For Love or Loyalty: The MacGregor Legacy | Book 1 (28 page)

This time when Dr. Drake poked at Lauren and rolled her over, the experience wasn’t as painful. He asked a few questions and nodded at her answers. Malcolm waited in the parlor, while Iona stayed in the chamber with her.

Afterward, Dr. Drake left her chamber and spoke to Malcolm outside her door. She could hear the rumble of their voices as Iona helped her rebutton her blouse.

“He seemed quite pleased with how well yer ribs are healin’,” Iona said. She rubbed her hands in obvious excitement. “I have been prayin’ for ye, lass. An’ the good Lord has seen fit to answer my prayers.”

“I appreciate all ye’ve done.” Lauren touched her arm. “And for keeping my confidence. I am sure it is not easy, especially with a son like Malcolm asking so many questions.”

“ ’Tis the least I could do.” Iona’s smile faded, and she looked down at her feet. “We all know it would not have happened if I would have stayed at Mallard Plantation. No one in their right mind would have dragged an auld woman like me to a bordello.”

“Iona, ’twas not yer fault.” Lauren gripped her shoulders. “Please, do not think on it. The whole thing will make ye mad. Believe me, I know.”

“I want ye to know Malcolm only asks about ye because he cares.” Iona’s brown eyes met hers, and Lauren sensed the concern of a mother’s heart. “In fact, I have never known him to be so worried ’bout anyone afore.”

“I know. Malcolm is a wonderful man.” Lauren stepped back and glanced at the closed door. “I admit I did not realize it at first, but now I have no doubt.”

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Lauren called.

“Dr. Drake has left.” Malcolm peered around the door. “He said ye’re well enough to travel. The sooner we are out o’ here, the better.” He held up a rolled parchment tied with a black ribbon. “He also brought us a map. Would ye mind helping me read some of the markings?”

“Coming.” Lauren gripped her skirt and joined Malcolm in the kitchen where he unrolled the map. He spread the ends out on the table and set small spice jars at the corners.

“I shall make us some tea.” Iona sailed past them to the cooking pot and poured water from a pitcher.

“Here we are in Charles Towne.” Malcolm pointed to an area of the map indicating a port city. “I have seen the name enough to recognize it.”

“If ye would allow me, I could teach ye to read,” Lauren offered, hoping he wouldn’t be offended.

“There is naught I would love more.” His grin widened as if he had been waiting for her to make the offer. No pride lurked in his expression. He leaned close and lowered his voice. “I look forward to the time it will bring us together.”

“I shall be teaching ye with yer mither,” Lauren whispered. “I plan to take up her lessons where we left off back in Scotland.”

“Can I not have private lessons?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Nay,” Lauren shook her head, smiling. “I must conserve my strength and teach ye both at once.”

She knew her face flushed from Malcolm’s flirtations, but she couldn’t help it. The man affected her in ways no one else ever had. Now that he had made his peace with God, he fit all her dreams in a husband. His lack of fortune still wouldn’t be good enough for her father, but that didn’t matter here in the colonies. What if she never saw her father again? The thought didn’t pain her as much as the fear of never seeing Malcolm again.

“Indeed, ye’re right as usual.” Malcolm twisted his lips and ap-
peared to contemplate the matter.

“Malcolm, stop teasing the lass and let her take a look at that map.” Iona winked at Lauren as she pulled down three mugs from a shelf.

“This is Wilmington—about one hundred eighty miles from here,” Lauren said. “If we can travel twenty-five to thirty miles a day, we could make it in six or seven days.”

“Looks like we will have to cross some waterways.” Malcolm pointed at the water canals and rivers.

“We could try to purchase tickets to sail north. Would that be easier?” Lauren asked.

“Aye, it might be easier, but then we would have to wait for a ship goin’ that way.” Malcolm folded his arms. “We need money for the tickets, an’ we might have to leave behind some of the things we have acquired an’ start over again.”

“But we would not have to worry about Indians, wild beasts, and criminals on the road.” All of a sudden, the thought of traveling by land sounded daunting. Lauren wasn’t sure she was up to it. “Will there even be roads in some places? Or will we be forced to traipse through the wilderness without any path?”

“According to Dr. Drake, the roads are more like pathways, but I am sure others have gone this route afore.” Malcolm shrugged. “ ’Tis too dangerous for ye to stay here, Lauren, an’ I will not risk yer safety. We need to leave as soon as possible, an’ I do not want anyone to know we are leavin’.”

“Do not forget that Carleen already took this route.” Iona poured tea in each cup. “We have multiple reasons for this trip. Mayhap we will meet up with people along the way who may have seen her.”

Guilt tore at Lauren’s conscience. How could she have forgotten about Carleen? Iona and Malcolm had put off this trip to rescue and take care of her, and here she complained about the discomfort of such a journey. She should be doing everything in her power to help them. What if Carleen had suffered a similar fate as hers or was beaten daily by a horrible overseer? What if her owner lied about her welfare in his letter?

“Ye’re right.” Lauren rubbed her lips together, determined to change her behavior.

“I plan to go out an’ purchase a traveling trunk,” Malcolm said. “Can ye both share it?”

“Of course.” Iona nodded. “We do not have that much. Ye would not mind, would ye, lass?”

“Nay.” Lauren shook her head, determined not to be more of a burden. Eventually she would have to find a way to support herself or return home to Scotland. The thought brought a twinge of pain to her chest, but what were her options? Malcolm said that he loved her but had not proposed.

“I would like to post a letter to my father before we leave,” she said.

“Ye intend to return home?” Malcolm gave her a stricken look. Lauren wasn’t sure if he was angry or disgusted that she still harbored sentiment for his great enemy—even if Duncan Campbell was her father. Malcolm straightened, staring at her. “The way ye’ve been talkin’, I thought ye had set yer mind on stayin’ here in the colonies.”

Lauren sat on the wagon seat next to Iona. After Malcolm returned home with their trunk, she and Iona packed their clothes and other possessions, but neither of them would allow Lauren to help with anything else.

Malcolm made a soft feather mattress and set it in the wagon bed for her. He wanted her to begin her journey lying on it, but she refused, saying she would lie down when she was tired or as the ground grew too bumpy and jarred her. Every few minutes he kept glancing in her direction. He wore a frown that made her uncomfortable. While his displeasure bothered her, she hated the thought of being in that covered wagon longer than necessary.

“Lad, stop glaring at the lass like that.” Iona patted his arm. “I daresay, if Lauren begins to feel poorly, she will go inside an’ lie down. Now let her enjoy the sunshine.”

“Ye do not know her like I do.” He shifted on his seat. “Back on the ship, she worked herself to the bone. She does not know when to take proper rest or nourishment.”

“That is not so,” Lauren said. “People were dying and depending on me. This is quite different.”

She adjusted her bonnet to shield her eyes from the sun as they climbed a hill. They were three hours past Charles Towne, and Lauren estimated the time to be midmorning. Her stomach grumbled in spite of the porridge she consumed before they left. She figured it was a good sign that she was mending.

The sound of birds chirping in the trees, the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves, and the rolling of the wagon wheels were enough to lull anyone to sleep. Lauren longed for conversation. She had spent too much time in her chamber alone, even though Iona and Malcolm often came to visit.

It felt wonderful to be outdoors again, breathing in the fresh air. The bordello had reeked of too many stenches she wished would leave her memory. She filled her lungs with the aroma of pine trees, grass, and earth. It was refreshing now that breathing no longer hurt.

“I believe the country suits me.” She smiled, looking up at the blue sky, glad there wasn’t a cloud around.

“This is beyond country,” Iona said, her face taking on an unpleasant expression. “ ’Tis pure wilderness. For myself, I would prefer a few neighbors, mind ye, nice neighbors.”

“I would not.” Malcolm shook his head. “Look at all this vast land. ’Tis waitin’ to be explored.” He gestured to the empty field around them. A mixture of wild daisies, dandelions, and small yellow flowers nestled among the tall grass. “I could see a beautiful farm with grazing animals. ’Twould be a pity for people to ruin it with houses so close together one could not fit a carriage between them or with roads going in all directions.”

“Aye, I think ye’re right, Malcolm.” Lauren gripped the seat to steady her balance. “I would much rather have my home someplace out here.” She wanted to add the words “with you” but dared not. Instead, her gaze rested on Malcolm’s eyes, willing him to see the love she harbored for him. They stared at each other over his mother’s gray head.

“Do ye really feel that way, lass?” He dipped his head toward her, his hat casting his hopeful expression in the shade. “I thought ladies loved being ’round society an’ all the parties?”

“I thought ye knew me better than that by now.” She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her tone. After traveling halfway around the world and enduring so much together, did he not know that society could never dictate her actions or be her self-fulfillment? “ ’Tis one of the things I always enjoyed about Kilchurn Manor. Our remote lands were well away from big cities like Edinburgh and Galloway.”

At the mention of Kilchurn, his smile faded, and he turned to face the terrain in front of them. Lauren wondered if it was because it reminded him of her father or if he missed Scotland and his brothers. What was he thinking?

“Kilchurn always was such a lovely place,” Iona said. “Too bad the castle is now crumbling.”

“Aye, the place has so much history to it.” Lauren nodded. “Do ye miss Scotland, Malcolm?”

“Do ye?”

His clipped words confused her, and she looked down, folding her hands on her lap. “Not as much as I thought I would. Other than my forced stay at the bordello, I like it here in the colonies. But I do miss my wee sister, Blair.”

“What about yer da?” He gripped the reins, clutching his hands into fists. “Do ye plan to go back home to ’im?”

“I do not know. He has not come for me, and I wrote him again before we left.” The reminder of her father’s neglect stung her heart. “I am not sure why I would want to go home to a family that has not bothered to try and find me or at least return my letters.”

“Och, lass!” Iona wrapped a thin arm around her shoulders. “Mayhap he has tried to write ye an’ somethin’ happened to it. Too many things can go wrong across that huge ocean.” She squeezed Lauren in a hug. “He might have even come after ye, an’ that is why ye have not received a letter. It took us a lot of lookin’ to find ye in that terrible bordello ye was in.”

“Mither is right, Lauren.” Malcolm’s voice softened. She wasn’t sure what had caused the transformation in his tone, but she appreciated his compassion. “Duncan loves ye. I am sure of it.”

“I know ye do not like him, Malcolm. And ye have every right to be cross with him, but please understand he is still my father.” Lauren looked out at the woods and a shimmering lake in the distance. “I do not really know how to support myself here in the colonies. I may be forced to leave.”

“Ye’ll always have a place in our home. Right?” Iona elbowed him in the ribs. He didn’t seem to mind as he nodded.

“Aye, so quit frettin’ about goin’ back.” He adjusted his hat lower over his forehead. “Ye’ll stay with us. Of course, ’twill not be as fancy as ye’re used to, but I shall do my best by ye.”

“Ye worry too much, lass.” Iona covered Lauren’s hands. “None o’ us will see ye cast into the streets.” She patted Lauren. “Let us think on something more pleasant. Would ye mind readin’ the letters again?”

“Of course not.” Lauren took the folded pieces of paper Iona handed her.

Dear Sister,

I cannot begin to explain the relief and joy we all felt at receiving your letter. We are pleased to know you are alive and well. None of us had any doubt that Malcolm would find you. We will continue to pray you both find Carleen. Be encouraged and do not give up hope.

Both your sons made it here safe. I will be honest. The travel was tough on Graham in his condition. Thomas took excellent care of him, and our physician assures us he is healing well. I have arranged a tutor for both lads. Soon they will be able to write you by their own hands. I have enclosed a letter from Thomas.

Please write soon and do not keep us in suspense of your success in finding Carleen.

Your brother,

Athol Ferguson

Lauren refolded the first letter and unfolded the second letter. She cleared her throat and began reading.