AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He wished he could tell Robert MacAndrew that he would never work for him again. He had seen how difficult it had been for him to control himself, and he knew he might not be able to stop himself next time. If he had not needed the money, Angus might have considered leaving the Laird’s service forever, but he had a wife and children to feed, so he would just have to grin and bear it. Nevertheless, he was not a happy man.
14
Crissy was pleased to see that Grace’s spirits had risen a little, and even though she was not quite as cheerful as it was in her nature to be, she had improved a little from the miserable state she had been in the day before.
“Ye seem a wee bit more cheery today, hen,” she remarked, smiling. “More like your usual self.”
“I had a long talk with William, and he has promised to help me get myself out of this marriage,” Grace was smiling as she spoke. “Crissy, suddenly I hate this place. I want to go home with you.”
Crissy sighed and frowned. “Well, that will no’ be for a wee while yet,” she reminded Grace. “An’ Laird MacAndrew will no’ make it easy for ye, hen.”
“He will likely put every obstacle in my way that he possibly can, Crissy,” Grace acknowledged, “but I have to try. William will do what he can, although I have no idea how he can help. I have faith in him, though.”
“Does the Laird know ye feel this way, hen?” Crissy asked.
“I don’t think so, Crissy,” Grace answered. Then she smiled. “I do have one thing to thank him for, though. My lovely horse, Rosie. She will definitely be coming with me when I go back home.”
Crissy noticed the word ‘when,’ and wondered whether‘if’would be more appropriate. After all, nothing was certain yet. Crissy was due to go home in two weeks and wanted to see Grace’s future settled before she went. She knew that she would not be able to feel at ease otherwise.
* * *
Grace knew that Fergus was going to be eating with them that evening, so she dressed carefully in a rust-colored gown which she knew brought out the color of her eyes and made them sparkle. She never usually dressed so carefully for Robert, but then, he was not the man she loved.
When she stepped into the dining room, Robert pulled out a chair for her. “You look lovely, Grace,” he observed, smiling at her. “That color suits you very well.”
Grace was surprised. It looked like a very genuine compliment, and she was not used to these from Robert. Nevertheless, she stayed on her guard. Robert was as changeable as the wind in winter.
“Thank you, Robert,” she answered, sitting down. “That’s very kind of you.” She could smell the aroma of cooking meat, and it was making her mouth water, but she knew she would not be able to just eat and go. No, for politeness’s sake, she had to sit and endure another tedious conversation with her husband-to-be and try not to gaze at Fergus too much. It would be torture, but she would have to grin and bear it.
Presently, the door opened and Fergus came in. He had obviously washed his face and hands, but he was still wearing his working clothes, which were distinctly grimy. Grace glanced at him and then asked for a glass of wine from the manservant behind her. She needed to distract herself from the scene that she knew was about to follow.
“What in hell do you think you’re doing?” Robert shot to his feet and looked his brother up and down with a withering appraisal. “Look at the state of you! How dare you come to eat in a state like that? It’s the height of poor manners! Is it not, Grace?”
Grace could think of no answer, unwilling to put Fergus in a worse position than the one he was already in. She looked down at her hands on the table and gave a faint nod.
Fergus shrugged, then sighed and ran a hand back through his dark hair. His expression was indifferent. “I am afraid I was too hungry to wait for my dinner,” he answered. “And too tired. Let me eat and I will rid you of my unpleasant presence.” The last words were said with deep sarcasm as he sat down, giving Grace a nod of greeting.
‘He is doing this on purpose,’she thought, giggling with glee inside. Aloud, she said: “Fergus, have you heard about the orphanage?”
The orphanage was a mission that Grace was about to start in the local village of Inverleck. Many of the children there had lost their parents when an outbreak of smallpox had swept through the village a few years before and had been begging on the street. The church had helped as much as it could; Robert, who had the means, had done nothing, however.
Fergus would have happily housed the children in one of the many unused rooms of the castle, but Robert had expressly forbidden it.
“I did hear, and I’m very glad to hear it,” Fergus replied a tone of pride in his voice. “I spoke with the minister who told me about your endeavor. Building is going as planned, and the minister’s wife has found a suitable place to accommodate the children in the meantime. It’s a disused barn on the edge of the village, which she has made habitable with the help of some of the local people. It is only a temporary solution, but it won’t be long until we can house them permanently in a place they can really call home. I’m planning on spending some time, helping there, myself,” he smiled.
“I am so glad,” Grace breathed. Fergus looked at the relief on her face; she was a truly good soul, and the orphanage could have been something worthwhile for them to do together. Once more a stab of sorrow pierced his heart; she would never be his, and that was just a pipe dream. Still, the orphanage was something real and worthwhile, and he was proud of what they had already accomplished.
Robert knew about the project, which Grace had started as soon as she met the hungry little boy on the street. He disapproved, of course, but decided to indulge his future wife; every one of his friends’ spouses had projects to keep them busy, after all. What else would she have to keep her occupied but good deeds? It was men who did all the hard work, after all.
After the first course of soup had arrived, Robert looked at his brother. “I am planning a hunt for the day after tomorrow,” he announced. “Some of the guards will accompany us, but mostly the wealthier men of the village will be taking part. I’ve heard a fine stag has been spotted in the area, and from what I have heard, he will make good eating.”
Fergus frowned. “Should you not let him breed first?” he asked. “Perhaps you should speak with the estate manager, I spoke to him and—”
Robert bristled. “I am sure he has given us many fine fawns already,” he declared. “And my estate manager answers to me, not me to you!”
Grace could see that Fergus was trying to keep his temper and that any moment now, this conversation was going to turn into a heated war of words, so she tried to intervene.
“Robert,” she said soothingly, “why do you not—”
