AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘What manner of man is Richard Cromwell?’
‘Weak,’ said Murray dismissively, ‘a shadow of his father.’
‘And Prince Charles?’
‘Tolerant, as far as religious matters go I think, but when it comes to dealing with the men who beheaded his father, well, that no one knows. It’s a moot point in any case, as he has no way of reclaiming his throne without an army at his command.’
‘But he does have the will for a fight, if not the army?
‘From what I have heard of him, aye,’ said Murray
‘So it’s possible that men might rally to his cause if Charles has the stomach for war? So everything is uncertain.’
‘Aye, a few months ago monarchy was the past and Cromwell’s way was the future. Now that is all in the wind.’
‘And if war does come I can do nothing to aid my clan but sit around and wait, while the men go away and fight.’
‘What would you do if you could?’
‘Why I would fight of course.’
‘Hell’s teeth Ilene, you could barely lift a claymore let alone wield it, far better to stay safe at Cailleach.’
‘Safe and dull and useless, because that is a woman’s place.’
‘No, what I mean is, a man has to have something to fight for, something to yearn for and come home to,’ he said softly. Murray had some sympathy for her opinion as he knew he could not spend his life caged within the castle walls.
‘And do you have such a one waiting for you somewhere?’
‘A woman? No, Ilene, there is no one and never has been.’ They locked eyes and did he imagine the empathy they’d once shared spark to life across the years? She looked away first.
‘What manner of man was Oliver Cromwell, not weak like his son?
‘I did not know him beyond the fact that he was brilliant general and a relentless enemy, bent on crushing all who opposed him, and he was vengeful and cruel to the defeated. He could have brought opposing sides together and made peace; instead, he was always waging war.’
‘Forgiveness is the way then?’
‘Aye it is, else you are a prisoner of your past.’ Murray moved a step closer to her. ‘I would have you forgive me mine, Ilene.’
‘Nothing to forgive for my part, but you caused my parents a lot of worry. They heard dire news of the battles in Ireland and imagined you in the thick of it. Why did you go to fight for strangers, for a cause that meant nothing to you, when you had a place here?’
‘My place here was not earned by me, but given by your family. I wanted to make my own way in the world. You were too young to understand that so I rushed away and hurt you, and the rough manner of my leave-taking has hung over me for years. There were words I wished I’d said.’ She looked away from him and bit her lip. ‘Ilene that life I’ve led was not connected to this one at Cailleach, as for the strangers they paid well and the plunder was good. I have come back with my own wealth and I am reliant on the sufferance of no one.’
‘And did you earn your plunder by honourable means?’
‘No, I just did what I had to do to survive. I’ve long since learnt that it is best to live without regret, it can drag a man down.’
‘What was it like in Ireland?' she said with the eager innocence of one who has always been protected from life’s terrors and uncertainties. She wanted to hear that he had grand adventures but instead, he told her the truth.
‘It was an awful place of bogs, famine and desperation. The army was ruthless and laid waste to vast stretches of fertile farmland. We spent most of our time burning crops and homes and driving its people to starvation. In truth, in all those years, all we did was turn its people into beggars.’
‘Oh that is awful, how could you do it?’
‘I had no choice, I was paid to fight the Irish, so I fought the Irish. Do you think me evil now?’
‘I don’t know what to think of you.’
‘Would you prefer me to talk of war as an honourable adventure as your brothers would have me do? Shall I pretend to be a good man so that you’ll approve of me?’
