‘Laird Stewart has not exactly given his blessing to our union.’
Angus’s silence confirmed what Rory already knew.
‘Aye. I know. The last thing I needed was another complication, but here we are.’
‘Did yer father ever tell ye of how he and yer mother met?’ Angus asked.
Rory opened his eyes and sat up. The old man rarely spoke of Rory’s mother, and he felt a flutter in his chest when he spied Angus staring into the hearth where a small fire still flickered and flamed. He was pale, his eyes wide, and Rory swallowed to quell the dread creeping along his gut. What other surprises was he in for today?
‘Aye. They met at a ball, as I remember.’ He steeled himself for whatever was to come next.
Angus faced him while resting a weathered hand along the mantel. ‘There was a wee bit more to the story.’
‘Go on.’ Rory gripped the arms of the chair.
‘She was promised to another when they met. A man of greater means and wealth that her father had arranged when she was in braids.’ He chuckled. ‘I remember going along with yer father to that ball, and the night he met her, I knew he would do everything he could to win her. I’d never seen him in such a state.’
His father? In love?He couldn’t imagine it. His father had always been focused, serious, determined. Not emotional or romantic. While he’d always spoken fondly of his mother, who had died shortly after Rory’s birth, he’d never shown any of this heady show of affection Angus eluded to now. His father had worked through the days of his life as if he was moving through a list of items that needed to be completed in haste before his demise.
Just like I am.
Rory’s chest tightened at the realisation. Angus’s next words yanked him from his thoughts.
‘He did not tell her of his ailment. He feared the truth would set her afoot, as well it most likely would have. He wooed her to elope with him. They lived in happiness for a while until she realised he was ill.’ Angus shook his head. ‘Went into a deep quiet after that. The shine gone from her eyes. Ye brought it back though. When ye were born, it was like ye brought the sun and the stars back into her heart. She cherished ye so those days.’
‘Before she died?’
‘Aye,’ Angus answered, his voice so low that Rory almost didn’t hear it.
‘Well, I have hidden no such truth from Mrs Fraser and she still wishes to marry me. I’m unsure why you told me such a story.’
‘Because, my dear boy, a hasty but planned exit and elopement may serve yer purposes if the father will not yield openly to the union.’
Elopement?‘How could I possibly even get her out of here for such a purpose?’
‘It depends on how desperately Mrs Fraser wants out of this castle.’
‘I’m listening.’
‘There are a handful of servants here who would be more than eager to leave this post if they could be promised future work at Blackmore.’
‘And?’ Rory rested his hands on his hips.
‘So, they might be more than willing to smuggle the lady out through the servant’s entrance to our carriage without anyone being the wiser.’
‘You suggest I steal my future wife?’
Angus lifted his hands in defence. ‘Ye make it sound more sordid than it is. Ye cannot steal anyone or anything if they come willingly.’
Rory shook his head, scoffing at the man’s reasoning, one he used oft before.
‘Angus, this is not a long-lost ewe that has followed you back to the barn and that you are adding to our herd. This is a woman.’
‘As far as I see it, we’d be aiding her escape from a place she no longer wishes to be at. And from the looks of it, she isn’t the only one,’ he added under his breath.
Rory rubbed his temples and began pacing the room, his boots scuffing the ornate rugs that covered the stone floors. ‘This is madness. Why would Laird Stewart not storm Blackmore to bring her back? The man is possessive. Stubborn. And proud. I cannot imagine he would see such actions as anything other than a slight to him. Inciting a dispute with him and his clan, let alone any allies he may have, is not exactly what I had in mind in forging a relationship with a new father-in-law, despite how brief it might be.’
‘Any better ideas?’
