The Inheritance by Irina Shapiro Page A

but they never use it.  There is no need.  They made some emergency exits out of the castle when they built it, ye ken, in case of a siege.  There’s a tunnel that leads down to the beach.  It comes out in a cave in the cliff face.  My brother and I used to sneak out of the castle when we were children.  We took off our shoes and ran in the surf; it was bliss, till our mam got hold of us.  We were supposed to be doing chores,” she giggled with the memory.  “I’ll show ye one of these days, in case ye ever need to escape in a hurry.” 

 
    July 1745

Chapter 23
     
    The clansmen began to arrive a few days before the ceremony.  The castle was full of unfamiliar faces and everyone was in good spirits.  There would be a great feast, storytelling and music after the pledging.  Countless children were running amok in the courtyard, and pestering Dougal to show them how to make a sword so they could fight the British.  Young girls were making eyes at the unmarried young men hoping to leave in a better position than when they arrived.
    On the night of the ceremony , the castle was ablaze with lights.  Torches were lit in every passage, and there was talk and laughter everywhere as people hurried to take their places in the Great Hall.  All the men were dressed in their finery with ruffled white shirts, dress kilts, and their plaids slung over their coats and pinned with the McBride crest.  Some were wearing bonnets, and all wore their swords at their belt and a dirk in their stocking.  The women were no less splendid.  They wore their best gowns, and some had necklaces and ear bobs made of silver or gold. 
    Extra tables were set up in the Great Hall, and these groaned under the weight of the food.  The cooks had outdone themselves.  There were platters of venison, roasted mutton, whole suckling pigs and geese still dressed in their feathers.  Fragrant loaves of bread were in large bowls on every table, and there were casks of ale, whiskey and mead.  The party would go on all night. 
    Isobel took her place next to John at the head table.  She wore a gown of pale green that matched her eyes, and offset her fiery hair.  John gave her a grunt of approval as she came down from her chamber, and noted her pearls.  Her mother had given them to her as a wedding gift before she left Castle Grant, and they shone in the candlelight pleased to be worn at last. 
    The hall was filling up with clansmen , and Isobel discreetly searched for Rory.  She saw him walking in with a group of men.  He was laughing at something someone said, but stopped when he saw her at the head of the table.  His eyes were full of admiration, and she felt all aglow knowing that he thought her beautiful.  She had dressed for him this evening.  Rory took his place at the table, and soon a hush fell over the crowd as John made a brief speech, promising to be a just and compassionate chieftain and to lead them to a bright future which might include a new king. 
    The clansmen began to come up one by one, getting on one knee i n front of John and swearing their allegiance to him and to the McBride clan.  Rory was the first to come up being John’s closest relative, and the next in line for the Lairdship.  He looked dashing in his dress kilt and white shirt.  His plaid was slung over his shoulder, and the blues and greens of the tartan matched his dark blue coat.  Isobel saw John’s eyes narrow and his lips tighten as Rory knelt before him swearing his loyalty, but he accepted Rory’s pledge and moved on to the next man.  Isobel wondered what the two men had been feeling at that moment.  She could understand John’s resentment of Rory, and she felt pity that Rory could never take his rightful place.  Auld Alan had cheated them both. 
    The ceremony went on for hours , with every single man in the clan taking his place before the Laird.  Finally, the swearing was over, and the feasting began.  Within an hour, there wasn’t a