She’d then sailed out of the room, leaving his objections hanging in midair.
Now Angus snorted. “Lord Kinloch is about as much fun as a barrel of manky oysters. How Elspeth—a true MacDonald—could have agreed to marry him is beyond my ken.”
“What’s wrong with Lord Kinloch?” Tira asked.
“He’s nae proper respect for the past, lassie. Besides, he consorts with unsavory folk.”
“That’s a bit much, Grandda,” Kade said. “He’s a lord of Parliament, as well as holding an old and distinguished title.”
“He’s very wealthy, too,” Ainsley added. “The Stewarts made a substantial fortune from the slate quarries around Glencoe.”
“I ken what I ken about the man,” Angus said. “Besides, all this draggin’ Kade aboot the countryside canna be good for him. Look at the poor lad. He’s positively whey-faced.”
“Grandda, I’m fine,” Kade said. “You needn’t worry about me.”
“I promised Nick—that would be ourlaird,” Angus said with unnecessary emphasis, “that I would look after ye. And I always do as my laird commands.”
“We all know who the laird is,” Royal dryly commented. “And actually you hardly ever do what Nick wants you to do, so why start now?”
Angus pointed a bony finger at Royal. “None of your sass, laddie boy.”
“Giving you sass ismyjob,” Ainsley said, winking at the old fellow. “Everybody knows that.”
“Aye, but yer aSassenach, so ye canna help yerself. But ye’ll nae distract me from the subject at hand, which is our Kade’s health. I’ll nae be lettin’ Elspeth or anyone else run the lad ragged. He should be recuperatin’, not prancing around like a trained monkey for a bunch of Stewarts.”
“No one would dare make me prance, Grandda,” Kade said. “Not with you to protect me.”
“Aye, that,” Angus stoutly replied.
“I’m sure we’ll all have a wonderful time and Kade will get plenty of rest,” Ainsley said.
Tira made a face. “I wish my brothers could have come with us, though. I miss them.”
“I know, darling,” Ainsley said. “But Royal Junior would hate all the fuss, and Georgie’s much too young. Besides, we’re terribly squeezed as it is. Kendrick men tend to take up a lot of room.”
“I would have happily ceded my place to my nephews,” Kade wryly said.
“Don’t you like spending time with us, Uncle Kade?” Tira asked, sounding a trifle anxious. “It’s been ever so long since you’ve come to visit.”
Angus heaved a dramatic sigh. “Sad state of affairs when a Highlander has nae time for his kith and kin.”
Kade ignored his grandfather, but he couldn’t ignore the twinge of guilt over his niece’s innocent question.
When he wrapped an arm around her narrow shoulders, Tira snuggled against him with a happy little sigh. Grandda was right. He had been neglecting his family, and that was a capital sin in Clan Kendrick.
“Of course I want to be with you, Tira. But back at Cairndow, with your brothers. Not at some godforsaken manor in the middle of nowhere, performing for strangers.”
“Kade, you’re a concert pianist,” Royal said. “You’re always performing for strangers.”
“Yes, and that’s part of the problem.”
As much as he loved his career, he was less enamored with the growing lack of privacy that his life entailed, as well as the absurd enthusiasm his presence sometimes provoked. Kade had never sought fame. What he sought was the music. Of course, he’d had many wonderful opportunities to play in some of the greatest concert halls in Europe, accompanied by splendid musicians. Sometimes, though, it felt a bit much, as if his life and the music were being lost under the demands of his increasing renown.
Ainsley tilted her head, looking quizzical. “Kade?”
He smiled. “It’s perfectly fine, really.” He gave his niece a little squeeze. “And I’ll have Tira to protect me from overenthusiastic fans.”
“I’ll not let anyone bother you, Uncle Kade, even silly young ladies.”
