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Because the fact was that Olivia liked Rory, she liked him very much, and he knew it would not take much effort on his part to send her tumbling head over heels in love with him. Marriage would follow. He would have the wealthy wife he had promised himself.
But as she was falling in love with Rory, he was falling in love with her. She might be spoiled and her view of the world might be very different to Rory’s—just as his upbringing had been so very different from hers—but there was a swee
tness about her, a generosity of spirit and a goodness of heart, and that as well as her physical beauty soon won him over.
Loving her brought complications he had never envisaged. If she found out the truth then she would hate him, or abandon him, and if he showed her his home she would hate him even more. He knew this from memories of his mother, who had never been happy at Invermar. That made it easy for him to imagine the look on Olivia’s lovely face when confronted with the reality.
The final hurdle had been the marriage settlement. Mr Willoughby had given Rory a ‘small sum’ as he called it, which made Archie’s eyes pop when he saw the figure, but the bulk of Olivia’s inheritance remained firmly in her father’s hands. Rory, with nothing but debts in his family’s name, wondered what on earth he could offer in return. His father had come up with the idea of some land his dead mother had brought to her own marriage. It was on the west coast and rocky and barely habitable, but the situation was beautiful all the same. There was mention of it in A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, a travel book published in 1775 by Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, which impressed Mrs Willoughby. It was duly signed over to Olivia.
Rory knew the ‘small sum’ would be enough to make a start on repairing the castle, and his father seemed to think his son would be able to talk Olivia into paying for the rest when the time came. “She loves you, lad!” he declared. “She’ll want to please you.”
In no time at all the couple were married and living in Mockingbird Square.
Rory had been telling himself that he would confess the truth to his new wife once they were married, but now the time had come he found it more difficult than he’d expected. So he waited, and then he waited a little longer, until he wondered how he could ever tell her without destroying her love for him.
His father hadn’t understood. Now his son was married and rich by association, he was expecting him to return to Scotland and do what he had said he would do.
“Give me time,” Rory had told his father. “I need time to win Olivia over. She will have to spend a great deal of her money to restore Invermar Castle to what it once was.”
His father had stared hard at him. “She doesn’t know? Rory, I thought you had told her, lad!” Then, suspecting the reason for his son’s reluctance, “It’s different to your mother, son. This girl isn’t like her you know. She won’t pine away—she’s a determined little thing.”
Rory’s mother had hated Invermar.
Archie tried to hide his disappointment, making his son feel even more guilty at the delay. “Ah well, take your time, lad, just don’t leave it too long.”
Rory loved Invermar, it was his home. He pictured it, rising on the shore of the loch, all of that falling stone and rotten woodwork. When there was a flood the year before, the water had entered the castle and roared through the lower floor, causing more damage.
Yes, he loved the castle, but he knew that the Maclean stronghold was not a sight to gladden anyone’s heart, especially not Olivia’s. She was used to the very best, to living a comfortable and easy life, cushioned by her wealth and good fortune. Just like his mother she would hate Invermar. And more to the point, she would hate him.
His father had visited a month later, looking more careworn, and admired the Mockingbird Square town house. “Very nice,” he’d said, with a sideways glance at his son. “Although London has an awful lot of people crammed into a small space. I’m not sure I could abide living here.”
Later, when his father reminded him again about coming home, Rory had diverted his thoughts. When Archie was leaving, he’d clapped his son on his back. “Don’t wait too long to come home, will you?” Although Archie’s smile was understanding, there was a shadow lurking in his eyes. A secret he was carrying on his own.
Rory hadn’t asked the questions he knew he should. Torn between feelings of guilt and relief, he knew he must tell Olivia first, and soon. Time was running out, and he could feel it.
In the end it was Mr Willoughby who brought his house of cards crashing down. He had been making enquiries, it seemed, and was angry he hadn’t done so much earlier. But Invermar was isolated and even Mr Willoughby’s extensive business dealings did not reach very far into Scotland—if they had he would have known the facts long ago. He had hired someone, Rory learned later. A spy. And now he had the evidence he had arrived in Mockingbird Square to lay it before his daughter.
When Rory had walked in on the pair of them in the sitting room, he’d seen at once the satisfied expression on his father-in-law’s face and the white, frozen look on his wife’s. There were signs of tears.
“Olivia knows now,” Mr Willoughby had informed him with barely suppressed fury. “You are a fortune hunter, sir. I know about your wretched castle and your debts. I even know about your plan to ensnare my daughter on the day you met. Your father is not very discreet.” He showed his teeth in a smile that made Rory want to punch him in the nose.
“It’s not what you think,” he said instead, and knew it wasn’t enough.
Mr Willoughby turned his back. “Olivia will be returning home to those who love her. She has asked me to leave the two of you alone for a moment, so that she can discuss these . . . matters with you.” He glanced at his daughter, his hard features softening with love and pity. “I will be close by, my dear.”
Afterwards, there had been a terrible silence. By then Olivia had turned her face away and even when he called her name, she had not turned it back. He went to touch her shoulder and she flinched, but at least she’d finally looked at him.
Their eyes met.
It was utterly different from that first time at the burn. She appeared hurt beyond words, and whereas once she had been dazzled by him, now she hated him.
His wife would never trust him again, and he had killed her love stone dead.
Even as he tried to explain he knew it was no use so he’d stopped trying. Over the past week she had closed her door to him and told him to ‘Go away’, and he knew that was what he must do.
He looked about him, and realised he was in Mockingbird Square. Monkstead was gone, and he could not remember when that had happened or what he had said before he left.
With a sigh, Rory began to move toward Number Nine. If Olivia was still there then he would tell her of his decision. He loved her and so he must do the only thing it was in his power to do to make her happy.
