“I will handle the glass and whisky. All you need do is—”
“Make a castle livable and educate the children.”
“Yes,” he said with a smile. “Preferably before my father comes back from his hunt.”
Her mouth dropped open on a gasp, but he was quick to speak over whatever objection she had.
“We just have to keep it from falling apart. That’s what my father wants. He’ll take every healthy man and boy away from here because he thinks that women can do nothing without him.”
Clara and Lilah both snorted at that assertion.
“Excellent,” he said. “Now prove him wrong.”
Lilah squeezed Clara’s arm. “If anyone can do it, you can. You will.”
Clara did not look so sure. Indeed, she looked downright terrified, but he would not let her fail out of fear.
“I will help you.”
“You can’t,” Aaron said darkly. “It’ll never work without the coin. And that you have to get in person.”
“No!” Clara cried, but he shook his head.
“Your brother can make the necessary arrangements first. I’ll follow later. It won’t be but a day gone and back to get the coin.”
“And murdered by highwaymen on the way, no doubt,” Clara said with a grimace. “And if that happens, then I’ll leave every single one of your people to rot. I’ll walk back to London if I have to.”
He smiled. “It’s a deal. If I am killed by highwaymen, you may walk back to London with my blessing. I’ll even suggest you take a horse.”
She sighed, but he could see his joke worked. She wasn’t panicked anymore. Merely resigned. “I don’t even know where to start,” she said.
“By writing a letter to your friend, the engineer with grand ideas about plumbing.”
“Mr. Russell? Yes, all right. And Juliet Adams. She loves children, even the reprobates, and would make a great teacher.” She dropped his hands and took a deep breath. “I’m going to offer them a lot of money to come. A really, really big lot.”
He pressed a kiss to her nose. “It’s your money to spend. Mairi will show you where the paper—” He cut off his words. Mairi was gone. Fortunately, Lilah was still here.
“I saw some. Come on, Clara. Let’s start by making a list.”
The women started to move away, but Aaron held his fiancé back for a moment. “This is madness,” he said, “but I’ll help for my sister’s sake.”
“Thank you.”
“And one other thing. Just to keep to propriety’s sake.” He looked at his fiancé. “I, Aaron, Lord Chamber, do state publicly, that I love Lilah Rees to distraction and have therefore married her right here, right now. We are married, yes?”
Lilah’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed pink. “Have you gone native then?” she asked. “We’re doing this the Scottish way?”
“If that’s what it takes to get you into my bed on the ride home, then yes, it is. We can have a proper wedding as planned, but—”
“Yes, my lord,” she said. “We’re married.”
“And I witness,” Liam said, pleased beyond measure that these two had found happiness.
“Well,” Clara said, “it seems there is some good come from your Scottish customs after all. I witness it, too.” Then she kissed her brother and embraced her new sister-in-law. Happiness surrounded the new couple, and Liam took a moment to bask in the moment. But it was all he had as Connall and his men got to their feet with a whole lot of bluster and noise. They were about to leave, and Liam had some things to say first.
“Go get started,” he said to Clara before he gestured at Connall. “I’ll find you as soon as I can set things to right here.”
Aaron snorted. “Then I’ll see you in five years at the earliest.”
