The Kadin - Bertrice Small [188]
The celebration was for the family and a few friends. The earl of Glenkirk came with his countess. Ian, and his pretty Jane, who was again with child, came with their five-month-old son, Patrick. He was called “Wee Patrick” to distinguish him from his older cousin, Fiona and Charles’ Patrick who would be two in January. Sister Mary Agnes, Janet’s niece had come from her convent near Edinburgh in the company of her friend, Sister Margaret Mary, Colin’s unfortunate daughter. The master of Gray-haven arrived with his two sons—his heir, James, who brought his bride, Jean Gordon, and his younger son, Gilbert who was betrothed to Alice Gordon, Jean’s younger sister.
Gilbert Hay was twenty, and though twelve-year-old Alice Gordon might some day be attractive, she was not of interest to him now. How he occupied his time became obvious several months later when two of Janet’s housemaids confessed to being pregnant, and each tearfully named young Master Gilbert as the culprit
“Could he not have kept his cod in his breeches for one night?” she raged at Lord Hay. “Not one girl, but two! Do ye know how hard they are to train? For God’s sake why did ye betroth a lusty cock of twenty to a child of twelve? It will be two years before they can marry. In that time hell seduce every virgin for fifty miles around and start his own clan!”
That year, Twelfth Night revels at Sithean were particularly merry, for Janet’s younger serving woman, Ruth Browne, was married to Adam’s bastard son. As Lord Hay bad predicted, Ruth first drove Red Hugh wild, and then she drove him to the altar. Actually it was Hugh’s mother who had turned the trick. Out of the blue she had married a prosperous local farmer who had been recently widowed.
Speaking frankly to her son she told him, “Yell always be welcoome in our home, Hughie; but ye can see how busy I am wi’ Geordie’s puir motherless bairns. Cooking and putting up fur this great lot is more work than it was fur just the two of us. I dinna ken why ye dinna wed wi’ Lady Janet’s sweet Ruth. She’s a guid girl, and will make ye a guid home. Perhaps my lady will even gie ye a small cottage.”
“Och,” he replied, “the one we’ve lived in will do for me.”
“Nay, my son. Yer grandfather gie us that cottage, but we never owned it When I wed wi’ my Geordie, I returned it to yer father. Unless ye wed, yer only home is a barrack.”
Red Hugh More thought about that on the long cold ride back to Sithean. All night long he tossed in his chilly, lumpy bed, listening to the snores and moans of his men who were off duty. All the next day he thought of the sweet-faced girl with her soft brown hair and the merry blue eyes that looked so regretful when refusing his bolder advances. By evening he had made up his mind and going to his aunt came bluntly to the point.
“I want to wed wi’ Ruth Browne.”
“Have ye spoken to her?” Janet inquired.
“Nay. First I wanted yer permission. If ye’ll gie it me, I’ll speak to Mistress Marian, and then wi’ her permission, I’ll ask Ruth.”
“Very well, Hugh. Ye hae my blessing. Marian, come here.” Marian came in from the garderobe where she had been brushing Janet’s gowns. “Hugh seeks yer permission to wed wi’ Ruth. I hae given him my blessing, but unless ye truly want him for a son, dinna be influenced by my decision.”
Marian eyed the big man. “And what,” she demanded acidly, “hae ye to offer my daughter except a dubious name and your fine self? Where will ye live? Ye hae no house. My Ruth is gently reared and wouldna take kindly to being a camp follower.”
Tongue-tied, poor Hugh stood silently shuffling his feet Janet knowing the next move was up to her, spoke up.
“I will, for a wedding present to Hugh, build a small house in my new village of Crannog. They shall also have rooms here in my house for the times when they must remain here. As a wedding gift to Ruth, dear Marian, I will gie her her dowry.” She turned to Hugh. “Your bride comes well