Mine Is the Night (6 page)

A collective gasp filled the sanctuary. Then the shouting began. She’d heard all the words before.
Rebels. Jacobites. Traitors
.

When their angry retorts threatened to drown her response, she held up her hands, praying her voice might remain strong and her courage fast. “The king agrees with you,” she assured the crowd, bringing their tirade to a swift end. “On Monday last my late son Donald was declared attainted. Our family title was revoked. And Tweedsford was forfeited to the Crown.”

If the walls had toppled onto them, the congregation could not have looked more shocked.

All held their tongues but one. “Noo ye’re not so high and
michty
, are ye, Mistress Kerr?”

“I am not,” she told the young man who glared at her beneath the brim of his dirty cap.

She knew it was not King George who’d humbled her. Nae, it was the One who loved her.

With tears spilling down her cheeks, Marjory lifted his sacred words to the farthest reaches of the sanctuary. “The L
ORD
gave, and the L
ORD
hath taken away.” She swallowed her pride, her fear, her shame. “Blessed be the name of the L
ORD
.”

lisabeth gazed down at her mother-in-law, her heart near to bursting.
How brave you are, dear Marjory
.

“Shall you preach this morn’s sermon, Mrs. Kerr?” a male voice thundered.

They both turned to find the parish minister glaring at them from his lofty pulpit. A tall, stooped man of perhaps seventy years, he wore a plain black robe and a stern expression.

Marjory quickly recovered, drying her tears. “Forgive me, Reverend Brown. I only meant—”

“Oh, I heard every word,” he said evenly. “Glory to God, aye. But no respect for our sovereign king.” His scowl remained in place as he called forth the precentor to lead the gathering psalm. “We shall speak later in private, Mrs. Kerr,” the reverend said, his sharp tone brooking no argument. “You have disrupted the Sabbath enough as it is.”

Marjory lowered her gaze, though Elisabeth could see her mother-in-law dreaded the prospect of meeting with the reverend. In a parish with the Duke of Roxburgh for its patron, unswerving loyalty to King George was expected, if not demanded. Might the Kerrs be banished from the kirk? Driven from the parish? Or would the tolbooth in the marketplace, with its irons and stocks, have two new prisoners before the week was out?

Stop it, Bess
. She tamped down her fears, reminding herself they served no useful purpose. Had the Lord not kept them safe thus far?

While the congregation moved to their seats, Elisabeth swiftly brushed
the debris from the Kerr pew, thinking to spare Anne’s moss green gown. Their own black dresses were already soiled.

Soon the precentor appeared. “William Armstrong,” Marjory said under her breath, joining Elisabeth on the pew with Anne beside her.

A thin, nervous sort of man with wiry gray hair and spindles for arms, Mr. Armstrong shuffled to the desk where the Psalter lay open and waiting. He shook out the sleeves of his robe, adjusted his spectacles, and peered down at the psalms, translated into a common meter and rhyme for worship.

Elisabeth looked beyond the sagging roof to the heavens above as the precentor duly sang each line, then paused while the congregation responded in unison.

The truth of those words filled her like a fresh wind. Elisabeth sang out with her whole heart, not caring if heads turned or tongues wagged. She knew the Almighty and was known by him. She trusted him, depended upon him.
Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds
.

To think she’d once found solace in worshiping the moon! Like her Highland mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother before her, Elisabeth had prayed on the sixth day of the moon, recited meaningless words to a nameless god, and clasped a silver ring she no longer owned. Those days were well behind her now. However grim Reverend Brown’s countenance, however dour his sermons, this was where she would spend each Sabbath, finding a secret joy in the holy words themselves.

As soon as the closing psalm was sung and the benediction given, Marjory urged them toward the door. “I’ve not the strength to face our many neighbors,” she admitted.

Elisabeth stayed close by her side. “You are stronger than you know, Marjory. I will gladly speak on your behalf, but ’tis you they wish to see.”

“Your daughter-in-law is right,” Anne said as they started down the center aisle together. “Let them take a gander at you and be done with it.”

The threesome did not travel far. Parishioners of every age and station pressed round them, tugging their sleeves, blocking their path. They were a sober people, dressed in blues, grays, and browns, with little adornment. Some were merely curious, wanting to see what a Jacobite rebel looked like. A few expressed their sympathy or wished them well. Others apparently felt obligated to scold Marjory for her foolish support of the prince.

One elderly fellow wagged his finger at her. “Yer lads were
aye heidie
, demanding their
ain
way. Ye let them do as they pleased and paid dearly for it.”

Marjory took their verbal lashing as if it were her due, nodding as they spoke rather than engaging them in further discussion. The naysayers began to wander off, leaving in their wake a cluster of parishioners bent on demonstrating their Christian charity.

Elisabeth answered what questions she could. “Aye, we are lodging in town with our cousin at the moment.” “Nae, my sister-in-law, Janet, will not be moving to Selkirk.” “Aye, I was born in the Highlands, then educated in Edinburgh.” “Nae, I do not have children.” The last was the hardest to answer. Three years of marriage to Donald had produced nothing but a few tarnished memories and a wounded heart, slow to heal.

At least none in the sanctuary had whispered of Donald’s unfaithfulness.

One woman with a sleepy child on her hip turned to Marjory and said with a mother’s sympathy, “I’m sorry for yer loss, mem.
Verra
sorry.”

A red-headed maidservant stormed her way to the front. “And why would ye be kind to a woman who was
niver
kind to ithers?” Her green eyes were hard like gemstones, and her rough, red hands were fisted at her waist.

“Good day to you, Tibbie,” Marjory said, her voice steady.

“Nae, ’tis an ill day with ye back in Selkirk.” Her gaze narrowed. “Whosoever humbled ye, I’m blithe to see it.”

Elisabeth watched Marjory pluck at her skirts, a nervous habit.

“Tibbie Cranshaw worked for me at Tweedsford,” Marjory said by way of introduction. “She was one of my best kitchen maids.”

Tibbie snorted. “If I was so guid at my
wark
, why did ye send me
awa
?”

“You know the reason,” Marjory said.

Tibbie glared at her. “I ken ye’re an
ill-kindit
woman. That’s what I ken.” She turned on her heel and departed the same way she’d come.

Elisabeth inclined her head so Marjory alone would hear her. “I am sorry—”

“Nae,” Marjory countered, “she had every right to speak so to me. I sent Tibbie away because she was with child. When she lost her babe a few days later, I refused to take her back.” Marjory groaned softly. “I was more than cruel.”

“But you’re a new woman,” Elisabeth said with conviction. “The Almighty has softened you, changed you. Tibbie will see that.”

Marjory shook her head. “Too late, I fear. I might have helped Tibbie then. I cannot help her now.”

In the wake of Tibbie Cranshaw’s outburst, the crowd round them began to disperse.

“Folk are heading home to their Sabbath dinner,” Anne said. “We should do the same. I’ve a slice of mutton for each of us.”

“We are truly grateful,” Elisabeth hastened to say, “but you cannot continue feeding us, Annie. In the morn I shall offer my needle to a tailor or dressmaker in town and so add to your household coffers.”

“A gentlewoman like you?” Anne chided her. “Earning money with her hands?”

“I was once a weaver’s daughter.” Elisabeth watched her cousin’s brows lift in obvious amazement. “You’ll find I’m not afraid of hard work.”

“Nor am I,” was Anne’s quick response.

When their eyes met, an understanding sparked between them. Not a budding friendship. Not yet. But a small measure of trust. A beginning.

lisabeth and the others were nearing the arched entranceway of the kirk when a woman in a striking blue gown swept into view, her ebony hair beautifully styled and her manner regal.

Marjory greeted her at once. “Lady Murray! What a pleasure to see you after all these years.”

The gentlewoman slowly turned and regarded Marjory with a look of disdain. “I cannot say I feel the same. After so bold a confession this morn you will be fortunate if anyone of quality receives you.”

Seeing the pain reflected in Marjory’s eyes, Elisabeth hastened to defend her mother-in-law. “But, madam—”

Lady Murray waved her hand dismissively. “Even so, I suppose I could ask Sir John if he might allow you to call on us at Philiphaugh.”

Marjory straightened her shoulders. “Do not trouble yourself, Lady Murray,” she said evenly. “I have other friends in Selkirk, not to mention the excellent society of my daughter-in-law Elisabeth Kerr and cousin Anne Kerr.”

Elisabeth curtsied briefly, hiding her smile.
Well done, Marjory
.

Deftly put in her place, Lady Murray gave a ladylike shrug. “You know, Mrs. Kerr, you’re not the only person of note moving to Selkirk this spring. Have you heard of Lord Jack Buchanan?”

Marjory’s brow creased. “I cannot say that I have—”

“Perhaps not, since he is hardly one of your Jacobite rebels,” Lady Murray said with a sniff. “Lord Buchanan served under Admiral Anson of the HMS
Centurion
when he circumnavigated the globe. They fought the Spaniards and captured a fortune in gold. Surely you followed the
Centurion’s
triumphant return in ’forty-four?”

“The broadsheets wrote of little else that summer,” Elisabeth agreed.

“And no wonder! Thirty-two wagons loaded with treasure chests, delivered to the Tower of London.” Her ladyship fluttered her silk fan as if overcome by the thought of such riches. “Lord Buchanan is expected in a fortnight or two. Wealthy as Croesus, they say. An admiral now—and unmarried.” She glanced over her shoulder, nodding at a pair of young ladies standing by the door. “Our Clara is too young for him, of course, but Admiral Buchanan would make a fine match for our lovely Rosalind. She’ll reach her majority next spring.”

Elisabeth took note of the older daughter’s glossy black hair and ivory skin, her elegant attire and graceful movements. If this admiral was seeking a wife, Rosalind Murray of Philiphaugh appeared a worthy choice. “But what would bring a British naval officer this far inland?”

“Property.” Lady Murray closed her fan with a snap. “I imagine His Majesty rewarded the admiral’s efforts with a handsome estate in Selkirkshire.”

Elisabeth watched the color drain from her mother-in-law’s face.
Not Tweedsford, Lord. Not so soon
.

“I’ve tarried here long enough.” Lady Murray gathered her skirts in hand. “Sir John remained at home this morn. Not feeling well, he said. I’d best see to him.” She whirled round and was gone with a whisper of silk.

Elisabeth quietly took her mother-in-law’s arm, alarmed at her vacant expression.

“A handsome estate in Selkirkshire.” Marjory’s voice was thin, devoid of emotion. “King George has awarded this admiral my home. He has given him Tweedsford.”

“We cannot be sure,” Elisabeth said, realizing it was cold comfort. “Wouldn’t Lady Murray have named the property if that were so?”

“You do not know Eleanora Murray.” Marjory looked up, resignation in her eyes. “Her ladyship delights in meting out information when and how it suits her, caring little how it may wound others.”