Tales from the Tent Read Online Free Page B

could change things. Next day she set out to do just that.
    While Charlotte slept, she went into the girl’s room, and just as expected the baby was moving into position for birth. Dressing Iona, the old housekeeper silently led her out of the large
house of Lister. On the way she told the lassie what Charlotte was planning to do. The pair walked on until, exhausted, they came to the shore. Iona was led into a small cave to hide and have her
child without help. You see, the old housekeeper had her own safety to consider.
    Charlotte was seething with the red anger when she found that Iona and the housekeeper had gone, and she rode out to procure once again the assistance of her two henchmen who were living in a
dark hovel nearby. Riding madly through the thick forest the three came upon the old woman, who lied and said that when she rose that morning she too had found Iona’s bed empty and set out to
find her ‘before you, my mistress, awakened.’ Before walking off she called back to the death-minded threesome that she would take care of the boys, then she was gone into the
forest.
    As the day’s sun was settling into the night sky, they were searching every inch of shoreline until a child’s cry brought Charlotte and her hired killers to the cave. As they
dismounted they saw a small figure silhouetted against the horizon; it was Iona standing above them on a ledge.
    ‘Have you a son for the throne of Scotland, lassie?’ Charlotte cried up to the visibly shaken girl.
    ‘Aye, mistress, see for yourself. I’ve done ye doubly proud.’
    Charlotte could hardly believe her eyes, for there, lying wrapped in a torn shawl, were not one but two sons, each already showing a fine red hairline.
    ‘When I have my babies you know what to do with the tinker,’ she whispered.
    The henchmen nodded in unison.
    Iona was more than aware of her impending doom, but she was not going to go without seeing Charlotte’s face when the truth was revealed.
    For as the lady of evil stooped to bundle up her heirs, two tiny heads rolled from their bodies at her feet!
    ‘See, wicked Charlotte, see your severed line!’ Those were Iona’s last earthly words as she leapt to a watery grave.
    Charlotte screamed towards the heavens, blaming everybody but herself.
    ‘I will repeat this, others will be found,’ she screamed over and over again.
    Those men of depravity had come even to their limit when witnessing this dreadful scene, and without payment they rode off into the dark forest, hoping never to set eyes upon Lady Charlotte
again.
    However, when she at last arrived home yet another horror was to meet her eyes that day, because the old housekeeper had torched Lister House with Charlotte’s twin sons locked within its
walls. Charlotte and Lister House were never heard of or seen again. There are those who said she cursed Scotland from that day, and swore that the impostor would fail in any attempt he made to
unite the clans. And that he did. Strange!

    ‘Great story,’ whispered Daddy, not wishing to wake Portsoy who had fallen asleep earlier. He turned and whispered to me, ‘Mammy will want to know why you and
me hadn’t bedded until the second hour of the night, better no tell her we were tale telling.’ I smiled and promised, but hey, who could fool Mammy?
    He then went off to his bed. But not I, no, I was still standing on that ledge with Iona watching the babies’ wee heads rolling at Charlotte’s feet. How could I sleep? I just had to
ask Mac if there was any truth at all in this tale. He never answered. I couldn’t help but smile to myself, though, as I watched him take those flashing white teeth of his that I’d
admired all day, and pop them into a glass half-filled with water.

    Next day the berries saw us swelling the purse. Mammy was rare pleased and thanked God for filling the drills with juicy fruit and the heavens with the sun. I wanted to hear
more of Mac’s tales, but he had lots of cracking to do with