Well, I dare not let you have wine until you put something on your stomach. You are outrageous even without wine Ada set Nell to work unpacking and hanging Tinas clothes in the massive wardrobe While you have your bath, Ill lay out your gown Now, where in Gods name did I put that small cream ruff that matches this dress?

It was a full two hours before Lady Valentina was bathed and gowned in the heavy cream satin with its bodice embroidered with delicate seed pearls Its modest square neckline allowed only the merest swell of breast to peep above it, and her chin was held high by the small pearl-rimmed ruff Her fiery hair fell about her in a loose silken torrent as befitted a maiden. Her shapely head was so proud and high, it almost looked too small to carry the luxurious weight of her tresses Her father escorted her down the staircase, but Ram was not there to receive her. Instead, the Earl of Angus slipped a proprietary arm about her and said, She belongs tae Douglas now, Rob. Let me look ma fill afore Ram has at her. He bent his dark head toward her, and the whisky fumes almost overpowered her. Come intae the hall, lass, while I show ye off. Every Douglas within a hundred miles has ridden in tae ogle ye an steal a kiss.

As Rams brother approached them, Angus said, Nay, Gavin, ye randy young swine, let an auld mans flesh enjoy rising tae the occasion Inside the vast hall was an impossible crush of dark- visaged Douglases, all shouting and shoving, cursing and laughing, drinking and arguing. The smell of scores of bodies, mixed with acrid smoke from the vast fireplace and the cooking smells of the great platters of food that were now being carried in, caused Tinas empty stomach to do a flip-flop. When she felt herself sway, she clung to Archibald Douglass arm tightly and gave him a disarming smile. He licked dry lips and tried to peer down the front of her exquisite gown. Ye ha delicious titties, lassaye, an a delicious mouth. Gods passion, yell suck each other dry afore mornin!

Tinas face was no longer pale but blushing delicately at Archibalds coarse appraisal of her charms. It was almost with relief that she saw Ram detach himself from a group of men and make his way across the hall toward her. Archibald turned her about with his powerful arm. By Christ, the Douglas cooks have done us proud.

Only look at this, lass.

A sow with her twelve baby piglets had been roasted whole, and her young had been placed artistically at her teats as if they were still suckling. Valentina, used to Mr.

Burques tasteful dishes, had never seen anything so obscene in her life. The blood drained from her lips, and she went down in a faint.

Ram Douglas stepped back from her, his eyes narrowing. Angus jostled everyone aside. Christ, ye rough bunch o uncivilized beasts! Let the lassie breathe.

The moment Tinas head was lowered, her faintness left her, and she allowed Angus to aid her to her feet. The lass is faint wi hunger. Christ, I could eat a well-salted saddle myself, my belly is fair rumblin! Ramsay, where the hellfire are ye? Lets get the mumbo-jumbo out o the way so ye can get some food intae this lass.

A cruel hand closed over hers as Ram Douglas plucked her away from Angus. He dragged her up on the dais that had been set up in front of the massive fireplace. A loud cheer went up and rolled about the hall in a great wave. As Tina looked into the dark, closed face of Ram Douglas, she knew only that he was furious. His anger, barely repressed, was there for all to witness. He had been forced to this union against his will, and as she stood beside him, she felt his rage wash over her. She wanted to cry out that she too had been forced against her will. Surely he could not lay all the blame upon her.

She felt what could only be his hatred.

Ramsay was blackened by hatred. His hair and eyes were midnight black, his doublet also black, relieved only by the cream ruffle of his silk shirt at neck and wrist. A devil consumed him at this moment. He had seen her faint. Did she dare come to him with another mans bairn in her belly? If she was carrying Hamiltons by-blow, he would kill himaye, and then hed kill her. Hed snap that beautiful, fragile neck with his bare hands.

A curl of fear spiraled in Tinas belly. If he ever unleashed that savage temper upon her, there would be none to save her from the dark Scot.

He knew she was far too beautiful to be good, but if she had come to him pregnant, he would destroy her and take pleasure in the act. He tore his dark eyes from her and looked out at the sea of Douglas faces. Admiration and desire were writ plain in every male face. The vixen had seduced the lot of them with the shrug of a shapely shoulder. Her allure was devastating. He was too proud and stiff-necked to let them see that she might have tricked him. Suddenly he clasped her wrist and held her hand on high. He picked up the crystal wine goblet filled with ruby liquid and said the words that would bind them in the hand-fasting.

The traditional period was for one year At that time they would wed, or they would part if either of them wished to end the union.

Valentina picked up her goblet and repeated the pledge They drained the glasses, then hurled them into the fireplace, shattering the crystal into a million fragments.

The crowd went wild. Rams hands were ungentle upon her as he bent her back forcefully to submit to his kiss.

She knew the kiss was not for her but for the clan gathered before them, to show his mastery of her. It took every last ounce of Tinas determination, but she started out as she meant to carry on. She yielded to him, submitting her soft mouth, her body, and her will to his.

He stared down at the warm creature in his arms, all soft womanly submission, and raged inside At table, none of the food seemed to appeal to Tina.

With a bellyful of wine on her empty stomach, her blood was up and she was almost ready for him, but she noticed that he himself ate little and drank much, and she feared that drunk neither he nor she would have any control whatsoever.

When half a dozen dark-visaged Douglases started to banter with Ram, he arose and went down the long hall with them, laughing for the first time that day. Tina felt abandoned and glanced about her for support, but everyone seemed to take their cue from Ramsay to stretch their legs. She spied Duncan, but the moment she spoke to him, she could see that he had drunk so much, he was unsteady on his feet. Wheres Davie? she asked hopefully.

Fuckin his way through the Douglas maids, Duncan said, grinning like a heathen.

She recoiled from him. What made men so coarse?

They were like animals, every last one of them!

Come, lassthe villagers outside ha been linin up fer hours fer just a glimpse o ye. To her amazement, it was Archibald Douglas who was offering her his arm. No man in Scotland had a worse reputation than the Earl of Angus. He was known to be ruthless and power-mad. It was rumored that every man in Scotland feared him, even the king.

Tina reckoned that he must have a hard head for liquor since he had consumed whisky steadily for most of the day but seemed to have himself well in hand. She was secretly amused to discover that Archibald had allied himself to her. She knew that Janet Kennedy had been his mistress, and she thought perhaps the family resemblance had taken his fancy. Whatever it was, she would seize this opportunity to parade on his arm. If the Douglas Clan saw that she had their chiefs approbation, they would accord her respect, perhaps even fawn upon her. His influence was all-powerful, and Tina had decided that power was no bad thing to have.

They walked together for an hour, during which time Tina charmed him with her prettiest behavior. She was gracious to all, be they prince or peasant, and Angus approved of the way she acknowledged the adulation she received. She hung on his every word, realizing she would never find a better tutor, for he knew more about the affairs of the country in general and of the Douglases in particular than any man alive.

After he had introduced her to yet another Lord Douglas, she laughingly protested, My lord, enough, I cannot tell one from another. I was always told Scotland had more sheep than any other commodity, but Im beginning to suspect there are more Douglases than sheep.

He grimaced. She suspected that was how he smiled.

Come wi me, lass. Theres summat I want tae show ye She stood at the entrance to the weapons room and wondered if she dared trust him alone. She went in with him realizing she could never trust any Douglas.

A huge map adorned one wall, and he drew her toward it with pride. A good deal of it, from the border up to the Highlands, was shaded in dark green, which she assumed indicated forests. Angus soon corrected her ignorance. Her eyes widened as she saw that the dark green represented Douglas land. This will give ye an idea o our strength an our power. The border counties of Teviotdale and Hawick are ours, as are the county of Angus and the braes of Angus in the Highlands. This castle is here in Lanark County, and our lands stretch from here to the coast, clear across Midlothian and East Lothian.

You own everything around Edinburgh for hundreds of miles, she said, trying to keep awe from her voice.

Archibald grimaced. Why do ye think the capital was moved frae Stirling tae Edinburgh? Though the question was rhetorical, she gave an answer. Because some of the land about Stirling was not controlled by Douglas.

He winked at her quick grasp of things. Those two laddies ye just met were Douglas of Kilspendie and Douglas of Longniddy. His callused fingers traced another line across the map. Douglas lands stretch from Galloway in the southwest to Mearns in the northeast.

Weve more castles than yeve fingers tae count them onTantallon, Dunbar, and the castle of Aldbar at Brechin are all garrisoned. Heres Castle Douglas, our pride and joy, where Loch Dee and the River Dee come together.

Thats where the hearts of all Douglas lords are buried.

Only their hearts? she questioned curiously.

Sometimes thats all that was left after a particularly bloody battle The first earl directed his heart be placed in a casket an buried beneath the altar in the chapel at Castle Douglas. Since then, our device has been the Bleedin Heart o Douglas It is tradition that we shed our blood fer Scotland He grimaced again. We have a reputation fer livin turbulent lives Valentina touched her finger to Castle Douglas on the map Then her eyes narrowed This shouldnt be shaded green. Your map is wrong, my lord He drew closer and peered where she pointed. The other side of the River Dee in Kirkcudbright is Kennedy land, she asserted.

Nay, lass. That was part of the price yer father paid Ramsay.

Blood of God, then its true! My father paid him to take me!

He responded to the anguish he heard in her voice.

Lassie, theres no shame in that. Have ye any notion the vast sum Henry Tudor paid King Jamie tae wed Margaret?

Suddenly her heart filled with pity for the queen. Damn men to lowest hell. Women should not be bartered like chattels!

Archibald looked down at her, cleared his throat, and said, Ram had tae be dragged kickin an screamin tae this union Thats why hes bein insolent an neglectin ye today. Lass, Im countin on ye tae bring him tae heel.

Since hes derelict in his duties, Im filling in fer yer husband.

Hes not my husband, she said quickly.

Thats soon remedied. He needs legitimate heirs, strong Douglas sons tae inherit all this. He waved his hand at the map. I doubt yell ever tame him, but thats the measure o his mettle. He has it in him tae be great. He has leadership qualities that are lacking in ma ain heir.

Rams sons, with a Firebrand like ye for their dam, will provide the strength Scotland needs for the future.

She wanted to protest, Im not a damned brood mare!

But she wisely held her tongue.

Hes sown enough wild oats. Oh, Ive no objection tae him scatterin a few bastards aboot. After all, weve the best blood in Scotland, an most of the clans could do wi a drop. Yer no the sort o woman who would cavil at that, are ye?

Actually, she was stunned at the frank picture he painted. She shrugged an indifferent shoulder and said faintly, No, let him scatter away.

Thats a wise lass. Ive no doubt his neglect will end once yer inside the bedcurtains. When hes had a taste o ye, I hope ye make it yer business to spoil his desire fer other women.

She opened her mouth and closed it again. God Almightydid he too think her experienced?

Well, lass, theres no hope o savin ye from his black temper, but Im hopin yell match him with a temper o yer own.

It was her turn to grimace. So I shall, she promised.

When he returned her to the hall, the shouting and arguing almost deafened her. It seemed all the Douglas men who were titled were wagering with Ramsay about how many alehouses were between here and Glasgow.

Dungavel, Strathaven, Eaglesham, Coatbridge, Hamilton, and Kilbride, Cameron said with great authority.

Ye forgot the one here in the village of Douglas, Drummond argued He was a Douglas cousin and a captain of one of their ships.

Thats only seven, Gavin grumbled. Hardly worthy of a good crawl.

Rams pewter eyes glittered with recklessness. Theres ten. Yeve forgot Stonehouse and Blackwood. Christ, Ive done it often enough, I should know.

Stonehouse and Blackwood are brothels, not alehouses, Greysteel Douglas pointed out.

Are ye complaining, man?

No, no. Im up tae it, if ye are.

Now yer bragging. Ram laughed. Come on, lads lets drink our way tae Glasgow!

When Lady Valentina withdrew from the hall to the sanctity of her own chamber, it caused no comment. All Douglas females with a shred of decency removed themselves from the men once darkness fell. The Boozer padded up the stairs after her and followed her down the hall. He paused at the door to Ramsays chambers, and when Tina swept past, he protested with a deep bark. She said, You might wish to sleep with him, but I do not.

The wolfhound heaved what sounded like a reluctant sigh and slowly followed her. She opened the chamber door to find Ada and Nell awaiting her. The Boozer raised his hackles and refused to enter. Tina recalled that he had done exactly the same thing before.

Nell shrieked with terror as she glimpsed the tall, shaggy creature, but Tina said calmly, He wont come in.

The chamber is haunted.

Nells eyes rolled back in her head. Ada laughed. Come on, lass. Off to bed with you. She opened the door to the small adjoining room and said, You can sleep in my room tonight. Tomorrow will be soon enough to go to the servants quarters.

When they were alone, Ada looked at Tina anxiously as she unfastened her pearl-rimmed ruff. As she moved toward her to help her with the cream satin gown she said, Well, under the circumstances, I think you held up remarkably.

Tinas chin went up defiantly. I shant cry, if thats what youre expecting. The swine will never make me shed one tear.

Good! The last Kennedy to occupy this chamber likely did enough crying for both of you, and it availed her nothing.

Nay! protested Damaris. Alex Douglas and I loved and laughed. I shed no tears until that last fateful day. If her own husband had ever treated her as Ram had treated Valentina, she would have been distraught. Her wedding dayand nighthad been the happiest of her life.

Ada picked up the white silk nightrail sewn especially for this night. Ill put this away for now perhaps tomorrow night.

Perhaps not! Tina said decisively.

Ada was in agreement with her. Always make him wait for sex. I once made a man wait until we were both undressed!

Oh, Ada, Tina said, dissolving into laughter. Whatever would I do without you?

Thats better. Salt tears never grew a rose. Good night, love. Tomorrow, if I know you, you will take this damned castle by storm.

As Tina gazed from the high window with unseeing eyes, she whispered, I refuse to cry. The tears however, that had gathered in her golden eyes slid down her cheeks and dropped upon her heart.

Chapter 18.

Tina finally managed to fall into an exhausted sleep, but she awoke about four in the morning. She thought about her situation for a full hour, during which her resolve hardened to marble. So the Douglases thought they were blood-proud, did they? Shed show them pride of blood! If Black Ram Douglas thought to intimidate her, he was in for a rude awakening. Shed not only take him onshed take on the whole scurvy clan!

She chose an elegant black silk gown, swept her hair up into a chignon, and opened the door. The Boozer groaned before he turned over and went back to sleep.

She stepped over him and descended to the kitchens.

She expected fireworks from that quarter when Mr.

Burque began to stake out his territory. She decided to enter the fray and assert her authority from day one. But instead of the chaos and curses she had expected, she found that Mr. Burque was in supreme control. All the Douglas cooks were female, and the Frenchmans facile flattery had them in the palm of his hand.

He pointed out to them that the kitchens should be kept immaculate. The place crawled with lazy scullery maids and potboys who should be set to scouring immediately. Only when the floors, the tables, and the last utensil were spotless should they exercise their professionwhich, as any good chef knew, was more an art than a craft.

Tina took him aside. Well done, Mr. Burque. We may as well start out as we mean to carry on. Yesterday I not only found the food inedible, the sight of it and the greasy smell of it would have made a goat retch. The castles inhabitants may eat pig-swill for all I care, but Lord Douglas and I will eat nothing that is not prepared by you.

Y a rien l, he said, assuring her there would be no problems.

She glanced at the women, who couldnt take their eyes off him and laughed, Chanteur de pommel At this early hour Colin was the only one about. He cast her such a sympathetic look, she laughed.

My lady, I must apologize fer Rams behavior yesterday.

Im afraid hell have to do that himself, she said wryly.

However, Im happy to see I have one ally in the Douglas camp. I shall need your help.

He bowed. How may I serve ye?

Tell whoever is in charge of the moss-troopers that I shall see him in the hall in quarter of an hour. Before he could ask the reason for such an odd request, she had swept past him on her way to the servants quarters.

She informed the bleary-eyed steward, one William Douglas, that she would have a list of jobs for his underlings if he would attend her in the hall in quarter of an hour. In the meantime he could start by opening all the windows.