Plentiful supplies of tea and ale must also be ensured. Milk will come from the beasts brought in from the fields—lay in a good supply of fodder for them and the horses in case of siege.
As much firewood as can be gathered prior to any attack should be brought in and stored within the walls in several places where it is protected from fire. A good quantity should be regularly dispersed on the battlements for use in the braziers (to light arrows and such), and in the great hall for medical use (see below).
Ensure all healers are present within the castle prior to any attack and that there are sufficient medical supplies to treat those injured in battle. Set those who cannot fight or give medical assistance to making bandages, dressings, and the like.
Prepare the great hall to be used as a hospital. Mattresses and cots should be brought in for this purpose and both hearths kept burning to maintain a good supply of boiled water.
Prepare the cellars beneath the keep to shelter the injured, sick, womenfolk, and children if the outer defenses are overrun. A separate part can be used as a mortuary.
The list Isla had hoped she would never have to read, let alone use, went on and on, each line hammering home their awful plight, and making her fear increasingly for all their lives, but most of all for Gregory’s.
In a short while, she gathered herself and went downstairs to give the necessary orders to prepare for an attack. She toured the pantry and storerooms with the housekeeper and cooks, setting them to making a detailed inventory of all the food supplies and arrangements for storage.
After that, she sent a maid to gather all the women and older male servants of the castle who could not fight, as well as the castle healer Davina McGhee and her assistant. Once everyone had gathered amid an atmosphere of fearful anticipation, she held a meeting, going over each of the instructions on her grandmother’s list and overseeing the division of tasks.
“If there is an attack, it will be me duty as lady of the castle tae help nurse the injured as they come in, so I’ll be makin’ mesel’ useful helpin’ Davina in the great hall. She’ll need all the volunteers she can get tae nurse the injured. Even just offerin’ hot tea and comfort can make a difference,” she told them before closing the meeting and sending them off to go about their allotted duties.
However, at the same time as she was busy organizing all this, there remained a part of her mind that was actively turning over the various possibilities concerning a plan to keep Gregory alive.
CHAPTER TWO
By the time the meeting finally broke up, Isla had still not seen Gregory to discuss what was happening. Deciding she had to speak to him whether he was busy or not, she went along to his study and knocked on the door.
“Come,” came his deep voice from the other side. She opened the door and went in, to find him standing around the large table with Connor, Kelvin, and Domnall. All four looked up when she entered, their expressions intent and serious. They had their shirt sleeves rolled up and appeared to be poring over maps and diagrams laid out before them, which she guessed were strategic plans for the defense of the castle.
“Isla. Are ye all right?” Gregory asked her as she approached them, his handsome brow creased into a worried frown. He unfolded his tall, powerful frame, pushed his long fair hair back from his face, and fixed his light gray eyes on her.
“Aye, I’m as all right as one can be in such circumstances, I suppose,” she replied briskly, though her heart ached to look athim. She dearly wanted to embrace him but held off in company, knowing he needed to appear strong at this challenging time. “I just came tae see how ye’re gettin’ on and tell ye that I’ve set all the preparations in motion should an attack take place, accordin’ tae Grandma’s instructions.”
Gregory smiled at her with obvious gratitude. “That’s good tae hear. Thank ye fer takin’ charge of all that, Sister. ’Tis one less thing fer me tae worry about.” He paused for a moment, then he said softly, “I’m sorry ’tis such bad news.”
“Aye, well, it was certainly a shock when Connor told me what’s happenin’,” she lied, feeling only a little bit guilty for pulling the wool over his eyes.’Tis his fault fer nae keepin’ me informed.
“Are ye scared?”
She huffed. “Of course, I am! I’d be a fool if I wasnae, eh?” The others smiled at her comment.
“Aye, only a fool disnae feel afraid when he ought tae,” Connor murmured.
“And that’s how ye lose a war,” Kelvin put in sagely, nodding his dark head.
“But I must tell ye, Gregory,” Isla went on, needing to voice her concerns, “I curse this war Laird Allan has dragged us intae. ’Tis nae our fight. This shouldnae be happenin’. Ballentine should be camped outside Laird Allan’s walls, nae ours. ’Tis our folkswho’ll be dyin’ if Ballentine attacks.Whenhe attacks,” she corrected herself. A mixture of anger and fear rose inside her at the wrongness of it, and she clasped her hands tightly at her waist to keep it from erupting.
Gregory appeared to ignore her view of the matter. Instead, he said in a reassuring tone, “Things appear worse than they are. Laird Allan will send reinforcements as soon as he gets me message. In a few days’ time, the picture may be very different.” He sounded confident, but again, she knew that went along with his responsibilities as the laird. Any doubts he harbored, he would keep to himself for the dark hours of the night.
Frustration sharpened her tongue as she retorted tartly, “Well, I suppose we must hope Ballentine waits politely fer Allan’s men tae arrive before he attacks then. Mayhap we should invite him in fer tea while he waits.”
Kelvin sniggered, and Gregory smiled wryly, but he was clearly not going to be drawn in by her sarcasm. “Since ’tis us Ballentine has in his sights just now, we havenae choice but tae defend ourselves if he decides tae launch his attack afore then,” he explained. “Remember, Isla, he and his men cannae just simply walk intae Castle Galbraith. These walls are ten feet thick, and me men are well supplied with weapons. We have our own water supply within the walls and should have enough general supplies tae see us through until the reinforcements get here. We can easily hold him off.”
Unconvinced, Isla burst out, “Can ye nae sue fer peace, come tae some arrangement with Ballentine and avoid the bloodshed?” She heard the pleading note in her voice and despised it.
Gregory shook his head. “I’ll nae renege on me word tae defend Allan’s cause.”
She wanted to shout,“Ye mean ye’re too stubborn!”But she bit it back. Instead, she simply pursed her lips and nodded. “Very well. Will we be dining together this evening as usual?”
“I’m nae sure. I think we’ll be too busy here.”
“All right, I’ll have some food sent in fer ye later,” she said, surveying them all. “I’ll leave ye tae yer plans then.”
