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“All right, but I could never think poorly of him,” Sabrina replied.
“Good for you. But hold on, because it’s going to get a bit rough for a few minutes.”
Sabrina drew in a deep breath to calm her suddenly shaky nerves. “I’m ready.”
Ainsley nodded. “Angus has told you bits and pieces, but he’s mostly been talking around the edges. You’re aware, of course, that Nick and Logan are the offspring of the old earl and his first wife.”
“Yes. Angus told me that his daughter was the old earl’s second wife.”
“Correct. The second Lady Arnprior was devoted to her husband and her new family. From what Royal tells me, she was truly a saintly woman. Life at Kinglas, for the most part, was happy.”
Sabrina ticked up an eyebrow. “For the most part?”
“The old earl was quite old-fashioned and expected much from his sons. He could be rather hard on them.” Ainsley let out a sigh. “Especially Graeme.”
“How . . . how hard?”
“Hard enough to leave a mark, now and again.”
Sabrina mentally cringed. While he’d no doubt been a handful, she could easily imagine Graeme as an adorable, fiery-haired imp. The notion of raising one’s hand to a child broke her heart.
“Poor little boy,” she softly said.
“Unfortunately, it’s sometimes the way of things between fathers and sons. But you mustn’t think it was truly bad. Lady Arnprior was a splendid mother, and the family thrived.” Ainsley hesitated. “Until they didn’t.”
“What happened?”
“Lady Arnprior died giving birth to Kade, the youngest boy, and the effect on the family was profound.”
Sabrina had few memories of her own mother—flashes of golden hair, softly scented kisses, and glimmers of barely remembered smiles. Mamma’s passing had echoed down through the years, taking a toll on her father, and through him to her.
“Yes, I can imagine.”
“Lord Arnprior never recovered. He died two years later, after a fall from his horse. Nick became laird and clan chief, although he’d effectively been running things since his stepmother’s death.”
“I cannot imagine the pressure on the poor man.”
“It gets worse, I’m sorry to say. Not long after his father’s death, Nick married his childhood sweetheart.”
Sabrina blinked. “I didn’t realize he’d been previously married.”
“It was a sad situation. Nick’s first wife was not in good health and died young. They had a lovely little boy, though. Nick was devoted to wee Cameron, as were his uncles. The lad was their shining light through very dark times.”
Sabrina’s stomach turned hollow as a bell. Lord Arnprior now had only one child, Rowena. “What happened?”
“Cameron died in a drowning accident at Castle Kinglas. Nick wasn’t there, but the brothers were. They tried to save little Cam, but Logan, Royal, the twins . . . Well, there was nothing to be done. That final tragedy essentially destroyed Nick and the family.”
It took Sabrina a few moments to choke back tears. “I’m so, so sorry. Poor Lord Arnprior.”
Ainsley let out a weary sigh. “Indeed. Nick felt unable to remain at Kinglas after the tragedy, so he joined one of the Highland regiments and went off to war. Royal joined the same regiment to keep an eye on his big brother. Nick thankfully emerged from that carnage without a scratch, but my poor husband barely survived.”
Sabrina winced. “I knew he was injured, but I had no idea how badly.”
“Royal hates being the object of anyone’s pity.”
“I can understand that. But where does Graeme fit into this? Did the twins fight in the war, too?”
“The younger lads remained at Kinglas, with Angus in charge. In hindsight, it was not the wisest of decisions, especially when it came to the twins. Angus could never bring himself to discipline the lads. Not after all they’d been through.”
