Page 148 of Bound By Honor
“She must know you are King Robert’s man,” said Áine when he told her what he had done. “Do you think her son will fight for him?”
“Aye. Iain is Brian’s age, and the men of Glen Coe hated the MacDougalls. They would be loyal to Robert Bruce. Once they know Iain is now the Chief of Glen Coe, albeit a young one, they will rally around him.”
The question of when the next battle involving the Isles would occur was frequently raised in Angus’ meetings with the chiefs. He believed the time was not far off but so much depended on the English king’s relationship with his barons.
“No matter when King Edward leads his army north,” he said to Malcolm Maclean one evening as they dined at Duart Castle, “he will encounter a different Scotland than his father left behind years ago. The Scots are united as never before.”
“We will be called to fight in that battle,” acknowledged the Maclean chief. The faces of their wives reflecting the candlelight disclosed their grave appreciation for all that would mean.
“Aye,” said Angus. “All of Scotland will fight then.”
As autumn arrived and Angus returned to Islay, news came that Alexander MacDougall was dead. “When he left King Robert,” explained Angus’ constable, “he found his way to Ireland where he died of sickness.”
“How fitting,” remarked Áine, “that the man who killed your brother in Ireland should come to his end in the same place after losing his lands and his title. Surely that is God’s justice.”
Angus said, “I’d like to believe this is the end of it but his son, John, formerly of Lorne, still lives and serves the English king.”
At Christmas, to Angus’ great delight, Áine informed him she was with child. With one hand protectively over her belly, she said, “’Tis my hope this child will be a son.”
Inwardly, Angus smiled, for he harbored the same hope. That night, they celebrated, just the two of them. In his next letter to Duncan, Angus conveyed the good news that Áine expected another child, and Alexander MacDougall was gone from this life.
In June of the following year, 1310, on a fair summer’s day, Áine delivered a healthy bairn. When told of the birth, Angus came to see his wife and child. As he entered the bedchamber, Nessa exclaimed, “A son, my lord, you have another son!”
Propped up in bed with pillows, Áine’s long dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders. On the floor next to the bed lay Fand, attentive to Angus and the handmaiden’s every move.
After gazing at the beautiful child, Angus leaned over to kiss his wife. “Thank you, my love, for this son. His dark hair and blue eyes, should he keep them, remind me of Alexander’s.”
“He is much like Alexander as a babe,” said Áine. “We shall have to see if they share the same temperaments.”
Angus chuckled. “Oh, aye.” Alexander had all the traits of a firstborn son, courageous, capable and domineering. A force to be reckoned with.
Their other children came to visit, fascinated with their young sibling. Ten-year-old Alexander furrowed his brow as he gazed at the babe in his mother’s arms. “He looks awfully small.”
“You were once that size,” said Angus.
“He will grow,” Áine assured her son.
Alexander’s furrowed brow told Angus the lad was skeptical.
Angus’ daughters peeked over the bed to see their new brother. “Is he ours?” asked Finvola.
“He is yours to care for and love,” replied Áine. “You must take very good care of him.”
Finvola’s expression turned serious as she nodded to her mother.
With his wife’s agreement, Angus named the child John. Thus, each of his sons was named after a beloved brother. That same afternoon, Angus’ brother, John, came to see the new arrival. Angus told him, “We would like you to stand godfather to the lad.”
John received the news with great humility. “There are many other names you could have chosen for the boy, and others who would gladly be the lad’s godfather. I am honored you chose me. Since he is to be my namesake, I will take great care to see he is raised as you and your lady would want.”
“We know you will,” said Áine.
Later that summer, another letter arrived from Duncan that conveyed King Robert’s request for Angus to transport food—corn, meat, and wine—as well as weapons and armor from Ulster to Scotland. Ireland had become a source of needed supplies, and Angus was only too happy to undertake this task for his friend. “The O’Cahans and O’Neills will willingly assist us,” he told his brother, John, and asked him to go along. “While we are there, we can call upon Áine’s brother. It has been years since I paid him a visit.”
When he told Áine of the planned trip, she wanted to go, as did Brian, who had his own ties to Ireland, by his birth, his heritage and his fostering.
“Very well, we shall make the voyage as a family,” said Angus. The Earl of Ulster was King Robert’s father-in-law but his allegiance was to King Edward. Thus, Angus made sure his crews were armed for battle.
The crossing from Islay to Ulster, which they made at the end of August, was a short one. The weather and the sea cooperated. While his captains arranged to load the goods the O’Neills had gathered at their request, Angus, John, Áine and Brian called upon Dermot O’Cahan at Dunseverick.
