Virtue Read online

  “He sleeps soundly,” Alex replied, ignoring her note of sarcasm. The demanding prince was not easy to care for. “Thanks to the aid of the sleeping tonic ye gave him.”

  “I mixed a heavy dose, though poison would have served us better,” Lady Olith grumbled.

  Surely she didn’t mean… “What are ye saying?” Alex asked.

  “Even to my blind eyes, the solution is clear. After all these years, we finally have the chance for retribution. Indeed, we have a chance to slay two kings.”

  “Two kings? What do ye mean, Máthair?” Lady Gruaid asked.

  The old woman’s blind eyes gleamed. “The murder of Cenn Mór’s son nearly put him in his deathbed. Should anything befall his grandson, the king will surely follow him to the grave… And ye can be sure I will be the first to dance on it. Alexander,” Lady Olith commanded, “Bring the Kingslayer. ’Tis time to fulfill its purpose.”

  Alex gaped. “Ye canna expect me to murder the prince? I would ne’er do such a thing!”

  Though he protested against it, in truth, he would be harder pressed to make that decision if it turned out to be the only way to get Sibylla safely home again. He prayed he would never have to make that kind of choice.

  “If ye are nae prepared to act,” the old woman continued, “Domnall surely will nae hesitate. With both Cenn Mórs gone, the throne would be his for the taking.”

  “Ye would have him rule on a legacy of murder?” Alex asked.

  The old woman shrugged. “Tis no different than others have done before him.”

  Was the old woman’s mind ravaged with her bloodthirst? Alex elected to change tack. “But Domnall is nae here and we dinna ken when he will return,” Alex argued. “Surely there is another way to free MacAedh and Sibylla.” Racking his brain for another solution, Alex paced the solar. “The king’s greatest desire is to secure his legacy. Surely he could be persuaded to exchange Sibylla and MacAedh for the prince.”

  “Trading hostages is a common practice between kings,” Lady Gruaid agreed.

  “But Cenn Mór could just as well send his army to burn us out and take him by force,” Lady Gruaid said.

  “Only if he kens where the lad is,” Alex countered. “He will soon be informed of the ambush. Why nae let him assume those same men took the prince?”

  “Even if we were to succeed, ’twill only buy us their two lives,” she replied. “It doesna change anything else. Once Prince Malcolm is safely returned to Dunfermline, retaliation is certain to follow.” She worried her lip. “The king is certain to blame Domnall for this act.”

  “Can ye be certain ’twasna him?” Alex asked.

  “The whole thing reeks of duplicity,” the old woman remarked. “I’ve smelled it a’fore.”

  “The king verra well could retaliate with fire and sword, but exchanging the prince is still our only hope of getting Sibylla and MacAedh back,” Alex replied softly. “They are yer kin. Thus the decision must rest with ye.” Alex watched their faces as they considered his words. “There is naught to be done to protect the castle, but if ye fear for yer lives, ye could always seek sanctuary at Portmahomack. The monks will provide for ye until ye have yer kinsman back.”

  “What of Domnall and Ailis?” Lady Gruaid whispered, worry lines etched all over her face.

  “They are safer away from here,” Alex answered. “Let us hope they remain with Somerled once word of all this reaches the Isles.”

  “We canna do nothing,” Lady Olith said. “Holding the prince hostage is our only recourse.”

  Alex nodded. “Verra well. I will go as yer messenger to Dunfermline.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Dunfermline Palace

  Sibylla quickly fell into the dull monotony of palace life. The king’s strict observance of canonical hours that demanded rising well before the sun and attending seven masses per day left her little time for herself. Though given the clothing and comforts of a queen, her life could not be more restricted had she entered a nunnery! She desperately longed for the simple life and freedom she’d known in the Highlands.

  No doubt in preparation for her marriage, the king had commanded that she learn his tongue. Though Father Gregor had a firm grasp of Anglo-Norman, he was not permitted to instruct her, his Gaelic accent having offended the king’s ear. Instead, Brother Aubert, a native Norman and Assistant Prior of the abbey, was chosen to instruct her.

  Twice each day, he appeared for her lessons. The morning hour was spent inside with a focus on grammar and vocabulary, while the in afternoon she practiced her polite conversation while strolling the palace gardens with the king. During these walks, he allowed no interpreter, but at least endeavored to speak slowly using simple phrases. Thus immersed, Sibylla rapidly caught on.

  “Good afternoon, Lady Sibylla,” the king addressed her formally in Anglo Norman.

  “Good afternoon, Majesty,” she replied. “How do ye fare?” she answered.

  “My stomach gives me much complaint,” he answered, “but I am otherwise well.”

  “Have ye taken herbs?” she asked.

  “My physicians have prescribed a percutant. It does little good and keeps me abed.”

  “Percutant?” Sibylla stumbled over the unfamiliar word.

  “An agent that moves the…” he flushed and placed his hand on his lower abdomen.

  “Och! Purgaid,” Sibylla nodded and replied in Gaelic. She continued in Norman. “There is, perhaps, a better cure,” she suggested. “Have ye tried mint tea? Or perhaps…” once more the Norman words eluded her. “Ubhal sùgh-ubhal fìon-geur?”

  “Ye have much knowledge of herbs?” the king asked.

  “Aye. We grow many in our gardens at Kilmuir,” she replied. “’Tis a rare illness that we canna cure.”

  As they paused by the reflecting pool, Sibylla dragged her fingers idly through the cool, clear water. Some water crow foot grew in mats of white and yellow flowers on the surface with leaves branching out thread-like under the water. She felt a strange affinity for this plant that had sprung up where it didn’t belong. The species was oft considered a nuisance plant, but she hoped no one would pluck it out.

  “I will try this tea,” the king replied. He then eyed her with another slow appraisal that always made her wonder at his thoughts. “What other skills do ye possess? Have ye any musical talents?”

  “Nae,” Sibylla replied. “My cousin, Ailis, is the songbird.”

  “Do ye dance?”

  “Only a Highland jig,” she replied. “I ken naught of courtly dances.”

  “Ah! ’Tis another deficiency that must be rectified. Courtly dancing teaches grace of movement. Do ye ride?” the king asked.

  “I do!” Sibylla declared, excited to have finally found a common interest. “I also love to hunt.”

  “Do ye, indeed?” The king lips curved in a subtle smile. “When I am well enough to sit a horse, I shall assemble a hunting party. ’Twill be good to show ye to advantage.”

  “Show me to advantage? What do ye mean?”

  Before he could answer, the Earl of Mearns appeared. Ruddy-faced and grim, he came barreling toward them. “Majesty, there is verra grave news!”

  “Aye? What is it man!” the king demanded.

  “A rider has come to notify ye that there was an attack. The Earl of Fife was mortally wounded and the prince is gone.”

  “Gone? Explain yerself! What do ye mean gone?”

  “He was bathing in the river when last seen. ’Tis believed he was struck by an arrow and drowned.”

  “Drowned?” he gasped, all hint of color draining from his face. “I cannot breathe,” the king croaked. With his hand clutching his cheat, the king fell backward, only saved from falling into the reflecting pool by the earl’s interception. “Go!” the earl commanded Sibylla. “Fetch the physician!”

  Sibylla hesitated. Should the king die, her prayers might be answered. Yet, conscience moved her to act. Lifting her skirts out of the way, she ran for help.

  * />
  Castle Kilmuir, Black Isle

  Alex locked the door behind him as he left the sleeping prince. Lady Gruaid had assured him that the wounds were clean and posed no threat to his life, and had promised to keep a watchful vigil. Alex didn’t completely trust Lady Olith, but the blind woman could do little harm on her own. He only hoped Domnall didn’t return in his absence. That could prove disastrous.

  As an added safeguard, Alex had taken the sword with him, concealing it on his back under his cloak. Though he feared its discovery, the risk was far greater to leave it behind.

  He departed from the sea gate as the sun was rising, manning the oars of a small fishing boat, much like the ones he’d sailed in the Tarbat Ness. Though his mind was clouded with worry, he’d always found something calming in the sound of waves slapping against wood.

  Once he was far enough out, he raised the sail and prayed for a favorable wind that would take him swiftly to the port town of Inverkeithing on the Firth of Forth, only a few miles from Dunfermline. Hugging the coastline and traveling by boat could cut at least three full days from his journey, let alone give his injured feet time to heal.

  The wind had picked up, whipping strands of hair into his face as it propelled the vessel smoothly across the water. His thoughts finally turned back to Sibylla.

  If his negotiations were fruitful, the burden of Prince Malcolm would be off their shoulders quickly and she and MacAedh would be free to go home. He was certain that Domnall would be accused by the king and it would be nearly impossible to prove his innocence without learning who was behind it.

  Something stirred in the back of his mind, and slowly emerged as a face in a crowd—Ranald’s face. The day he and MacAedh had arrived, he’d seen Ranald at Dunfermline. Could he have played a part in this act of treachery? Was Domnall also involved? The timing alone suggested he wasn’t, but it would be nearly impossible to prove his innocence without learning who, precisely, was behind it. Someone close to the king had to have provided information. Who, other than Domnall Mac William, stood most to benefit by Malcolm’s death? His half-brother perhaps? Eachann of Mearns had put forth William the Atheling as successor. Could his uncle have played a part in this murder plot? Of all options, this was beginning to seem the most likely but without proof, he could say nothing… do nothing.

  Alex thought of the sword on his back and the sgian-dubh hidden beneath his tunic. If he was convinced that his uncle was behind this treacherous act, did he have it within him to put a blade into Eachann’s cold, black heart? He didn’t know the answer but it seemed he was destined to find out.

  *

  Dunfermline Palace

  Dunfermline, a sober and dreary place in normal circumstances, had taken on the character of imminent mourning. The palace servants crept about in silence as if afraid even to speak. And in the abbey, the monks fasted and held all night vigils of prayer and supplication for the king’s recovery. By the third day, the Earl of Mearns had called an emergency meeting of the king’s council.

  Confined to her chamber, Sibylla waited nervously for news of the king, whose death would all but guarantee her freedom. On the fourth day after his collapse, Sibylla was surprised with a summons to the king’s chamber. She entered to find the king sitting upright in bed surrounded by the Earl of Mearns and several other men she didn’t recognize.

  At the king’s nod of acknowledgement, she approached and knelt by his side in a show of respect. Though she’d never seen him in robust health, his appearance was ghastly, truly on the cusp of death. Though she despised him, she still couldn’t wish for his passing. “Y-ye sent for me?” Sibylla said, wondering why he’d sent for her.

  The king looked to the Earl of Mearns who came forward to answer. “His Majesty’s powers of speech have failed, but his mind is yet lucid,” the earl explained. “God forbid,” he paused to make the sign of the cross, and then continued, “he does nae fully regain his health, he has signed several decrees to insure the future succession and stability of this kingdom… one of which involves ye.”

  “Me?” Sibylla replied. “How can this have anything to do with me?”

  “The king is much disturbed by the recent act of treason led by yer brother in yer province of Moray. This uprising can be dealt with in one of two ways. Yer kinsmen can be hunted down and executed, or permanently banished from the kingdom.”

  “B-but ye have nae proof ’twas Domnall!” Sibylla protested.

  “His Majesty, in the spirit of mercy and beneficence, is willing to first consider a peaceable solution. In the interest of uniting the northern and southern kingdoms, he has proposed a betrothal be announced between ye and Prince Malcolm.”

  “Prince Malcolm?” Her stomach knotted with the pronouncement. Was this what the king had in mind all along when he’d mentioned her marriage? “B-but he is a child!” she protested.

  “The prince has past his twelfth summer and will be of age to wed in two years. ’Tis not an unusually lengthy betrothal for a royal marriage,” the earl argued.

  “But why me?” Sibylla asked, feeling almost hysterical. At eighteen, she was a woman grown. The prince was still a child. Moreover, she loved someone else, but ’twould be useless to speak of it. They would only laugh. Love was irrelevant in royal marriages.

  “Ye are the granddaughter of both Duncan Cenn Mór and Aedh of Moray. There is no other female of superior royal blood in all of this kingdom. The king once had thought to bolster the bond with England with such an alliance, but ’tis still uncertain who will wear the English crown. Thus, he seeks, instead, to unify and strengthen Scotland.”

  “But I am illegitimate,” she replied, biting back the urge to add, “thanks to the king”.

  After the great rebellion, he’d sent his kinsman, William Fitz Duncan, to suppress the Highlands. He’d taken her mother to wife at the king’s urging solely to claim the lands of Moray, only later to divorce her, once more at this king’s command, in favor of a Norman heiress and her English lands. In so doing, both Sibylla and Domnall had been delegitimized and disinherited.

  “The marriage will erase the taint,” the earl said dismissively. “And yer offspring will wear the crown of a unified Scotland.” The earl looked to the king and then continued, “If ye wish yer kinsmen to live, ye will consent to the marriage.”

  She was starkly reminded of the sacrifice her own mother had once made for peace in the Highlands. If wedding the prince would bring reconciliation and restoration to her family, was she, also, prepared to become the sacrificial lamb?

  Her heart raced. “If I agree to this, ye will free my uncle?”

  “Nae,” the earl shook his head. “MacAedh will nae be free, but if ye agree, the king promises MacAedh will live… If ye dinna agree, he will die.”

  “What of my brother?” Sibylla asked.

  “For his treason, Domnall Mac William will be given his choice between exile or execution.”

  Sibylla quaked inside as her dreams for the future crumbled to dust. She loved Alexander with all her heart and believed that they could have found happiness together in any circumstances. But a future together was hopeless.

  If she refused the king, her uncle and brother would surely die. Even if it meant being with Alexander, she could never live with their deaths on her conscience. Her duty was clear.

  “Aye,” she replied in a choked whisper. “I will wed the prince.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Arriving at Dunfermline, Alex immediately sought out the king, only to be barred access by the High Steward, an imposing Breton knight called Alan Fitz Alan. “The king is nae well. He has lost his powers of speech. Whatever yer business, ye must take it up with either myself or the Earl of Mearns who also acts in his stead.”

  “I have urgent news of Prince Malcolm,” Alex insisted.

  Fitz Alan’s gaze widened. “Does the prince live?”

  “Aye, he lives,” Alex said. “Now will ye let me see the king?”

  Fitz Alan allowed Alex to
enter and then followed him into the king’s chamber. Though the sun was high, the drapes were closed, casting most of the chamber into darkness. The only light was by the bedside where the king’s physician was preparing to bleed his royal patient. “Whatever yer concern, it can wait!” the physician snapped.

  “Nae! It canna wait,” Alex insisted. “I come bearing news of Prince Malcolm.”

  At this pronouncement, the king’s eyes snapped open and the Earl of Mearns materialized from the shadows. The physic threw his lancet into the bowl and rose with a huff.

  “Are ye certain?” the earl asked, gaze narrowed. “’Twas reported he was wounded and drowned.”

  Thus far, Alex had managed to evade direct contact with his kinsman, but now it seemed unavoidable. “Aye. Verra certain,” Alex declared, “given I was the one to save him. He is, indeed, wounded, but should soon be well enough to travel.”

  The earl nodded. “I will send men at once to retrieve him. Where is he?”

  “He is being held someplace safe,” Alex said.

  “Held?” Fitz Alan echoed. “Do ye mean he’s been taken for ransom?”

  “They seek no payment,” Alex said. “The prince will be safely returned in exchange for Lady Sibylla and Malcolm MacAedh.”

  “’Tis as I suspected!” the earl declared. “Domnall Mac William was behind this treachery. ’Twas Highlanders who attacked.”

  “Highlanders with Norman bows?” Alex countered. “And how did they ken the route we would take? We were betrayed.”

  “Betrayed?” his uncle repeated with brows drawn. “Ye could easily have been followed.”

  The earl’s arguments only convinced him further of Eachann’s involvement. Alex bit back the urge to refute him any further. He resolved to privately seek out Fitz Alan to investigate.

  “In any case, I am returned to facilitate the exchange of prisoners.”

  Both the earl and Fitz Alan looked to the king. A garbled sound sprang from his lips, but his answer was still clear.