece of vellum. Then, dipping her quill in the tiny inkwell, she wrote:
To Her Highness, Queen Joan of Scotland, from her most faithful servant, Cicely, lady of Glengorm: Beloved friend,
I am writing in the hopes that you can aid me. Sir William Douglas has told me that I am to wed his son, the new laird of Glengorm. He has also said the king approves of this match and will return what remains of the dower my father provided for me to the new laird. I do not wish to remarry. But I do wish the return of my monies. Dearest Jo, if you could but convince the king of my desire to remainunwed, I should like nothing better than to return to your service. Please come to my aid!
Your most faithful Ce-ce
Cicely blotted the words on the paper, folded the document into a small square, and sealed it shut with red wax, pressing the signet ring her father had given her before she left England into the heated softness. Then, taking the message, she left the house, walking into the village to find Father Ambrose.
The priest was working in his small garden. Looking up, he smiled at her, beckoning her forward. “Good morrow to you, my lady. How may I be of service to you?”
“I want someone to take this message to the queen,” Cicely said, holding out the square of vellum. “Will you ask Frang for me?”
“Why?” Father Ambrose asked quietly.
Cicely sighed. “Because he will run to the new laird before he sends a man off,” she said. “I don’t want Kier Douglas knowing that I have sent to the queen for her aid. If you ask Frang he will do it without question.”
“What have you written to Queen Joan?” the priest asked.
“I have told her I do not wish to be coerced into marriage with this man, and that I would return to her service,” Cicely answered the cleric honestly. “If I do then Johanna will be raised in the queen’s household, which is much to her advantage.”
The priest hid the smile that threatened to turn his mouth up. “I will send your message,” he told her. “But it is unlikely the queen will help you.”
“Of course Jo will help me,” Cicely said with assurance.
But the queen would not help her old friend. Pregnant with her third child, she was doing everything she could to ensure it was a son this time. She found that Cicely’s request irritated her, and said so to her husband. “What is the matter with her, Jamie? She is a widow with a child. Ce-ce must have a new husband, and by marrying this man she does not lose her status as lady of Glengorm. Her daughterwill grow up in her own home. I do not understand this childish behavior. Cicely was never like this before. Is the man such a beast then?” She looked to her husband. “Tell me, Jamie, would Sir William give her to a wicked man just to retain Douglas lands?”
“Of course not, sweetheart,” the king said reassuringly. “I have not met Sir William’s son, but he is certainly like his good father.” And he would do whatever he had to do to retain Douglas lands, the king thought, although he would not say it to his wife, who—please God and the Blessed Mother—was carrying a son this time. Nothing must upset his Joan. And especially not her old friend. “Write her back, my darling,” James Stewart said. “Remind her she has a duty to me, to you, and to the Douglases. She is to meekly accept this husband chosen for her, and give Glengorm a son.”
“I will, Jamie!” the queen said, smiling adoringly at him. “I know Ce-ce will listen to me. She is newly widowed, and undoubtedly skittish about taking a new husband to her bed. She will get over it, I am certain. I shall write her this day!”
And I shall write our new laird,the king considered silently.
The royal messenger arrived at Glengorm several days later. The new laird was surprised to find he carried messages for both himself and for Cicely. He called a serving maid to him, and handed her the folded and sealed parchment. “Take this to your lady,” he said. Then he opened the message embossed with the king’s seal, which he recognized.
My lord,[the brief message began]I shall be going north soon, and while I expect you to send me some of your good Glengorm men with Sir William, you will be excused from this expedition. It is more important that you wed and produce an heir for your posterity. To this end you will remain on your lands until this result is achieved.
