regshoe

I found a map of Edinburgh in the late 18th century: https://maps.nls.uk/view/74400070 which makes it very clear just how close to the Castle they were. All those narrow wynds are very clear as well. There's another earlier map here, https://maps.nls.uk/view/74414281 showing how the city is basically a spine with houses crammed in on either side. A good place for night-time shenanigans. Robert Louis Stevenson described it perfectly in "Catriona" - the tall, dark city.

Ewen, 'pining for a fight' is delighted at the prospect of getting to fight Keith before being taken prisoner, while Keith, sincere and courteous, would really rather avoid the fuss and the risk of hurting him, much like Ewen did at their first meeting. 'As the threads are twisted...' indeed!

Oh, that's a good point! That phrase had always confused me.

Keith is once again really unpleasant to his men - not good officering, Keith! No wonder they slammed the door on him. Get a hold on your temper! And then he takes it out on Ewen and is immediately Stricken with Remorse. So you should be!

Nor do the Jacobite men come off at all well here. They all bugger off down the secret stair, leaving a very old lady and a very young lady, with just an inebriated doorkeeper to protect them. They’re perfectly safe with Keith, of course, but suppose it had been Thguevr leading that patrol?

(And I wonder if the drunken doorkeeper owes anything to his predecessor in Macbeth. Knock, knock, knock… who’s there?)

Finally, Miss Isobel Cochran and Lady Easterhall reappear briefly and I still like them both very much. If I were Isobel, I would have made a determined play for Keith, but there’s no accounting for tastes.