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Royal would lay waste to Cringlewood’s entire life and kill him, if necessary. But without Ainsley and Tira,hislife would be a hollow shell. No matter what he had to do, he would get them back.
“Logan’s right,” Angus said. “Your lady is a canny one. And she’ll know we’re coming for her.”
Royal hoped so, but her last words to Angus had suggested exactly the opposite. He wouldn’t blame her for doubting his loyalty. Yesterday, he’d been angry and critical when he should have been reassuring her. Ainsley knew Cringlewood better than anyone, and she knew what he was capable of doing. Every action she took—even the lies she told—was to protect herself and Tira.
But Royal’s pride had been wounded by what he saw as her lack of faith in him. So he’d cut her off, leaving her alone and vulnerable when she needed him the most.
As usual, Logan also deduced what he was thinking. “Stop beating yourself up. We’ll get them back, and then we’ll get you all out of town. We have a plan, so let’s just stick to it and get the job done.”
Royal managed a smile. “Have I told you lately how happy I am that you’re back in Scotland?”
“We’re Clan Kendrick, lad,” Angus said. “We dinna give up on each other, and we never back down from a fight.”
“True, Grandda,” Logan said, “but I share Royal’s concerns about you. You got quite the knock on the head.”
“Och, I’ve had worse. And I want my own piece of that bastard.”
“Cringlewood is mine,” Royal said. “No one touches him but me.”
Angus bristled before Logan shut him down. “Grandda, from what you told us, there will be plenty of heads to knock about. Just do what Royal tells you, all right?”
The old man harrumphed. “I dinna ken about this plan of yers. Seems a mite risky.”
“You’re not the one taking the risk,” Royal said.
“Exactly my point,” Angus said. “That leg of yers isn’t up to it.”
“I just need to buy us the time for Logan and the other men to get into the house. It shouldn’t take long, if everything goes well.”
“And everything always goes so well in this family, ye ken,” Angus retorted.
“We don’t have a choice,” Royal said. “If Cringlewood gets them out of Scotland, it’ll be almost impossible to get Tira back.”
And that meant he would never get Ainsley back. She would never leave her daughter again.
“I’d feel better if Nick were here,” Angus said. “His bloody lordship would have to pay heed to the Earl of Arnprior.”
“We’d all feel better if Nick were here,” Royal said. “But he should be in town tomorrow, so he can take care of the cleanup.”
Logan peered out the window. “We’re close enough, I think. Best signal the coachman.”
After Royal thumped on the roof of the carriage, it slowed to a stop. Logan opened the door and jumped down to the side of the deserted road. Royal followed more carefully—he couldn’t afford to aggravate his bad leg, with everything that was at stake.
“Angus isn’t wrong,” Logan quietly said. “That leg of yours could be our undoing.”
“I’ll manage. I have to. They’d never let me keep a pistol, for one thing. And we also need a gambit that gives you enough time to get into the house and take control.”
His older brother sighed. “Aye, well, I suppose a half-baked plan is better than no plan at all, given the lack of time.”
When Royal and Logan returned from their offices, they’d found the household in chaos. William was barely conscious and Angus was staggering about, raging and bloody. The several minutes it had taken to get a clear measure of the situation had been the longest of Royal’s life. If not for Logan holding him back, he would have charged out of the house like a maniac, tearing Glasgow apart in a fruitless effort to find Ainsley and Tira.
Fortunately, Henderson had recalled that Ainsley’s mother had stayed with a cousin, Lady Montgomery, in her manor house just on the outskirts of town. Logan had saddled a horse and ridden there, sneaking through the gardens and peering into windows until he spotted Ainsley in one of the drawing rooms. She appeared unharmed. As Cringlewood and two of his men were also present, Logan had little choice but to return to Kendrick House with the news.
That delay, as nerve-racking as it was, had given Royal the time needed to put a plan in place.
Henderson hurried over from the second carriage, now pulled up behind them. The butler had been included in their foray because he was friendly with Lady Montgomery’s butler and housekeeper. Royal thought his presence—along with four well-armed Kendrick footmen and grooms—should be enough to give Logan the support he needed in both convincing Lady Montgomery’s servants to stand down and neutralizing Cringlewood’s hired thugs.
“All right, let’s do this,” Logan said as he extracted a pistol from his greatcoat pocket. He pulled Royal into a brief hug. “Good luck, lad. Be careful, and be safe.”
