The Master Of Strathburn (20 page)

Lord Strathburn sighed heavily. ‘Indeed. As much as I hate to admit it, that is in fact the case. Your stepmother and brother …’ He sighed wearily and ran a hand down his face. ‘Well, let’s just say I’ve got a firm hold on the purse strings at the moment, and they are none too happy about it. Things started to go awry about a year ago when I began to hand over the management of the estate to Simon. I thought I was doing the right thing, trying to keep him busy and out of trouble. It was a grave mistake. But now that I have a new factor—Munroe is his name—keeping an eye on things, the situation is starting to improve.’

Robert nodded and glanced over toward Jessie. Their eyes met briefly but as was so often the case, she could not read his expression.

The moment passed and Robert turned his attention back to his father. When he spoke, there was a quiet determination to his voice. ‘As I said, that was part of the reason for my return. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the Strathburn estate and the fate of our clan in Simon’s hands. I know you may need time to think about it, but if there’s any chance at all that you could find it in your heart to forgive me, I would like to try to repair all the damage I have done.’ He drew a deep breath. ‘Father, will you let me come home?’

Lord Strathburn gripped Robert’s hands. ‘Of course. Nothing would make me happier than to see you back here at Lochrose. I wouldn’t have it any other way.’ He pushed himself up from his seat. ‘Now, Robert, let me call my valet, MacGowan, so that he may make your old room ready for you.’

‘Father,’ Robert rose and clasped the earl’s shoulder, staying him. ‘That would not be wise.’

Lord Strathburn frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘There may still be a price on my head. If Simon or Caroline learn of my return, they may seek to have me arrested again.’

The earl scowled. ‘They wouldn’t dare. I’d have them cast out from here faster than they could blink.’

‘Nevertheless, Father, I feel we need to exercise the utmost caution. I’m a known Jacobite—a traitor to King George. I need to seek a pardon. Until then, I will not be safe.’

Lord Strathburn sighed heavily. ‘You are right. I have been caught up in the moment and am not thinking clearly.’ He stood and clasped Robert’s arm. ‘I will write a petition straightaway that you can present to Lord Arniston, the Lord Advocate, requesting clemency. Even if you are not absolved immediately, at the very least you may be released into my custody.’

As Lord Strathburn began to walk hesitantly toward his desk, Jessie came forward, limping slightly herself. She retrieved the earl’s walking stick and offered it to him. His eyebrows lifted in surprise. ‘Miss Munroe, I have been so distracted that I’d forgotten you were here.’ He took the cane from her and patted her hand.

‘That is perfectly understandable, milord, given the circumstances,’ responded Jessie with a smile.

‘I notice you are limping. Are you hurt?’ he asked, concern clouding his eyes.

‘Only a wee bit.’ Jessie was understating the degree of pain she was now in—her ankle was fairly throbbing. ‘Perhaps if I could sit …’

‘Of course, Jessie. You should have said something sooner.’ Robert stepped forward and effortlessly guided her to one of the settees, supporting her around the waist with one of his arms. As she sank onto the chair, she chanced a glance at Lord Strathburn and noticed he was frowning fiercely.

‘Miss Munroe, how is it that you have come to be here with Robert?’ he asked with a sternness that made Jessie’s heart sink with dismay. ‘Lady Strathburn informed me that you left for Edinburgh two days ago, as there had been a family emergency of some kind.’

‘That is so, milord.’ Jessie hoped she sounded convincing. After all, she was not being entirely untruthful—there had been an emergency of sorts—but it had been her own. ‘I was planning to leave for Edinburgh to help my cousin who has taken ill. Unfortunately the public coach doesna leave until noon today.’

‘But where have you been in the meantime and how did you meet Robert?’ Lord Strathburn demanded.

Robert placed his hand on her shoulder, almost as if he was protecting her. ‘It’s complicated, Father,’ he said carefully.

‘Well perhaps you can enlighten me,’ said Lord Strathburn looking from one to the other, his gaze flinty. He was clearly unimpressed.

Quick thinking was undoubtedly required. Jessie swallowed, praying she wouldn’t sound nervous. ‘Milord … I left here to travel to Grantown-on-Spey the day before yesterday,’ she explained. ‘As you can see, I was injured—’

‘How so?’ queried the earl.

‘I sprained my ankle along the way and … Lord Lochrose and his squire came to my aid,’ Jessie admitted reluctantly. She did not want to complicate matters further by confessing that she had also been shot in the arm.

‘So you have been staying in Grantown-on-Spey with Robert all this time?’ Lord Strathburn sounded dubious.

Jessie blushed. ‘No, milord … no’ in Grantown. Mrs MacMillan suggested tha’ I stay at your hunting lodge rather than at the Strathspey Inn on my own … as it would be unseemly to stay in such a public place without a chaperone. I apologise if it was inappropriate o’ me to use your lodge, without yer express permission.’

Lord Strathburn’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. ‘Miss Munroe, I’m beginning to suspect that your sudden departure had less to do with an imminent family crisis and more to do with my son Simon. You’ve been hiding from him, haven’t you?’

Jessie’s heart began to pound and heat scalded her cheeks. She was loath to answer. If the earl continued along this vein, Robert would soon know that she had continually lied to him about her fictitious betrothal to his half-brother. Now that the moment was upon her, she couldn’t bear it.

She could feel Robert’s gaze on her face and a wave of humiliation swept over her. She wished the floor would swallow her up.

Lord Strathburn continued when she didn’t respond; his voice was now surprisingly gentle. ‘I may be old, Miss Munroe, but I have ears and eyes. This is not the first time that something like this has happened. I know what Simon is like. Unfortunately, you are not the first to have been the recipient of his … unwanted attentions.’ He moved toward Jessie and sat in a nearby armchair. ‘Believe me, my dear, I understand the situation better than you think.’

Scraping together what was left of her courage, Jessie raised her gaze to the earl’s. ‘I think it would be best fer everyone if I went to stay with my cousin, milord.’

Lord Strathburn nodded. ‘If that is what you wish, Miss Munroe, I shall do my utmost to make it so. I only wish that you had come to me for help sooner.’

Jessie sighed shakily. ‘I didna want to create a fuss, milord, or make things difficult for my father. It just seemed easier to move away …’ She glanced up at Robert.
What was he thinking?
His posture was rigid, virtually motionless save for the twitch of a muscle in his jaw. He was angry with her and she couldn’t blame him.
What a daft fool I’ve been.

As her gaze skittered away, Robert squatted down before her. ‘Jessie, is all of this true? Has Simon been forcing unwanted attentions on you?’

His deep blue eyes bore into hers and Jessie knew there would be no escaping the truth this time. Sucking in a breath, she lifted her chin and resisted the urge to look away. ‘Aye, it’s true.’

Confusion flickered in Robert’s eyes. ‘Then you lied to me about being hand-fasted to Simon. Why did you do that? I don’t understand.’

‘What? Simon and Miss Munroe are hand-fasted?’ Lord Strathburn exclaimed.

Robert glanced at his father. ‘I was led to believe that they were betrothed.’ He turned back to Jessie. ‘Tell me honestly. Is the betrothal all a lie?’

Jessie lifted her chin a fraction higher, steeling herself to admit her perfidy. ‘Aye, I lied, Robert. But I prefer to think of it as … self-preservation.’ Now that her deception had been revealed, it was if she was daring Robert to censure her for her actions.

Robert narrowed his eyes. ‘So I misinterpreted everything I saw at the loch.’

‘Yes,’ she admitted. ‘I tried to explain what had really happened that morning so many times, but I was alone and injured, an’ to be honest, more than a wee bit frightened. I didna know if you intended me harm. Then when I discovered tha’ you perceived me as a threat to yer safety, I didna think you’d believe me if I denied wha’ you had assumed to be true—tha’ I was Simon’s paramour. I know it sounds illogical, but I believed tha’ if you thought I was someone important, Simon’s betrothed, then perhaps you would see me as less … dispensable.’

‘Oh, Jessie lass. I must have come across as the worst kind of barbarian if you thought that I would harm you, just to protect myself from discovery. You should have told me that I was wrong about what I’d seen the other day.’ Robert suddenly gathered her into his arms and gently kissed her hair.

‘I couldna do it,’ she whispered into his shirt, hot tears stinging her eyelids. ‘I was too ashamed …’ Now that Robert understood how precarious her situation had been and the reason for her duplicity, an overwhelming relief washed through her. Feeling stronger, she raised her head from Robert’s shoulder and sought his gaze again. ‘Tha’ morning by the loch, Simon told me that if I didna do as he wanted, he would see tha’ my father lost his position here. But I couldna bring myself to give in to his demands … so I left. An’ you know the rest.’

Robert stroked her hair away from her face, then gently wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of his fingers. ‘You will never have to suffer his presence again, Jessie. I will make sure of that.’

She gave him a watery smile, amazed at his capacity for forgiveness. ‘I believe you.’

Lord Strathburn cleared his throat pointedly. ‘Robert, please tell me that you haven’t been staying alone with Miss Munroe for the last two nights.’

Robert turned and met his father’s gaze directly. ‘Circumstances beyond our control forced us together, Father, but let me reassure you that nothing untoward has occurred.’

‘But you have spent two nights together,’ persisted Lord Strathburn. ‘Isn’t that so, Miss Munroe?’

‘I’m afraid so, milord.’ Jessie’s whole face burned with embarrassment. ‘The first night we stayed at the hunting lodge … there was nowhere else to go, given tha’ I was injured … Although we were no’ entirely alone—Tobias, Robert’s squire, stayed at the lodge also. Then last night, when Robert and I stayed in the cave—’

Lord Strathburn’s eyebrows shot upward. ‘You what?’

Robert stood. ‘I was concerned that Simon would be out looking for Jessie with the help of dragoons or the Watch,’ he explained calmly. ‘We moved to somewhere more isolated last night to avoid detection. An encounter with the king’s men was the last thing I needed. We remained safe and no harm has been done. You need not be so concerned.’

Lord Strathburn’s expression was grim. ‘Robert, regardless of the reason, you cannot overlook the seriousness of this situation. What will Jessie’s father think when he hears of this?’

Jessie took a deep breath, praying for patience. ‘Lord Strathburn, as Robert said, no’ a thing occurred between us tha’ would be of concern—’

‘Miss Munroe, the mere fact that you have been virtually alone in the company of my son for two nights is enough to completely ruin you,’ Lord Strathburn admonished. ‘And I can see by the way Robert looks at you and holds you, that you have shared some degree of affection. You cannot deny it—it is obvious even to an old fool like me. Your father will be livid if you have been compromised, even by reputation only. I know he has high hopes of you marrying well one day. If you were my daughter, I would too.’

‘Perhaps it would be better if her father did not know then,’ suggested Robert carefully.

Lord Strathburn shook his head. ‘Lying by omission will not change the reality of the situation, Robert.’

‘You’re right, Father. But why upset Jessie’s father needlessly, if nothing has happened?’

‘Are you sure about that? Despite your assurances to the contrary, it looks to me as if something has transpired between the two of you.’

‘What are you suggesting then?’ asked Robert, a note of impatience hardening his voice.

‘There is only one course of action that will set things to right,’ said the earl gravely. His steely blue gaze was uncompromising as he glanced between Robert and Jessie. ‘You two will have to be hand-fasted.’

Jessie gasped.
Oh Lord, surely the earl was jesting.

Robert obviously thought so as well. ‘You cannot be serious.’ he burst out.

‘Oh, but indeed I am, my son,’ said Lord Strathburn, his mouth set in a determined line. ‘There is no other course of action open to you and Miss Munroe, considering the circumstances. I will not stand by and let this poor lass be ruined. You will be hand-fasted in this room, this very day, before you leave here.’

‘But, Father,’ began Robert, striding away from Jessie toward the fireplace. ‘Surely that is not fair on Jessie, given that my future is far from bright at the present moment. I am a wanted felon. I’m sure Mr Munroe would be far from happy to have his daughter betrothed to someone like me.’

‘You will be pardoned, Robert,’ the earl declared as confidently as if he was simply stating a universal truth. ‘Lord Arniston is an old friend of mine. There won’t be a problem. And after you are pardoned, you two can return here to be wed at Kilburn Kirk. And besides,’ the earl smiled down at Jessie, ‘it is a fine match for Miss Munroe. She will be a Viscountess after all. Her father will be delighted.’

Jessie’s mind was reeling, her heart galloping wildly. This attempt at matchmaking by Lord Strathburn was completely unexpected. It was heartening that he seemed so concerned for her wellbeing, but to suggest she should wed his son—it seemed unwarranted in the extreme.

She hazarded a look at Robert. What must he be thinking? He ran a hand down his face. Judging by his scowl, he was exasperated at the very least. Perhaps even furious.

When he spoke, it seemed to Jessie he was struggling to keep his tone even and measured. ‘Father, despite your faith in the Lord Advocate, there is still a significant chance that things could go awry. As I said before, I’m sure Jessie and her father would both prefer that her affianced wasn’t a man on the run, wanted for treason. I understand your concern for Jessie’s reputation, but perhaps it would be safer and wiser for a betrothal to take place after I have been pardoned.’