Chapter 10: Women trouble

The crossing to Knapdale the next morning was short; barely an hour and we landed at the same Klberry where Duncan had been so recently slain. Some one hundred and fifty men from the lordship met us there and Lachlan introduced me to the local captains. Commandeering twenty horses we decided to ride on to Aird Driseig, the main settlement of the lordship. I ordered the remaining men, now over two hundred, to come on behind us, picking up some other contingents, Lachlan added, at Ormsary and Achahoish and to meet us at Aird Driseig within three days.

We found beds ourselves at the settlement at Achahoish that night, the settlement within a timber rampart, set on high ground above a grand sand plain at the head of Loch Caolisport. Men were gathering here also to swell the ranks of my contribution to King Fergus' host.

The journey to Aird Driseig the next day was uneventful and we reached the Knapdale Lord's settlement in the early afternoon. Aird Driseig sat on the shores of Loch Gilp, itself an offshoot of great Loch Fyne and the settlement was larger than any I had as yet come across. Built round and on a hill, it was defended by a raised, grass covered, mound of earthenwork all around, behind which was a moat. The moat was 'fed' from the loch and was crossed by a timber bridge that ran all the way to a large set of wooden gates. The gates were set into a wooden rampart which itself ran the entire circumference of the settlement, only a narrow path between it and the moat.

Behind the wooden rampart I could see numerous houses of various sizes, all single storey and mostly stone built with thatched roofs. Part way up the hill there was a flatter plane of ground and the biggest structure sat there, presumably the hall-house that would be used for meetings, feasting and the like. As we rode closer I could pick out workshops and dwelling houses and it was also clear that there was a fair gathering of men already here, perhaps another two hundred or so.

We rode over the bridge and through the gates, Lachlan directing that we should make for the hall. A small group of men emerged from the hall-house to greet us.

"My Lord, welcome to Aird Driseig. I am Colmgil mac Iain, the Steward of this place. Your progress has been made known to us so we have prepared food, drink and suitable accommodation for you. I hope all is in order?"

"Well met Colmgil. I see the stewardship looks to be in well-organised hands. My thanks, some food would be most welcome."

We dismounted and followed Colmgil into the hall-house. There were numerous wooden tables, mostly already occupied by tartan clad men who were drinking what looked like ale. One table at the head of the hall was empty and it was to this that Colmgil led us, indicating I should take the large seat in the middle. Platters of steaming meat and beakers of ale were served and we exchanged small talk as we ate.

Looking out of the hall into the camp, I noticed two women who looked as if they were watching me from the doorway of a small house.

"Who are they?" I asked Colmgil, indicating the women.

"Who? Oh them, they are the women."

"Yes, I can see they are women, but who are they?"

Colmgil looked at me quizzically for a moment before replying.

"They are Duncan's widow and daughter." He said offhandedly.

I let the conversation move on, surprised at the absence of any apparent respect being paid to Duncan's family. After we had eaten, Colmgil introduced me to the main captains already gathered here at Aird Driseig. I was further surprised when he finished the introductions and turned to lead Kirsty and me to our accommodation without any further reference to Duncan's widow and daughter.

We walked further up the hill towards one of the largest houses and Colmgil confirmed this was mine if I so wished. We entered through a wooden door and were dismayed at what we found. Inside the house was dim and damp, the floor filthy and strewn with hides and furs. Basic wooden furniture finished off the look. There were windows set into the wall on either side of the door but these were small, mere slits really and let in little natural light.

"This will not do!" I said. "Colmgil, find me what passes for a builder or woodworker in this camp and we will see whether we can make this place habitable. Who has been living here until now?"

"My Lord Duncan it was who had this house before you my Lord Scott. He and his womenfolk lived here."

He left us to try and find a builder. I turned to Kirsty and could see that she too had her nose turned up at the sight and smell of the house. She helped me pull all of the hides and furs out onto the grass and my skin immediately began to itch as I could see fleas jumping all over them.

I hastily lit a fire in the great fireplace set into the back wall of the house and Kirsty and I set to sweeping the floor as thoroughly as we could. When we had finished there was a large mound of dirt that we swept out of the door. I filled a large pot with water and swung it over the now blazing fire to heat then turned to meet two men coming to the door. They advised me that they were Aird Driseig's builders. I asked them to enlarge both of the windows in the house and to put poles above them for hanging heavy drapes. I also told them to find some whitewash and to apply it to all of the internal walls as soon as they could. Having set these works in train, I left Kirsty to cope and went looking for Colmgil and Lachlan.

I found my two lieutenants in the hall-house, swigging back ale like everybody else was. I joined them and someone quickly set ale in front of me also. We discussed lordship affairs in general before then focussing on the coming hosting with King Fergus. I shared with them my knowledge that we were not going campaigning in Dalriada but rather we faced a long march across Alba to support the High King in his struggle with Norse invaders around the River Tay. I could see both become more excited by this news. A significant land campaign against the Norse was highly unusual as they normally employed 'hit and run' raiding tactics. While Lachlan and Colmgil had heard from some ships' captains that Norsemen had settled on some of the Northern Isles, this was the first time either had heard of a land invasion of any note.

The hall-house was becoming ever more rowdy as more men filled themselves with ale and uisge beatha. Several small scuffles broke out and there was raucous singing. I didn't begrudge the men their revelry, after all they would be marching with me into battle in two days and their time on god's earth could be short-lived indeed. The growing noise level precluded any further 'private' discussions between the three of us so instead Lachlan and Colmgil began to go through the names and seniority of my various captains. Apparently this was of vital importance as the seniority in turn determined where each group of men came in the order of march and the order of battle. Getting this wrong would be seen as a significant slight so I paid close attention and also made a mental note to myself to make sure I kept either Lachlan or Colmgil close at hand for the next three or four days to make sure I didn't slip up.

There was still plenty of daylight when I returned to the house. I was surprised to see all of the building work and the whitewashing already completed. I also noticed a dirty looking straw filled mattress lying outside the house and saw that Kirsty had hung heavy tartan sheets/plaids as temporary curtains, tied back currently with leather thongs. The windows were much larger now and let in a lot more natural light, flooding the house and reflecting back off of the newly whitened walls. The floor also looked spotless and I detected the scent of lavender in the air. I guessed that Kirsty had scrubbed the floor with some of her scented soap and sure enough there was a crude, wet, scrubbing brush lying in one corner. Kirsty was sitting in a chair working at making up a new mattress with clean cloth and fresh straw. I carefully used a rag to swing the pot of hot water from over the fire over the fire and carried it outside the house.

"Do you have soap and a brush I can use to de-louse the hides and furs?" I asked her as I returned to the house.

"In the corner there." She replied.

Picking up the brush I looked at its very short bristles and asked her what it was made from.

"It's made from pig bristles." She told me.

I bent to my unpleasant task, first pouring hot water over the hides/furs in an effort to take care of the fleas, then scrubbing them with the soap and brush. It took me the best part of an hour and when finished, I laid the clean floor coverings out on the grass to dry. Kirsty was nowhere to be seen when I re-entered the house but I could hear noises from behind the curtain that screened off what I assumed was a sleeping area. I investigated and found Kirsty trying to lift our new mattress onto a wood-frame bed. The bed was 'sprung' with belts of leather, which were nailed to the frame. This was certainly more than I was used to in this time, the best we had managed before had a straw mattress on the bare ground or a pile of freshly picked ferns. I helped her with the mattress and left her to make up the bed for the night.

Noticing food laid out on the table, I speared a haunch of what looked like raw beef and set it over the fire to roast. I walked to one of the windows and felt Kirsty come to my side, putting her arm round my waist. We stood together gazing out over the settlement, down Loch Gilp, down great Loch Fyne and out to sea. In the setting sun the lochs were framed on both sides by woods and soaring hills were in the distance. The sight stirred a great love in me for this country of mine, burned something into my soul. I could well understand why someone had elected to build a settlement on this site, to be able to enjoy god's creations, glorious nature, if nothing else. We turned to sit by the fire, watching and listening to the meat as it roasted and spat out its fat into the flames. Kirsty toasted some bread and we were sharing our experiences of the day when there was a knock at the door.

I opened the door to see the two women from earlier on in the day. Ushering them in, I invited them to sit.

"No thank you, my Lord," said the older of the two, "if you please, we came only to introduce ourselves to you as none other has seen fit to do."

She paused at this point, her voice had carried a hint of anger but now she looked at me nervously.

"And to find out what is to become of us Sir." She got out in a rush.

"First things first. What are your names?" I asked.

"I am Bridhe nic Oengus and this is my daughter, Fiona nic Duncan."

"Why were you put you from your home?" I asked Bridhe.

"The house is the lord's house, Sir, and now that means you. We were grudgingly given a smaller house until it was discovered what your plans are for us were."

"My plans? What do you mean?"

My Lord, we face being thrown out of the settlement as none have indicated they want us. For some reason Colmgil, the Steward stopped this and made a house available to us.

I was appalled at this apparent treatment of two human beings. Kirsty's lessons as to the value and station of women in this time were being borne out and in the harshest terms.

"Well Bridhe, Fiona, King Fergus has commanded that I take over this lordship and as part of that I am to marry Fiona."

They both drew in their breath at this, Bridhe's shoulders almost seeming to lose some of their tension while, conversely, Fiona's seemed to tighten and she looked at me fearfully.

"Do not worry Madam," I said to Fiona, "it is not my idea to wed you, indeed as you can see, I already have a companion and one I love dearly."