Chapter Two
Millwool Castle, Six months later
Alexander Campbell cradledhis head in his hands, irritation coursing through his veins like wildfire. The cause was none other than his younger brother.
Christopher sat across from him, slumped in a chair, fidgeting nervously while his eyes bounced around the Duke of Argyll’s study.
“All of them are gone?” Alexander questioned, his voice ominously quiet. He was referring to their flock of sheep. Prize-winning sheep. Sheep that produced the finest wool which kept them fed and their holdings secure.
“Aye.”
“Shite!” Alexander cursed. “Are ye daft? What the hell were ye thinking?”
Christopher flinched, his face pale as he straightened. “I didna mean for things to take such a turn. I was doing verra well—until I wasna.”
“I kenned I should have hired someone to watch over the books while I was away.” Alexander stood, pushing away from his desk, the chair legs scraped angrily along the polished floorboards, and braced his hands on the desktop, glaring at his brother. “Ye are out of control. Your carelessness has put Millwool in a precarious position.”
But he wasn’t only angry at his brother; this was partially his fault. His brother had naught interest in running the estate, and as had now been proven, naught knowledge in it, as well.
“I ken. I will fix it.”
Alexander barked out a laugh. “Pray tell how ye will do such a thing?” He jabbed a finger in his brother’s direction. “And dinna ye daresay ye will win it back at cards. Your subpar game skills are the cause of this current predicament in which we find ourselves in.”
“I just need two, mayhap three, well-played hands at the tables and the flock will be back in Campbell hands.” Christopher sounded as though he actually believed what he was saying.
“Och, nay. If ye think I am going to stand by and allow ye to gamble Millwool’s future away, ye are more daft than I originally believed.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I wasna e’en gone verra long. No’ this time. ’Twas one thing when ye managed to ruin our estates finances while I was off serving. But hell’s teeth, brother, I was gone but a fortnight, and ye managed to lose our livelihood?” Alexander pushed his hands through his hair. He wanted to throttle his brother. Make him understand the dire consequences he had put them in. Instead, he poured himself a whisky and drank deep, letting the smooth burn as it wound its way down his throat try to calm his nerves. But it failed to quell his anger. Maniacal laughter burst from Alexander. “I dinna ken how ye could have been so careless.”
The statement was only partially true. Their finances were a mess. Christopher lacked the maturity and knowledge to run a household. It was going to take months to repair the damage he’d done. But losing the sheep? That was the hardest thing to take.
Where were the sheep now? Were they being well-tended? He only cared about their safety. Aye, they were animals, butAlexander cared for them, nonetheless. He, like their father, had always treated them well. Had raised the wee lambs from birth. That flock was the means behind their successful family.
And now they were gone.
“Brother. Ye’re overreacting.” The words hung in the air, but there was no fight behind them.
Christopher stood, and Alexander studied him, taking in the tired creases around his eyes. The way his shoulders slumped in defeat. His unkempt brown hair standing out in all directions.
With a sigh, he addressed his brother. The urge to beat some sense into him lessened. He could tell Christopher was punishing himself more than Alexander ever could. “Go get washed up and get some sleep.” He jerked his head towards the door. “Ye look like hell. When ye’re rested, we can discuss our plan for reacquiring our flock.”
He watched Christopher amble out of the study and pushed his hands through his hair once again before pouring himself another whisky and emptied the glass in one sip, hissing as it burned his chest. His brother had made a dire mess of things and depending on whom he’d lost the sheep to determined how difficult it would be to regain them.
Alexander only hoped that luck would be on their side, and it wouldn’t prove to be as challenging as he expected.
But above all, his biggest worry was there was no guarantee that the flock was being cared for as they required. He hoped they had some type of shelter to allow them to get out of the elements if needed. Was the area where they were being held safe from predators? Worse yet, he prayed they had not been sheared. Lord, he hoped no’. He didn’t want anyone making money off of Campbell wool that wasn’t a Campbell. Especially someone that didn’t deserve to have his sheep in the first place.
Setting the glass down on his desk, his eyes grazed the books that showed every poor choice his brother had made forMillwool while he’d been gone. They had a long road ahead of them to clean up his mess, but the most important thing was to regain possession of their sheep.
He had some money stored away, thankfully in a place his brother hadn’t thought of looking or he feared he would have lost that money as well. Alexander only hoped it would be enough to pay off his brother’s debts so he could bring the flock back home. His sheep weren’t the only thing he had to worry about.
Tomorrow, Nicholas Gordon would be arriving, along with his wife, Gwen, and his younger sister, Clarissa, for their planned visit. It had been a few months since their wedding. It was the last time they had seen each other, and Nicholas had recently sent word that he and Gwen would like to visit for some time. It was only later that he learned that Clarissa would be accompanying them. His body flared to life at the thought of his best friend’s sister. She’d blossomed into a stunning woman while they were away at war fighting for their country. He hadn’t believed his eyes when he’d seen her when he’d first visited Huntly after his return. Her dark brown hair long and flowing, her doe like brown eyes rich as the drinking chocolate he’d consumed in France.
Unable to spend any meaningful time with her on his initial visit to her home, he was able to spend a bit more time with her at Nicholas and Gwen’s wedding. But not enough to satisfy his liking and he hoped to rectify that while she stayed at Millwool.
Nicholas had alreadywarned her against him. He had also told Alexander to stay away from his sister. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Aye, his friend knew him better than anyone else. He’d had more than his fair share of the lassies, and his bed had never been lonely. Until he’d seen Clarissa. She had blossomed into a beautiful woman, and he had been enraptured. Ever sincethen, he couldn’t help but notice and admire her, the other lasses failing to capture his attention the way they once did. He had tried. Lord had he tried. But losing himself in a woman did not hold quite the same appeal as before.
But Nicholas didn’t know that. If Alexander had a sister, he would also warn her against someone like him. A man who approached women for one purpose, a man averse to commitment. He only had his father to blame for that mindset. As the man had always said, why settle down with one lass, when you could have a never-ending stream of them? That way one never got bored by being committed to one woman.
Alexander didn’t want to be bored. He had seen how boredom overtook his father and how loathsome he began to feel towards his mother. He never wanted to feel that way with a woman. It was easier to keep his freedom. And his heart. No one could break it if he didn’t allow them to have it.
