Saints was an enemy of God and the Covenant and would suffer their just vengeance accordingly.
The Government answered by issuing an oath to be put to any suspect, disowning the declaration. Refusal to take the oath was to be taken as self-confessed proof of treason, and punished by death. Then Master Renwick and his mob marched on Kirkcudbright,murdering Peter Pierson, a parish minister, on the way, and tearing the country to pieces, far and wide. And Claverhouse and his troops were sent down to deal with the mess.
And when he was not dealing with that, he had another matter to handle – a small enough thing it seemed – for some privates of the Foot Guards had complained to the Privy Council, no less, that Colonel Douglas, him that was brother to the Duke of Queensberry, and therefore an uncomfortably powerful man, had dismissed them and used their arrears of pay to put fine new uniforms on his own company. Claverhouse was one of the Council, and took their part, and was to and fro to Edinburgh on their behalf when he might have had the chance to get back to his wife and home. Once, when he knew that he must go from Edinburgh straight back to Ayrshire again without even a glimpse of his home, he took me with him, that I might carry a letter back to my lady when he left the one for the other. And that was a thing that took a hand in the shaping of my life afterwards.
This was the way of it. On a wild evening and rain not far short of August’s end, when Claverhouse was in Edinburgh yet again, my lady twisted her heel coming down the great stair, and fell the last half flight. Darklis and the other women gathered her up and put her into her bed, and at first it seemed that there was not much harm done. But in the mid-part of that night one of the grooms was routed out and sent galloping to bring Dr Anstruther up from the town, for my lady had done herself some kind of sore hurt inside.
Dr Anstruther came, and stayed a long time – an uncommon long time.
The whole stable-yard was awake and waiting bythen, and I mind the odd kind of hush under the wuthering of the storm. And then, with the lanterns scarce lit for the morning’s mucking-out to begin, the steward came with word that someone must ride for Edinburgh to fetch the Colonel back, for ’twas like to go hard with my lady.
Archie Grier the head groom was fast in his bed with a flux of the kind that turns a man to a green and shivering wreck, the Colonel’s own groom was with him in Edinburgh, and the other two, like the stable laddies, were Dundee-born and bred and had never been a score of miles from home. And that left me, that had ridden the road only a week or so before.
With a sick and heavy-drubbing heart I dashed up to my sleeping place in the loft, found my bonnet and pulled it down to my eyebrows, flung on my thick plaid, for it was like to be a chill ride as well as a long one, and came plunging back, dragging tight the belt that held it in at my waist, as I tumbled myself down the loft ladder.
Kestrel and Folly were saddled up and just being led out of their stalls, their hooves ringing sharp on the cobbles, as I regained the yard; and the web cobbles gleaming like fish-scales in the light of the lanterns; and a great coming and going. ‘I’ll come down to the ferry wi’ ye, an’ bring Folly back.’ One of the other grooms was already swinging into Kestrel’s saddle.
The steward held out to me a wee bag that jinked. ‘Here, stow that in your pocket, ye’ll need gold for the post-horses.’ And as I took it he handed me an old horse pistol. ‘And this in your belt. We’re not in true Covenanting country, this side of Scotland, but ye’ll maybe find a need for it, all the same.’
I took and thrust it into my belt, though I had neverhandled such a thing before, and truth to tell, had more faith in the knife that was there already.
I swung up to the saddle; and suddenly there was Darklis at my stirrup, holding up a bulging wallet.
The Government answered by issuing an oath to be put to any suspect, disowning the declaration. Refusal to take the oath was to be taken as self-confessed proof of treason, and punished by death. Then Master Renwick and his mob marched on Kirkcudbright,murdering Peter Pierson, a parish minister, on the way, and tearing the country to pieces, far and wide. And Claverhouse and his troops were sent down to deal with the mess.
And when he was not dealing with that, he had another matter to handle – a small enough thing it seemed – for some privates of the Foot Guards had complained to the Privy Council, no less, that Colonel Douglas, him that was brother to the Duke of Queensberry, and therefore an uncomfortably powerful man, had dismissed them and used their arrears of pay to put fine new uniforms on his own company. Claverhouse was one of the Council, and took their part, and was to and fro to Edinburgh on their behalf when he might have had the chance to get back to his wife and home. Once, when he knew that he must go from Edinburgh straight back to Ayrshire again without even a glimpse of his home, he took me with him, that I might carry a letter back to my lady when he left the one for the other. And that was a thing that took a hand in the shaping of my life afterwards.
This was the way of it. On a wild evening and rain not far short of August’s end, when Claverhouse was in Edinburgh yet again, my lady twisted her heel coming down the great stair, and fell the last half flight. Darklis and the other women gathered her up and put her into her bed, and at first it seemed that there was not much harm done. But in the mid-part of that night one of the grooms was routed out and sent galloping to bring Dr Anstruther up from the town, for my lady had done herself some kind of sore hurt inside.
Dr Anstruther came, and stayed a long time – an uncommon long time.
The whole stable-yard was awake and waiting bythen, and I mind the odd kind of hush under the wuthering of the storm. And then, with the lanterns scarce lit for the morning’s mucking-out to begin, the steward came with word that someone must ride for Edinburgh to fetch the Colonel back, for ’twas like to go hard with my lady.
Archie Grier the head groom was fast in his bed with a flux of the kind that turns a man to a green and shivering wreck, the Colonel’s own groom was with him in Edinburgh, and the other two, like the stable laddies, were Dundee-born and bred and had never been a score of miles from home. And that left me, that had ridden the road only a week or so before.
With a sick and heavy-drubbing heart I dashed up to my sleeping place in the loft, found my bonnet and pulled it down to my eyebrows, flung on my thick plaid, for it was like to be a chill ride as well as a long one, and came plunging back, dragging tight the belt that held it in at my waist, as I tumbled myself down the loft ladder.
Kestrel and Folly were saddled up and just being led out of their stalls, their hooves ringing sharp on the cobbles, as I regained the yard; and the web cobbles gleaming like fish-scales in the light of the lanterns; and a great coming and going. ‘I’ll come down to the ferry wi’ ye, an’ bring Folly back.’ One of the other grooms was already swinging into Kestrel’s saddle.
The steward held out to me a wee bag that jinked. ‘Here, stow that in your pocket, ye’ll need gold for the post-horses.’ And as I took it he handed me an old horse pistol. ‘And this in your belt. We’re not in true Covenanting country, this side of Scotland, but ye’ll maybe find a need for it, all the same.’
I took and thrust it into my belt, though I had neverhandled such a thing before, and truth to tell, had more faith in the knife that was there already.
I swung up to the saddle; and suddenly there was Darklis at my stirrup, holding up a bulging wallet.
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