Page 19 of A Highland Duke to Claim Her Heart

Ewan lifted his chin. “My brother set sail for The Hague four weeks ago,” he said, his voice rough but controlled, “and his ship never made it to Holland. A storm ravaged the North Sea during that time, and it is believed, by the harbormaster of both Inverness and The Hague, that Christopher’s ship was sunk. All souls are believed to have perished.”

A long, heavy silence filled the room. Lady Pembury was not looking right at him. She was staring at something over his shoulder, her eyes strangely vacant, her face slack. The only sound in the room was the crackle of the fire, the settling of the wood as it burned down.

At last, Lady Pembury looked at him. “I am very sorry for your loss, Your Grace.”

“Thank you,” he murmured.

“And I am sorry also for my daughter’s loss. This is a heavy day. A very heavy day indeed.”

Ewan nodded and looked down at the fire. Another minute of silence passed before Lady Pembury spoke again.

“But I must think of my daughter’s reputation in all of this.”

This made Ewan look up. Lady Pembury was watching him with a cool expression he did not fully understand.

“Your daughter’s reputation?” he repeated. “She will not be blamed for this. She was not jilted.”

“I am not speaking of your brother jilting her, although thetonmight very well ask itselfwhymy daughter’s fiance was on a ship to The Hague just a few weeks before her wedding.” Lady Pembury’s eyes glittered. “I am speaking of your being alone with her just a few days previously, when she arrived home, soaking wet, in your arms.”

“In my arms?” Ewan repeated, frowning. “She was on horseback, Lady Pembury.”

“That is not what people are saying,” Lady Pembury said sharply. “And what matters in such cases as these is not the truth, but the perception. If she were to be married to your brother shortly after, then thetonmight have been willing to overlook this. But now, she is to remain unwed, with such rumors and accusations following her.” She looked at him very squarely, his jaw hard. “Do you know what happens to young ladies with such reputations?”

Ewan swallowed but said nothing. He knew what happened. He was no fool.

Lady Pembury took a step closer. “I trust that you remember why this alliance was originally formed, the ways in which it is both mutually beneficial.”

Solemnly, he nodded, and she arched an eyebrow.

“Then I do not think I need to say more,” she said. “But just to remind you, the bishop will be arriving in one day. As will my husband. So you do not have long to make up your mind.”

And without another word, she turned and swept from the room, letting the door click shut with finality behind her.

The implication was not lost on Ewan. Nor did he disagree with it. But in the mess of his emotions, he could hardly even wrap his mind around it. And there was only one person to whom he wanted to speak.

He found Annabelle already asleep. Leaving the door open so that a beam of light illuminated the room, he sat down next to the bed and placed a hand on her head. He did not mean to wake her, only to take comfort in her presence. But she must only have been dozing, because her eyelids blinked open, and, when she saw him, she smiled.

“Papa,” she murmured. “You are back.”

“I am,” he said gravely. “And for good this time.”

“Is Lady Cassandra also staying for good?” The question caught him off guard. Annabelle was half-asleep still, but her eyes were sharp as they focused on him. “Or will she be going away again, like Uncle Christopher always does?”

The words hit him like a knife to the chest. He took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully.

“I am not sure yet, but I hope she will stay,” he said. “I might need to make some important changes in our family, in order to help us all.”

Annabelle’s brow wrinkled. “Do you mean that Lady Cassandra will be my new Mama?”

The breath caught in Ewan’s throat. He had to clear it before responding. “I do not know yet. But sometimes we must do things out of duty and responsibility. In order to protect our families. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she said, although she sounded uncertain. “I think so.”

Ewan nodded, then leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “Go back to sleep, my love. We will speak more in the morning.”

She nodded, her eyelids already blinking closed as tiredness took her, and Ewan rose and went to the door. He cast one last look back at his daughter before stepping out into the corridor.

Where he found himself face-to-face with Lady Cassandra Pembury.