The Wild Rose of Kilgannon Read Online Free PDF
Author: Kathleen Givens
"Free. Free, Mary. I am free."
"Not here, Sir Donald. If you stay here you will not be free. Perhaps in France you will be. But what about all the others? And Alex? He listened to you and you are off to France to protect yourself. And where is my husband?"
He looked at me for a long moment. "I asked him to come and I ask you now. If ye do no' join us, it is yer own choice."
"Like the choice you gave Alex? To join you or be burnt out? Would you have burnt us out?"
He blinked, startled, and some of the old fire appeared in his eyes as he smiled. And nodded. "Aye. We would have. Had it gone otherwise, aye. I wouldna have done it myself but I wouldna have stopped those who would."
"How could you?" I hissed.
He considered before he spoke. "In England, Mary, men dinna fight as we do here. They use words and laws to strike at each other's purses and careers. Here we use claymores and broadswords. It's much easier to understand."
I shook my head. "I'll never understand."
"Probably no'. But it's the Highland way. It willna change."
"Even when it ends like this?"
He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. "It's no ended, Mary MacGannon. As long as there is breath in one of us, it's no ended. We may live under English domination for a time, but we never live comfortably. It always eats at us and the seeds of rebellion are always ready for sprouting. If we fail this time, we will live to rebel again. Wait and see, Mary. If Scotland is no freed this time, we will rise again." We stared at each other.
"What will happen now?" I asked.
He shrugged. "We'll go to France and we'll try to get France's support again. If their troops had come we would have won."
"You outnumbered them four to one. What else did you need?"
He slammed his fist on the table. "A leader. We needed a leader. We needed a man who can lead men and who kens how to fight, who would ha' won the battles. Then we needed a man who can play the political games and win. Ye ken I'm no' the right man for the politics, and neither is yer Alex, but the right man could. With the support of France we could have won our freedom."
"But you did not."
"No' this time."
"So you will go to France."
"We will go to France and plan. Come with us, Mary. Come with us and Alex will come. We need him even more the now."
"Mar hates him. And James Stewart probably as well."
"Aye." He sighed. "Mar is at best a poor leader. At worst, a coward and a fool." He rubbed his hand through his hair. "Come with us, Mary. Keep yerself safe. And Alex's laddies. Come."
He met my eyes without flinching and I considered. What would Alex want me to do? No doubt he would want us away to safety. But Alex was not here and this decision was mine alone. The MacDonall was offering safety for the three of us. I looked around the hall. There were hundreds of people at Kilgannon.
"I thank you for your offer, Sir Donald."
His eyes narrowed. "But?"
"But I must decline. I cannot leave."
"Ye mean ye willna leave."
"I will not leave."
"Why? Alex will be here soon and he could join ye."
I waved my hand at the room. "And what of them? Who will keep them safe?"
"Is it no' better that ye leave for a bit and then return to lead them to freedom than to stay and perhaps perish with them?"
"No," I said. His chin lifted and he met my gaze with narrowed eyes. "I will wait for my husband and he will decide. I will not leave without him." "And then ye will come to join us?" "That will be for Alex to decide." "If ye come now he will decide to come after ye." I shook my head. "I will not go with you." The MacDonall considered for a long moment, then stiffly rose and climbed over the bench. He stood straight and turned back to me. "Mary, think again." "Sir Donald, I will not leave Kilgannon unprotected." "What can a wisp of a girl do against the English army?"
I smiled. "Ask Joan of Arc."
He laughed then, a harsh bark, and turned to leave.
Several steps away he turned back, his grin wide. "Mary
MacGannon, I am glad to
"Not here, Sir Donald. If you stay here you will not be free. Perhaps in France you will be. But what about all the others? And Alex? He listened to you and you are off to France to protect yourself. And where is my husband?"
He looked at me for a long moment. "I asked him to come and I ask you now. If ye do no' join us, it is yer own choice."
"Like the choice you gave Alex? To join you or be burnt out? Would you have burnt us out?"
He blinked, startled, and some of the old fire appeared in his eyes as he smiled. And nodded. "Aye. We would have. Had it gone otherwise, aye. I wouldna have done it myself but I wouldna have stopped those who would."
"How could you?" I hissed.
He considered before he spoke. "In England, Mary, men dinna fight as we do here. They use words and laws to strike at each other's purses and careers. Here we use claymores and broadswords. It's much easier to understand."
I shook my head. "I'll never understand."
"Probably no'. But it's the Highland way. It willna change."
"Even when it ends like this?"
He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. "It's no ended, Mary MacGannon. As long as there is breath in one of us, it's no ended. We may live under English domination for a time, but we never live comfortably. It always eats at us and the seeds of rebellion are always ready for sprouting. If we fail this time, we will live to rebel again. Wait and see, Mary. If Scotland is no freed this time, we will rise again." We stared at each other.
"What will happen now?" I asked.
He shrugged. "We'll go to France and we'll try to get France's support again. If their troops had come we would have won."
"You outnumbered them four to one. What else did you need?"
He slammed his fist on the table. "A leader. We needed a leader. We needed a man who can lead men and who kens how to fight, who would ha' won the battles. Then we needed a man who can play the political games and win. Ye ken I'm no' the right man for the politics, and neither is yer Alex, but the right man could. With the support of France we could have won our freedom."
"But you did not."
"No' this time."
"So you will go to France."
"We will go to France and plan. Come with us, Mary. Come with us and Alex will come. We need him even more the now."
"Mar hates him. And James Stewart probably as well."
"Aye." He sighed. "Mar is at best a poor leader. At worst, a coward and a fool." He rubbed his hand through his hair. "Come with us, Mary. Keep yerself safe. And Alex's laddies. Come."
He met my eyes without flinching and I considered. What would Alex want me to do? No doubt he would want us away to safety. But Alex was not here and this decision was mine alone. The MacDonall was offering safety for the three of us. I looked around the hall. There were hundreds of people at Kilgannon.
"I thank you for your offer, Sir Donald."
His eyes narrowed. "But?"
"But I must decline. I cannot leave."
"Ye mean ye willna leave."
"I will not leave."
"Why? Alex will be here soon and he could join ye."
I waved my hand at the room. "And what of them? Who will keep them safe?"
"Is it no' better that ye leave for a bit and then return to lead them to freedom than to stay and perhaps perish with them?"
"No," I said. His chin lifted and he met my gaze with narrowed eyes. "I will wait for my husband and he will decide. I will not leave without him." "And then ye will come to join us?" "That will be for Alex to decide." "If ye come now he will decide to come after ye." I shook my head. "I will not go with you." The MacDonall considered for a long moment, then stiffly rose and climbed over the bench. He stood straight and turned back to me. "Mary, think again." "Sir Donald, I will not leave Kilgannon unprotected." "What can a wisp of a girl do against the English army?"
I smiled. "Ask Joan of Arc."
He laughed then, a harsh bark, and turned to leave.
Several steps away he turned back, his grin wide. "Mary
MacGannon, I am glad to
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