A Kingdom of Dreams

Judith McNaught

A Kingdom of Dreams

(Westmoreland Dynasty Saga – 1)

To toothless grins and baby toys;

To Little League games and tears

you wouldn't cry;

To fast cars, pretty girls, and

college football;

To compassion and charm and humor;

To my son.

We've come a long way together. Clay.

Special Notes of Gratitude…

To my secretary, Karen T. Caton-

For all the frantic midnights you worked beside me; For never losing your patience or your humor;

and for never losing track of me !

and

To Dr. Benjamin Hudson

Department of History, Pe

who gave me answers when I couldn't find them anywhere.

and

To Dr. Sharon Woodruff for her friendship and encouragement.

Chapter One

A toast to the duke of Claymore and his bride!"

Under normal circumstances, this call for a wedding toast would have caused the lavishly dressed ladies and gentlemen assembled in the great hall at Merrick castle to smile and cheer. Goblets of wine would have been raised and more toasts offered in celebration of a grand and noble wedding such as the one which was about to take place here in the south of Scotland.

But not today. Not at this wedding.

At this wedding, no one cheered and no one raised a goblet. At this wedding, everyone was watching everyone else, and everyone was tense. The bride's family was tense. The groom's family was tense. The guests and the servants and the hounds in the hall were tense. Even the first earl of Merrick, whose portrait hung above the fireplace, looked tense.

"A toast to the duke of Claymore and his bride," the groom's brother pronounced again, his voice like a thunderclap in the u

Normally, that ancient toast brings about a predictable reaction: The groom always smiles proudly because he's convinced he's accomplished something quite wonderful. The bride smiles because she's been able to convince him of it. The guests smile because, amongst the nobility, a marriage co

But not today. Not on this fourteenth day of October, 1497.

Having made the toast, the groom's brother raised his goblet and smiled grimly at the groom. The groom's friends raised their goblets and smiled fixedly at the bride's family. The bride's family raised their goblets and smiled frigidly at each other. The groom, who alone seemed to be immune to the hostility in the hall, raised his goblet and smiled calmly at his bride, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

The bride did not bother to smile at anyone. She looked furious and mutinous.

In truth, Je

Realizing the folly of reprimanding the Almighty, she hastily switched to pleading: "Haven't I always tried to serve You well?" she whispered silently. "Haven't I always obeyed You?"

"NOT ALWAYS, JENNIFER," God's voice thundered in her mind.

"Nearly always," Je

"THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE, JENNIFER," God boomed dubiously.

"Nay, I swear it," she earnestly replied, trying to strike a bargain. "I'll do anything You want, I'll go straight back to the abbey and devote my life to prayer and-"

"The marriage contracts have been duly signed. Bring in the priest," Lord Balfour commanded, and Je

Silence fell over the great hall as the doors were flung open.

"YES, JENNIFER, I AM."

The crowd parted automatically to admit the priest, and Je

Closing her eyes, Je

When she was fifteen, those were the things that had led her to try to avenge herself against her sly, spiteful stepbrother in what had seemed a right and honorable way-which was to secretly don Merrick armor and then ride against him, fairly, in the lists. That magnificent folly had gained her a sound thrashing from her father right there on the field of honor-and only a tiny bit of satisfaction from having knocked her wicked stepbrother clean off his horse!

The year before, those same traits had caused her to behave in such a way that old Lord Balder withdrew his request for her hand, and in doing so destroyed her father's cherished dream of joining the two families. And those things, in turn, were what got her banished to the abbey at Belkirk, where, seven weeks ago, she'd become easy prey for the Black Wolf's marauding army.

And now, because of all that, she was forced to wed her enemy; a brutal English warrior whose armies had oppressed her country, a man who had captured her, held her prisoner, taken her virginity, and destroyed her reputation.

But it was too late for prayers and promises now. Her fate had been sealed from the moment, seven weeks ago, when she'd been dumped at the feet of the arrogant beast beside her, trussed up like a feastday partridge.

Je

But why should she have believed it, Je