The Highlander's Princess Bride

by Vanessa Kelly

  “Any suggestions?” Nick asked sarcastically. “I’ve been spectacularly unsuccessful so far.”

  “Just tell her how much you need her,” Alec said. “And mean it this time.”

  “Christ, man, I do need her. Kade needs her.”

  Alec clapped him on the shoulder. “Just say that.” He started up the stairs, but then turned back. “Arnprior, if you fail to treat Miss Knight with the respect she deserves, I’ll come back and murder you.”

  “As I said earlier, I will treat her like a royal princess.”

  Alec let out a guffaw. “Well then, see that you do.”

  Shaking his head at the man’s odd sense of humor, Nick strode to the library.

  His brothers and the woman he hoped would be his new governess were gathered around the low table at the window, which held a generous cold collation. Miss Knight was rigidly perched on the edge of the chaise, another cup of coffee and an untouched scone before her. No wonder she was as slender as a reed—the woman apparently never ate. She and Kade should be perfect for each other.

  Perhaps Braden was making her nervous, since he was pacing and looking ready to jump out of his skin. Only Royal was availing himself of a hearty breakfast, plowing his way through a mountain of ham, cheese, and pastries. His enthusiasm might also account for Miss Knight’s lack of appetite, since she was regarding Royal with a vaguely horrified expression.

  If he weren’t so tense himself, Nick would have laughed. Royal could always be counted on to eat, even in the middle of a crisis or a raging battle. During the war, Nick had encountered him more than once crouched behind a hedge or in a ditch and calmly eating whatever meager victuals he’d scrounged up.

  “Never know when it’s going to be your last meal, old boy,” Royal had said one time as cannon shot whizzed over their heads. “Might as well make the most of it.”

  If nothing else, Nick admired his brother’s intestinal fortitude.

  “Finally,” Braden burst out. “What took you so long? Is Kade all right?”

  “He’s fine,” Nick said as he settled into one of the armchairs flanking the chaise. “He’ll have breakfast and then a nap.”

  “Poor lad looked done in,” Royal said, putting down his plate.

  “You have no idea,” Braden said.

  “Then please stop beating about the bush and tell us,” Royal growled.

  “You needn’t be so nasty,” Braden said with a huffy sort of dignity. “I simply thought Nick should hear it first. He is Kade’s guardian.”

  “I’m here now,” Nick said, “so there’s no need to argue.” He glanced at Miss Knight. “Would you be so kind as to pour me a cup of coffee?”

  “Oh, of course,” she said, starting a bit. She carefully prepared him a cup, as if afraid of spilling. The girl was clearly rattled. Despite Alec’s assurances, Nick sensed she’d love nothing better than to bolt.

  “Lord Arnprior, I feel it’s not appropriate for me to be here,” she said, confirming his suspicions. “Surely this is a private family matter.”

  “No, you need to stay,” Braden said firmly. “Since you’ll be teaching Kade, you should understand what happened to him. He’s going to need quite a bit of support from you to recover.”

  Her gaze shifted to Nick, her big blue eyes pleading for him to explain.

  He sighed. “Unfortunately, Miss Knight is having some reservations about taking up the position.”

  Braden slowly turned to Royal with a scowl. “You’re all causing trouble, aren’t you? What did you do to scare off Miss Knight?”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Royal protested.

  “Ha,” the governess muttered under her breath.

  “Royal is mostly correct,” Nick said. “The lion’s share of the blame rests with your grandfather and the twins.”

  “Then forget about them,” Braden said impatiently. “It’s Kade who needs help.”

  “I’d say all your brothers need help, Mr. Kendrick,” the governess replied. “Not that it’s any of my business,” she added hastily.

  “Perhaps, but not like Kade does,” Braden countered. “The others are just being stupid and stubborn, but they’re harmless. It’s different for Kade. He’s just a boy, and he’s had an awful time of it.”

  “I’m truly sorry to hear that,” she said quietly.

  The sympathetic warmth on her pretty features was in sharp contrast to her rigid posture. It told Nick she wasn’t entirely immune to Braden’s plea.

  Solve the biggest problem first, then tackle the rest once you’ve got her committed.

  “Perhaps Braden is correct—we needn’t worry about my other brothers,” Nick said, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful fashion.

  “Really?” she asked, clearly skeptical.

  “Kade is my immediate concern. He would be the main focus of your energies, regardless of any other duties you agree to take on.”

  When she opened her mouth, likely to raise an objection, Nick forestalled her. “The choice of what duties to assume is yours.”

  Royal rolled his eyes, but he held his fire. He knew Nick would throw him off the battlements if he kept interfering. Besides, he was now as worried about Kade as Nick was. For all of them, that took precedence over everything.

  Miss Knight regarded him with a troubled expression. Nick calmly waited her out.

  Finally, she let out a sigh. “Very well, my lord. I’m willing to defer my decision, pending the results of this discussion.”

  “Thank you, Miss Knight,” Nick said, giving her a warm smile.

  She blushed and gave him a tentative smile in return.

  Braden whooshed out a relieved breath. “Yes, thank you, ma’am. I don’t know how much you know about Kade . . .”

  “I know he’s an accomplished musician,” she said. “But that he suffers from uncertain health.”

  “That’s one of the reasons I wish to become a physician,” Braden said.

  “Then he’s a very lucky boy,” she said with an approving nod.

  Braden threw his brother an anguished grimace. “We never should have let him go away to school, Nick. We should have kept him safe at home.”

  “Kade has always been rather sickly,” Nick explained to the governess. “He studied here, with tutors, until last year. That’s when I placed him at Eskbank Academy in Glasgow.”

  “It was because of Kade’s blasted music,” Royal said grimly. “We couldn’t get good teachers daft enough to move to a remote castle in the Highlands.”

  Her eyebrows went up, but she refrained from pointing out the obvious.

  “Kade pestered Nick for months about going to school,” Braden said. “He pestered all of us, actually, and eventually wore us down.”

  “I chose Eskbank,” Nick said, “because it has an excellent reputation for academics and music, as well as a headmaster who believes in progressive teaching methods.” He’d had no intention of handing his brother to anyone who would mistreat him or neglect his health. “It’s also in Glasgow, where Braden attends university.”

  “That way, I could keep an eye on Kade, or so I thought,” Braden said in a bitter tone. “He was having trouble, but I didn’t even realize it.”

  “But he seemed to be doing well,” Royal said. “At least that was my impression when he was home on his summer holidays.”

  “He was doing well,” Nick said. “I’m sure of it.”

  In fact, Kade had been eager to return to school and to his music tutors.

  “What changed?” Miss Knight asked.

  “He got a new head of house this term,” Braden said. “And a new head boy.”

  Like other schools, Eskbank was divided into several houses, each supervised by a teacher who served as head. Head boy was usually the most senior pupil in the house.

  “And?” Nick prompted.

  “The new head teacher, a man named Corbin, took a sharp dislike to him,” Braden said. “He began to single out Kade for all sorts of silly infractions, some of them invented.”<
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  “Good God,” Royal growled. “How could anyone dislike that sweet lad?”

  Braden shrugged. “The man’s a bully, and bullies pick on those whom they perceive are weak. Corbin made it his mission to punish Kade whenever he had the chance. Those punishments included forbidding him to practice his violin.”

  “Christ,” Nick muttered. Now it was beginning to make sense.

  “The poor boy,” Miss Knight said, shaking her head.

  “When did he finally tell you about this?” Nick asked, forcing himself to remain calm.

  “Not until he fell ill, and I brought him to Kendrick House. That’s our residence in Glasgow,” Braden explained to Miss Knight.

  Nick frowned. “But I came down to Glasgow as soon as you wrote to me. Kade never said a word about any of this.”

  He’d driven like a demon to get to Kade’s bedside and had stayed there for over a week. That vigil had been agony, all the old sorrows and guilt surfacing to torment him while he struggled with fear of losing Kade. The morning the lad’s fever had finally broken and he smiled up at him with clear eyes was the morning Nick had started to believe in God again.

  He’d only returned to Kinglas when he was certain Kade wouldn’t relapse. He trusted that Braden and the residence staff—along with the best physicians in Glasgow—would properly care for the boy until he could finally come home.

  “Kade didn’t want to tell you,” Braden said quietly. “He knows you worry about all of us, and he didn’t wish to burden you.”

  “Oh, God,” Royal said, pressing his hands to his eyes.

  Frustration and guilt made Nick want to drive a fist into a wall. But for now, he shoved aside those emotions. This was about his little brother, not him. “Did Corbin physically abuse Kade?”

  Miss Knight made a distressed sound as she covered her mouth, clearly understanding what he was asking.

  Most boys who’d gone away to school knew what could happen even in the best establishments—beatings and degrading assaults that could scar a boy, physically and mentally. Nick had never experienced such humiliations, nor had his older siblings. Even as children, they’d been more than capable of defending themselves in the occasionally rough environment of boarding school.

  Not Braden, though, nor Kade. That was why Nick had been especially careful when selecting their schools.

  “Mr. Corbin never physically hurt Kade,” Braden said. “He knew you would never put up with that.”

  “Did someone else hurt him?” Royal asked. He looked as sick as Nick felt.

  “Yes. Lord Kincannon’s oldest son, Richard,” Braden replied. “He was appointed head boy for Kade’s house this term. That’s when circumstances took a bad turn.”

  Nick had gone to school with Kincannon. He’d been a mean-spirited weasel, and it sounded like the son had followed in his footsteps. “What happened?”

  “Another student was a particular target for Richard and his cronies. That little boy also suffered a severe caning at the hands of Mr. Corbin for a very minor infraction. Kade was outraged by the mistreatment and complained to the headmaster.”

  “Damn,” Royal said with a grimace. “He should have written to us, instead.”

  Miss Knight looked startled. “Why was it wrong to go to the headmaster? Surely he would wish to know if any of his pupils were mistreated.”

  “Unfortunately, that is rarely the case,” Nick said. “There’s no greater sin a boy can commit than telling tales on another student, especially a head boy or someone else senior.”

  She went rigid with disapproval. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Any sane person would agree with you,” he said.

  “The headmaster wasn’t the problem,” Braden said. “In fact, he reprimanded both Mr. Corbin and Kincannon’s son. That was the problem. Richard was furious Kade had complained. He and some other senior boys waited until the headmaster was away overnight and then pulled Kade out of bed and dragged him out to the privy. They shoved his head inside the . . .” He glanced at Miss Knight. “Well, you know. Then . . . then they urinated on him.”

  Braden hastily turned away to peer out the window, obviously struggling to hold back tears. Nick no longer wanted to put his hand through a wall—he wanted to murder someone.

  “Goddammit,” Royal spat out. “I’m going down there right now, and I’m going to murder those little bastards.” He pushed himself out of his chair. “And then I’m going to murder that bloody teacher, too.”

  Nick shared his thirst for vengeance, but the last thing he needed was a Kendrick brother committing mayhem and making the situation even more complicated.

  “No, you’re not. Sit down, Royal,” he said.

  His brother glared at him. “Sod off. If you’re not going to handle this, I will.”

  “Sit. Down,” Nick said again through clenched teeth. He had no wish to fight with his hardheaded brother, who was so angry he just might murder someone.

  Miss Knight’s calm voice cut through the tension. “Mr. Kendrick, I don’t think Braden is finished,” she said to Royal. “Surely it makes sense to hear all the facts before making any decisions on future actions.”

  Royal turned his fiery gaze on her. “Why do you even care? You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

  She flinched, but then rose to her feet, holding Royal’s gaze. “I care enough to know that you won’t do your little brother any good by committing an act of violence, no matter how great the provocation.”

  Royal loomed large over her, seething with fury. Yet, the girl didn’t back down. For such a frail-looking lass, she showed courage that was both surprising and impressive.

  Braden turned around, now in control of himself. “She’s right. You need to know the rest.”

  “Royal, please sit,” Nick said. “Once we know everything, we’ll figure out how to respond.”

  His brother glanced at Miss Knight, who nodded and gently patted his forearm. He muttered something under his breath and then thumped back down into his chair.

  Holy hell. The girl had gotten his stubborn, hotheaded brother to cool down. It was a bloody miracle. Nick stared, transfixed by her calm, lovely features. She met his gaze with a quizzical little smile, and then resumed her seat.

  He tore his gaze away and focused on Braden. “Go on, lad.”

  Braden gave a tight nod. “Kade said that was the worst part. After that, they dragged him to the courtyard and threw buckets of cold water on him—to clean him off, they said. But they wouldn’t let him dry himself or go back to bed. They locked him outside, soaking wet and dressed only in his nightshirt. He spent the night huddled in a doorway. The porter found him the next morning, all but frozen.”

  “Jesus,” Nick whispered. The image of his frail little brother, abused, alone and shivering with cold, tore at his soul. He’d experienced a great deal of tragedy in his personal life, and had survived the horrors of war. But this vile and senseless act . . . well, it might tip him over the edge. That Kade had suffered through such an ordeal without a shred of support was almost more than Nick could bear.

  “Why the hell didn’t he wake someone up?” Royal asked in an anguished voice.

  Braden grimaced. “He was embarrassed, and he didn’t want to make things worse for himself or the other boy.”

  “You mean they would have done even more to him?” Miss Knight asked in an outraged tone. “That’s insane.”

  “Notions of male honor frequently are,” Nick said.

  “Because men are idiots,” Royal said bitterly.

  Her troubled expression made it clear she agreed with him.

  “By the next day, Kade had developed a high fever,” Braden said. “When the headmaster returned from his trip that afternoon, he sent word to me at Kendrick House. I brought Kade home immediately, and the rest you know.”

  Nick pressed a hand to his head, feeling as if his brain was about to erupt from his skull. He needed to think, and to do what was best for Kade. Too often in the past, he’d reacte
d without thinking, letting anger drive his actions. That had only led to more heartache, and his family had already suffered enough of that to last ten lifetimes.

  “Well, what are we going to do?” Royal said.

  “First, I’m going to talk to Kade, and then I’m going to Glasgow to take it up with the headmaster,” Nick said. He would also both deal with Corbin and speak to Lord Kincannon about his disgusting whelp of a son.

  “No, you won’t,” Braden said, settling his spectacles firmly on his nose.

  Royal scoffed. “Why not?”

  “Because I’ve already taken care of it,” Braden replied. “As soon as Kade told me, I went to speak to the headmaster. I insisted that Kincannon’s son be punished, and that Corbin be removed from his position.”

  “I’m sure he jumped right on that, didn’t he?” Royal asked with heavy sarcasm.

  “He did, actually. Richard was sent down and Mr. Corbin was let go without a recommendation.”

  Nick let out a disbelieving laugh. “How did you manage that?” While it was true that Braden had more brains than the rest of them put together and was mature for his age, he was still young and fairly unworldly.

  “I threatened him with you, Nick,” he said. “I told him that you would make it your mission to shut the school down and ruin the reputation of everyone who worked there.”

  “And he believed you?”

  Braden gave him a puzzled smile. “Of course. In fact, I thought the poor man was going to have a nervous collapse on the spot.”

  Royal let out a short, harsh laugh. “Clearly, he’s heard of Lord Arnprior’s fearsome reputation.”

  “Yes, and it terrified him,” Braden said with a satisfied little smile.

  Nick winced as he shot a look at Miss Knight. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the girl off with exaggerated stories of his stern nature. She, however, didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by Braden’s characterization. In fact, her smile suggested she approved of his brother’s tactics.

  “Well done, lad,” Royal said. “We’ll turn you into a Highland warrior yet.”

  Braden’s shoulders came down from around his ears, and he gave a tentative smile. “Lord, I hope not.”