“I am sorry, sweetheart,” he said softly. “I am just so angry. I will speak to him.”
“Much better,” she sighed, and kissed him.
Lorna Campbell had already heard the news by the time she had gotten back from a day out with her friends, but she said nothing until she had heard more from someone who had been there, since she needed to find out how bad things were.
The eyewitness was provided the next day by one of her housemaids who had been walking in the village market at the same time as Elsie. When she had sent for the woman, she demanded to be told the whole story.
Now she was terrified. If Lockie wanted a baby to keep his name alive and to inherit her property, the only way he could do it was to make himself her widower, and that, of course, would mean that he had to kill her. Her infertility had not been definitely confirmed; she was small and slight, but so were many other women. However, if Lockie had made a proposition to Robina, it could mean that he had given up hope of having a baby with her. Then again, he could have been drunk. Yes, that was the most likely solution. Depending on his mood, Lockie could be a fantasist, or enraged and violent. If he killed Lorna, he would inherit her property and marry again. Lorna decided that she would have to encourage him to keep on trying till she could think of a better plan.
Lockie did nothing very much with his days except ride and go hunting with his friends. Going around to speak to his tenants would never have occurred to him; it was beneath his dignity. A very efficient manager took care of the running of the entire estate, so Lockie was a man of leisure. On days when the rain was so thick it looked like fog, as this one was, there could be no hunting, and Lockie was bored. His boredom was about to be relieved, however, but not in the way he would have desired.
Just as he was thinking of going back to bed for a nap, the butler came in with a message.
“Must I wait for an answer, M'laird?” he asked. Lockie shooed him away and opened the letter. It was from Alex.
M'laird Campbell,
In view of recent events in the market square, I want to speak to you on Wednesday afternoon at the Church of St Veronica in Glengour. I chose this place because I thought you might be afraid to come to my castle. I will be unarmed and I request the same of you. Please send your reply back with my messenger.
Sincerely,
Laird Alex Lindsay
Lockie’s heart jumped into his throat as he looked at the letter. He would have to reach some kind of monetary settlement with Alex to somehow compensate for the embarrassment he had caused Robina. He only hoped that it would not be too much, since several of the cattle and sheep he had bought recently had foot rot and a strange coughing disease. Neither was fatal, but they brought the value of his stock down.
He calculated quickly how much he could afford to pay, then, having arrived at a sum, he answered Alex’s letter.
M'laird Lindsay,
I will be happy to meet you at the church at the appointed time to discuss the matter in question, unarmed as you requested.
Sincerely,
Laird Lockie Campbell
As he signed his name to the message, he visualized the powerful figure of Alex Lindsay in front of him, and a tremor went through him.
9
A Challenge
The messenger returned a few hours after Alex had sent the letter. When he read it, Alex immediately went to see Robina. She was sitting in a little parlor in a quiet part of the castle, a place she loved to sit in, humming quietly to herself and sewing a little dress for the baby. He leaned against the doorjamb watching her for a while, seeing an air of contentment in the faint smile on her face. Her tummy was visibly swollen now but she carried herself upright, as if to sayI am having Laird Alex Lindsay’s baby, and I am so proud.
She looked around and saw him, and her face lit up. She put down her sewing and held out her arms, then Alex kissed her, first on her lips and then on her belly.
“Wake up, little one!” he cooed. “We want to feel you kick!” He laughed, then his face became serious. “I wrote a letter to our good friend Laird Campbell, and I have just had a reply.”
“What did he say?” Robina asked. She was tense and frowning.
“He said that he will meet me at the church on Wednesday morning as I asked so that we can speak about some matters of mutual interest.”
“About me?” she asked fearfully.
“Amongst other things,” he replied. In fact, there were no other things. He simply did not want to worry her.
“What other things?” she persisted.
“You do not need to know,” he replied, drawing her head to his shoulder. “Be at ease, my wee darling. You will never have anything to fear as long as I am here.”
