Margaret Gordon, known as Maggie, stepped from the horse-drawn cart into the courtyard of Whitehaven Castle. This would be her new home now, having traveled with the caravan of soldiers from Lord Ramsay Granville’s castle in Hetherpool.
“Is this it?” asked Duff, her ten-year-old brother, flipping his body over the high side of the wooden cart, landing on his butt on the ground.
“Stop fooling around and get up before you get your clothes dirty.” Maggie grabbed her brother by the arm and dragged him to his feet. “If you’re going to be a page, you need to start acting like one.”
“Stop being so bossy, Maggie. You take all the fun out of everything.” Duff pulled out of her grip and brushed off his clothes.
Maggie’s heart went out to the boy. He’d never known his parents. She had, more or less, raised him ever since they arrived in England with Annalyse and her children on the night of Burnt Candlemas. Duff was only a baby at the time. She was thankful he wouldn’t remember the horror she’d witnessed as her homeland was pillaged and burned by the English. Maggie had been only nine years of age when she watched as the coast of Scotland went up in flames at the hands of King Edward III. Then she’d seen everyone she loved be slaughtered one at a time, ending with her mother who had tried to escape with her children.
Maggie had two younger sisters that weren’t as lucky as her that night. They died in the raid along with her parents.
“Maggie, you’re here!” The voice of her friend, Summer, dragged her from her thoughts. She looked at the girl of four and ten years and smiled. Summer was the lady-in-waiting to the Lady of Whitehaven. Summer and her younger sisters, Winter and Autumn, were like siblings to Maggie. And their mother, Annalyse, was like a mother to her as well. The castle she’d been living at was that of Summer’s grandfather.
“Summer!” She ran to her friend and they embraced. Maggie was nine and ten years of age, and a few years younger than Summer’s triplet brothers, Rowen, Rook, and Reed. She remembered the triplets well, especially Reed whom she’d fancied while growing up. It broke her heart never to be able even to mention their names for the last ten years. But she’d made the promise to Annalyse when they’d escaped from Scotland that she would keep quiet and never mention the boys to Summer and her sisters. Annalyse had feared for Lord Granville’s safety since he’d had no idea the king hadn’t killed the triplets at birth. But now that the secret was out, Maggie felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.
Annalyse, Winter, and Autumn were there to greet her as well.
“Thank you for allowing my brother and me to come live here in Whitehaven now,” she said, feeling very grateful. Living in Hetherpool had been trying at times since Lord Granville always treated them as naught more than servants since they were Scottish. But things would be different now.
“Don’t thank us, thank Lady Cordelia and Rowen,” said Annalyse, pushing a gray strand of hair that had become loose from her braid, behind her ear.
“Who are they?” asked Duff, rubbing a dirty hand across his face, leaving a streak.
“They are the lord and lady of the castle.” Maggie used her sleeve to wipe the dirt from her little brother’s face. He pushed her hand away and scowled.
“Welcome,” boomed a deep voice from behind her. Maggie turned to see a tall, handsome man with shoulder-length blond hair coming to greet her with a tall woman with a long, auburn braid curled upon her head, clinging to his arm.
“This is Lady Cordelia and Lord Rowen,” said Summer.
“Rowen?” Her head snapped around, and she whispered to Summer, “Reed’s brother?”
“Yes,” said Summer with a giggle. “You probably don’t remember them, but we all grew up together in Scotland.”
“I remember.” She looked over to Annalyse and could see small lines of sorrow around the woman’s eyes.
“Maggie, I’m so sorry I made you stay silent about the boys all these years,” apologized Annalyse. “But if the secret got out that they were still alive, my father could have been accused of betraying the king and had everything taken from him.”
“I understand,” said Maggie with a nod. She looked back to the lord and lady of the castle, bowed her head and curtseyed. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Duff playing with a loose thread on his sleeve. “Duff, pay proper respect to the lord and lady with a bow,” she told him.
Duff let out a sigh, but bowed.
“Please, join us in the great hall as we are about to have a feast in honor of your arrival,” said Rowen, reaching out for her hand and bringing her back to the standing position.
“My honor?” She felt confused and looked over to Summer.
“Rowen has agreed to give you the title of Lady,” said Winter excitedly.
“And your brother will get to be a page,” added Autumn.
While Summer had bright blond hair, her sister Winter had black hair, and Autumn had auburn hair. They all had bright green eyes.
“Girls, you must remember to call Rowen by his title now. It’s Lord Rowen,” Annalyse reminded them.
“I keep forgetting,” said Autumn.
“Me, too,” said Winter. “It feels odd to call our brother, Lord.”
While the triplets were referred to as the girls’ brothers, they were really their cousins. The boys’ mother, Gabrielle, had died birthing them. Annalyse was Gabrielle’s twin and had raised them as her own. The Scot, Ross from Clan Douglas, had married her and played father to the boys. But now the secret was out. The Demon Thief was not one man but the triplet bastards of the king, out for revenge. Recently, things had changed, and now Rowen and Rook were married. Instead of fighting the king, they paid him fealty. Only their brother, Reed, was still an outlaw.
“I’ll have a page bring your things to your new chamber,” offered Lady Cordelia.
“Oh, thank you kindly,” said Maggie with a bow of her head. “And Duff will be happy to help.”
“No, I won’t,” said the boy, being obstinate as always.
“Duff, where are your manners?” she asked him with a stiff upper lip. “If Lord Rowen has been kind enough to offer to train you as a page, then you should start your training now.”
“All right,” said the boy, kicking at a stone.
Rowen laughed. “Duff, you remind me of myself when I was first captured and taken aboard the pirate ship.”
“You were a pirate?” The boy’s eyes opened wide.
“I sure was. Come with me and I’ll tell you all about it as we get the trunks out of the cart.”
“Rowen, you’re a noble now,” Cordelia scolded, hurrying after him. “We have servants to do that.”
“Rowen will never act like a lord,” said Annalyse with a smile. “He’ll always feel as if it’s his duty to help out everyone else. That’s what I love about him.”
Annalyse left with Autumn and Winter at her side, leaving Maggie alone with Summer.
“Come. I’ll show you around the castle,” said Summer, leading the way to the keep.
“He looks so different than I remember.” Maggie glanced back over her shoulder at Rowen who was helping Duff remove a trunk of their clothes from the cart. “Have you seen Rook and Reed as well?”
“Of course I have.” Summer bent over to pet one of the stray castle hounds. “Rook just got married to Lady Calliope. They live at Naward Castle. But Rook used to live in the catacombs of Lanercost Priory.” She giggled as the hound reached up and licked her face.
“The catacombs? How awful.” A shiver ran up Maggie’s spine at the mere thought. “What about Reed? Where is he now?” She held her breath as she waited for her answer. She remembered Reed well, as they had been childhood sweethearts. She had never given up hope to see him again someday.
Summer stood up and brushed a few dog hairs from her gown. “I’ve only had a glimpse of him at Rowen’s wedding. Reed is still a renegade and lives up in the Highlands with my father.”
“He does?” She stopped in her tracks. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” said Summer. “Now come. I’ve got much to show you!”
* * *
Maggie sat at the dais for her meal, along with Summer and her sisters, Annalyse, and the lord and lady of the castle.
“I don’t feel right sitting up here,” Maggie whispered to Summer as she brought the cup of wine to her lips. Her brother sat below the salt with some of the other children. She’d been told tomorrow he’d start his training as a page.
“Why not?” asked Summer, snatching a sweetmeat off the platter in front of them and popping the dried fruit into her mouth. “I told you, my brother said you’d be a lady now that you are living at Whitehaven.”
“But I’m no’ a lady, I’m just a lassie,” she said, slipping back into her Scottish burr. She’d been raised English and had been instructed by Lord Granville never to slip back to her Scottish tongue.
“You will have a courtesy title now, so just enjoy it.”
“I suppose you’re right. I will.” Maggie took in her surroundings as she sipped her wine. Whitehaven was a grand castle, and the great hall was even larger than the one at Hetherpool. Servants busily rushed around with platters of salmon in turmeric and saffron sauce and bowls of mutton stew in their hands. It was followed by a variety of cheeses, roasted beets dribbled with honey, and small bilberry tarts. The boy acting as cupbearer held out the flagon to her and she let him fill her cup to the rim with the rich, robust wine.
Minstrels up in the gallery started tuning up their lutes and even a harp that would be played for the dancing and entertainment that would come after the meal. Knights and soldiers filled the hall and laughed heartily as they flirted with the ladies of their choice. Everyone seemed so happy. She should be happy, too. So why wasn’t she?
Was her life just a lie? She wanted more than ever for Duff to be raised first as a page, followed by being a squire, and hopefully, someday, even knighthood. Duff was the only family she had left and she would do anything to make a better life for the boy. Even act like an Englishwoman when, in her heart, she longed for the moors and hills of her homeland. She had never been back to Scotland since that horrible night. What she feared more than anything was to step foot on the soil that held so much of her family’s blood.
Nay, she was an Englishwoman now and would forget all about her life in Scotland that no longer existed. Summer, Annalyse, and the girls were her family now. She would do nothing to jeopardize losing a family once again. No matter how foreign it felt to her, she would speak like an Englishwoman and act like a noble because that was the only thing that was important to her anymore. She had a new family and would do whatever it took to make sure Duff was brought up having everything he needed. Aye. She was English now, and Scotland would only exist in her dreams and possibly in one small corner of her heart.