24

When the first day of the celebration dawned, Grace Murray took charge of Jane’s son the moment he was fed “Dinna worry yer pretty head over the wee lordling, Lady Jane. I’ll keep him under my wing like an’ old broody hen, so ye can have a wee bit of fun.”

“The Bruce brought over a beautiful cradle that we’ve put front and center in the hall. Since we’re celebrating Christmas, New Year’s, and Lincoln Robert’s christening all at once, I want him to spend as much time with us as possible. Today is just for the castle people and the de Warenne men-at-arms, but tomorrow will include all the townspeople of Dumfries. Hundreds of people will want a good look at him in the next few days.”

“Aye, and look is all they’ll do, I shall see to that! There will be no pokin’ at the wee lordling or pickin’ him up and jigglin’ him till he heaves up his milk!”

“Good heavens, I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think they would do such a thing?”

“If I wasn’t standin’ guard, they’d have their dirty hands all over him, passin’ him about like a secondhand haggis!”

Jane was suddenly glad that Grace Murray resembled a dragon. “Bring him back upstairs before the noon meal is served and I’ll feed him, then I’ll feed him again before dinner tonight.”

Marjory and Elizabeth arrived at Jane’s chamber unable to hide the excitement that bubbled inside them. “Good God, aren’t you bathed and dressed yet?” Jory demanded.

“I’m bathed, I just have to put on the beautiful dress you gave me last night.”

“That wasn’t from me, that was from St. Nicholas and I suspect he has more surprises in store for you, Lady Jane Tut!”

“Jory, you’re so good!”

“Damn, I’m very good, but for the next few days I’m going to be bad, and if you have any sense, you will too. We have a castle full of men, so let’s make them dance to our tune! For the first time in nine months you can think about yourself. You are slim and beautiful and I want you to enjoy enough fun and laughter to last you through the dark, cold winter.”

Jory turned her attention to Elizabeth de Burgh. “We must both see to it that Elizabeth has a happy time. She’s away from Ireland, away from her lovely home, and hardly ever gets to see her father. She hoped to see him at Christmastime, but the Earl of Ulster has pledged to help Edward Plantagenet win France.”

“And with de Burgh on his side, the king cannot lose,” Lynx de Warenne said as he came down the stairs from his own chamber. His glance fell on Jane in her fine lawn petticoat. “I came to help Jane dress if you’ll be good enough to give us a little privacy.”

“Dream on, Brother, there isn’t time for Jane to indulge your dalliance this morning. Come back in a week if you want her to ride your cockhorse to Banbury Cross!”

Elizabeth’s cheeks turned bright red and she began to giggle. She was just beginning to understand the naughty sexual innuendos that Jory came out with.

“For shame, corrupting the child,” Lynx said sternly. “I suspect you are a bad influence on Jane as well as Elizabeth.”

“You will be the beneficiary of my corrupting Jane, but I’ve barely touched the surface. You’ll have to plumb the depths yourself to finish the corruption!”

Suddenly, the Lord of Misrule threw open the chamber door. “Where are all the beautiful women hiding?” Nigel Bruce demanded. “You will each pay me a forfeit of one kiss for keeping us waiting!”

Elizabeth insisted on being first, then Jory paid her forfeit with a kiss that was both long and lusty. As Nigel captured Jane in her petticoat, Lynx said, “I don’t think Jane wants to play this game.”

Nigel gave him a pitying glance and Jane said saucily, “Lynx is too old to remember what fun is all about!”

    When the merry group arrived downstairs, the hall had never been so crowded in the castle’s history. Tables piled high with food and sweet delicacies sat against the walls and its center was a vast open space from which the dining tables and benches had been removed and replaced with a throng of merrymakers.

The only chairs were up on the dais, alongside the magnificent Bruce cradle. Lynx de Warenne parted waves of celebrants so that he could reach the dais. He deposited Lincoln Robert in the cradle and Grace Murray, accompanied by Lynx’s two squires, sat down in the chairs to guard Dumfries’ newest treasure. A line began to form immediately to climb to the dais to view the child.

The festive customs they celebrated were a mixture of English, Scottish, and Welsh. A pine yule log over fifty feet long and three feet in circumference was carried in by over a hundred of the brawniest males. Christmas cheer flowed freely from wassail bowls of hypocras, barrels of ale, jugs of whisky, and flagons of honeyed mead. Every windowsill was strung with holly and ivy, and from every door and archway in the castle hung a huge bunch of white-berried mistletoe.

Music of every description filled the air. Scots pipers roamed the castle, mingling with Welsh harpers and English drummers. Others had flutes and timbrels and handbells, but all the instruments combined could not drown out the laughter of the celebrants who were hell-bent on fun and games. The Lord of Misrule was everywhere, stirring up mischief, demanding forfeits, and leading the crowd in hilarious hijinks, while his brothers Alexander and Thomas aided and abetted his antics.

At eleven o’clock, the hall was cleared and all the children of Dumfries were ushered in. Their excitement was contagious. Jane, Marjory, and young Elizabeth led them in games, races, singing, and dancing. Then Jane stood beside her father while the prizes and presents were handed out. As well as a toy and an article of clothing for every child, they were encouraged to help themselves to sweets. Huge trays of butterscotch, treacle toffee, and quaint marzipan animals sat alongside a mountain of apples and nuts.

As Lynx watched Jane run about with the children, it was brought home to him how young she was. And yet, as she stood with her father, distributing the gifts, he could sense that she had organized most of it and he experienced a great pride in her. While he had been away in Edinburgh, Dumfries must have been a hive of activity, planning these festivities.

After the noon meal, the food was cleared from the tables and they were piled high with gifts for the castle people who served Dumfries. Again, Jane, with the help of Jock and her brother Andrew, the assistant steward, distributed the presents to each and every servant. She gave each of the Leslie women elegant warm cloaks and all her brothers received new doublets. For Megotta there was an intricately carved medicinal box.

Finally, Jane caught Lynx’s eye and she beckoned him to join her. She held up her hands until the roar subsided to a low din, then with tears in her eyes she announced, “This largesse is possible only because of Lord de Warenne’s unfailing generosity.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek as the crowd went wild, cheering and shouting loud enough to raise the rafters.

As Lynx looked down at her, he knew the generosity was hers. Jane had spent all the monies he had left with the steward for her personal needs on her family.

Lynx spent most of the afternoon with his men-at-arms and Welsh bowmen. They were a long way from home and he greeted each and every man in his mesne and wished him good fortune in the coming year. Meanwhile in the hall his knights, the Bruces, and the ladies were playing games presided over by the Lord of Misrule, who made sure that the hijinks left their dignity in shreds.

When Lynx came into the hall he saw that Jane was blindfolded, with a circle of men about her, in the middle of a game of Blindman’s Bluff. Thinking to join in the fun, he walked a direct path to her and lifted her high.

Jane immediately knew it was Lynx who held her feet off the floor, for he was the tallest man in Dumfries. Jane’s wicked juices were bubbling and she couldn’t resist the urge to tease him. “Robert,” she squealed, “you’ve had enough kisses!”

She felt Lynx stiffen as he set her feet to the floor and lifted the silk mask from her eyes. “Robert has been kissing you?” he demanded in a hurt tone.

Jane took pity on him. “Lynx, I’m teasing … I knew it was you!” She dimpled. “But Robert is a devil with the ladies, he even dragged Megotta under the mistletoe!”

Lynx took her hand to lead her to a chair on the dais. “Come and have a rest, you are giddy and breathless.”

“Just for a moment,” she conceded sweetly. “But some of your Welshmen are putting on a magic show and they’ve promised to reveal some of their secrets to me.” She was elusive as quicksilver and as he gazed at her, he pondered what it was that was making his desire for her mount higher by the minute.

In the brilliant fuchsia velvet, with her red-gold hair tumbling about her like a blaze of fire, she was vividly beautiful, but that wasn’t the mysterious essence that captivated him and every other male who had crowded about her all day. An aura of joy and happiness surrounded her as she was caught up in the excitement of the celebration and she seemed determined to wring every ounce of pleasure from the festivities.

It wasn’t until the evening meal was over and the dancing well under way that it began to dawn on Lynx what her fatal attraction was. For over an hour he hadn’t been able to take his eyes from her, as one man after another competed to partner her, to tease and flirt with her, their only reward a brilliant smile, or a brief glimpse of her elusive dimples. Suddenly he understood what it was that had made his mounting desire for her turn to raging lust.

It was her innocence!

Here was a young girl who had never worn a jewel, nor painted her face in her life. Until recently she had never even owned a pretty gown. She was so innocent, that even though she was a mother, she was not yet a woman! Her female sexuality had not yet been awakened. He had mated with her for the sole purpose of procreating, but she had never been taught that sex could be for pleasure.

All that lay before her! And every man in the hall sensed it and longed to be the one who would introduce her to sensuality. And the thing that made her so tempting and enticing was the fact that she was ripe and ready without even knowing it! Jane was flirtatious and saucy, desirable and seductive, exotic and tantalizing. She was as alluring and provocative as Jory de Warenne, but with the added fillip of innocence, which made her both titillating and utterly irresistible.

Watching Jane had aroused him so much that he could not dance, he could not even walk. All Lynx could do was sit and observe her until the dancing was over and it was time to open the last gifts.

Lynx watched Jane’s face suffuse with pleasure as she opened gift after gift for the baby. His knights had outdone themselves, gifting his son with silver rattles and inscribed silver mugs. There were gold medallions commemorating his birth and miniature swords and shields bearing the de Warenne coat of arms. The Welsh archers, who were extremely clever with their hands, had carved toys for the child, including a great wooden rocking horse and a whole army of soldiers guarding a wooden castle. They had also stuffed toy animals with wool and covered them with sleek otter skin.

Lynx kept his present until last. He wanted to see her face light up with joy when she saw the beautiful gown. He watched her fingers begin to tremble as she realized that the gift he had given her was not for the child, but for herself. The gown was made of rustling taffeta in shimmering viridescent green, shot with blue, constantly changing color with the light. It had a high collar at the back and a plunging neckline in front. To enhance the breasts, its bodice was encrusted with emerald and turquoise beads.

Lynx threw Jory a quick glance of gratitude, then his eyes were irresistibly drawn back to Jane’s face, as he watched a look of pure rapture transform it.

Still clutching the gown, she went down on her knees before him. “My dearest lord, did you really choose this for me?”

Lynx saw the teardrops clinging to her lashes and suddenly wished with all his heart that he had chosen the gown. He took her hands and raised her for his kiss. “Jane, do not kneel to me, you have given me my heart’s desire.” In that moment he determined that tomorrow he would search all of Dumfries until he found a gift worthy of her.

A long procession climbed the stairs of the Master Tower, led by Grace Murray carrying the baby and his squires and castle servants carrying up the gifts. Lynx followed Jane, barely able to bank the fires of his desire until they could be alone. He watched her hang her precious new gown in the wardrobe with loving hands, then he helped her remove the fuchsia velvet dress that had made her so vividly beautiful today. His hands cupped her soft shoulders possessively as he waited with barely concealed impatience for the last maidservant to leave.

Lynx had forgotten that Jane would have to feed his son. He sat down on the bed to watch her lavish her baby with love and attention. Finally, when she had fed him and tended to all his needs, she laid him down beside his father and climbed onto the wide bed.

“At long last I have you to myself,” she murmured. She touched the tawny tufts on his head then traced her fingertips along his cheek. “Who is the most beautiful boy in all the world?” she whispered, totally engrossed.

As the baby gurgled and waved his tiny fists about, Lynx knew Jane had eyes only for her child; all his waiting had been in vain. With resignation he dropped a kiss on her head and then one on his son’s. “Get some rest, Jane. Tomorrow the celebration begins all over again.”

    The rejoicing, mirth, and gaiety went on for three more days. The high spirits of the castle people and the townspeople of Dumfries never flagged. Finally it was time to christen the baby, and as the celebrants packed inside the tiny chapel, the atmosphere was jubilant. Lynx de Warenne, with his firstborn in his arms and Lady Jane standing beside him, looked and felt triumphant.

Robert Bruce stood as the child’s godfather, and Jory his godmother. The priest let each of them hold the infant for a special baptismal blessing, before formally christening him Lincoln Robert de Warenne. Then the godfather, carrying the child, led the procession through the castle and down to the hall.

Lynx saw his sister, Jory, wipe away a tear and he slipped a comforting arm about her. He looked down into her green eyes, so like his own, and murmured, “Thank you, I know how difficult that must have been for you.”

Jory dashed away another tear. “Why difficult?” she demanded, ready with a denial.

“Because I know you would give anything to have his child.”

Jory closed her eyes. “We’ve been so careful; how did you know?” she whispered.

“There is little about the Bruce that I don’t know, Jory.” He hugged her close, then tipped her face up so that their eyes could meet again. “He’ll not wed you, Jory. His driving ambition to be King of Scotland stands in the way. The people would never accept an English queen.”

“I know that, Lynx. I live for today; I’m not greedy enough to want tomorrow also.”

    That night in the hall a Welsh minstrel held them all in thrall with his epic tale of Beowulf. Lynx watched Jane’s delight as she listened spellbound to the mythic tale, accompanied by the haunting notes of the minstrel’s harp. Lynx became aware that he wasn’t the only man who watched her. His squire Taffy imagined himself in love, and at least two of his younger knights paid constant homage to her. During the last few days of observing her, he had seen that the glances of many of his Welsh bowmen were openly covetous and smoldering whenever they fixed upon her.

Along with his desire, a feeling of possessiveness was growing within him. It was a new emotion for Lynx. Though he was not much given to introspection, Lynx admitted to himself that these feelings were prompted by jealousy as well as lust. He almost resented it when Jane bestowed her sweet smile upon another, or when she shared a moment of laughter that excluded him.

During the past week he had grown to begrudge the innocent kisses she received beneath the mistletoe and had begun to crave them for himself. Lynx knew that he could not go on in this aroused state any longer. He would erupt into violence if one more man so much as looked at her. Tonight he would put his mark upon her so that from this night forward she would be his alone.

His eyes licked over her as she came toward him. She was wearing a pink lamb’s-wool gown that clung to every curve of her body. The silver chain that Jory had given her was fastened cunningly about her hips, so that its single ruby sat upon her high mons, tempting every male eye. Damn Jory, she had taught Jane too many tricks! It was time for him to take over as her tutor to teach her the things that would awaken her slumbering sensuality and fulfill her as a woman. It was time for him to take possession.

Jane held out a small package; a shy smile accompanied it. “I was very hesitant about giving you this because our beliefs are different. But it is a gift from the heart. You have given me so much, my lord; this is one of the few things I can give in return.”

“Jane, you have given me a son … you have given me immortality. It is I who must gift you.” He took a big box from beneath his carved chair and they exchanged presents. Lynx slipped the Celtic touchstone from its leather pouch and gazed with delight at the image of the proud lynx she had painted for him. It was in full flight, ready to pounce upon its prey, and it reminded him of himself.

“Thank you, Jane, I shall wear it with pride.” He watched her face intently as she unwrapped the gift he had had made especially for her. Tonight he wanted to bring her more pleasure than she had ever known.

She gasped as she held up the emerald velvet cloak, lined with silver fox. “Oh, Lynx, it’s magnificent!” She held it out to him. “Help me try it on.”

“No!” He drew her close, then bent his head until his lips touched her ear. “When you try on your very first fur, I want you to be naked so that you will experience the luxurious, sensual softness against your skin.”

Jane’s lashes lifted in surprise. The corners of her mouth went up, revealing her dimples. “Do you often get what you want, my lord?”

“Always.” His green eyes purposefully filled with wild surmise to set her all ashiver.