Kathleen gave him a grateful smile. “It was very well done, sir.”
“I couldn’t let my brother hurt you, Miss Calvert,” he quietly replied. “Or any of you.”
Grant extended a hand. “Thank you, sir. I will forever be in your debt.”
David gave him a rather shy smile and returned the handshake. “You’re most welcome, Mr. Kendrick. It’s the least I could do.”
He looked sadly at his brother as the footmen carted the captain away. “What happens now?” he asked Graeme.
“He’ll have to spend the night in the cellar. Then I’ll bring him to the authorities in Inverness tomorrow. And we might yet run the rest of the gang down. At the very least, there will be warrants out for them.”
David nodded. “I understand. Would you mind if I stayed with John tonight? I know he’s a dreadful man, but he’s the only brother I have.”
“Of course not,” Graeme kindly said. “We’ll have to keep him tied up, but I’ll try to make things as comfortable as possible for the both of you.”
Jeannie pulled out of Kathleen’s embrace and shyly approached the vicar.
“Sir, I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused,” she said. “I’m sure I must have seemed very silly to you. Of course you could never love me.”
David’s smile was infinitely kind. “That is only because you’re still quite young, my dear. I am very fond of you, and of your sister. But sometimes things don’t work out just as we would wish. That can be sad and disappointing, but it doesn’t mean the end. You have many things to look forward to, Jeanette. I foresee much good in your future.”
The girl awkwardly shrugged. “I know, but . . .”
The vicar held up a finger. “You have your dear sister. She loves you very much, and that is splendid.”
“And you have us Kendricks, Jeannie,” Grant said. “We love you very much, too.”
Kathleen flashed him a grateful smile.
“There now,” David said to Jeannie. “What could be better than having a family who loves you?”
“I am lucky,” she solemnly replied. “But I’m also very sorry about your brother.”
David sighed. “Me too.”
Graeme tactfully cleared his throat. “Vicar, if you’ll come with me, I’ll get you set up. And perhaps you’ll take a wee dram of whisky, just this once? I’m sure you could use it.”
“I think I will, Sir Graeme.” Then David gave Kathleen a courtly little bow. “Miss Calvert, please know that you have my best wishes for your happiness. And for your sister’s, as well.”
“Thank you,” she replied, sounding rather choked up.
David nodded to Grant and then left the room.
“Graeme, wait,” Grant said, stopping his brother. “Was Jeannie’s pistol actually not loaded, or did it misfire?”
His twin gave him a wry smile. “Of course it wasn’t loaded. You know I don’t leave loaded guns lying about.”
Jeannie wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t know that when I took it.”
“Your gambit worked,” Grant assured her. “That’s all that matters.”
“I suppose.” She looked at her sister. “What happens now, Kath?”
Sabrina dodged around Graeme as they passed each other in the doorway and came over to Jeannie. “Now that all the excitement is over, you need a nice cup of tea and something to eat. Then a hot bath and a rest.”
“That sounds just the ticket,” Kathleen said.
“Will you come up and see me in a bit?” Jeannie plaintively asked her sister.
Kathleen hugged her. “Yes, dearest. I’ll join you shortly.”
“And I think you need a drink, Kathleen. A nice, big dram,” Sabrina said over her shoulder as she led Jeannie out.
“She’s not wrong,” Kathleen wryly said to Grant.
He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose before steering her to the couch. “I’ll fetch one for both of us.”
With a weary sigh, Kathleen dropped onto the comfortable cushions and shut her eyes.
When Grant returned with the drinks, he handed one to her before putting his on the table in front of them. Then he sat and pulled her in for a cuddle. She relaxed against him before taking a cautious sip from her glass.
She grimaced. “I’m still not sure I like whisky. That seems rather dreadful, since I’m marrying a Highlander.”
“Just don’t tell Angus. You’ll cut him to the quick.”
“Poor Angus. I was so worried about him.”
“No doubt Sabrina has already sent for the local sawbones to doctor him. Try not to worry, love. It’s all over.”
“I know, but I worry about my sister, too. It’s been so hard on her. And I feel simply awful about David. First he clobbered his own brother, then he was so kind to Jeannie, and then he offered us his congratulations. I almost burst into tears on the spot.”
“He cast me into a complete shade. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather marry him than me?”
“David certainly displayed heroic qualities today.” Then she pulled out from under his arm to scowl at him. “Speaking of heroic, do not ever put yourself in danger like that again, Grant Kendrick. Offering to be shot? Really?”
“Kathleen, I wasn’t about to let you get kidnapped again. That’s not how Kendricks operate, love. We protect our lassies, ye ken.” He would die before he’d see her in that kind of mortal danger.
“Well, I’d rather get kidnapped than you get shot.”
He pulled her back under his arm. “Let’s make an agreement. You agree not to get kidnapped, and I agree not to get shot.”
“There do seem to be a ridiculous number of kidnappings in your family, from what Sabrina tells me.”
“I’m hoping you were the last.”
She huffed out a laugh and settled back under his arm. For a few minutes, they sat quietly, drinking their whisky and listening to the quiet hiss of the fire. Grant could hardly believe it was all over and that his darling girl was safely in his arms.
“I would rather die than have anything happen to you,” he finally said. “I thought I’d lost you, Kathleen. It was ... not something I ever want to experience again.”
“I know. I was so afraid I’d never see you again, too.”
He cupped her cheek, gently turning her to look at him. “I love you, Kathleen Calvert. And I would be most happy if we never lost each other for the rest of our lives.”
She smiled up at him, her gaze now gleaming like a thousand silvery stars. “I love you, and I promise that I will never lose you again, no matter what.”
As Grant pressed his lips to hers, he knew that all the shadows and doubts were a thing of the past. Their promises would hold for life.
Epilogue
Glasgow
January 1824
Kathleen gazed at the neglected mess of a garden. Flowerbeds were full of weeds, hedges were in need of trimming, and an ornamental pond was choked with lily pads. The lawns surrounding the house were in better form, but barely.
In a word, the garden was a mess.
“It’s rather grim,” said her husband. “Might be a bit too much work, love.”
Kathleen shook her head. “No, it’s perfect.”
Plans for the property were already taking shape in her head. Kathleen was certain she could restore the grounds to their former beauty. It was the sort of challenge she most enjoyed—starting from scratch and creating something beautiful and enduring.
“How did you find it on such short notice?” she asked. “We only returned from Ireland a week ago.”
Grant led her down a few shallow stone steps to a gravel path that wandered toward the manor’s greenhouse. “I started looking before we left for Ireland, but this property became available only a few days ago. The owner hasn’t stayed here in years and wants to sell the place.”
After they returned to Glasgow from Lochnagar in November, their wedding preparations had begun. Every other Kendrick wedding had been a rushed affair, according to Grant, so Vicky a
nd the rest of the family insisted on a grand celebration for him and Kathleen. Since everyone, especially Angus, was terribly excited, Kathleen hadn’t been able to refuse. The preparations had also served as an excellent distraction for Jeannie, who still brooded about her misadventures in Lochnagar. Vicky, wise as always, had drafted the girl as her assistant in planning the festivities.
“I’m determined to impress your family,” Vicky had said. “If we’re going to make them travel to Scotland, we’d best put on a good show.”
While Kathleen and the Kendricks had busied themselves with preparations, Grant spent long days at the office. Kathleen had fretted that he was working too hard, but he’d insisted it was in a good cause.
“I want a month with my bride in Ireland,” he’d said, “with no distractions. If that means long days and a few nights at the office until our wedding, I’m happy to make the sacrifice.”
Any subsequent worries had been silenced with activities guaranteed to assure Kathleen that her virile betrothed had energy to spare.
The wedding ceremony had been performed in Glasgow Cathedral by the archbishop, and had been magisterial enough to impress even Helen. A lavish wedding breakfast had followed, and a grand ball at Kendrick House had been held the next evening. Helen had subsequently proclaimed the celebrations most impressive, and Papa pronounced everything first rate.
One of the happiest outcomes was the reunion of Jeannie and her mother. Kathleen had been dreading Helen’s reaction to their misadventures in Lochnagar, especially for Jeannie’s sake. She and Grant had minimized some of the more alarming details, giving Papa and Helen little more than a basic summary. But anything involving the Kendricks was sure to attract notice, and the trial and subsequent deportation of Captain Brown and his gang had been thoroughly covered in the Scottish papers, as well as in a number of London gazettes.
Jeannie had bravely and honestly owned up to her actions, a sign of the girl’s growing maturity. While Kathleen had been both proud and worried for her, the expected explosion of temper from Helen never occurred. While shocked to the very fiber of her being, as she’d dramatically put it, Helen had also expressed admiration for Jeannie’s courage.
“After all, Jeanette takes entirely after me,” Helen had explained. “I would expect nothing less from my daughter than to stand up to a dastardly poltroon like Captain Brown.”
In truth, Kathleen suspected that Helen had greatly missed Jeannie and was relieved to be reunited with her youngest child. Jeannie also admitted that she’d missed her parents and was happy to return with them to London.
And although she and Jeannie had shed more than a few tears when her family departed for home, Kathleen had been thrilled to see her sister reconciled with her mother, and in much better spirits.
All in all, it had been a splendid two weeks of family visits and wedding festivities. It had been even more splendid when Kathleen and Grant had finally left on their wedding trip. They’d spent several enjoyable days in Dublin, visiting with Kathleen’s former governess and her family and taking in the sights.
Then they’d finally set out for Greystone Manor, Kathleen’s beloved home. By themselves at last for three wonderful weeks, Grant had focused all his attentions on her. They’d spent the days wandering and riding about the estate and the countryside as Kathleen showed her new husband all her childhood haunts. Evenings had been given over to quiet dinners and chats by the fireside, and then delicious lovemaking until the early hours of the morning. It had been nothing short of blissful, and Kathleen had found herself falling more deeply in love with Grant every day.
That she’d made the right decision for her life was made abundantly clear by those weeks in Ireland. Even though she loved Greystone and would always wish to visit, Ireland was now her past. Her future lay with Grant, the Kendricks, and Scotland, and she was excited for the adventures that loomed over this new horizon. Like finding their own home, where they could settle and start a family.
“Of course,” Grant said as they strolled toward the greenhouse, “we can keep looking at other houses, if you like. We can even build one, if you prefer.”
Kathleen smiled up at him. “No, this property seems exactly right. That should not surprise me, since you’re the most terrifyingly efficient man in Scotland. Of course you would find the perfect place.”
“What I am is a man very motivated to have some privacy with his bride,” he dryly replied. “Kendrick House is a bit crowded these days. I’m continually terrified that Angus or one of the children is going to burst in on us at a decidedly inappropriate time.”
“It is a trifle much with that many of us under one roof,” she admitted. “Especially now that Royal and his family are here for a visit. I only worry that this particular property is too far from the city. I don’t want you spending so much time going back and forth between a house in the country and your offices in Glasgow.”
“Lass, we’re only a twenty-minute carriage ride from the edge of Glasgow. And this place is close to the port, which is certainly convenient for my work.”
She cast him a dubious look. “Are you sure?”
He tipped up her chin to give her a thorough kiss.
“What I’m sure of,” he finally said, “is that I want my wife to be happy. And I’m happy to live outside of the city—and also happy to have a bit of distance from my family. If we’re not careful, Angus will be haunting our doorstep on a daily basis.”
She patted his chest. “Your grandfather can visit as often as he likes. I think he’s great fun.”
“And he thinks you’re his special project. He’s determined to teach you about our family, the clan, and every arcane bit of Scottish history he can think of. He’ll bore you to tears, most likely.”
“Then I’ll bore him right back with lengthy lectures about optimal growing conditions for orchids and the most effective methods for pruning fruit trees. Trust me, darling, I can arcane with the best of them.”
Grant laughed. “That ought to do it. Now, would you like to see the greenhouse and the rest of the place before you make a final decision?”
Kathleen took his arm. “Lead on, husband.”
They poked around the greenhouse, a long, sweeping wing that culminated in a lovely octagonal pavilion. Kathleen was charmed by the beauty of the design, and the wonderful light that flooded through the large panes of glass.
“It’s splendid. Grant, I think we should take it right now.”
“But you haven’t even seen the rest of the house. Who knows what the water closets are like, or the chimneys? Remember Lochnagar?”
“Oh, bother the water closets. They can be repaired.”
She swept out her arms to take in the greenhouse, the pavilion, and the gardens. “This is what counts. This is where the fun truly happens.”
Grant’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “What about the bedrooms? As I recall, we seem to have a great deal of fun in those.”
“That is an excellent point. Perhaps we’d best survey them, too.”
“Perhaps we’d best test them out. Find just the right one before we make a final decision,” he replied, waggling his brows.
She felt her eyes pop wide. “Right now? You cannot be serious.”
He fished a large key out of his pocket. “I’ve got the house key, and I’m entirely serious. If you’re up to it, that is.”
“Is that a challenge, Mr. Kendrick?”
“I believe it is, Mrs. Kendrick.”
She poked him in the cravat. “Then challenge accepted, sir.”
Between one breath and the next, he swept her into his arms and began striding toward the front door.
Kathleen grabbed her hat. “Grant, I can walk into the house, you know.”
“Not the first time, sweetheart. The first time you enter your new home, I’m carrying you over the threshold.”
She let out a happy sigh. “You are truly the most romantic man in the world.”
“Not the most boring?”
“I don’t think so, but perhaps you’d best prove it to me again.”
He grinned. “Challenge accepted, wife.”
Kathleen laughed with sheer joy as Grant carried her over the threshold and into their new and decidedly not-boring life.
The Highlanderâ??s Irish Bride Page 39
