Tracy L Ranson The Warlord's Woman (pdf)

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awks circle a
dense copse of trees, as if they were waiting for anything to move. "Now Kent is
the only
place I want to be."
Taran's hand on her shoulder was warm and reassuring. "I know of what you
speak, Catherine. When we first came here and I started sharing Longworth's bed,
I too
longed for nothing but Scotland. Now, with him wanting to marry me, it has all c
hanged
for me as well."
"I would dare say that not only have I found my happiness but you have found
yours as well," Catherine sighed, laying her head against her hands. She had a p
lan in
mind that more than likely Alexander's parents would not agree with but they wou
ld have
to. Their son's life would eventually depend on it as well as the future of Alex
ander's
THE WARLORD S WOMAN Tracy L. Ranson
child.
****
"Catherine, you cannot be serious! 'Tis too dangerous, especially in your
condition!" Isabeau cried. "If it must be done, we can send an emissary to do it
."
Catherine shook head. "No, Mother. Since I am the Queen, I must be the one to
surrender my crown, not an emissary."
"But...." Kendrick started.
Catherine raised her hand to halt his words. "There is something I must tell you
both and please do not be angry with me."
"What is it?" Isabeau's face took on a mask of concern, her blonde brows
furrowing.
Catherine rose from her chair and stood behind it, her hands gripping the ornate
back hard. "I had received a missive from brother several weeks ago stating that
I must
return to Scotland and marry the Bruce in order to unite the clans under one cro
wn."
"Catherine! How could you...?" Isabeau exclaimed as she started to rise out of h
er
seat.
She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Please, hear me, Mother. You see,
from the moment that letter arrived, I have thought even harder about Scotland.
What it
stated was correct. Scotland would be better united under one crown with one exc
eption."
Isabeau's stare turned icy. "What exception is that?"
"That it would be ruled better without me. My brother pleaded with me to leave
Kent and return to Scotland where I would marry the Bruce and rule Scotland with
him
by my side." She looked at Isabeau and noticed the skeptical look on the older w
oman's
face. "If that letter had arrived perhaps several days after I had been brought
to Kent, I
might have accepted the proposal but after coming to know Alexander as I do now,
I
cannot."
Isabeau's face softened. "You have certainly made the right choice my dear but
before we help you with what you wish to do, I must ask you one thing."
"What is that, Mother?"
"Is this what you truly want?"
Without hesitation, Catherine provided her answer. "With all my heart."
****
Robert the Bruce sat alone at his table in the great hall, the lonely Duncan sit
ting
at his side. "What do you suppose she will do, my friend?"
Robert leaned back, his fingers supporting his bearded chin. "With her by my
side, John Balliol will not even contest the throne anymore. She knows what she
must do
THE WARLORD S WOMAN Tracy L. Ranson
to keep Scotland safe from English hands."
Duncan frowned. "I know my sister, Bruce, and once she has fallen in love, that
is
it. If she has fallen for the Butcher of the Isles, the crown will be up for the
next man to
take."
"No one will take it," Robert snarled as he leapt from his chair and roamed the
room like a cat about to spring, his hands going through his hair wildly. "That
crown
belongs to me since I am the most legitimate heir aside from the Queen. If anyon
e,
especially Balliol, tries to take it from me, he will have a blade in his gullet
."
"No one will, Bruce, so I suggest we calm ourselves and continue on with our
lives until my sister decides to answer my message," Duncan said, his fingers ro
lling a
lucid grape across the scarred wooden table.
Anger as well as anxiety roiled within in him, a deadly mix of emotion. Stalking
over to Duncan's chair, he pulled the impudent dog from his position. "How dare
you tell
me to calm myself ? Do you not realize what is at stake here? Scotland's entire
future
depends on our obtaining the crown!"
Duncan's face turned as red as his hair from the pressure he applied to his neck
.
"Enough Bruce!" he gasped as the color turned from crimson to a deep purple. "I
understand your words!"
With that, Robert released Duncan, allowing his body to fall to the floor and in
to a
heap. "Good. Now that we understand each other, you will never question my motiv
es
again. Understood?"
Duncan nodded, his hand rubbing his throat. "Of course, Robert," he snapped as
he got up from the floor. "All is clear."
"That is what I wish to hear," he muttered as he clapped Duncan on the back in a
friendly fashion. "Now take your seat."
Duncan flopped down in his chair again, his hands rubbing the girth of his neck.
"I
do not understand why you tried to kill me, Robert. I have done nothing."
"That is precisely why Scotland is in shambles at this point, Duncan. If you had
not killed your grandfather's ambassador, you would not have had to go into hidi
ng and
leave Scotland in Catherine's hands." He was still angry at Duncan but that was
subsiding
slightly. His main concern now was the fact that they had heard nothing from Cat
herine
for several weeks. Did she get Duncan's message?
"I was challenged to that battle," Duncan explained. "I had to in order to save
his
wife's honor."
"Or your spot in her bed," Robert huffed as he sank back into his seat. "I care
not
for that now. What concerns me the most is that Catherine never got your message
."
"My herald said he handed it to her servant so more than likely she has received
it."
Robert leaned his head against the carved backrest, the sharp points of the rais
ed
relief digging into the skin of his scalp. Catherine had to have been given that
missive.
THE WARLORD S WOMAN Tracy L. Ranson
Their very lives depended on it. "I pray to God that she has and heeds your word
s,
Duncan."
Hard knocks at the door drew their attention away. Together, they stared at the
door, waiting for the man to come through. Hard groans split the still air, the
hinges of
the door not wanting to work. On the other side stood a messenger dressed in the
livery
of Kent, the brilliant gold threadwork crisscrossing the white field. Robert hel
d his
breath. The answer he waited for must lie in the sack of that man.
"Enter!" he exclaimed, his hand waving in the messenger's direction. "Do you
bring news of Kent?"
The young man nodded. "I bear you a message from the Duchess of Kent."
"Give that to me!" he demanded and held his hand out for the parchment.
"Aye, my lord," the page said as he closed the distance quickly, laying the yell
ow
roll in Robert's open palm.
"Let me see that!" Duncan's eager hand reached out to snatch the roll but Robert
was too quick for him, managing to keep it beyond Duncan's reach.
"Nay, Duncan. I will read it first," he announced as he broke the seal, allowing
a
shower of red wax to hit the floor.
Catherine's smooth, well-scripted handwriting glared out at him from the page.
Robert,
I want you to know that I have received Duncan's previous message and I have
had time to think over matters. Here is my proposal. In a week, I wish to meet a
t a field
not far from here and discuss the terms of the surrender of my crown. As Queen,
I must
do what is best for my people and in their interest, I think they need a king th
at will be
able to do all the things I cannot do. As for myself, I no longer think of mysel
f as Queen
of Scotland but rather the Duchess of Kent. That is all I wish to be known as no
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