Page 45 of I’ve Grown Accustomed to My Scot

“Luna and Maxwell arrived last night,” Jennie explained, her eyes wide. “They wanted to sit up, but I thought it best to wait until this morning.”

Rory should thank her for that. Last night would not have been the best time to be confronted with his disappointed parents. Although, now he looked more closely, he could see his mother looked more worried than disappointed. Maxwell . . . well, he definitely appeared to be disappointed, just as he had all of Rory’s life. No doubt to him this was but another example of his son’s ramshackle ways.

“What are you doing here?” he blurted out.

“Rory, you should have told us.” Luna’s blue eyes were wet with tears. “To let us find out through our neighbor, Sir Hector! We were so embarrassed when he showed us the notice in The Times. We had to pretend we already knew.”

“Aye, we weren’t about to give the auld clootie the satisfaction,” Maxwell growled.

Rory blinked. Who would have thought Hector even subscribed to The Times? He was such a rampant supporter of all things Scottish.

“He took great pleasure in reading out the piece in the newspaper to your mother,” his father said gruffly. “You could have saved her that.”

“I’m sorry,” Rory said, a lump in his throat when he saw his mother wipe her eyes. “I didn’t realize it was something I would ever need to tell you. I thought it was temporary and everything would soon return to normal.”

He heard a choke of laughter and noticed Aunt Jennie and Uncle James exchanging an amused look. “What he says is true,” Jennie spoke up. “As I told you last night, Maxwell, Rory really did believe he would return to his former carefree existence once he had Grace settled.”

Luna’s face darkened. “Did she not let him then? I want a word with this lassie.”

“No,” Jennie said firmly, “it wasn’t Grace’s doing, sister. Rory changed his mind.” She raised her eyebrows, a sign he should carry on.

Rory nodded. “I did. I fell in love with her,” he said, and the words felt strange in his mouth and yet also very right. “She is everything to me. I love Grace, and now I don’t want her to go.”

There was a long silence. He had rendered his parents speechless. Then he heard a sound behind him, a soft gasp, and with his heart jumping in his chest, he turned his head.

Grace was standing in the doorway, her expression amazed and her eyes wide as she stared at him.

Rory supposed he could make a joke, or decide he had an urgent appointment with his horse, but he knew that would be cowardly. He had to tell his wife the truth, even if she did not love him, because he could not hold the words in any longer.

“Grace,” he said. “Wife.”

She came toward him, her eyes on his face. If she knew his parents were watching, then she had forgotten, or maybe they had ceased to exist in this world where there was just Rory and Grace.

“Did you mean it?” she asked, her voice trembling on the edge of hope. Here was the woman who had never felt special to her father or to her treacherous lover. “Do you love me? Are you going to—to keep me, Rory?”

He heard Luna make a sound at her words, and Rory’s own heart ached when he thought of what Grace’s life had been like, and how much he wanted to make it better from now on.

“My dear lass,” he said roughly, “I plan to keep you until we are both old and grey. If you will have me?”

“Yes, I will have you,” she said, and flung herself into his arms. “Oh yes, please!”

Rory held her tight, and it was only a little later, when he looked up, that he realized his whole family were crying tears of happiness.

Epilogue

They were late for the birth of Callum and Penelope’s child. The roads had been impassable in some places, and the coach had broken down once or twice, but they were here at last. Bonnyrigg Castle. Home.

It was Cat who ran to meet them as soon as they entered the great hall. “You’re too late!” she declared, even while she was hugging her brother. “Penelope has had her baby and ’tis a bonnie wee lass! I thought Father would be disappointed, but he was so pleased.”

“There is nothing wrong with girls,” Rory assured her. “I have three of them, so I should know.”

Cat laughed as Grace squeezed his arm with a smile. “It’s true,” she said. “My two sisters are living with us. They are staying with Jennie while we are away.”

“Introduce me to your wife, Rory,” Cat demanded.

Rory obliged. “This is Grace, and this is my high-handed sister, Catriona.”

“Everyone calls me Cat,” she said, tossing back her auburn hair. “I am so glad to meet you, Grace. I never thought Rory would find a woman who would put up with him, but here you are.”