The Loveless Marriage Read online

  These thoughts rushed through his mind one after another.

  Then there was a silence until the Laird said,

  “I am quite aware, my Lord, that this is somewhat of a shock to you on your return, but you should have been informed a long time ago how dangerous the situation is between our two Clans and that something must be done as rapidly as possible.”

  Still the Earl did not speak and the Laird went on,

  “I understand that His Majesty the King may be coming to visit Scotland and it could not be more unfortunate that such a problem has arisen at this moment.”

  The Earl thought that this was putting it mildly.

  Without really thinking what he was doing, he rose to his feet and walked to the window.

  He looked down at the flowers in the garden below and then at the sea.

  Jutting out on either side of the bay there were the moors.

  On them was a light which he remembered could be seen only in Scotland.

  It was especially beautiful when the heather was in full bloom.

  This was his land, his people – and he was seeing it from his Castle.

  All the pride that had been there since he was a small boy seemed to rise to make him vividly aware of his own importance.

  Yet how, he now asked himself, could he share it with some woman who had none of the attributes he expected in his wife.

  The Laird did not speak and just sat watching him.

  Then suddenly the door was opened and Donald came in.

  He saw at a glance where the Earl was standing and hurried towards him.

  “Excuse me, my Lord,” he burst out, “but there be trouble, bad trouble.”

  “What has happened?” the Earl enquired.

  “One of our shepherds, a man we all respected, has been found dead on the boundary,” Donald answered.

  “Dead!” the Earl repeated almost beneath his breath.

  “The Clansmen be a-gatherin’ outside, my Lord, to tell you they now intend to avenge themselves on the MacSteels once and for all.”

  The Earl turned back into the room and the Laird rose as he walked towards him.

  “This is what I was afraid would happen, my Lord,” he said in a low voice. “I regret that it must be members of my Clan who have committed this outrage.”

  The Earl appreciated that the Laird was brave enough to take the blame.

  And he was well aware that a fight between the two Clans would be disastrous.

  As they had done in the past, they would kill each other’s sheep and cattle and set fire to the houses.

  Inevitably a great number of MacSteels would be killed or badly injured and there would be many tragic deaths as well amongst the McBraras.

  The Laird was fully aware that this had to be prevented at all costs.

  The Earl made up his mind.

  “I will speak to the men,” he declared.

  “I thinks that’s what your Lordship’d do,” Donald commented.

  He went ahead of him towards the door.

  Without looking to see if the Laird was coming with him or not, the Earl went down the staircase and into the Great Hall.

  Outside the impressive front door there was an ancient mounting block.

  It was still used by ladies staying at The Castle when they wished to go riding.

  It made a perfect platform as the Earl climbed onto it.

  The men, who were standing outside the front door, were being joined every second by newcomers.

  As they came running up the long drive, they could see the Earl clearly.

  There was a faint cheer when he first appeared, but he realised at once that it was not a particularly enthusiastic one.

  The men in front of the crowd were all young and rather rough.

  He was aware that they were all fiery with anger.

  Some of them held shotguns, but the majority were carrying heavy sticks.

  Many of these were studded with nails, which could easily kill a man with a hard blow.

  Then, just as the Earl was about to speak, he saw that coming up the drive were six men carrying something between them.

  As he looked towards them, the men below him ceased shouting.

  Then, as they saw what he was seeing, there was almost a silence.

  The Earl waited and the six men came nearer and nearer.

  Then the crowd in front of The Castle parted to let them pass through.

  The Earl saw that they were carrying the body of the shepherd who had been found dead on the border.

  The men brought the body up to where he was standing and laid it down at the foot of the mounting block.

  The Earl could see that the dead man had been struck on the head and in the face until he was almost unrecognisable.

  There was a Skean Dhu stuck in his heart, which must have eventually killed him.

  The blood from the wound had poured all over his clothing.

  There were also gashes on his legs and his bare knees that must have been inflicted by sharp weapons.

  The Earl looked down and then the silence that they had kept as the body was carried towards them broke.

  Now the Clansmen were shouting and yelling that they intended to take revenge on the men who had murdered the shepherd.

  They were all inflamed with anger, which seemed to consume them as they waved above their heads what weapons they held.

  The roar of their voices increased as more men came running up the drive to join in.

  The Earl let them shout for a few minutes.

  Then, as he raised his hand for silence, gradually the voices calmed down and finally died away.

  “My people,” he began. “I have returned after too long a time to my home and to you. I am deeply distressed by what I have just learned is happening and I am, as you are, extremely concerned that a McBrara, who lies here at my feet, has been foully murdered.”

  At that the men, who had kept more or less silent, burst again into a furious tirade against the MacSteels.

  “We’ll avenge him!” they cried. “We’ll not go on bein’ victims of a Clan we’ve always hated and who hates us! We’ll kill every MacSteel within miles till they can never again attack us in the dark or steal our animals from us when we’re not lookin’.”

  There was by now a hundred or so men all shouting more or less the same thing.

  It was therefore not difficult for the Earl to understand what they intended to do.

  He wondered desperately how he could stop them.

  He felt that nothing he said would have the slightest effect on men who were so enraged and determined to carry out their revenge.

  Their faces were contorted with anger and their voices became louder and shriller with every word they shouted.

  They were also once again brandishing their weapons and there was a fire in their eyes.

  It was then, to his astonishment, that the Earl was aware that the Laird was climbing onto the mounting block beside him.

  As he stood up beside the Earl, for a moment the crowd did not recognise him.

  Then, as they realised what tartan he was wearing and it was that of the MacSteels, there was an audible gasp.

  The Laird held up his hand.

  “I have something to say to you,” he started in a deep voice that carried, “and that is important for you all to hear.”

  Because his mere presence was such a surprise, the words they had intended to shout at him died in the men’s throats.

  There was almost silence as the Laird said,

  “There is only one way by which his Lordship and I could prevent you from killing my men and the MacSteels from killing you.”

  There was a shout partly of derision at this statement.

  Then, when he could be heard again, the Laird resumed,

  “His Lordship and I have realised that our Clans must become united and in order to do this the Chieftain of the McBraras has agreed to marry the daughter of the Chieftain of the MacSteels.”

  H
is words seemed to ring out and again there was a gasp from the men listening.

  “I therefore,” the Laird went on, “invite you not to a battlefield where eventually, as you all know, everyone suffers, but to a Wedding to which you will be very welcome and which will take place in a week’s time.”

  What he said was such a surprise that at first the crowd just stared at him.

  Then they started to mutter amongst themselves.

  As if the Earl recognised that he must say something, he said,

  “What the Chieftain of the MacSteels has told you is, I am quite certain, in the interest of both of our Clans. We will work together in this part of Scotland for ourselves and for our country and for a prosperous future for us all. But to gain prosperity we must have peace.”

  There was a murmur at this.

  The Earl saw that the men were no longer waving their weapons but they were muttering to themselves and others around them.

  The Earl threw out his arms.

  “The Chieftain of the MacSteels,” he said, “has invited you to a Wedding. Let me say here and now that I want my Clan to be present to support me and to make certain that it is the most memorable day in my life and the most important for the Clan.”

  His voice rose as he went on,

  “It means that after three or four centuries we will no longer be wasting time fighting each other but striving that Scotland should have an important place not only in the British Isles but in the world.”

  He paused, realising that now the Clansmen were listening to him, and he went on,

  “His Majesty the King is soon coming to Edinburgh and I am very determined that our Clansmen shall represent us there. I know the Chieftain of the MacSteels feels the same. The men chosen must be the finest Highlanders in the Parade that will take place before His Majesty.”

  This was something that the Clansmen had not heard before.

  Now they began talking in a very different way to each other.

  Then one of them, the Earl had no idea who it was, shouted out,

  “Our Chieftain is home and with us again. Let’s give him three cheers.”

  He waved the gun he was holding above his head with one hand and took off his bonnet with the other.

  There was a pause and then the others joined him.

  The cheers rang out and seemed to echo amongst the trees and the Towers of The Castle.

  The Earl acknowledged it with a short bow.

  As he did so, he realised that the Laird was holding out his hand towards him.

  He took it in his and then there was another cheer, not quite so loud and certainly not so enthusiastic, but it was still a cheer.

  The Clans were joined.

  The Earl was aware, however, that some time was needed for it to penetrate their minds that they were now to be friends with the MacSteels.

  He and the Laird stepped down from the mounting block and went back into The Castle.

  They were aware as they did so that the Clansmen were still talking amongst themselves.

  And those at the back of the crowd were telling latecomers what had happened.

  Inside the Great Hall the Earl suggested,

  “Let me offer you some refreshment. I feel that you need a drink after all that.”

  The Laird shook his head.

  “The sooner I get home,” he said, “the better. There is so much to arrange. As I am well aware that you will be going to Edinburgh for His Majesty’s arrival, it is important that the marriage should take place before you leave.”

  With difficulty the Earl did not object that he thought it would be far better if it was put off until after the King’s visit.

  As far as he was concerned, the longer the better before he actually became the husband of the Laird’s daughter.

  But he knew from the expression on the older man’s face that there was no chance of that happening.

  Whether he liked it or not, he now had to marry a woman he had never seen, a woman with whom he was quite certain he would have nothing in common.

  Yet her very presence in his life would save his Clan and hers.

  He said ‘goodbye’ to the Laird, who left The Castle by a side door.

  He said that he had sent his carriage to the stables, since he had expected that a great number of the Clan would be in the front of The Castle.

  The Earl wanted to ask him a dozen questions and in particular just how had he allowed things to get so out of hand before taking action?

  How many murders had actually taken place?

  But he then thought that there must be someone in The Castle who could give him the answers.

  He therefore first said ‘goodbye’.

  The Laird had actually turned towards the door before he stopped.

  “I am just thinking, my Lord,” he said, “it would be best if the Wedding took place in no more than seven days’ time. This will give you a chance to rally your people and I anticipate that you will wish to be in Edinburgh before the King arrives.”

  The Earl realised that his reasoning was indeed sensible.

  At the same time he shrank from the whole idea of marriage.

  He had, with difficulty, to prevent himself from insisting that it should be put off until after the King’s visit.

  Then he remembered, as vividly as if he was actually looking at it, the dead body of the shepherd they had left lying below the mounting block.

  The men who had brought it would doubtless carry it away to be placed in the Kirk until he could be buried.

  No Clansman would forget that the man they all knew and respected had been brutally murdered.

  “I will come to your Castle,” he then said aloud to the Laird, “on Saturday. If there is anything I can provide, you will, of course, let me know.”

  “I am sure that we have everything we shall need,” the Laird replied. “At the same time I think it important that your Clan should be well represented.”

  “I agree with that,” the Earl nodded, “as it is on their behalf that the marriage is taking place.”

  He almost said, ‘I am making such a sacrifice,’ but bit back the words.

  When the Laird finally left, he went up to the sitting room feeling as if the whole world had turned topsy-turvy.

  How could it be possible?

  How could it have happened in such a short time?

  In the space of one morning he found himself affianced to a woman he had never seen.

  She undoubtedly would not only bore him rigid but would also ruin the life he had found exceedingly enjoyable up to now.

  However, apart from marriage, he was vitally aware that his Clan needed him.

  To keep everything calmed down and to make sure of the prosperity they all wanted, he would have to stay in Scotland.

  He loved his home.

  Yet the allurement of London and the King’s friendship were very exciting to him and were a bonus that he had never expected.

  He knew only too well that he would miss them acutely if they were taken from him.

  ‘What can I do? What the devil can I do?’ he asked himself over and over again.

  Once again he walked to the window to gaze out at the sea.

  How was it possible that his life had changed so completely after he had been home for only one night and part of one day?

  He wanted to rebel and fight against his predicament.

  Then he heard the door of the room open and he knew that it was his secretary and his Factor coming in for his instructions.

  Now he had to work in a new world.

  It was one that he had created for himself when he joined hands with the Laird on the mounting block.

  *

  Going home in his carriage as fast as his horses could possibly convey him, the Laird was thinking.

  It was, he knew, only by the skin of their teeth that he and the Earl had prevented open warfare between their Clans.

  There had been so much happening amongst the MacSteels these last t
wo years.

  He was far more aware than the Earl how extremely dangerous the situation was and the emotions of the men of both Clans were very primitive.

  When their anger was aroused by something that shocked or infuriated them, they could be extremely theatening.

  The Laird had known that sooner or later the stealing and fighting that was taking place on the border between the two Clans would become explosive.

  He had lain awake night after night.

  How, he asked, could he stop Hamish stirring up trouble and leading an ever-increasing band of wilful young men?

  At first the Laird had thought that it was just boyish enthusiasm and dismissed what he was told as unimportant.

  He had, however, ruled his Clan extremely well for many years.

  He slowly became aware that the raids against the McBrara Clan were becoming more frequent.

  Then he faced the fact that sooner or later they would retaliate.

  If the Earl’s father had been alive, the Laird would have consulted him immediately.

  But it was impossible to get in touch with a young man who was in London or travelling abroad with the King.

  He felt that if he had written a letter to the Earl, asking him to return, it was too much to expect an early response.

  The Earl was obviously enjoying the Royal patronage he was receiving.

  Like many other men before him, the Laird had just hoped that things would get better.

  But his real difficulty was that Hamish was too clever to be caught.

  Several MacSteel men had died from the wounds that they had received in the fights that had taken place.

  It was difficult for the Laird to appear horrified because the fights had always taken place on McBrara land and not on his own.

  It was only on his way to see the Earl that he had thought that the obvious solution to their problems would be a marriage.

  It would join the Clans together and ensure peace for both sides.

  Now, returning home, he wondered what Fyna would have to say about it.

  He was well aware that the Earl was surprised and certainly not in the least pleased by his suggestion when he first made it.

  He knew quite well that the Earl was trying to think of some way of rejecting it.

  The demonstration that had taken place outside The Castle could have turned very ugly at any time