Chapter Ten
“My lord, Dukeand Duchess Gordon have arrived,” Archibald announced as Finlay sat at the desk in his study, mulling over the books containing the estate’s finances.
“Ah, great news, Archibald.” Finlay clapped him on the shoulder as he stood and pushed past him to make his way to the courtyard.
One of his best friends, Nicholas, was helping his lovely wife, Gwen from the carriage. The footmen were unloading the trunk from the back with Archibald showing them where to carry it.
“Nicholas! Gwen!” Finlay bounded down the steps to meet them. The men shook hands, clapping each other on the back, and Finlay placed a kiss on Gwen’s cheek. “I am so glad ye came. Ye look lovely, Gwen. Motherhood suits ye well.”
“Hey, ye’re getting married, leave my wife alone,” Nicholas chuckled. “And we wouldna miss it,” he added.
“Hello, wee one,” Finlay tickled the brown-haired bairn Gwen held in her arms, eliciting a drool-filled smile from the lad. “Arena ye a handsome fellow?”
“He takes after his father, obviously,” Nicholas joked.
Finlay smiled. His friend had come such a long way when it came to dealing with the scars that marred half his face. Before he met Gwen, he was always hiding behind a mask. Now, it was more common to see him sans mask than with it.
“Finlay, I have to say, we were both shocked when we heard the news. But also verra happy for ye.” Gwen gave him a warm smile that would melt the heart of even the coldest man.
“Aye, when do we get to meet the poor lass?” Nicholas asked.
Finlay pierced his friend with a look that told him he was not amused.
“Ye ken I jest, brother.”
“But we do want to know when we can meet her,” Gwen said excitedly.
“Ye both must be exhausted and hungry from the ride. Come on inside and I shall have Cook put something together to hold ye o’er until dinner. Willamina will be here then.”
“Och, lovely. I canna wait to meet her. I need to know the woman who won o’er your heart, Finlay. I didna think it would happen. Ye seemed so happy to remain single.”
Even his best friends did not know that he had to marry by the time he was twenty-eight. And he was not about to tell them of his and Willamina’s plan to get everyone to leave them alone.
“Well, Gwen, when ye meet someone and right away, ye know they are something special, ’tis hard to deny.”
Gwen sighed. “How swoonworthy, Finlay. She is a lucky lady.”
He felt like he was the lucky one. He just needed to convince Willamina of that. He realized this started as a way for him to keep the busy-body mamas away, but the more time he spent with her, the more he knew he was on the path of no return.
Showing her that they did not need to go their separate ways once all of this blew over was going to be the hard part, considering her stance. There was no clause in his father’s will that alluded to a certain length of time for the marriage, but it did not matter. Willamina Watson was wiggling her way into his heart, and he was not about to let her go. Somehow, some way, he would make her see that.
“Have ye heard from the others?” Nicholas asked, drawing his thoughts back to the conversation at hand.
“Aye, they should all arrive shortly. Tomorrow at the latest, I anticipate.”
They settled in the salon, and soon Cook brought them finger sandwiches and tea to snack upon.
“’Twill be nice to see e’eryone. It has been far too long since we have all gathered together,” Nicholas said.
“Aye, since Alexander’s wedding. How are he and Clarissa getting on?” Finlay asked of their friend and his new wife, who was also Nicholas’s sister.
“They are well. Ye will see,” Gwen said with a secretive smile.
Finlay raised a brow in question. “Am I missing something?”
“Ye shall see.” Was all she would say and then bit into the cucumber sandwich she had plucked off the tray.
As the day wore on, his other friends arrived. First, it was Gunn Burnett, Laird of Leys, who owned an inn and pub in Banchory. Then Alexander and Clarissa, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, who were soon to be parents from the swell of Clarissa’s belly. And finally, Malcolm Kennedy, Earl of Cassilis.
