Also I need a little time to evaluate the condition of the property my uncle left. I am looking forward to taking our plans further thereafter.
Kind regards,
Adam Cameron
He reread his letter. Adam had given Robert the impression that he was going along with his idea for sharing the estate, and that was deliberate, for he needed to keep the peace while he made plans of his own. If he gave an immediate refusal it would be a signal for the Laird to come down on the village like a ravening wolf, and the people were all but defenseless.
However, if he sold the estate to him the end result would probably be the same, albeit without a fight, but there was no guarantee that Robert McElwee would not begin a reign of terror as soon as he installed himself in Inverinch Castle. As well as that, Adam was sure that by “buy” he meant “steal.” He had the means to do it, after all.
His letter would buy him time. Laird McElwee would wait for Adam to find the gold. If he tried to do it himself it would be much harder. No one would help him, the people would be hostile. Then he would have to question Adam or torture him. So it was in McElwee's best interest to wait a bit so that Adam could retrieve the gold himself. It would be easier for McElwee to get it then.
At this point Adam was almost sure that there was no gold and it was just a trick by his uncle to make him at least travel there.
Adam sighed and put his head in his hands. He was damned if he did and damned if he did not. What was he to do?
Then he thought of his cousin Cuthbert, a seasoned warrior who had fought against the French in many conflicts. Surely he would come to his cousin’s aid? They had been very close as children until, at the age of sixteen, Cuthbert had begun his military career. Now he could be Adam’s savior, since they had made a blood oath at the same time that when either one was in need the other would always come to his aid.
Adam tried to visualize Cuthbert now. They had last seen each other eight years ago, and both of them must have changed a lot since then, but they were still the same people. He decided to try to enlist his help. Accordingly, he penned a carefully worded letter.
Dear Cuthbert,
Remember me, your Cousin Adam? I recall that it has been an age since we last saw each other and I wanted to pick up the threads of our friendship. Is your career in the army all you hoped it would be? I thought that since we stopped fighting the Scots things might have become a little too dull for your restless spirit, so I have an offer for you. I do not know if you have heard, but Uncle Malcolm died and left me his estate in his will. It consists of a castle, many acres of farmland, the village of Inverinch, and is situated near Perth. However, a rival Laird, a real butcher by all accounts, has decided that he wants the castle and the estate for himself, and the villagers are too weak to defend themselves.
I hope that the years have not come between us, and that you remember our blood oath to always help each other in times of need. I am imploring you now to send fifty of your best men to help us repel this barbarian, otherwise I fear for the lives of these poor people. They will be well rewarded. Time is of the essence, however, so please give your answer to the messenger who delivers it. I look forward to hearing from you.
With fondest regards,
Adam
He dispatched the messenger and poured himself more whisky. Just as the sun was going down and he was dozing off from the effects of too much imbibing, his manservant came in with another letter.
The day has been full of the damn things!he thought peevishly. He groaned as he saw the crooked, spidery hand of Robert McElwee. He slit the seal open with his thumbnail and read the missive, frowning deeply as he did so.
Dear Adam,
It seems that I have no choice but to await the promised gold. However, if this story proves to be false, I will know that you have been deliberately lying to me for some devious reason of your own. You have a month to evaluate the situation and retrive the gold. That should be plenty of time.
Laird Robert McElwee
Adam read the letter with a growing sense of despair, as it seemed that Robert McElwee was not a stupid man. He was less friendly every time they spoke. He believed him about the gold though.
With every letter for McElwee, Adam became more and more certain that unless his cousin came with his troops, the village was finished.
He decided to wait for Cuthbert’s letter. If he could not supply the men and arms he needed he would give the estate to McElwee, because if he did not, the consequences would be too awful to contemplate.
To take his mind off the turmoil to come, he thought about Emilia, and wished she were there with him. She made him feel strong, desired, necessary for her happiness. But he knew none of that could really be true. Emilia could live without him...but could he live without her?
Adam was beginning to love the north of Scotland. Its wild, brooding beauty thrilled him, and he thought of it as a masculine landscape, tough, strong, and uncompromising. The likes of its black lochs and snow-capped gray mountains were not to be seen anywhere in his more gently sculpted homelands.
Sometimes it was bone-chillingly cold, and he realized that everything here was built for warmth and insulation. The sheep had extremely thick wool, the cows and dogs were shaggy, and even the men had great thick beards. He rubbed his smoothly shaven jaw and wondered how he would look if he grew one. Would Emilia like it?
There I go again,he thought.Emilia.It was hopeless. He could not stop thinking about her. He looked outside and saw that the latest rain shower had passed over, and since he had been in the castle all day and the day before, he was dying for a breath of fresh air. Trojan’s leg had healed enough for him to trot comfortably, so Adam saddled him up and rode out.
He was watched by his stablehands, and he felt as though he had an arrow pointed at his back. Sometimes the hatred that was aimed at him was almost palpable, so intense was it, but if the best outcome came about Adam was determined to win them over to his side. However, although he was sure that changing the minds of a couple of hundred stubborn Highlanders was no mean feat, he was determined to try.
The day was blustery and the clouds scudding across the sky were light gray over dark. The whole landscape looked like a drawing done in charcoal and Adam loved it.
The hills began to be dotted with the strange black-faced sheep that were native to Scotland and seemed to grow like the seed heads of dandelions out of the hills. Loch Inverinch was on his left as he moved along, and he could see the treacherous bogs that lay on its shore, a trap for any unwary sheep, cow, or person who was ignorant of their presence.
