Brendon knew he was being a fool. No matter that she’d made her attraction abundantly clear. Ladies like her used the likes of him to warm their beds, not put bairns in their bellies.
But what if the jewellery turned out to be genuine?
Brendon drew in his breath sharply. He could ill afford to harbour the hope that the gold might make a difference to the Duke of Blackmore. What did his mother use to say?Ye cannae make a purse oot o’ a sow’s ear. No words had ever been truer.
Somehow, he had to put such thoughts of Jennifer Sinclair out of his mind. She might want him to bed her, but he simply couldn’t do it. For him, it wasn’t enough. It wouldneverbe enough.
As though his thoughts had conjured her up, Jennifer Sinclair suddenly appeared in the courtyard, and he drew in his breath. She was slightly dishevelled as if she’d only recently left her bed. Gone was the perfectly coiffured lady and in her place a wild sprite, perfectly at home in the woodlands and glens of the Highlands.
For the first time a glimmer of hope pierced his protective armour.
'Hoo ye be feelin' ma lady?' He asked as she came up beside him.
'Much better,' she answered, nodding towards the children with a smile. ‘It’s wonderful to see them so happy.'
‘Aye, ma lady,’ he responded a little huskily ‘This be a paradise compared tae where they hae come frae. But they cannae stay indefinitely. We’ll need tae find them somewhere tae go. Ah reckon the nearest poorhouse be in Balloch.’ He paused, then added, ‘Ah be thinkin’ tae use some’ o’ the jewellery Da foond tae pay fer their keep.’
Jennifer turned to the steward in dismay. ‘We can’t send them to the poorhouse,’ she gasped. ‘What on earth will happen to them?’
‘There be twenty-two bairns,’ Brendon sighed. ‘What else dae we dae wi’ ‘em. At least the coin’ll ensure they’ll be fed and looked after.’
Jennifer gave a vehement shake of her head. ‘Why can’t we keep them here?’ she asked. ‘We could build a school, somewhere for them to live. Teach them a trade – something they’ll be able to use when they’re older.’
‘It be a braw idea,’ Brendon answered, his heart beginning to beat a little faster. ‘But who’ll oversee such an undertaking? There be no one at Caerlaverock wi’ enough time on their hands tae dae it.’
Abruptly, all Jennifer’s doubts and fears fell away.Thiswas why she was here.Thiswas the sense of purpose that had been missing in her life. A calmness enveloped her, but underneath it, elation was bubbling up. She gave a joyous laugh, and said simply, ‘I’ll do it.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
‘What do we do?’ Grace whispered, trying very hard to hold back the panic. Her two oldest children were five hundred miles away and could even now be embroiled in a Clan war.’
Nicholas sighed and tossed the letters onto the table. Then he stepped towards his wife and enfolded her in his arms. ‘They have Malcolm with them,’ he soothed. ‘His letter clearly states that he will not allow any harm to come to either Peter or Jennifer. He will give his life to protect them.’
‘But what if he has to do just that?’ Grace wailed into his chest. ‘Child slavery, a clan chief who’s dicked in the nob…’ She trailed off and allowed the tears to fall.
The letters had been written three days earlier, the messenger arriving in the early hours, exhausted and white faced. Clearly, the man must have ridden almost nonstop to get to Blackmore so quickly.
‘We will leave immediately,’ Nicholas assured her. ‘But in truth, by the time we get there, their intended rescue will have either succeeded or not and we’ll be faced with the aftermath.’ He stepped back and gripped Grace’s arms. ‘Look at me sweetheart,’ he demanded gently. As she raised her tear-stained face, he said, ‘Peter is a man grown. I trust him to deal with the situation. He has Malcolm, and, from what he said in the letter, Caerlaverock’s new steward. He has assured me that he will not allow thesituation to get out of hand. His only concern is to get the remaining children out of the mine as quickly and painlessly as possible.He will not show his hand.’
Grace bit her lip, then sniffed and nodded. ‘Felicity said how like you Peter is.’ Then she gave a watery smile and added, ‘I only hope he doesn’t allow Jenny to get involved.’
‘Rest assured, dearest, he will lock her up if he has to – he said that in the letter too.’
∞∞∞
The rest of the day passed in a blur of activity, and Jennifer had no time to discuss her proposal to her brother. Likely that was a good thing she told herself. A decision as life changing as the one she’d just made should first be discussed with her parents – not least because Peter was liable to declare her addled.
Neither had she had the time to speak further with Brendon. No mention was made of what had happened between them, and Jennifer was beginning to wonder whether she’d imagined their connection. Oh, not on her side, but perhaps what she’d chosen to believe was love on Brendon’s side, had been nothing more than the scratching of an itch. Then she remembered his endearment while they were in the loch.
He’d called her sweetheart. And she could still see the look in his eyes as he’d said it. He may not realise it yet, but Brendon Galbraith was as much in love with her as she was with him.
She just needed to convince him of it - preferably before her parents arrived…
Of course, underneath the relief that they’d been successful in rescuing all twenty-two children, they were anxiously awaiting news from the MacFarlane Clan. Had Duncan MacFarlanesucceeded in his bid to take over as the Chieftain? Until they knew for sure, it was essential they remain ready for whatever revenge Alistair MacFarlane might decide to seek. If he was still in command, he was almost certainly aware by now that the children were gone.
Their six footmenhad been rounded up in Banalan and brought back to Caerlaverock where Peter and Malcolm informed them of everything that had happened. Under their leader’s watchful eyes, the men were currently cleaning their weapons and scouring the small armoury for anything that might be useful should a confrontation arise.
Then, an hour before sunset, a rider was spotted on the Lochside, another horse trailing behind him on a lead rein.
