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Roger inclined his head to her and then went about finding servants to escort her and Florence to two guest rooms. Elspeth kept her concerns to herself as she and her daughter went about getting settled, but she worried what their reception at dinner would be like. If Roger’s reaction to Florence was any indication, it might not be as welcoming of a homecoming as she was hoping for.
***
“Whit a harrowing story! It is amazing ye two made it out o’ such a nightmare alive.”
Elspeth nodded to Ellen, Roger’s pretty wife, who was gazing across the dinner table at her with wide eyes.
“Aye, it was quite terrifying,” Elspeth admitted. “I was determined we should escape, though. I would no’ let them harm ma daughter.”
“Aye, indeed,” Roger slowly nodded, sliding his gaze toward Florence, who sat next to Elspeth quietly. Elspeth could not tell what he was thinking, but it unnerved her how he kept giving Florence such suspicious looks. “Tis lucky ye escaped. Is it not, Angus?”
The young man sitting across from Florence glanced up from his meal with a furrowed brow, but then nodded.
“Aye, da. Quite lucky.”
“Whit do ye plan tae do now?” Ellen asked. “Are ye going tae reclaim yer title as a Laird?”
Elspeth shook her head, quickly saying, “Nay. I have been away far tae long, and my desire is just to live peacefully wi’ Florence.”
“Here?” Roger bluntly questioned.
Elspeth blinked, taken aback, but she managed to reply, “I had no’ thought tae much on the matter, but as this is now yer home, I would no’ imagine taking it…”
“Though yer daughter is the rightful heir tae the keep,” he pointed out, somewhat forcefully. "When she comes o’ age, she could claim it for herself and push us out if she so wished.”
Silence settled over the dinner table. Elspeth could sense how tense Florence had become. She herself was angry that Roger would throw such an accusation at her daughter without bothering to know her at all.
“Florence would nae do that,” she insisted in a soft, cool tone. “Even if she is technically the legal heir o’ this land, she would no’ drive a family from their home.”
Roger did not appear as though he believed her, and Ellen looked rather startled by the direction the conversation had taken.
“Ye say that now,” Roger snapped. “But whit is tae stop her from changing her mind?”
She glanced toward Florence. Her daughter’s jaw hung open in shock as she stared at their host in clear disbelief. Anger burned within her eyes, but they also began to fill with tears that Florence began to fight to hold back.
Elspeth clenched her jaw. “Me daughter is a good and righteous person.”
Ellen reached over and placed her hand over her husband’s. “This is no’ something that needs tae be discussed now.”
“There is always the option o’ marriage,” Roger declared, ignoring his wife’s words. “If she married a member o’ the residing family, she would inherit the property immediately, but we would at least be assured that we maintain our home.”
Florence let out a shocked gasp and Elspeth shot to her feet, slamming her hands on the table as her temper flared. Roger and his family appeared momentarily frightened by what she was certain was a fierce scowl on her face, but she fought to control her temper before she spoke.
“I am rather tired,” she said in a soft voice, taking a deep breath. “Florence and I will retire for the evening. Excuse us.”
Florence did not need to be told twice. She jumped to her feet and followed after Elspeth as she turned and stormed from the dining room.
“Ma!” the girl hissed once they were clear of the doorway. “Whit were they talking about? Do they expect me tae marry their son?”
Elspeth did not slow her steps but replied, “Dinnae think aboot it. They are merely frightened and speaking nonsense.”
“But…but will they be forced out?”
Elspeth glanced back at Florence and noted her worried expression. “Nay, sweet girl. Even if ye do inherit the place, ye can let them stay for as long as they wish. It will be up tae ye.”
“That hardly seems fair,” Florence murmured. “I did no’ even grow up here.”
Elspeth winced at that. “True…but it is still our family’s home.”
