Highlander's Fallen Angel : A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel

by Lydia Kendall

  He tilted his head up slightly and kissed her. “Aye, lass, we’ll go whenever ye’re ready. I should nae have left it to ye to find us a solution.” He cradled her face in his hands, stroking her cheek. “We can find our own place by a loch, and deal with buyin’ the land later. Just tell me what ye need, and I’ll help ye sort it.”

  “We must take Genevieve with us,” Victoria insisted. “She will understand, once I have explained it all to her. Though I am already anticipating her insistence that I return to England, with or without you.”

  Camdyn drew away slightly. “Would ye?”

  “Never, my love.”

  And yet, if those soldiers ever darkened her door again, she wondered if there was a part of her that would. There were plenty of tonics in her medicine collection that could render a man unconscious. Perhaps, if she were to give some to Camdyn and secretly take him south, he would not mind it when he got there.

  One glance at him told her that she would not be able to do such a thing. He was a Scot, through and through. To steal him away from his land would be like uprooting an apple tree and severing the roots. It would never recover.

  “We must leave by the end of the week,” she said firmly, already fearful of what might lay in store. But to stay was a far more frightening prospect.

  Chapter 22

  Two days’ later, there had been no return visits from the English army, and Victoria and Camdyn had most of the arrangements made for their escape from Inverness—their transportation, several coffers of coin, keepsakes that Victoria did not want to part with, and some furniture. Though, she had been careful to hide it all away in the old downstairs study that no one used, in case Genevieve saw it.

  “When are ye goin’ to tell her?” Camdyn asked, peering over Victoria’s shoulder as she made a list of things they still needed.

  She paused in her writing. “I shall leave it until the last moment, so that she cannot protest. In the meantime, we shall have to ensure that her belongings are packed and ready to go on the cart when it arrives.”

  “She’s goin’ to rant and rave the whole way.” He laughed softly, as his hands moved to massage Victoria’s shoulders.

  She sank back in her chair and smiled. “In truth, I believe she already knows that something is afoot, for she has been rather too sweet with me, these past two days.”

  “What do ye think she’ll say about ye and I bein’ together?” He massaged more firmly, urging her muscles to relax.

  Victoria puffed air between her lips. “That will be the most difficult part of the conversation, I fear. Though she is no fool. I believe she also has some sense that we are… in love, but she is waiting for me to inform her officially. That way, she can scold me more freely.”

  “I’ll defend ye from that wee beastie, dinnae worry.” Camdyn bent to kiss the top of her head, and she felt his smile through her skin.

  Peering up at him, she grinned back. “Now that I am no longer treating patients, and am at liberty to do as I please, what would you say to an hour of vigorous rest?”

  She did feel somewhat guilty that she had closed her doors to patients, but if they were to leave by the week’s end, then she could not afford to divert her time elsewhere. There was too much to be done.

  “I’d say, I’ve got a door to lock and a wife to undress.” Camdyn bent lower to place a lingering kiss on her neck, before he headed for the door in question.

  He had just put his hand upon the iron ring, to close the door, when Genevieve appeared out of nowhere. Startled, Camdyn took a step back, and Victoria’s cheeks turned hot with embarrassment.

  Did she hear? Has she chosen her moment to scold me?

  “M’Lady, there is a visitor for you,” Genevieve said, looking oddly nervous. “He is awaiting your presence in the drawing room.”

  Victoria’s brow furrowed. “Who is he?”

  “He said his name was William Spencer, and he informed me that he has vitally important business with you.” Genevieve wrung her hands together. “I don’t know the man, M’Lady, but there’s something awfully familiar about him. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “Does he look like a soldier?” Victoria pressed, her anxiety building. After two days without intrusion, she had hoped that Vickers’ accusations had been forgotten, but perhaps the quiet had merely lulled her into a false sense of security.

  Genevieve shook her head. “No, M’Lady, he’s dressed like a fine gentleman, and he speaks with an English accent. Well-bred, by the looks of him.” She lowered her voice, as if he might be able to hear her from the bedchamber. “He might be a suitor.”

  That is the last thing I need…

  “Camdyn, would you join me?” Victoria asked, as she scraped back her chair and got to her feet.

  Genevieve scowled. “I don’t think that’s appropriate, M’Lady.”

  “Nevertheless, he can accompany me in the guise of my personal guard, in case this gentleman is not what he seems. I will not have my house overrun by harassers again.” Victoria exited the room, with Camdyn following at her side.

  A few moments later, she stepped into the drawing room, both intrigued and unnerved to find out who this man could be. He sat with his back to her, his high collar giving way to golden-brown curls. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Spencer?” Victoria announced her arrival. “I hear you wished to speak with me?”

  He turned slowly, revealing a pleasant sort of face, and a pair of pale blue eyes that observed her keenly. “Ah, yes, it is a pleasure to see you again.” He stood and walked toward her, before taking her hand and placing a kiss upon it.

  Behind her, Victoria sensed Camdyn flinch.

  “Have we met before? I apologize if we have, I have the most terrible memory.” She frowned, scrutinizing his features. Much like Genevieve, she felt as though there was something familiar about him, but she could not quite decipher what it was.

  William laughed. “Ah, no, that is my mistake. You see, I have heard so much about you that I feel as though I already know you.”

  “You have? And why might that be?” She smiled nervously, now wondering if he truly was here as a suitor.

  He patted her hand in a peculiar manner. “Well, you see… My name is William Spencer, and I am the new Earl of Desiglow.”

  Chapter 23

  Now seated in the drawing room, clutching a cup of tea that threatened to rattle free of its saucer, Victoria had managed to muster enough calm to speak with this strange newcomer. William Spencer, on the other hand, seemed entirely at ease already with the surrounds of Desiglow Manor.

  “Forgive me for my silence, Mr. Spenc… uh… I do apologize, I am not entirely certain what I ought to call you.” Victoria stole a glance at Camdyn for support. He stood by the drawing room door, watching her intently. And he did not look remotely at ease.

  William smiled brightly. “That is quite understandable, Lady Desiglow. I had thought you would already be informed of the situation, but it appears that my arrival has startled you.” He took a sip of his tea. “You may refer to me as Mr. Spencer, for the time being, if that is more comfortable for you?”

  “Thank you,” she said stiffly. “Indeed, it is something of a surprise. I have heard nothing of my departed husband’s title being given to another. Considering the part he played in the fight against the Jacobites, I had firmly expected that the title would remain as his legacy, for me to uphold as Countess until my own departure from this world. That is usually how such matters proceed in England.”

  William nodded. “That is true, for the most part, but your husband had no living heirs, and no distant family who could be considered rightful claimants to the title. I believe that is why I was given this particular title by the King, in return for my own endeavors against the Jacobites.” He paused. “But I would not have come here if I suspected you were oblivious to this news, My Lady. I can see I have caused you distress, and it pains me greatly. It was not my intention.”

  Victor
ia shifted awkwardly upon the settee. “If you please, Mr. Spencer, might you elaborate on what the circumstances and the situation actually are? I simply cannot fathom why I would be left ignorant of such vital information. Any correspondence that reaches my husband’s English residence is sent directly here. It always has been, ever since we came to this place.”

  “It may be that such a letter was sent, but did not reach you here, My Lady,” William suggested. “The roads, particularly at the border, have been treacherous these past months, and it does not appear to have eased, despite the war being over. I heard tales of Jacobite fugitives attacking coaches and carriages, as a last gasp, if you will.”

  Victoria tried not to look at Camdyn, though it was terribly hard not to. Just this morning, she had lain in his arms, musing fondly of the new life they were going to lead in the northerly part of the country. She had been safe and content in his embrace, despite the enormity of the move, and the continued threat that loomed over them. Now, that feeling of security had been shattered by the intrusion of this one man.

  “Goodness, you look rather flushed, My Lady,” William interjected, reaching forward as though he intended to touch her.

  She recoiled, a hand shooting to her cheeks to feel the warmth there. Her skin’s fervent memory of the intense lovemaking she had enjoyed before the dawn rose on this day.

  “It is the upset of it all, Mr. Spencer,” she assured, a touch too quickly. She straightened up, her tone hardening. “Even if such a letter did not reach me, for whatever reason, perhaps you ought to have waited for a reply before you came to this house.”

  William hung his head, rather like a despondent puppy. “I had thought to wait, but I suppose I allowed my excitement to get the better of me.” His thumb circled the rim of his teacup. “You see, I was nothing before the war. I was the fourth son of a Baron and destined to gain no inheritance to speak of. I never imagined that heroism could be rewarded in so great a manner, though I do not consider myself a hero. I was only doing a duty to my King and country.”

  “And what heroic act, exactly, gained you my dead husband’s title?” Victoria tried to ease the bitter note in her voice, lest she say something that might turn this man prickly.

  William raised his head. “I was already a military man, and had just returned from the Continent, when I was sent to the Highlands to speak with John Cope, as a means of assuring loyalty. However, during my time there, I was embroiled in the Battle of Prestonpans. When the dragoon regiments fled in panic, I ran for the cannons and manned them on my own. It did not do much, in the end, but Sir John suggested I be awarded for my bravery.”

  Victoria stiffened. “Did you say… the Battle of Prestonpans?”

  “I did, My Lady. I do not know if you are aware, but we suffered a grave defeat there,” William replied. “It was a terribly bloody affair, and it did make us somewhat dubious, for a time, that we would be triumphant.”

  “I know all about Prestonpans, Mr. Spencer.” Victoria rubbed her throat, feeling a different kind of heat rise. A discomfort deep down in her veins. “For that is where my husband died.”

  William set down his cup and clasped his hands together, as though in prayer. “My goodness, I am so very sorry, My Lady. I did not know!”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Victoria saw Camdyn’s expression transform from one of concern to one of confusion. His warm brown eyes seemed to cloud over, as if he were trying to remember something… or someone.

  Were you there, too? Were you at Prestonpans, fighting against my husband? What if… No, I cannot think that. I will not.

  She may not have had any true depth of affection for her departed husband, but she was not sure how she would feel if she were to discover that Camdyn was the very person who had taken her husband’s life.

  “Were you not informed of that, when you gained his title?” Victoria fought to focus her attention on William. “Surely, someone must have told you where he fell?”

  William shook his head effusively. “They informed me that your husband had died, but they did not mention Prestonpans, nor do I recall the fellow. Perhaps, they thought it would be in bad taste if they were to reveal that they were giving me the title of a gentleman who died on the same battlefield that I was fortunate enough to survive.”

  “Yes, perhaps.” Victoria knew the English court could be fickle. She had seen estates dragged out from beneath eldest sons after fathers had remarried, with all of that inheritance going to the son of the new wife instead. Taking a title from a dead man would be simple in comparison, with no regard for the wife who would be left with nothing.

  We women are not of value in their eyes, unless we can bear children. They likely relished the opportunity to strip me of my security, as punishment for being barren.

  “I feel like the most awful wretch, imposing on you like this, and showing such excitement, when you have suffered through such tragedy. My actions have been made all the worse, now that I know what happened to your husband,” William said softly, his hands still clasped together. “Can you forgive me?”

  Victoria narrowed her eyes. “Did you kill him?”

  “What? No!” William’s mouth fell open in horror.

  “Then I have nothing to forgive you for,” she replied, as casually as she could. “All you need do is return to England, and leave me be, and all shall be well. There shall be no grievances between us.”

  William frowned, and ran an anxious hand through his hair. “I cannot do that, My Lady. I truly wish that I could, but it is not possible. First and foremost, I have been stationed here to continue to oversee the military situation in Inverness. And, according to law, this house, as well as the house in England, and all of the associated finances already belong to me. There is nothing I can do, now, to change that. The title and everything that goes with it has already been transferred.”

  The finances… No…

  Victoria’s eyes flitted toward Camdyn, and she saw her own worry and despair reflected on his face. If they did not have access to her accounts, they would not be able to buy the land they had dreamed of. They could still travel north, but they would be as good as paupers. Of course, they would be able to sell some of Victoria’s belongings, but it would not gain them much for the future.

  “How dare you.” Victoria could not suppress the spike of anger that bristled through her, as she watched her hopes shatter around her. “How dare you come here and tell me that I have nothing. How dare you tell me that you have taken what rightfully belongs to me, by marriage, because you happened to live, and my husband did not! I was wed to him for a decade—does that stand for nothing in the eyes of the law?!”

  William blinked at her, visibly alarmed by her outburst. “My Lady, please do not be upset. I am deeply sorry for the distress that I have caused you. Of course it should stand for something.” He lowered his gaze. “Indeed, now I wish that I had refused the title. Although, if I had, I cannot imagine the rogue they might have given it to, otherwise.”

  “This is unjust!” Victoria continued to rage. “It is not right. Am I to be cast into destitution, with nothing but my belongings, because the law has decided to give away what is mine, and what was rightfully left to me by my husband?”

  William shuffled forward on the settee. “You know, My Lady, there is an exceedingly simple solution to this unrest.”

  “There is?” Victoria paused in her ire and raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Then why have you not spoken of it, and let me rail like this?”

  William fidgeted awkwardly. “Well, it may be simple, but it is also rather sensitive. I do not even know if I ought to suggest it. However, if you were to agree to certain terms, I would be able to assure you that you could retain everything you have become accustomed to. This house, the manor in England, and all your finances, as they were.”

  “What terms?” A gathering unease rippled through her, and judging by the dark look on Camdyn’s face, he was already one step ahead of what William was about to s
ay. But Victoria’s mind was too overwrought with shock and emotion to think clearly.

  William swallowed loudly. “All you have to do is marry me, and you would be the Countess of Desiglow once more.”

  “Pardon?” Victoria gaped at his audacity. Was he really seeking to usurp her husband in every capacity with such apparent boldness? Had he taken leave of his senses?

  William cleared his throat. “It makes a great deal of sense, My Lady. You wish to retain everything you have, and I am in need of a wife. I have heard so much about you, that I feel I already know you. In time, you will come to know me, and you will see that you have made the right decision. We make an ideal couple. I could even take you away from these savage Scots, once my work here is done. It should not take longer than a year, at most.”