27

Jane gasped as Lynx knocked the wine cup from her hand She saw the desire in his eyes instantly change to anger.

“Damn you, Jane!”

She stared down at him in horror. “W-what?”

Lynx grabbed her wrists and rolled with her until he was in the dominant position and she was pinned beneath him. “What?” he snarled “How many times have I asked you to marry? Your answer has always been, ‘Oh, Lynx, I’m not ready,’” he mocked “Now, you are suddenly ready! Just to save their miserable hides you are willing to discuss marriage. What a noble sacrifice!”

She looked up at him as if he had suddenly turned into a stranger. She could see that her words hadn’t just angered him, somehow they had wounded him, and Jane was at a complete loss. “What have I done to anger you?”

“Stop pretending! You know damned well I had Ben and Sim arrested All of Dumfries knows!”

Jane went cold all over and began to shiver. “Let me up,” she said quietly. He reminded her of a beast, toying with its prey. He sat back on his haunches, allowing her an opportunity to escape him, yet knowing he was in full control. She got quickly to her feet and stood her ground. “You think I have been seducing you so that you would free them?”

“That’s exactly what I think!”

“You are wrong. Tonight wasn’t about seduction, it was about love!” Her eyes flooded with unshed tears.

“Save your tears, lady, they are wasted on me.”

“You are so hard, and I understand that. You must rule over an army of men and fight wars, and you couldn’t do it unless you were flint-hard and unemotional, but I thought you were beginning to feel a tenderness toward me.” A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I didn’t know about my brothers. However, you are right, I love them and I beg you to save their miserable hides, but I ask it openly without subterfuge.”

Jane saw the doubt writ plainly on his grim face. “Not all women are deceitful, my lord.” She watched from beneath downcast lashes as Lynx began to pull on his clothes. When he was dressed he searched her face. “When Taffy came for my war chest, are you telling me that he said nothing about your brothers?”

“Taffy would never say or do anything that would hurt me.”

“You did not know that we leave for Edinburgh tomorrow?” he demanded, disbelief showing in every line of his hardened face.

Jane shook her head, unable to speak for the ache in her throat. She felt as if her heart were breaking. How could he leave her like this? Last night, when he had given her his body and showed how much he desired her, she had thought it was enough. Tonight, she realized that unless he gave her his trust, she had nothing.

He padded toward her wary as an untamed animal. He did not trust her because she was the female of the species. In that moment Jane made her decision. It was finished between them unless he gave her his trust.

“Don’t touch me,” she warned.

His green eyes narrowed. “Are you challenging me?”

“In your male arrogance you think me no match for you, but you are wrong, Lord de Warenne. I am more than a match for you.” Jane drew herself up to her full height and walked regally to the door that led down to her own chambers.

As Lynx stared at the closed door, he wondered how in hell he had managed to turn his last night at home with Jane into a disaster. Christ, what if she had been telling the truth? What if she had remained in the Master Tower all day, absorbed with her baby, resting from the demands he had made on her throughout their night of passion? What if, in sweet submission, she had decided she wanted to be his wife?

Lynx grimaced as he realized how fierce he’d been with her. He had flung her offer in her face! In his male arrogance he had thought he knew all there was to know about women, but perhaps he did not. Lynx stepped out onto the parapet walk and filled his lungs with cold air, then he made his way down to the bailey where last-minute preparations were under way for tomorrow’s departure.

With bleak thoughts for company, Lynx walked down to the stables and encountered his squires. “Taffy, did you tell Jane we were leaving for Edinburgh?”

“Nay, my lord. She was so happy this afternoon, I couldn’t bear to take the smile from her face. I knew how grieved she’d be when she learned about her brothers.”

Lynx looked at Thomas. “Show me where you put the Leslies.”

They walked down an underground passage into the bowels of the castle. Lynx took the torch from Thomas and lit the one in the bracket outside the dungeon. Though the light was poor as Lynx peered through the iron bars, he could clearly see the look of defiance had fled from the faces of the shepherds.

“For Jane’s sake, I am going to set you free. If you are determined to join William Wallace, I cannot stop you, but be warned that we go to hunt him down. I pledge to you that he shall be found and he shall be destroyed. If you are still here when I return, I will know you have pledged your loyalty to Dumfries. The choice is yours.” Lynx turned the key in the lock and opened the prison door wide. His motivation was purely selfish. It was a gesture to Jane, asking her to forgive him.

    “John, I have a son! You might well look amazed, but it is the truth. I can hardly believe it myself.”

“That is the best news I’ve had in years. Congratulations, Lynx. I hope it is the first of many. I’ve never even met your wife yet. Is she well?”

“Yes, Jane is well.” Lynx did not tell John that he was still unwed. “We named him after my father, Lincoln … Lincoln Robert de Warenne.” When John frowned at the name, Lynx guessed that whatever the trouble was, it involved Robert Bruce. “Your message sounded ominous; I came as soon as I received it, though I wanted to linger at Dumfries.”

“The king has ordered me to reassemble the army. He wants us to sweep through the Lowlands from the border up to the Firth of Forth. He orders me to nip this rebellion in the bud, and he wants Wallace.” John hesitated, seemingly reluctant to continue, and Lynx knew something unpleasant was sticking in his craw.

“Spit it out, John.”

“It’s fortunate you didn’t linger at Dumfries. The king has specifically named you and Robert Bruce to spearhead this operation as proof of your allegiance.”

“My loyalty to the crown is being questioned?” Lynx asked softly.

“Robert Brace’s loyalty is being questioned, and because of your close association with him, you are being tarred with the same brash. The rumors and suspicions will be laid to rest now that you have answered the call to arms.”

“And if Robert refuses?”

“His English estates will be forfeit.”

“Splendor of God!” Lynx’s green eyes narrowed. “Somebody has been carrying lies to Edward.” A voice inside Lynx’s head warned him that Robert could very well be involved with the rebels. “Let me talk with the courier you sent to the king.”

John suddenly looked uncomfortable. “It was Fitz-Waren.” The name hung in the silence that blanketed the chamber. John’s voice filled the void. “Fitz arrived the day after you left for Dumfries. When my report was ready, he generously offered to act as courier. He caught up with Edward before he left York for the Cinque Ports.”

“I see,” Lynx replied tersely, firmly clamping his jaw closed so that he would not begin hurling accusations.

“Treasurer Cressingham has a large force in Berwick. As well, I’ve called Percy and Clifford to arms and Fitz-Waren’s light cavalry is already here. If the Bruce answers my call to arms, it will prove his loyalty, at least for the moment.” John de Warenne rubbed weary eyes that were bloodshot from too much paperwork. “Lynx, I don’t want trouble to erupt between you and Fitz.”

“What prompts you to think there might be trouble?”

“He has Alicia with him.”

Lynx began to laugh, but there was little mirth in it. That son of a bitch has filled the king’s ears with lies about my loyalty and you think the trouble between us is over a woman? “Rest easy, John, I have no interest in Alice Bolton.”

    As Thomas lit the candles in the cramped chamber where Lynx and his squires were lodged in Edinburgh Castle, Montgomery memorized the message he was to take to Robert Bruce.

“Give the message to no other and make sure Robert knows it is from me. Tell him John’s call to arms is a test of his loyalty. Tell him Edward Plantagenet is ready to confiscate the Bruce estates in Essex.”

Lynx turned to his squire. “Thomas, my knights will know by now that Fitz-Waren’s cavalry officers are in the barracks. Fights will be inevitable, but tell them I want no knifings, no matter how they are provoked. Oh, and keep an eye on Keith Leslie for me. Point out Fitz-Waren’s men so he can avoid them.”

“He has a wise head on his shoulders, my lord. He may look like just a lad, but under that red thatch, he’s a thousand years old!”

When Taffy went to get them food, Lynx was alone for the first time that day. He paced up and down the chamber like a caged beast. It galled him that Fitz-Waren had likely read all the reports he had prepared on William Ormsby, the justiciar, and Lynx’s suspicions of the involvement of the Church of Scotland. Fitz-Waren could sell such information or use it for blackmail.

Why in God’s name did the bastard volunteer to ride all the way to York in the dead of winter? Lynx asked himself. What can Fitz-Waren gain from discrediting me in the king’s eyes? He must have another motive beside profit and power, Lynx decided. Fitz-Waren must be doing it for revenge!

    Lynx heaved a sigh of relief when Robert Bruce answered the call to arms, bringing five hundred and pledging another thousand from Carrick. It was well past midnight when Lynx climbed to Robert’s chamber high in Edinburgh Castle.

“I was determined to ignore the call to arms, and would have if you hadn’t sent Montgomery.”

Lynx nodded grimly. “My loyalty too is in question. I’m not surprised that someone is filling the king’s ears with lies, but I’m bloody livid that Edward believes them!”

“It’s my enemy, Comyn. The king was a fool to set him free on condition he put down Moray’s rebellion. Comyn’s dispatches to the king will say everything is quiet north of the Forth. But the truth is Comyn is in league with Moray and it won’t be long before Comyn is in league with Wallace. They are all just biding their time until Edward Plantagenet sails for France, then all hell will break loose.”

“What you say makes perfect sense. I thought it was my bastard cousin, Fitz-Waren, trying to discredit us with the king when he took John’s reports to York.”

“We could both be right; Comyn is my enemy, Fitz-Waren is yours. Sooner or later we will have to deal with them, my friend.”

Lynx pushed the thought away. He did not want his cousin’s blood on his hands.

    During February and March an army of thirty thousand men, led by de Warenne, Bruce, Percy, Clifford, and Cressingham, began at Berwick and marched through the entire region known as the Borders: Lothian, Dumfries, Annandale, and Galloway. When they met no armed resistance, Treasurer Cressingham was adamant that the entire exercise was a ridiculous waste of the crown’s money. He returned to Berwick and sent glowing reports to the king that the back of the Scots resistance had been broken and stating emphatically that there was no longer any insurrection in the Lowlands.

As a result of these reports, King Edward Plantagenet sailed for France in April, leaving the governing of Scotland in the hands of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey.

In Scotland that year, winter changed into spring almost overnight. Lynx de Warenne and Robert Bruce sniffed the warm spring air and both smelled trouble. They knew it would come, but they did not know where it would strike. When it came, it was from an unexpected source.

William Douglas, who had garrisoned Berwick and gained his release by swearing an oath of obedience, had returned to his home in Lanark. Douglas immediately joined forces with William Wallace and they marched their army on Scone where Justiciar Ormsby had been reaping a fortune from levying crippling fines. Ormsby fled and the combined forces of Wallace and Douglas met no resistance. The common people of Scotland rejoiced that their sacred town of Scone, where all their kings had been crowned, was no longer in the hands of the hated English.

    John de Warenne called an emergency meeting of his generals, cursing Cressingham for returning to Berwick and taking half of the army with him. “We have no choice but to march on Scone,” John de Warenne declared.

“We should wait for Cressingham’s forces to return,” Percy insisted.

“We can’t wait,” Lynx pointed out. “Each day we delay, more Scots nobles will flock to join them.”

“I should have heeded your advice, Lynx, and informed the king about Justiciar Ormsby’s legalized stealing.”

“Too late now, the justiciar will have destroyed any incriminating records.”

“With all due respect, the justiciar is not the enemy,” Percy pointed out. “Wallace and Douglas now occupy Scone.”

“In the name of the king, I hereby confiscate all the English holdings of Sir William Douglas until he surrenders himself to us,” the governor declared.

Robert Bruce made a rude noise of contempt. “That won’t bring him to heel. The lands belong to his English wife.”

John de Warenne gave the Bruce a look of black hostility. “Then I charge you with the task of bringing Douglas to heel.”

Bruce shrugged. “A simple enough task.”

Lynx spoke up quickly before the sparks of enmity between his friend and his uncle burst into flame. “I propose we march on Scone immediately.”

John de Warenne looked at the others for confirmation. One by one they all nodded their agreement.

The following morning as the armies made ready to leave Edinburgh, Lynx asked Robert how he would deal with Douglas.

“I shall simply ride to Lanark, take his wife and children prisoner, and send them to Lochmaben.”

Lynx de Warenne was shocked. A picture of Jane and his own precious son rose up before him and he knew he would pay any price to keep them safe.

“Would you care to ride to Lanark with me, or will we meet in Scone?” the Bruce asked with a wolfish grin.

Lynx shook his head. “I’ve no stomach for making war on women and children. I’ll meet you in Scone.”

    The English army came face-to-face with forces gathered by the Scots at Irvine, just outside Scone. Whenever a battle was imminent, the English forces joined together under one supreme commander.

John de Warenne did not believe the Scots army would be hard to defeat. He decided that heavy cavalry, followed by Welsh bowmen, would be enough to turn the tide. His light cavalry would be wasted in this operation, and war machines were completely unnecessary. He would attack at first light and inflict heavy damage. De Warenne estimated that one battle would be enough to make the Scots lay down their arms and capitulate.

The night before a battle was supposed to be for rest and prayer, but Lynx de Warenne had never been able to do either. He moved from tent to tent and spoke at length with each of his knights, then he walked among the campfires of his Welsh bowmen who slept in the open.

Lynx knew that men followed courage and if he displayed his confidence openly, boldly, his men could do no less. Following his example they would show contempt and defiance in the face of danger and fight with resolution and determination to emerge victorious.

When first light came a heavy mist still lay upon the ground. Lynx’s knights were all mounted on destriers protected by armor. As well as lance and sword they carried battle-ax, billhook, and iron ball-and-chain at their belts. They peered through the mist, not daring to lose sight of their leader. Each man knew Lynx de Warenne would lead the charge as he always did, with Thomas on his right flank and Taffy on his left.

Lynx pushed his helmet down firmly and raised his clenched fist, giving his squires the victory sign, just as the order came to advance. Every man looked straight ahead, glancing neither right nor left as they spurred to meet the enemy.

The initial impact of lance and sword and ironclad hooves upon mortal flesh was horrendous. Men became unhorsed and were trampled to death. The screams of the horses over the clash of metal and the battle cries were deafening. In the melee, Thomas became separated from Lynx. Suddenly, from behind, he was hit on the head with an iron ball-and-chain and he dropped like a stone. Another jumped into his empty saddle and fought his way to Lynx de Warenne’s side.

Taffy glanced about wildly until he saw Thomas rejoin Lord de Warenne on his right flank, then with an overwhelming relief, he looked straight ahead and cut his way through the enemy.

Lynx focused on each opponent he faced. He unhorsed half a dozen with his lance before it broke off, embedded in the chest of an enemy. He threw away the broken shaft and reached for his battle-ax, guiding his destrier with iron-hard thighs. He was aware that Thomas no longer flanked him, but it was his squires’ duty to protect his back, and Lynx assumed Thomas had moved behind him. Suddenly, Lynx felt a crushing blow to his head, then total blackness descended on him.