Page 43 of A Temptress in Tartan

“What would you have me do? God, Himself, urged my mother to pass the Witchcraft Act into law. There is no punishment too severe for any man or woman who is found guilty of practicing or abetting witchcraft in all its forms, sorcery, necromancy, fortune-telling, or healing. All these are punishable by death. I cannot defy my God.”

Beside Reid, his twin brother’s brows pulled together slowly. “It is not God’s will that innocent people be tortured and murdered. It is yours,” Quinn Douglas said.

James’s anger spiked once more. “Mind yourself, Douglas.”

“Your Grace, we are not asking you to empty your gaols,” Reid said with a look of reprimand at his brother. “Just as we all fight for you, in search of justice, we ask that you look a little deeper into these charges against Lachlan. Do not accept them at face value. Ruthven followed Lachlan and Elizabeth from the moment they left Falkland Palace, seeking to engage in battle in order to stop Elizabeth from becoming a Douglas. That he chose not a battle of swords, but a battle of misdeeds and misdirection should be enough to give you pause.”

“I will not suffer obstinacy, Laird Douglas.” The king frowned at each man seated around the table. “Not from any of you. If you defy me, you might find yourselves in a cell alongside your brother-in-arms.”

“Lachlan is falsely accused,” Alexander Ross said. “To a man, we will swear on a Bible to attest to his innocence.”

“That is all well and good, but the charges still stand. Lachlan is accused of sorcery. It matters not that Ruthven is the instigator of it all,” the king replied.

“It matters to us.” Cameron Sinclair stood and, with fury in his eyes, he drew his sword, setting it on the table in front of King James. “And, since you refuse to see reason, I will be the first to break my vow of allegiance to you.”

Rhys Elliot followed Cameron to his feet, setting his sword beside his brother’s. “If we all breach our vow of protecting you, how well would you fare among the den of vipers who reside in your court?”

“Without us at your side, you will not be safe.” Malcolm Hamilton stood and set his sword beside Cameron’s.

Then both of the Douglas twins stood, followed by Alexander Ross, until all their swords lay before the king. “We stand together or not at all.”

The reality of their actions hit James like a blow to the chest. He struggled to his feet, staring them down. “I could strip you of your rank. I could seize your assets.” Spittle formed at the edges of his mouth.

“Of course, you could,” Reid Douglas agreed. “And you could be skewered by a dagger on the street outside this meeting place if you leave here without protection.”

King James gaped at the man. He’d never felt such a confusing jumble of rage and fear. His head was spinning with the thoughts, possibilities, fears of what might happen to him without his personal guards. “I could banish you from this country.”

“Aye,” Reid continued, “and the moment we are gone, your enemies will converge, hiding in every shadow. You won’t be able to eat, drink, walk, or sleep without fearing who you can truly trust.” He shrugged. “The choice is yours, after all . . . you are the king.”

The truth crept over King James. He realized the significance of what Reid Douglas said. There had already been several attempts on his life. He’d been kidnapped and held prisoner as well by none other than the Ruthvens. He looked about the room at the men gathered before him. He had chosen all of these men for a reason at one time—they were unequalled in strength, courage, and spirit. It was those same qualities they portrayed to him right now all for the sake of protecting one of their own.

They stared long and hard at each other, and James knew neither he nor any of them were used to losing a battle. Finally, he said, “How about a compromise?”

The men looked at each other and then sat down. “We’re listening,” Reid said.

“I cannot withdraw the charges that have already been recorded in the court documents. However, I can move Lachlan from Haddington tolbooth and place him in a private chamber in a nearby inn under constant guard until his trial.”

“And you can see he endures no more torture,” Quinn Douglas added.

King James gave a quick nod. “’Tis the least I can do for one of my own.”

“And the charges against him, how do we dismiss those?” Cameron Sinclair asked.

“If Reid and Quinn will stay here to protect me, I will give the rest of you the freedom to track down those who gave testimony and bring them here for questioning by no one but myself. By the powers given me by God himself, I will know if someone is lying.”

“Consider it done,” Reid said with a nod to Quinn. “You know you can trust us to keep you safe.”

“Then take back your swords so you can accomplish that feat,” he growled as he stood.

His men stood and collected their weapons. As they did, he looked at each one. “Consider this the one and only time I will allow you all to persuade me from my purpose in this life. My word is law. Remember that from this moment forward.”

Reid bowed. “We are fortunate to have such a wise and generous king.”

“Indeed, you are,” King James replied as he headed for the door with two of his guardsmen at his side.

After the king had left, it was decided that Malcolm Hamilton would head to the Buckhaven Inn and return with Bessie Broun, her husband, as well as Jane and Meg Wenham. Rhys Elliot would depart for Edinburgh to find Roland Carswell and force the young minister to appear before the court. Cameron Sinclair would head back to Ravenscraig Castle to collect both Mariam Swinton and any of the fishermen he could find before returning to Haddington. And Alexander Ross would travel with Sinclair as far as Aberlady where he would search for the remaining fishermen, a mysterious black cat, and also bring the innkeeper of the Cairn Inn back to the court to testify.

With luck, they would accomplish these deeds before Lachlan was to appear before the tribunal again.