“No. I didn’t have this planned. I found myself in a difficult situation once I was ashore. It didn’t take me long to figure out I needed a woman.”
“Couldn’t you just visit Justine’s and pay for one for a few hours?”
“I didn’t need a woman for her body.” Eachann turned and went back toward the west end of the cove. “Besides, I didn’t have any plans to nab one for you until I saw the blonde and realized she was just what you did need, even if she is a little mild and meek.”
Calum tramped along behind him. “Considering what happened to her, I’d say she was showing more mettle than most women.”
“You think so? Didn’t seem like much of a fighter to me. Now, George, there’s a woman that puts up a good fight. Must have some good Scots blood in her somewhere. Not like your bride.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my—damn... She’s not my bride. I amnotmarrying anyone.”
“Fine. I’ll take her back.”
“Good.”
“I’ll just dump her right back into the hands of that fellow who hurt her.”
Calum stopped. “Someone hurt her?”
“Aye.” Eachann kept walking down the beach. “Some horse’s ass humiliated the poor lass.”
“How?’
“I found both women at a society party.”
“What the hell were you doing at a society party?”
“Just passing through.”
Calum knew that was another lie. His look must have said so because when he caught up, Eachann added, “Well, passing through long enough to see your lass—”
“She’s not—”
“Okay, okay...” Eachann raised a hand. “I was there long enough to see the lass break her engagement. Her future husband didn’t much like it. When he saw he couldn’t change her mind he announced to everyone within shouting distance that she wasn’t good enough to carry the name of his blue-blooded family. He belittled her in front of everyone. She ran off crying and hid in the back of the garden.”
So that was the reason the lass seemed so broken. She was wounded. He followed Eachann down the beach in silence, thinking that his brother had just made things worse for the girl when he kidnapped her. The damn impulsive fool. He should have left her to her tears.
“I saw her bent over and crying. She looked so beaten down I thought of you. She was rescue bait.” He looked up. “Stop glowering and admit it. You do have this driving need to save every downtrodden and unfortunate soul on the face of the earth.”
Rescue bait?Calum supposed in a way Eachann was right. But Calum didn’t care if his brother poked fun at him. Like most brothers, they had grown up needling each other. Eachann would goad him about his neatness the same way Calum needled him back about his sloth. Of late the source for Eachann’s needling had been Calum’s work.
But Calum believed in what he did; it gave him satisfaction and a purpose he hadn’t had before he’d discovered something worthwhile to do.
He’d heard about the clearances in Scotland, most of the Scots here had. They felt rage at the cruel injustice of throwing people off the land they and their families had occupied for hundreds of years.
The new lairds of Scotland had been slowly driving the Highlanders from their homes. It seemed there was more profit in grazing sheep than supporting clan families. Now there were more Scots in North America than there were left in Highlands.
But until he saw the immigrants with his own eyes, the horror of their situation hadn’t hit him. Most immigrated here with the promise of a fresh start. But the lairds lied to them more often than not.
Once here the Highlanders wandered the streets with nothing, not even a command of English. Most only spoke Gaelic. For too long before Calum knew of them, many had starved or frozen to death trying to get to the open lands of Canada’s upper provinces.
“Hell, Calum, you’ve managed to turn injustice into a profession.”
It was just like Eachann to change the subject, especially now when they were arguing. Calum knew his brother saw his idealism as a joke. But he knew Eachann wasn’t as disinterested in Calum’s work as he sounded.
When they were younger, Eachann had helped him with the Scots who came on those ships, like the ship he expected to arrive anytime. Eachann met his wife, Sibeal, while he had been helping Calum settle families displaced by the clearances.
Since Eachann had lost her, he had changed. There was more of an edge to his brother, a cruel and cynical side to him and his jokes. As time passed Eachann had done more foolish and impulsive things, like he’d done tonight and that day when he’d taken his children away.
