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He cast her a sharp glance before looking back at Royal. “You’re absolutely sure you need to do this?”
“I am.”
“All right, then,” he said with a nod. “I’ll do whatever I can to support you and keep Lady Ainsley’s secret. We all will.”
“It won’t be easy, Nick,” Royal said, relieved but wanting to be sure. “It could get ugly. The denizens of Glasgow might even snub us.”
“Horrors,” Victoria murmured with a gleam of amusement.
Nick raised a lordly eyebrow. “Nobody snubs a Kendrick, and that includes my brotherandmy niece.”
Royal had to struggle with his emotions for a moment before he could answer. “Thank you, Nick. You cannot know what this means to me.”
“I will always have your back, laddie,” his brother said quietly. “Always.”
Victoria gave her husband a resounding kiss. “You are truly the most splendid man, my lord. Thank you.”
“Was there ever a doubt? Of course we’ll support ye, lad,” Angus said firmly. “That’s what clan and family does. And now that we’ve got that sorted, how about lettin’ me hold the wee bairn? After all, sheismy first great-grandchild.”
As if startled by the notion of joining a rambunctious Highland clan, Tira came fully awake. She screwed up her face, preparing to howl.
“Here,” Royal said, carefully handing her over to Angus. “She’s all yours, Grandda. By the way, I think she might need changing, too.”
Chapter Seven
Glasgow
September 1817
“That’s enough for today, laddie,” Logan said as he strolled into Royal’s office. “You’re working yourself to the bone, and I won’t have you falling ill on my watch.”
His half-brother still talked to Royal like he was a boy. Logan was seven years older and also a giant of a man, so he supposed most men must seem like boys to him.
“You’re worse than Victoria,” Royal said. “Fussing like an old woman.”
“I’m under strict orders from her ladyshipnotto let you overwork.”
“Frightened of a wee lass like Victoria, are you?”
“She may be wee, but she’s mighty. I’d rather face a pack of hungry wolves than Victoria in a snit.” Logan settled into the chair fronting Royal’s desk. The wood protested under the weight of his large frame.
“True enough,” Royal said. “When Victoria works up a good scold, the only thing a man can do is surrender.”
“We both know she’s usually right,” Logan said as he flipped shut a ledger on Royal’s desk. “There’s no need for all these long hours, my boy. Truly.”
“I am a bit tired, I’ll admit,” Royal said, rubbing his eyes. “But we need to get the rest of the warehouse inventoried before the next shipment arrives from Halifax.”
Logan shrugged. “Just say the word, and I’ll hire another clerk to help you.”
“No need. I’m almost finished with the current goods, anyway.”
After all his steadfast refusals to work at Kendrick Shipping and Trade, Royal had discovered that he did have a talent for organizing and numbers. It made him the perfect man to help his brother set up the Scottish branch of the business. Royal and Tira were now settled with Logan in the family mansion in Glasgow, and had been for the last three months. It was not the life he’d ever thought to have, but he was finding a sense of purpose and even peace in it.
“I’m sure Tira misses you,” Logan said. “You should go home earlier.”
“She’s more likely to miss Angus,” Royal said dryly. “Or the blasted dogs.”
Tira was the real reason he’d moved to Glasgow and taken up work with his brother. Her entry into his life had been a cataclysm that required major adjustments—and planning for the future. Royal had never expected to be a father, much less a sole parent, but he’d come to love Tira more than he’d ever thought possible. She was his daughter, and he’d do anything to protect her, no matter the sacrifice.
