Nigel Tranter - The Price of the King's Peace

By the narrows of Craignish, boom now removed, the Isles of the Sea, the Ross of Mull and fabled Iona, the ship threaded the colour-stained Hebridean Sea in as joyous and carefree a voyage at this essentially lonely man had ever known. He decided that he must bring Elizabeth to see Iona, and the tombs of his Celtic ancestors, the semi-legendary royal line of which he was the heir.

Meantime, he had other business.

On he sailed, by pillared Staffa and the Treshnish Isles, up between long Coll and the Cailleach Point of huge Mull, with the thrusting promontory of Ardnamurchan, the most westerly point of the mainland of the British Isles, seeming to bar the way ahead.

Then, beyond its white-fanged snout, with all the spectacular loveliness of the jagged mountains of Rhum, Eigg, Muck and the saw toothed Black Cuillin of Skye, opening before them, they swung in eastwards to a great bay, lined with silver cockle-shell sands, towards the wooded narrow jaws of Loch Moidart. And there, on a rocky half-tide islet in the green throat of the loch, the mighty Castle Tioram rose, aglow with the westering sun, seat of the MacRuaries, the children of Rory or Roderick, another of great Somerled’s sons.

Here the dark and fiery Lady Christina ruled supreme. A dozen of her own galleys and birl inns rode at anchor in the loch.

The King’s unheralded arrival created less stir at Castle Tioram than it would have done at most houses. Christina treated it as a perfectly normal development, and with no Court or strangers to consider, behaved towards Bruce as she might have done to a brother-and a younger brother at that. He had spent weeks in this castle when his fortunes were at their lowest ebb, and none were likely to forget.

But after a great meal, with music and saga-telling in the Highland fashion, in the Great Hall, Christina took her guest up to the castle battlements, to watch the blazing spectacle of the sunset over the isle-strewn sea. Eyeing the ever-changing wonder of it, she spoke her mind.

“I think you will not come seeking my bed tonight, Robert,” she said.

“Not now. Why, then, have you come to Moidart? You do not need men.

Nor ships. Nor, I scarce think, counsel. What brings you?”

“Think you I must only come to you needing something. Tina?”

“It is the way of men.”

“You think less than highly of us, if you say so.”

“I am not a girl, Robert. I was wed at fifteen, near twenty years ago, and widowed three years later. I have had much experience of men.”

“You have had much experience of me, lass. Yet you still believe I must only come to you in my need?” “I will tell you that when you tell me why you have come.”

“Could I not have come for love of you, Tina?”

“So it is my body? My bed?”

“I have not said so. But … if I did come knocking at your door would you accept me? Tonight?”

“Have I ever turned you away, Robert?”

“Not yet” “Nor would I.” She looked at him, in that strange painted

light “Yet you will not come, I think. Now that you have your

I believe I know my Robert Bruce! That is not why you have come.”

“No,” he admitted.

“That is true. Although … I am tempted! But, nor is it true that I

came seeking your aid, your help.”

“Why, then?”

“What I said, woman. I came for love of you,” he insisted.

“Can you not conceive that a man can see a woman as a friend? Not only desire her body? Even when her body is desirable indeed. I came as a friend, Tina. Is it so strange? You are my very good friend. Have been for long years. Is that not sufficient reason to come visiting you?”

She reached out to touch his arm.

“Robert-I believe that you mean it. That you do not cozen me!”

“Why should I cozen you? You, of all women. You, who have cherished me, nursed me, sailed with me, fought with me…”

“And lain with you! There is the heart of the matter, Robert. A man and a woman who have lain together can never be … just friends. It is not possible.”

“You say so? I do not see why not. They but know each other the better. You are no less my friend, Tina, that we have bedded together.”

“No less, but more. Different Otherwise.”

“As you will. Whatever you say, I have come to Castle Tioram kindly affectioned. I never might speak with you fairly, at the Court. Speak as now. Alone, for any time. To thank you for how you were kind with Elizabeth. When you could well have been other. For much patience. Understanding. And you not a patient woman, as I know well! So I came. From Gigha. In friendship.”

She smiled, now.

“Then I thank you. From my heart. You are a strange man, Robert Bruce. But you are very welcome to Castle Tioram. Whatsoever your reason for coming. And you keep your own chamber, this night?”

“God aiding me, woman!”

“Oh, and I shall aid you also, never fear! With a locked door, no less!”

He looked a trifle put out.

“No need for that. You may trust me, I think. And no need to sound so keen!”

“You would have me temptress, Sire?”

“No-o-o. But you can still be friendly, Tina.” It was his turn to

reach out a hand.

“A chaste kiss now, would harm none…”

“I do not give chaste kisses, friend! I am Christina of Garmoran!

One way, or the other. Mind it, sirrah!”

“Why are women ever so difficult?” he demanded, of the last rays of the sunset.

“Women are women,” she returned.

“Not half-creatures. Not Isleswomen, at least! Come you, and I will show you to your lonely chamber.”

He grinned.

“Elizabeth, I think, would scarce believe this …!”

Five days of hunting, hawking, fishing and sailing at Castle Tioram, and much refreshed-and still his own man-Bruce sailed south again. He would have taken Christina with him, to Gigha, but she declared that it would look a deal better if she appeared, a day or two later, in her own vessel.

In the event, Christina and the Queen arrived at Gigha on the same day. Elizabeth was enchanted with all she saw, falling in love with the Hebrides at first sight. Even Marjory appeared to be less abstracted and withdrawn than usual-although Walter Stewart took credit for that.

Gigha was much too crowded now, and a move was made to Angus Og’s

“capital” of Finlaggan, on Islay, where, on islands in the freshwater

loch of that name, he had a large castle, chapel, hall of assembly, and

burial-place. This was the seat of government of the Isles lordship,

princedom, or as it still called itself, kingdom -and Angus was at

pains to demonstrate to his visitors something of the princely state he

still maintained. He called a Council of Sixteen, consisting of four

thanes, four Armins or sub-thanes, four great freeholders or lesser

lords, and four knights; these, advised and guided by a large number of

people whose right it was-judges, seannachies, chiefs, the Bishop of

the Isles and seven senior priests, plus numerous hereditary officers

such as MacEachern the sword-maker; MacArthur the piper, MacKinnon the

bow-maker, and MacPhie the recorder, sat at stone tables round a

central flat rock on which sat Angus himself. All this on the not

very large Council Island, and in the open air, so that the place was already overcrowded before the distinguished visitors got a foothold. The proceedings were formal and merely ceremonial, a strange admixture of the purely Celtic and the Norse.

Thereafter, however, in his own house, Angus played host in truly princely and utterly ungrudging fashion, almost to the exhaustion of his guests. Every conceivable aspect and speciality of the Hebridean scene was exploited, and day after day of brilliant sunshine and colour was succeeded by night after night of feasting, dancing, music and story-telling. Practically every major island of both the Inner and Outer Hebrides was visited-and under the Lord of the Isles’ protection the holiday-makers were safe from the attentions of even the most notoriously piratical chieftains, like Mac Neil of Barra, Mac Math of Lochalsh and MacLeod of the Lewes. Iona was the favourite with the ladies; and Staffa, with its caverns and halls like cathedrals of the sea, a close second. So taken was Marjory Bruce with Iona that she insisted on being left on that sacred isle of the sainted Columba, with or without her husband.