Bertrice Small - Besieged

"Yer content with yer decisions then, laddie?" the duke said.

"Aye, your grace," Kieran Devers replied, knowing exactly what was being asked of him. "Mallow Court is my brother's, and I happily cede it to him."

"Yet ye remain." James Leslie was curious.

"For now," Kieran responded. "I feel there is somewhere else for me in this world, my lord, but I am not certain where it is at this moment in time. I am satisfied to wait, for in time I will be led there."

James Leslie nodded. Strangely he understood exactly what the young man was saying. The Irish were even more fey than the Scots. If Kieran Devers were awaiting a revelation, then he would undoubtedly get it eventually.

"Dinner is served, my lord," Adali said. "My lady says you are to come to table at once."

"Gentlemen," the duke said, and led his guests to the high board.

It astounded William Devers to learn how quickly he had fallen in love with Fortune Lindley, but he was certain he was in love. She was the most beautiful girl in the world. He liked her flaming red hair no matter what his mother said, and Lady Jane had a great deal to say when they returned home. She kept her peace in the coach as they traveled around the end of the lough back to Lisnaskea. It was as if she were afraid the duchess would hear her unless she was safely in her own home. William was quite surprised that his mother was so intimidated by Jasmine Leslie. He had found her lovely to behold, and quite charming in her manners.

"I will marry Fortune as soon as possible," William announced to his parents when they were gathered about their own fire that evening.

"No," his mother said, "you will not! She is far too outspoken a female. An educated, overbred bluestocking if I ever saw one. She is not the girl for you. Your cousin, Emily Anne, is far more suitable a match for you, William. She may not have Fortune Lindley's wealth, but no amount of monies could make up for having that Lindley girl in our family!"

"I agree with you, madame," Kieran Devers supported his stepmother. "For the first time in our acquaintance, I agree with you."

"You do?" Now Jane Devers was suspicious. "Why on earth would you agree with me, Kieran? You certainly never have before, although I did my best to raise you properly despite your Catholic leanings."

He laughed. She had indeed done her duty, at least publicly, as his stepmother, and he had to admit to himself that she had never been a cruel woman. She could not help it that she preferred her own son, and had encouraged his father into disinheriting him so William could someday be the master of Mallow Court. Strangely he had no deep feelings for his home. It had been no loss. There was something else awaiting him, somewhere.

"I concur with your conclusions because they are correct, madame. Fortune Lindley is a beautiful, spoilt wench of great privilege. She would destroy William without ever meaning to do so. Cousin Emily Anne, however, loves our Willy, and has since they were children. She is younger than Lady Fortune by almost three years. She will be delighted to live at Mallow Court with you to guide her. Lady Fortune would not."

"You want her!" William accused his sibling. "You want her for yourself, Kieran. Don't think I don't see it!" His face was red with his anger.

"Aye, I'm intrigued, I'll admit, but then wild things have always fascinated me, Willy. Nonetheless, I doubt the duke of Glenkirk, with his own royal blood, and close ties to the king, will be willing to match the likes of me with his beautiful, wealthy daughter. Matches among people of our class are not made that way. I have nothing to offer any respectable woman as you well know. So though I may desire her, I shall never have her. And you should not be foolish enough to seek her perfumed little hand."

"Make the offer," William Devers told his father. "Make it, or I shall leave this house forever, and never come back!"

"Dearest." Lady Jane reached out, and touched her son's face, but he shrank back from her.

"I will have Fortune Lindley for my wife. When we are wed, we shall live at Erne Rock, and in England, for that will please her. I shall never set foot in this house as its master until you are dead and gone, madame. You will rule me no more!"

"But you will allow her to," his mother snapped.

"She has more to offer me than you do, Mama," he replied with devastating effect.

Lady Jane burst into tears. "She's bewitched him!" she sobbed on her husband's sturdy shoulder. "Or else my son should never speak to me in such a terrible fashion. She has bewitched him!"

"Don't be a fool, Willy," Kieran chided the young man. "This girl is beautiful, it is true, but she is not for you. You have absolutely nothing in common with her that I can think of. What would you talk to her about?"

"Talk? I don't want to talk with her. You damned well know what I want to do with her!" came the angry reply.

"Ohhhhhh!" Lady Jane collapsed against her husband in shock.

Sir Shane swallowed back a chuckle. "Mind yer tongue, you young scamp," he half-scolded William.

But Kieran did laugh, receiving a furious look from his overwrought stepmother. "You've raised him honest, madame," he said shrugging.

"If you truly desire it, William, I will tender an offer to the duke of Glenkirk for his daughter," Sir Shane said to his disquieted son.

"If you do, I shall never forgive you," his equally agitated wife cried out. "She is a dreadful girl! Dreadful! Dreadful! Dreadful!"

"Calm youself, madame," Kieran said, and to her surprise he put an arm about his stepmother in a comforting gesture. "It is highly unlikely that Fortune Lindley will accept Willy's offer, and the choice as we all heard, is hers to make."

Jane Devers sniffed audibly. "Do you really think so, Kieran?"

He squeezed her hand. "I do, madame, I do!"

"You mean you hope," snarled William. "Fortune will be my wife! I will not take no for an answer from her."

"You will have to, you young fool!" his elder sibling shot back. "For God's sake, Willy, if you make a spectacle of yourself over this girl, Emily Anne won't have you at all. Behave like a Devers of Lisnaskea, and not some whining, spoiled English milord!" He turned to his father. "Perhaps, sir, this would be a good time for Willy to visit the Continent, and see how the rest of the world lives."

Jane Devers pulled away from her stepson. "Oh, yes, Shane!" she cried to her husband. "He could go to London first, and see his sisters, and their families. And I will go with you, William! I have not been to London since I was a little girl." She clapped her hands excitedly like a child. "We shall all go! You, too, Kieran." Her heart was overflowing with good will at this moment. It was a most wonderful idea. She would get her son away from Fortune Lindley. When they returned the girl would have undoubtedly gone back to Scotland with her family. And Emily Anne Elliot would be waiting. "I'll need a new wardrobe, of course, judging by the duchess's beautiful gown. I wonder if Colleen has a good dressmaker down in Dublin who would be willing to come up to Ulster? I must write her this very day." She hurried from the room.

"Make the offer to the duke," William Devers said, implacably.

Kieran Devers went to the sideboard, and poured out three double drams of peat whiskey into small polished pewter cups. He handed one to his father, and one to his younger brother, keeping the third for himself.

Shane Devers gulped the liquid fire down. It seared his throat as it dropped into his stomach like a hot stone. "Hear me out before I go any further," he said to his heir. "I spoke with the duke the first night we were at Erne Rock. The terms of any marriage agreement between you and Lady Fortune would be very odd to say the least. He tells me this is the standard marriage contract for all the women in his family. You would receive a settlement in gold, to be agreed upon by both families. As for the rest of Lady Fortune's wealth, and lands, they remain in her hands. You would have no say in how she managed her property at all, William."

"But what if she frittered her wealth away as any woman would do given such license? Women do not know how to manage their pin money let alone manage great wealth, Da. Look how Mama always comes to you to wheedle additional coins because she has spent her allowance before the quarter is up," William said.

"Lady Fortune has been managing her own wealth since she was a maid of twelve according to her stepfather. Her great-grandmother taught her how before she died. She was the famous Skye O'Malley, who was old Queen Bess's confidante, if the stories be true. The girl has almost doubled her wealth in the past few years, William. She is no fool.

"Do you think you could marry a woman who would not heed your advice regarding her investments? For after all, William, you know nothing of such things. This girl has grown up in a noble and wealthy family, and she is clever. She would not be content to simply sit at home and manage her household while having your children. I am not overwhelmed by jealousy and wild emotions as is your mama, but I, too, agree with her that this marriage would not be a good thing for you. Still, if knowing what I have just told you you still wish me to approach the duke of Glenkirk with a firm offer, I shall do it, my son."

"Make the offer," William Devers said through gritted teeth.

Kieran shrugged, and poured himself another dram of whiskey. "You want to lie with her, and can think of no other way of doing it than to marry the wench," he said scornfully. "I know a lass who would pleasure you so well you would forget all about Fortune Lindley."

"You want her yourself," his brother repeated angrily.

"If I wanted her, little Willy, I'd take her," Kieran Devers said with brutal frankness. "Virgins don't interest me, however."

"You bastard!" William Devers yelled, and tried to hit his brother, but Kieran was too quick for him, and pinioned the young man's arms to his sides, shaking his head wearily.

"Behave yourself, Willy, or your mama won't take you to London Town," he teased his brother wickedly.

"Leave him be, Kieran lad," their father said to his elder son, "and you," he told the younger sternly, "keep your hands to yourself! I'll not have my sons fighting amongst themselves like savages."

"You'll make the offer?" William demanded, shaking himself free of his elder brother's grip.

"I'll send over to Erne Rock in the morning," Shane Devers promised his heir.

***

"My lord, this message has just arrived from Mallow Court," Adali said coming into the Great Hall the following morning.

The duke took the folded parchment, and breaking the seal scanned the contents. "They've offered for Fortune," he said. Then he turned to his stepdaughter. "Well, lassie? Will ye hae him, or no?"

Jasmine held her breath.

"I know I should accept him, Papa," she began. "It is the sensible thing to do for I am not getting any younger."

"But ye won't accept him, will ye, lass?" James Leslie said.

Fortune shook her head in the negative. "No, I won't. Poor Will. I know he cares not a whit for my money. He is handsome, and has a nice little estate he'll inherit one day; but Papa, he is the dullest man I have ever met in my entire life. And his ideas about women are positively ancient. They are supposed to stay at home having babies, and listening adoringly to whatever their husbands say. He is ill educated for his class, and does not care. He has no interests at all except riding, but horses are only a means of transportation for him. He is not in the least attracted to the idea of breeding, and raising the beasts for sale. That, he says, is for Maguire to handle. I could find nothing of interest to speak with him about, and Lord knows, I tried. If I must remain a spinster, then I will remain a spinster, but I should rather go to my grave a virgin than wed with such a handsome young dunce!"

Jasmine let her breath out in an audible swoosh. "Thank goodness!" she said. "I was so afraid you would do the right thing, poppet, and he would have made you miserable, I fear."