“Aye.” Mr. Kinlark shook his head. “Had ye fought Lord Strathland, ’twould have cost ye a great deal in bribes. Ye’d not want to lose coins due to… an excessive display of anger.”
It brought to mind his uncle’s insistence on cool-headed logic. Donald was a notorious pinchpenny. No doubt the man would be furious if Paul had given in to his instincts, thereby causing the need for excessive bribery.
“Don’t be worrying, Lord Falsham. I’ll be arranging for ye to stay in better quarters, now that they are aware of your rank.”
Rank? He had no idea what the man was talking about. “I’m a physician,” he muttered. “No’ yet a lord.”
“That was true several months back, to be sure. But since your uncle passed on, God rest him”—the elderly man bowed his head in respect—“ye’ve inherited his title.”
Paul sat up, and the room swayed. “What happened? And when? He wasna so very old.” He’d never dreamed of inheriting the title, not this soon. Donald Fraser was barely fifty and had seemed in perfect health.
“’Twas his heart, I fear. His servants found him dead at the breakfast table three months ago. Quite sudden.”
It hardly seemed real. One moment, he was a physician with only a few sparse funds to call his own. And now there was a title… and lands.
“I ne’er expected this,” he admitted.
“Certainly you were aware that you were next in line,” Mr. Kinlark said. “You are now the Viscount of Falsham, with all the estates and incomes that accompany that title.”
Paul stared at the man, still in disbelief of what he was hearing. “Exactly how much was my uncle worth?”
“He has three estates in Scotland. Edinburgh is where he holds the most property, though there’s a smaller bit of land in the west, not far from Glenfinnan. And then there’s the northern estate along the sea. There are no debts, for your uncle was quite frugal. He didna believe in owing money to any man. That’s a good piece of luck for ye.”
Paul looked over at Sinclair, whose expression was unreadable. “I don’t ken why my father turned his back on his family. He lived as a crofter and told none of us.”
None, save Bridget.
“He was disinherited when he chose to marry your mother. But since he was the younger son, it mattered not. Your uncle Donald inherited upon his father’s passing, and now the title falls to you, as the eldest heir.”
Paul drew up his knee, and his vision started to clear. “Why wasn’t I told about his death sooner?”
“There was some difficulty finding you, my lord. We traveled to Ballaloch first, and only then found that you’d gone to London. But the title has been yours since the end of February.”
Thatwas why no one in London had questioned it. Likely someone had investigated Paul’s claims and found them to be true. He could hardly fathom any of it. Never had he guessed that he would become the viscount so soon. In truth, the title had felt imaginary, as though it wouldn’t come to him at all.
Paul let out a slow breath, realizing what this meant. He had power of his own now. A means of providing for Juliette that her father would respect, even if he didn’t approve of their marriage.
Though he didn’t particularly want to live in Edinburgh, at least it was in Scotland. He knew his uncle’s house and the servants, after dwelling there for the past five years.
“Well, then, now that your bread’s baked, you might give some over.” Cain grinned. “As a high and mighty lordship, your coins’ll buy a wee dram of whisky.”
“I’ll buy you a drink,” Paul agreed. “Then I’ll be paying a call upon Miss Andrews. Before I kidnap her and force her to elope with me.”
The alarm upon Mr. Kinlark’s face suggested that he wasn’t entirely certain that Paul was teasing. “My lord, if I could but advise you—”
“She’s already agreed to wed me,” Paul told the man. “But I suppose I should be asking her uncle before I take her away. I am planning to borrow his coach, after all.”
“Lord Falsham, you already have a coach of your own. I’ve brought it here, in the hopes that you’ll return to Edinburgh.”
Paul wondered what Juliette would think if he brought her to a fine house. Would she be glad to live in such a place? He rather liked the idea of taking his bride to a house that would be her own.
“I’ll be taking Juliette with me in that coach, then.” To Mr. Kinlark, he added, “And you’ll find your own transportation back to Scotland. I want you to leave tonight and prepare the house for our arrival. I will bring the new Lady Falsham with me.”
“But, my lord, would you not wish to have the wedding in Edinburgh? The bride’s parents could be there.”
“The bride’s father would put a bullet through my head, if he knew my intentions.” Paul shook his head and waved the man off. “No, we’ll wed when we cross into Scotland and visit Edinburgh afterward. We’ll stop at a few inns along the way, and if you make haste, you can prepare a proper welcome for us.”
“Aye, my lord. Very good, then.” He started to back away, but Cain caught Mr. Kinlark by the arm. To Paul, he said, “If tonight’s your last night as an unwed man, you’ll be needin’ to have that whisky. We’d best get started, andhecan pay for it.”
