Free A Year & a Day by Virginia Henley Page A

red-haired maiden's. "Don't punish the girl, Jock Leslie," he said. "I know hatred runs deep for the English, here in Scotland, and the serving wench is no more than an impetuous girl."
    Jock summoned raven-haired Kate with an imperious finger. "My own daughter will serve ye the rest of yer meal, my lords. I give ye my pledge that nothing more will mar yer visit."
    Jane ran to the stables as if the devil himself were after her. She saw that her brother Keith had put the lords' horses in the best stalls and had found oats for them. As Jane approached the beautiful stallions, she began to talk softly. Though she intensely disliked their owners, the horses were the finest she had ever seen. 58
    She threaded her fingers through the silken mane of the powerful gray and was delighted when he whickered.
    After talking to them for a while, she became tempted to open and search their saddlebags.
    Perhaps she could learn the identity of the disturbing man who accompanied Robert Bruce to Dumfries.
    Perhaps she would unearth a clue that would tell her why he had come and what he was doing here.
    As she looked at the contents of the gray's saddlebags, she decided this horse belonged to the Bruce. All they held was water, oat cakes, and a rolled-up plaid. Jane put the things back the way she had found them and moved over to the next stall. She rubbed the sleek black neck of the stallion, murmuring endearments for long minutes before she unfastened the saddlebags to look inside.
    Here again the contents were disappointing. All she found were apples, a pair of black leather riding gauntlets, and a parchment of what looked like a map of Annandale to her untrained eye. Since she could not read, Jane refolded it and put everything back the way she had found it; all except for one of the apples.
    With one hand she held the apple out to the black stallion, while stroking his neck with the other.
    Jane almost jumped out of her skin when an angry voice demanded, "What the hell are you doing to my horse?"
    She tried to run, but his long strides devoured the distance between them and a calloused hand took her arm in a viselike grip. "Have a care, Norman, I am a witch with strong powers over an enemy of Scotland!"
    "Your superstitious claims do not interest me. What I want to know is what did you feed my horse?"
    Jane forgot her fear and became indignant. "I would never harm an animal. I gave him an apple.
    Let me go, you are hurting me!"
    "I ought to hurt you, I ought to put you across my knee, you willful little jade."
    "Oh-ho, what do we have here? Am I interrupting the prelude to a roll in the hay?" Robert asked with a grin. 59
    "Very amusing," Lynx said dryly, relaxing his grip on the girl. "How the hell can one female cause such havoc in so short a time?"
    Robert winked. "You know what they say about redheads: avoid them like the plague!"
    Jane stood shaking as she watched them ride from the stables. Relief overwhelmed her that the Anglo-Norman was leaving. But just as she felt this wasn't their first encounter, Jane sensed it would not be their last. The lynx would return. It was inevitable.
    Six
    John de Warenne's plan worked like a charm. As the Scottish army arrived at the first slopes of the Lammermuir Hills, tired from its invasion of Cumberland, the English forces swept down upon it.
    When the Scots tried to retreat, they ran into Bruce's army, who had come up behind them, and they were trapped between the two enemy forces.
    In the fierce battle that ensued at Spottsmuir, near Dunbar, the Scots suffered a crushing defeat.
    Edward's commanders were battle-hardened veterans, their men-at-arms far better disciplined and equipped than the Scots. By the end of the day, not only was Comyn captured, but one hundred and thirty important Scottish knights, along with the Earls of Menteith, Atholl, and Ross. The following day, Dunbar Castle surrendered.
    The evening after a victory in battle was always given over to celebration and feasting. The