The first months after Mary Jamesina moved to Edzell Castle were quite difficult for her. Informed of the tensions between the clans in the western territories, her uncle and aunt, whom she had only met twice during her young life, had no hesitation in calling her Mary. On the other hand, the young girl experienced some difficulty getting used to the exclusive use of her English first name and it took her several weeks to respond spontaneously to the injunctions of her relatives, which caused certain misunderstandings and earned her some reprimands. Accustomed to coming and going freely around her parents' fortress, Mary found it very difficult to have to answer to her uncle and aunt. Their relationship quickly became stormy, particularly with Lady Elizabeth. Chief Lindsay's wife was very demanding of her niece. First, she required her to dress impeccably, but despite all her efforts, Mary never remained immaculate for long. In retaliation, Lady Lindsay forbade her to ride horses and handle weapons, believing that these activities, unworthy of a young lady, were the cause of her unkempt appearance. These sudden changes in her life were painful for the young girl, just as the punishments she received each time she deviated from the rules laid down by her aunt were humiliating. The emotional loss, due to the separation from her family, combined with homesickness and all these upheavals, shook Mary hard. She quickly lost her zest for life and became distant from those around her. Only her brother Gavin still managed to approach her and make her smile when he came to the castle. The young man did not live with his uncle, because he was training with the MacDuff warriors, the neighboring clan and ally of the Lindsays. He came to Edzell Castle regularly, and after a few months the changes he noticed in his sister concerned him. The more the weeks passed, the more Mary withered away. Little by little, she stopped rebelling and resigned herself to suffering her fate. Worried that his sister was becoming more and more indolent and wasting away, Gavin requested an audience with the Earl of Crawford. During the interview, he quickly understood what was going on when he learned that his aunt had forbidden her to go near the horses and had confiscated her weapons. He explained to his uncle the visceral need his sister had to go out and exert herself physically. Anxious to improve his niece's health, the chief undertook to make her living and learning conditions more flexible. With the help of Gavin, he developed a stratagem to allow the young girl to resume some physical activities. After they had pleaded Mary's case at length, Lady Elizabeth agreed to give her niece a little freedom on the condition that she had first completed her domestic duties and behaved like a lady in all circumstances. Chief Lindsay took the opportunity to ask the young girl to help break in the young horses. Mary was thus able to start climbing again and, regaining her composure, began to adapt willy-nilly to her new life.A few days after her sixteenth birthday, Mary was summoned to Chief Lindsay's study. Her uncle sat her down and questioned her on her knowledge of etiquette.

"Very well, Mary, I see you have learned your lessons," he congratulated her. You are now old enough to appear at court and you seem to me capable of maintaining your rank. Your aunt and I have to go to the clan meeting organized by our regent Murdoch Stewart. Your aunt doesn't want to move away from Fillan and Aileas, but she wants to attend the festivities that will take place during this gathering. So we're going to take the kids and you're going to come with us. You will be responsible for looking after the little ones while we are at Dundonald Castle.

"Dundonald Castle? But... I thought the Duke of Albany sat in Edinburgh?" Mary wondered.

" That is the case, but the interclan meeting must take place around the former residence of King Robert II."

...

Dundonald Castle, August 1422

After traveling for several days with horses and wagons through the Lowlands, Mary saw with relief the tall silhouette of Dundonald Castle coming into view. As soon as she arrived at the castle, she was captivated by its architecture and its environment. As the servants began to unload the carts, Mary accompanied her uncle and aunt as they explored the building. It was a three-story fortified tower house that stood on a hill surrounded by beautiful forests. From the tower there were spectacular views of the Firth of Clyde coastline. The exterior of the castle was impressive, but so was the interior. The ground floor was not of much interest, as it was divided into several cellars and storerooms where wine, beer and foodstuffs were stored. On the other hand, it was not the same for the upper floors. The young girl stood in awe of the high stone vaults of the great hall on the first floor where the former king administered justice and held his receptions. The second floor arcades were less impressive, but just as elaborate. With her uncle and aunt, Mary had the privilege of visiting the third floor reserved for the private use of the king and his family. There too, she was surprised by the comfort of the rooms and the care taken in the decoration and furnishing. The fortified tower was equipped with a large barmkin and several auxiliary buildings including stables and a bakery. There was even a chapel dedicated to Saint Inan. Finally, an extension to the south accommodated private rooms for royal guests. The different clans participating in the meeting had set up tents around the barmkin and there was a joyful excitement there. Although a truce was always declared during interclan meetings, allied clans were grouped together and kept as far away as possible from those with whom they were in conflict. The Lindsay camp was no exception to this unspoken rule and was near those of the MacDuffs, Deuchars and Crawfords. Each clan was easily identifiable thanks to the plant badge attached to a spear in front of the tents. After participating in setting up Lindsay camp, Mary took advantage of the fact that her aunt was resting with Fillan and Aileas to slip away and explore the area. Preferring to avoid wandering between the tents, she walked around the village. As she wandered around looking for flowers in the nearby forest, she heard confusing noises that sounded like moans or grunts. Was it a beast? Or many ? An injured human being? Maybe someone needed help? Intrigued by these muffled sounds that she did not know how to interpret, the young girl walked cautiously towards the place where they seemed to come from. Arriving near a stream, she distinctly heard a woman's giggle followed by a long moan. Curious, Mary approached a grove at the edge of a small clearing. Through the branches of the shrub behind which she was hidden, she saw a powerfully built man with shoulder-length brown hair. She couldn't see his face because his back was turned. He was probably accustomed to the harsher weather conditions of the Highlands, as he did not wear a shirt, unlike most of the Lowlanders in Dundonald. Kneeling between the bare legs of a woman, his tall stature completely hid the body of his companion. She must have been lying on the ground, because only part of her brown hair was visible, spread out on the moss that covered the rocks at the edge of the stream. The man began to move and Mary, as if entranced, stood for a few minutes watching him move back and forth in a slow rhythm. With each of his hip movements, she saw the muscles rolling under the skin of his back glistening with sweat. Her gaze focused on the silver bracelet he wore around his right arm. When the woman crossed her legs on the man's waist, the man moved his left arm to place his hand under his partner's to hold her leg. Mary then discerned curious dark blue lines going around his arm. She had seen tattoos before, but this one was particularly beautiful and disturbed her. Contemplating this stranger, inexplicably, the young girl felt her stomach contract and her breathing accelerate. She still had her eyes fixed on the warrior's back when the woman began to utter indistinct cries that grew louder and louder, similar to a death rattle. These unexpected sounds brought Mary out of her fascination. She snorted and, still staring at the Highlander's back, took a few seconds to understand what the couple was doing. She blushed violently when she realized that she was spying on them having sex. A strange feeling of heat took over her body and added to her confusion. Breathing heavily and her heart pounding, the young girl walked away backwards. She proceeded carefully, without making any noise, so as not to be caught by the couple. When she had gone a little further, she turned on her heel and fled, pursued by the woman's ecstatic cries.