MacKinnons' Hope: A Highland Christmas Carol Read Online Free PDF

as well as he did, Iain did not add feeding the masses to his list of concerns. His wife could make a fine soup from a pile of stones.
    At the rear end of the hall, they climbed the stairs, with Iain leading the way. The sound of their footfalls echoed behind them.
    “I hear tell Henry has called his liegemen to France.”
    Aidan let the announcement hang in the air, leaving Iain to mull over all the possible reasons why—as though he did not already have enough to worry over. And yet, he realized Aidan would not have mentioned it unless the news somehow affected them.
    “Do you know why?” Iain asked, peering curiously back at Aidan.
    Aidan shook his head, though he arched a brow. “Jaime Steorling has gone to Edinburgh to meet with David. He took my brother and Cameron with him. I believe that he means to offer them a position with his newly formed guard.” He , meaning King David, Iain surmised. “As for Henry, your guess is as good as mine.”
    Displeased with the news, Iain clenched his jaw. “I suppose this means we’ll not have the pleasure of my nephew’s company any day soon.”
    Cameron had left them years ago to serve Broc Ceannfhionn, returning only once in ten years time. In his absence, his sister Constance had grown into a woman—somewhat of a wildling at that. At fourteen, Iain dreaded the day she would come to him with a bairn in her belly and no husband to provide for her. Thank God, thus far, she’d kept her knees shut.
    “Only time will tell,” Aidan allowed. “But something is amiss. Henry’s barons were also summoned unexpectedly and David’s council may or may not be connected to that. I hear tell he’s had a time with the Kingdom of Moray as well.
    The Kingdom of Moray was the last resort of the Gaels. Back in the day, like many of the tribal kings, the chieftains of Moray all styled themselves Ri , meaning king—somewhat of a problem for men like David, who hoped to unite all the clans as one.
    The very last to style himself Ri had been King Macbeth, and Macbeth’s successor Óengus only styled himself mormaer , which meant great steward. But five years ago, David brought down the Mormaerdom, giving the Kingdom of Moray to a number of Henry’s Flemish counts, and stripping the sons of Óengus of their birthrights.
    Some claimed that, with Henry pre-occupied in France, the sons of Óengus planned to restore the Mormaerdom.
    Aidan said, “If there is something more at stake—if Henry has changed his alliances with the Flemish counts, then I cannot speculate what it means for Moray or for Scotia.”
    “So then, perhaps David means to send this new guard to fortify de Moray?” De Moray, meaning Henry’s Flemish counts, who could not directly claim the Moray bloodline, and so they’d styled themselves de Moray instead— of Moray, but not Moray.
    “That would be my guess.”
    In much the same way Aidan dún Scoti represented the last of the blood of the Pechts, the sons of Óengus were the last of the Mormaerdom. Their tribes were a threat to David—no matter what David of Scotia claimed, and Iain knew Aidan could not be pleased that his brother would embroil himself in such a mess. Despite that David might have something to gain by an alliance with Aidan’s tribe, it was bound to be bad news for Keane. It was tantamount to sending a wolf into a lion’s den, quite literally, for the sons of Óengus would only see him as a contender as well as an enemy from David’s camp, and the de Moray counts would no doubt view him as a wild card, despite the fact that Aidan’s dún Scoti tribe had never claimed any kingship.
    Add to this the skirmishes in Normandy, where Henry’s daughter had openly supported the rebels, and there was little good to come of it all.
    “What of your brother?” Iain asked.
    Aidan fell silent as they climbed the tower stairs. “None of it pleases me,” he confessed. “But so long as he keeps it out of my vale, I will not intervene. Keane is a mon with