Tranter - The Wallace

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Contents

First published in Great Britain in 1975 by Hodder and Stoughton
An Hachette UK Company

Copyright 1975 by Nigel Tranter

The right of Nigel Tranter to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

Epub ISBN: 9781444718898
Book ISBN: 9780340212370

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You give me leave to speak, my lord? Bruce asked the Steward.

At that mans nod, he turned. I have heard what is proposed, my friends, he said. And I too say that a Guardian of the Realm should be appointed. But not myself, who has fought no battles, earned no plaudits, am but untried amongst you. Only one man, at this juncture, can fill Scotlands need today. Only one man will the people follow. That man is William Wallace of Elderslie. I name you Wallace as Guardian! It was though a dam had burst, and the emotion of the men surged free in clamour. The shout that rose seemed to shake the very hills.

It was some time before Bruce could make himself heard again. Hear me hear me, my friends. Wallace has rid us of the English. But they will be back. And he needs must do it again. Nothing on Gods earth is so sure than that they will be back

Columba

Druid Sacrifice

Kenneth

MacBeth the King

Margaret the Queen

David the Prince

Lord of the Isles

Tapestry of the Boar

Crusader

The Bruce Trilogy (in one volume)

True Thomas

Flowers of Chivalry

The Stewart Trilogy

Lords of Misrule

A Folly of Princes

The Captive Crown

Lion Let Loose

Black Douglas

Lord in Waiting

Price of a Princess

Chain of Destiny

The Master of Gray Trilogy (in one volume)

A Stake in the Kingdom

The James V Trilogy (in one volume)

Warden of the Queens March

The Marchman

A Rage of Regents

Poetic Justice

Children of the Mist

The Wisest Fool

Mail Royal

Unicorn Rampart

The Young Montrose

Montrose: The Captain General

Honours Even

The Patriot

The MacGregor Trilogy (in one volume)

Highness in Hiding

The Flockmasters

WILLIAM WALLACE : Second son of Sir Malcolm Wallace of Elderslie.

MASTER JOHN BLAIR : Benedictine monk.

ROBERT BOYD : Farmer.

EDWARD LITTLE : Nephew of Wallace. Son of small laird.

MARION BRAIDFOOT : Wife of Wallace. Daughter of Sir Hugh Braidfoot of Lamington.

ADAM WALLACE : Cousin. Son of Sir Richard Wallace of Riccarton, head of family.

MASTER THOMAS GRAY : Parish priest of Libberton, Lanarkshire.

LORD JAMES STEWART : Lord of Renfrew. 5th High Steward of Scotland.

MASTER ROBERT WISHART, BISHOP OF GLASGOW : Second of the Lords Spiritual.

MALCOLM, EARL OF LENNOX : Great Celtic noble.

STEPHEN MACGREGOR : Vassal of Lennox.

MACFADZEAN : Servant of Lennox.

FAWDON : Irish servant of Lennox.

SIR JOHN GRAHAM : Son of the Graham chief, Sir David Graham of Dundaff.

MEG DRUMMOND : Perth prostitute.

SIR JOHN BUTLER : English knight. Deputy Governor of Perth.

PATRICK AUCHINLECK OF THAT ILK : Cousin of Wallace.

SIR THOMAS LEARMONTH OF ERCILDOUNE : Eccentric laird, known as Thomas the Rhyme.

SIR HUGO DE MORELAND : English keeper of Lochmaben Castle.

SIR WILLIAM DE HAZELRIG : English Sheriff of Clydesdale.

SIR ANDREW MORAY : Lord of Pettie and Bothwell, heir of Moravia.

SIR ALEXANDER LINDSAY, LORD OF CRAWFORD : Great noble.

ROBERT BRUCE, EARL OF CARRICK : Eldest son of Lord of Annandale, later King.

SIR WILLIAM DOUGLAS : 5th Lord thereof.

ALEXANDER SCRYMGEOUR : Dundee burgess and soldier. Later Standard-Bearer.

DUNCAN MACDOUOALL OF LORN : 2nd son of Alexander, Lord of Argyll.

SIR NEIL CAMPBELL OF LOCHAWE : Chief of Clan Campbell. MacCailean Mor.

MALCOLM MACGREGOR OF GLENORCHY : Chief of Clan Alpine.

SIR RICHARD LUNDIN OF THAT ILK : Scots knight.

SIR JOHN RAMSAY OF AUCHERHOUSE : ditto.

MASTER WILLIAM SINCLAIR. DEAN AND COADJUTOR-BISHOP OF DUNKELD :

SIR WILLIAM RUTHVEN OF THAT ILK : Former Provost of Perth.

LORD HUGH MACDUFF : Uncle and Tutor to the young Earl of Fife.

GARTNAIT, EARL OF MAR : Great Celtic noble, brother-in-law of Bruce.

JOHN COMYN, EARL OF BUCHAN : Lord High Constable of Scotland.

SIR JOHN COMYN, LORD OF BADENOCH : Chief of the great House of Comyn.

SIR JOHN STEWART OF MENTETTH : Sheriff of Dunbarton and Perth. Uncle and tutor to young Earl of Menteith.

MASTER WILLIAM COMYN : Provost of the Chapel-Royal, brother of Buchan.

MASTER WILLIAM LAMBERTON : Chancellor of Glasgow Cathedral, later Bishop of St. Andrews and Primate of Scotland.

LORD NIGEL BRUCE : Brother to the Earl of Carrick.

JOHN BALIOL, KING OF SCOTS : Exile.

PHILIP THE FAIR, KING OF FRANCE :

ENGUERRAND DE MARIGNY : Intendant of Finance. French administrator.

SIR SIMON FRASER OF OLIVER : Scots veteran soldier.

RALPH DE HALIBURTON : Border laird.

JOHN STEWART : Nicknamed Jack Short, a young esquire.

SIR JOHN DE SEGRAVE : Grand Marshal of England.

SIR PETER MALLORY : Lord Chief Justice of England.

The man stood, weeping. If weeping describes the dry-eyed, deep and tearing sobs which racked his enormous frame, in an extremity of sorrow, pain, hurt. The three men with him eyed him askance, or sought not to eye him, afraid almost to look on his distress. Not that they were ashamed, embarrassed. They were, in fact, terrified terrified of their friend.

The scene was indeed terrible. But it was not the scene which frightened them. It was the big man weeping, sobbing. Most things this man did, he did with his whole heart and mind and faculties and that could hold its own alarm for the less committed. When his emotions were strongly aroused, subsequent action could be swift, shattering, shocking, indeed not in sheer impulsiveness nor mindless violence, but in intense, calculated vehemence. For this was a man of thought and assessment equally as of action a rare combination, in itself apt to make others uneasy. Just as in reverse as it were, his gentleness, kindliness even patience, could be as unexpected, insupportable in its implied demands on others.

Yet the three others loved him.

William Wallaces lips were moving. God in Heaven help me! he whispered. God in Heaven help me! He raised two great hands up and forward and open, towards that scene of horror, but higher. I need Your help. His hands and arms, like his entire huge frame, were trembling, so that the ground they stood on seemed to shake in elemental accord.