“The library is warmer,” said Angus, popping up seemingly out of nowhere. “Don’t want the wee one catchin’ a chill, now.”
Royal frowned. “Where did you come from? And where are the blasted dogs?”
Angus was invariably followed about by a pack of Skye terriers. His grandfather’s darlings, they were badly behaved and yappy. Royal had every intention of keeping them as far from Tira as possible.
“I locked them in the stables.” Angus leaned in to peer at the baby. “They won’t be disturbin’ the bairn.”
“Oh, she’s beautiful,” said Victoria, crowding close behind Angus to look at the baby. “Can I hold her?”
For the life of him, Royal couldn’t help gazing at Tira with pride. Victoria was right—she was beautiful. And she was now his, to love and cherish. She would be the only child he would ever have, and was all the more precious for it. She might not be his by blood, but she would be his daughter by every other measure that mattered.
“In a bit,” he said, smiling at his sister-in-law. “She just fell asleep, and I don’t want to jog her awake.”
Victoria wrinkled her nose. “Spoilsport. I do think, however—”
“And I think someone had better explain himself,” Nick said, thankfully keeping his voice down. “What are you doing with a newborn infant, Royal? Or do I even want to know?”
Royal calmly met his brother’s gaze. “She’s my daughter.”
His comment was met by stunned silence. Nick’s imperious features went completely blank for several long seconds before his brows snapped together in a monumental scowl. Stormy weather was definitely blowing in.
Royal glanced over to the central staircase where Andrew and Robert, the other footman, were taking a great deal of time to organize the luggage. The Kinglas servants were devoted to the family, but except for Taffy, they tended to be a rare pack of gossips. In this case, that served his purpose. The more word got around that Tira was his natural daughter, the better.
“Your daughter,” Nick blankly repeated.
Royal nodded.
“Now, don’t overreact, my lord,” Victoria said to her husband.
Nick stared at her in disbelief before his flinty gaze snapped back to Royal. “Who, may I ask, is the mother?”
“You don’t know her.”
“Tell me anyway,” Nick said.
“She’s a barmaid from Inveraray. Obviously, the lass was not in any position to raise a child, so I offered to take her.” He glanced down at the sleeping babe in his arms. “How could I not?”
Nick scoffed. “Inveraray. That doesn’t make any sense. Nine months ago, you could barely sit a horse.”
“I took a carriage up north for a week or so, remember? Visiting friends?”
“But you don’t have any friends up—”
Victoria clamped a hand on her husband’s arm. “Perhaps we should repair to the library for this discussion.”
“Aye,” said Angus, who’d leaned in even closer and was making ridiculous faces at Tira. “Don’t want the bairn to catch a chill out here in the hall.”
“Grandda, she can’t see you making faces,” Royal said, torn between amusement and exasperation.
“I fancy she was peeking out at me, dinna ye ken?” He wriggled his fingers at the obviously still-sleeping infant.
“You’re taking this exceedingly well,” Nick said to Angus in an irritated voice. “Did you know about this?”
Their grandfather simply rolled his eyes.
“To the library,” Victoria said, giving her husband a little shove.
She herded Nick and Angus ahead of her, who started arguing with each other. Shaking her head, she dropped back to join Royal.
“Are you all right, dear?” she asked quietly. “You look exhausted.”
“It’s been a trying few days,” he admitted. “I’ve not had much sleep.”
“How is your leg holding up?”
“It’s fine,” he answered automatically before he realized it was true. He’d barely thought about the leg, nor had it bothered him very much. He’d simply had too many other things to worry about.
“How is Ainsley?” Victoria asked.
Clearly, his sister-in-law wasn’t fooled by his Banbury tale. “As well as can be expected.” He wasn’t yet ready to talk about Ainsley. “Where is Kade?”
“Upstairs. I gave him a new piece of music to work with, so he’ll be up there for hours.”
“Good. I need to figure out what to say to him about all of this.”
“The truth might be the best, at some point.”
He eyed her as they followed their quarreling relatives down the hall. “And here I thought I was so clever in my letter.”
“You were suitably vague, I assure you, as you can tell by your brother’s mystified response. I take it you didn’t know until you arrived at Underhill Manor?”
“To say I was surprised would be an understatement.”
“Well, you seemed to have recovered quite quickly, if your little companion is any indication.” Victoria touched his arm to stop him before he followed the others into the library. “Are you sure about this, Royal? Really sure?”
He sighed. “Far from it, to be honest. But I have to do it for Ainsley and the baby. I’m afraid that their safety depends on it.”
She looked startled for a moment, but then nodded. “Then we will do whatever is necessary to help.”
“You’ll convince Nick?”
“No, dear, you will,” she said before preceding him into the library.
Nick was already behind his desk, looking stern and every bit the laird. He’d spent the last few years doing his utmost to reform his scapegrace brothers, keeping scandal at bay, and this would certainly throw a fair spanner in the works. Royal couldn’t blame him for being annoyed.
Victoria went to stand behind her earl, while Angus sat in one of the club chairs in front of the desk. Carefully, Royal took the other club chair, wincing when the frame loudly creaked under his weight.
“I’ll hold the bairn, if ye like,” said the old man. “Ye’re looking a bit puggled, lad, and ye don’t want to be droppin’ her when Nick starts yellin’.”
“Nicholas will not be yelling at anyone,” Victoria said firmly.
“No, he won’t,” Royal said, “because that would wake up the baby.”
“I promise I will not yell,” Nick said. “Besides, Angus is always a great deal noisier than I am. He’ll wake the baby, not me.”
“Och, I’ll do nae such thing,” Angus said. “But I’d still like to hold her.”
Royal had forgotten how much his grandfather loved babies. “You can hold her later, Grandda. I promise.”
“No one is holding anyone until you tell us what the damn hell is going on, Royal,” Nick said.
“Language, dear,” Victoria said. “There’s a child present.”
When Nick shook his head with exasperation, Royal almost chuckled.
Almost. Given his exhaustion and the black mood that had once again descended on him, he couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever muster a laugh again.
When the wee mite in his arms finally stirred, he glanced down. Tira cracked a huge baby yawn and her eyelids fluttered open. She stared blearily up at Royal for several seconds, calm as anything, before drifting back into sleep.
It took him a moment to realize he was smiling at her like a totty-headed fool.
“What’s her name, laddie?” Angus asked.
He looked up to meet his grandfather’s gaze. “Tira.”
Angus blinked in surprise. “Ye named her after my daughter?”
“Yes.” Royal had no intention of backing down on this. He’d meant it when he told Ainsley that her baby deserved a special name, and he’d seen how touched she’d been by the gesture. “Why wouldn’t I name my daughter after my mother?”
Angus narrowed his eyes, as if trying to decide whether to take offense. Then he glanced down at the baby again, and his rheumy gaze soften
ed. “Aye, well, it’s a grand way to honor yer dear mother, and that’s a fact.”
Royal breathed out a sigh. “Thank you, Grandda. It did seem like the right decision.”
“I’m glad there was at least one decision that seemed right to you,” Nick said. “Now, can we please try to focus on what’s important?”
“Which is?” Royal asked.
Nick closed his eyes and pressed a finger to the center of his brow. Probably counting to ten.
“I think your brother would like to know what your plans are for Tira,” Victoria said.
Nick opened his eyes. “Yes, but first I would like very much to know who the mother really is. As far as I can remember—and I have an excellent memory—you were not cavorting with barmaids in Inveraray nine months ago. You were in Glasgow, with me. We went down to get Kade settled for his school term, remember?”
Royal grimaced. “Oh, blast. I’d forgotten that.” He’d deliberately chosen Inveraray because it was fairly remote, and curious folk would be much less likely to ferret out the more dubious elements of the story.
“Who is the real mother of this child?” Nick demanded.
“Darling, you really cannot guess?” Victoria asked with exaggerated patience.
“Obviously not,” he gritted out.
“It’s Lady Ainsley, dinna ye ken,” Angus said. “Who else?”
Nick stared at Angus, clearly dumbstruck, before looking at Royal. “Lady Ainsley Matthews.”
“Correct,” said Royal.
“Good God, then why the bloody hell don’t you marry her, if that’s the case,” his brother snapped. “For heaven’s sake, Royal. I never expected this of you. I feared the twins might one day do something this stupid and irresponsible . . .” He trailed off, frowning. “Wait, that doesn’t make any sense either.”
Royal waited for him to come to the inevitable conclusion.
“Lady Ainsley didn’t arrive in Glasgow until December,” Nick said. “Which means . . .”
“Which means you’ve arrived at the wrong conclusion,” Victoria finished for him. “It’s all right, my love. It’s been a surprise for all of us.”
He shot her a narrow-eyed look. “You figured it out.”
“She’s obviously smarter than you are,” said Royal. “As is Grandda.”
“I don’t think you can entirely blame me for misunderstanding,” Nick said. “This is not exactly an everyday occurrence, even around here.”
Angus tsked. “Ye were thinkin’ the worst about the lad, and he didna deserve it.”
Nick sighed. “I did, and I’m sorry for it, Royal. I should have known better. But why that little charade out in the hall?”
“Royal is trying to protect Lady Ainsley, of course,” Victoria said.
“And the baby,” Royal added. “It’s imperative that no one find out about her parentage. This seemed the best way to do it.”
His brother’s eyebrows shot up. “By ruining your reputation? That is rather a drastic solution. Why isn’t Lady Ainsley’s family dealing with this?”
“With the exception of Lady Margaret, her family doesn’t know she was with child. They believe she was sent north as punishment for disobeying her father.”
“Because Ainsley’s father wanted her to marry Lord Cringlewood, and she refused,” Victoria explained to Nick.
“I take it that Cringlewood is the baby’s father?” Nick frowned. “If that’s the case, why didn’t she marry him? They were all but engaged some months ago, as I recall.”
“She developed an acute dislike for his lordship,” Victoria said. “I asked her about it once. The only thing she would say was that she would rather join a convent than be forced to marry him.”
“Cringlewood has proven himself to be unworthy of her,” Royal said tersely. “She refuses to have anything to do with him, and will not allow the baby to be used as a means of manipulating her into marriage.”
“Did he force himself on her?” Nick asked quietly.
Royal was torn between fury at the marquess and the desire to protect Ainsley’s privacy. “I don’t know. But be assured that Ainsley has her reasons, and they are sound.”
Victoria and Angus exchanged troubled glances, but held their peace.
Nick studied him with thoughtful regard, but Royal stood his ground, refusing to make additional explanations. The story was Ainsley’s to tell, not his.
“All right,” his brother finally said, “I accept that. Why not marry you, then? It’s the perfect solution, if you ask me.”
“Because no one would believe for a second that the baby was mine. And once Cringlewood found out, that would be the end of it.”
“But you’d be married,” Nick argued, “so what would it matter? Surely she knows we would protect her.”
“Sadly, I failed to convince her of that.” Royal stared at his brother, willing him to drop this unpleasant line of unquestioning.
Victoria sighed. “Royal, I’m so sorry.”
He gave a small shrug, as if it didn’t matter.
“I’m sorry for the lass,” Angus said, “but she’s a fool to reject ye, lad.”
“Thank you, Grandda.”
The old man leaned over to carefully touch the baby’s head. “Ye did get the wee lassie, and she seems grand.”
Royal gazed down at the slumbering innocent in his arms. “Aye,” he said softly. Grand, just like her mother.
“So, you offered to be the hero and take this child on as your own,” Nick said. “Regardless of the scandal that’s sure to result, and the black mark it will give our family.”
Royal gave him an apologetic grimace, knowing full well how much the Laird of Arnprior hated scandal. “I know it’s a lot to ask, old man, but I hope I can count on your support.”
His brother again studied him in silence.
“Of course he supports you,” Victoria said, poking Nick in the shoulder.
He cast her a sharp glance before looking back at Royal. “You’re absolutely sure you need to do this?”
“I am.”
“All right, then,” he said with a nod. “I’ll do whatever I can to support you and keep Lady Ainsley’s secret. We all will.”
“It won’t be easy, Nick,” Royal said, relieved but wanting to be sure. “It could get ugly. The denizens of Glasgow might even snub us.”
“Horrors,” Victoria murmured with a gleam of amusement.
Nick raised a lordly eyebrow. “Nobody snubs a Kendrick, and that includes my brother and my niece.”
Royal had to struggle with his emotions for a moment before he could answer. “Thank you, Nick. You cannot know what this means to me.”
“I will always have your back, laddie,” his brother said quietly. “Always.”
Victoria gave her husband a resounding kiss. “You are truly the most splendid man, my lord. Thank you.”
“Was there ever a doubt? Of course we’ll support ye, lad,” Angus said firmly. “That’s what clan and family does. And now that we’ve got that sorted, how about lettin’ me hold the wee bairn? After all, she is my first great-grandchild.”
As if startled by the notion of joining a rambunctious Highland clan, Tira came fully awake. She screwed up her face, preparing to howl.
“Here,” Royal said, carefully handing her over to Angus. “She’s all yours, Grandda. By the way, I think she might need changing, too.”
Chapter Seven
Glasgow
September 1817
“That’s enough for today, laddie,” Logan said as he strolled into Royal’s office. “You’re working yourself to the bone, and I won’t have you falling ill on my watch.”
His half-brother still talked to Royal like he was a boy. Logan was seven years older and also a giant of a man, so he supposed most men must seem like boys to him.
“You’re worse than Victoria,” Royal said. “Fussing like an old woman.”
“I’m under strict orders from her ladyship not to let you overwork.”
&nbs
p; “Frightened of a wee lass like Victoria, are you?”
“She may be wee, but she’s mighty. I’d rather face a pack of hungry wolves than Victoria in a snit.” Logan settled into the chair fronting Royal’s desk. The wood protested under the weight of his large frame.
“True enough,” Royal said. “When Victoria works up a good scold, the only thing a man can do is surrender.”
“We both know she’s usually right,” Logan said as he flipped shut a ledger on Royal’s desk. “There’s no need for all these long hours, my boy. Truly.”
“I am a bit tired, I’ll admit,” Royal said, rubbing his eyes. “But we need to get the rest of the warehouse inventoried before the next shipment arrives from Halifax.”
Logan shrugged. “Just say the word, and I’ll hire another clerk to help you.”
“No need. I’m almost finished with the current goods, anyway.”
After all his steadfast refusals to work at Kendrick Shipping and Trade, Royal had discovered that he did have a talent for organizing and numbers. It made him the perfect man to help his brother set up the Scottish branch of the business. Royal and Tira were now settled with Logan in the family mansion in Glasgow, and had been for the last three months. It was not the life he’d ever thought to have, but he was finding a sense of purpose and even peace in it.
“I’m sure Tira misses you,” Logan said. “You should go home earlier.”
“She’s more likely to miss Angus,” Royal said dryly. “Or the blasted dogs.”
Tira was the real reason he’d moved to Glasgow and taken up work with his brother. Her entry into his life had been a cataclysm that required major adjustments—and planning for the future. Royal had never expected to be a father, much less a sole parent, but he’d come to love Tira more than he’d ever thought possible. She was his daughter, and he’d do anything to protect her, no matter the sacrifice.
Logan nodded. “Angus is devoted to the wee lass, I’ll give you that. It reminds me of the way he was with you, when you were a babe.”
Since Tira’s arrival, Angus had taken on the role of great-grandfather with enthusiasm and renewed energy. He’d insisted on moving to Glasgow with them, even though it meant giving up his duties as Nick’s estate steward.
The Highlander Who Protected Me (Clan Kendrick #1) Page 12
