Arabella pressed forward, her feet quickening a little just to make sure she could reach the house before she changed her mind.
Even if Arabella had decided at the last second that she didn’t want to go in, it was too late. Lady Anisette was walking around her gardens and spotted Arabella from a distance. She waved and Arabella nodded her head.
The women gestured for her to come closer.
Arabella did as instructed and walked to Lady Anisette. Frightened, she moved forward without allowing herself to think of her nerves. She still had not decided how best to apologize to the poor woman. It didn’t seem to matter, as Lady Anisette was willing to see her and that was what was most important.
“Arabella, I see ye have come,” Lady Anisette said with a smile that seemed a veneer over a layer of her own embarrassment.
“Aye, Lady Anisette. But I dinnae mind leaving if that’s what ye wish. I’ll not put meself in a place I dinnae belong again,” Arabella promised in a rush.
“Please, lass, dinnae think that way. I am glad ye came. I wanted to speak with ye. I wanted to explain meself for last evening and apologize to ye,” Lady Anisette insisted.
Arabella had not known what to expect, but it had not been this. An apology from Lady Anisette was the very last thing she would have anticipated. Grand ladies did no such thing as that.
“Lady Anisette, it is I who must apologize. I was rash. I pushed ye about a very sensitive topic and I was a fool not to consider that it might hurt ye,” Arabella confessed.
“Lass, ye dinnae ken the whole story. But once ye do, ye’ll understand that it was truly me who was at fault. I think it is best if ye come in for a bit of tea, how’s that sound?” Lady Anisette offered.
Arabella nodded, still uncertain what this was all about.
They entered into the estate and Arabella was still cautious. She was afraid of saying the wrong thing and causing another disruption, as had happened the night before.
Lady Anisette was calm and collected now, a completely different woman, more even and like what Arabella had seen of her before.
“Now, dear, I ask ye to please have a seat,” she instructed and Arabella did as she was told.
“Gretchen!” Lady Anisette called, and after a moment the maid responded.
“Aye, Lady Anisette?” she asked.
“Gretchen, please, the tea,” she instructed.
“Aye, Lady Anisette.” Arabella watched the maid, who looked frightened.
“She’s new,” Lady Anisette explained, easing some of Arabella’s own concerns. She hated to see house staff feeling anxious, as it made her wonder what happened when guests were not around. The lass being new explained it and Arabella was more at peace with it.
“Now, Arabella, please do me a small favor,” Lady Anisette asked.
“Anything, Lady Anisette,” she replied.
“Do ye see that box? Aye, that one there. Can ye bring it to me?” she instructed.
Arabella did as she was asked and took the small wooden box to Lady Anisette for inspection.
“Now, when we spoke last evening, I was upset because I am still so angry that such a horrible rumor was ever started. But now, as it is, I ken that ye brought me the best opportunity to use this in defense of me daughter and to aid me grandson in all of this questioning of his validity,” Lady Anisette said.
Arabella felt her heart quicken. What was it? Was she going to find out the truth and be able to help Francis prove himself?
Lady Anisette opened the box and pulled out a letter. “Read it,” she ordered.
Arabella carefully took the letter and returned to her seat.
The paper was worn, as if it had been read many times over. She opened it with great care and saw that the writing was a woman’s. In beautiful script, it read,
Mother,
I scarcely know how to write this. I am frightened. I am anxious. I do not have any idea what to do to change my circumstances. It is Angus, my husband’s brother. I am certain of it, that he has started all of this.
Mother, I am terrified. My husband believes that I have been unfaithful. He questions my every move. If I spend time in the gardens, he is suspicious that I have met someone within them.
He even questions the legitimacy of our Francis, who is his own twin! I cannot fathom what I ought to do about all of this! How can I possibly move forward with my life with all of this hanging over my head? And if Angus is so desperate for power that he would have my own son removed from the line of lairds, then what else might he be capable of?
Should you hear any scandal of me, please know that it is untrue. I have always been faithful to my husband. I never dreamt of another man. Even before we wed, I was pure and faithful to him. Please, Mother, believe me.
Know that I would never sin against my family or God in this way.
This is a lie, a cruelty, but an untrue cruelty.
Your Loving Daughter,
Jeanne
Arabella looked back up at Lady Anisette, who now had tears in her eyes. Arabella took the letter and neatly folded it again.
“Ye’ve had this since before she died?” Arabella asked, wondering how it had never come to light.
“Aye. She wrote it two years before her passing. I couldnae bring meself to figure out what was best done with it, ye see. I mean, her horrible husband wouldnae give me a chance to explain because his even worse brother had poisoned his mind so,” Lady Anisette explained further.
Arabella simply nodded. Whatever the reasons for the letter having not come out sooner, it would be presented now.
“Lady Anisette, do ye mind if I make certain that everyone kens of this?” she asked politely.
“I would love nothing more, lass…”
Chapter 25
The Meaning Of It All
“She’s gone? Where’s she got off to?” Francis asked one of the maids.
“Um…well…Mr. McNeil…” she stammered.
“What is it?” he prodded, nervous that something serious had taken place and unsure what he could now do about it if it had.
“She ran off after realizing I had an excellent sense of humor that she couldnae keep up with,” came a wheezy laugh from behind him.
Francis turned and looked at his uncle. The man was as hateful and horrible as ever. What had he done that had chased Arabella away like that?
“Sense of humor?” he questioned. “She ran off because ye were too terribly funny for her?”
“Aye, that, or because she kenned she wasnae enough of a woman for me,” he added crudely.
Francis could hardly hold back his temper at that.
He had rushed back hoping to propose to Arabella, hoping to tell her everything he felt and how deeply he loved her and truly wanted to be with her. He had come to beg her to wed him no matter what his position might be. He thought that if he could only see her, only tell her the truth of his affections, then maybe she would understand the depths of them.
His uncle had ruined all of that. He had come here and once more destroyed any sense of happiness and joy that Francis might ever be allowed to experience. He had ruined the chance for Francis and the woman he cared so deeply for by frightening her off.
It seemed that Angus was best at nothing in this world except ruining the lived of others and taking away all their opportunities for goodness.
Yes, Francis thought that this time, he might not be able to hold back. This time, it might prove too great a challenge to stop himself from unleashing all of his anger and rage on the man that he had come to truly detest more than any other.
Just then, when he thought that he might explode on his uncle and beat the man to a pulp, the door opened and shut loudly, directing their attention to the direction of the foyer. Francis heard little footsteps and knew that they belonged to Arabella. He rushed through the door and out into the area he heard her coming from.
She looked stunning, but as if she had labored significantly. She had been running. And hard. That much
he could see.
“Arabella, what is it?” he asked in grave concern.
She breathed heavily, exhausted from running.
“Here, come, have a seat. Daisy, please get water for Lady Arabella!” he ordered.
Bringing Arabella into the empty parlor, he helped her to the double seat and took his place beside her. Once she caught her breath and took some of the water, she finally gave all her attention to Francis.
“Francis,” she began. “I ken that ye’ve had a very difficult time of not kenning the truth about yer mum. I ken that ye’ve heard rumors and lies and that it’s all been too hard to bear for ye and I cannae blame ye for that.”
“Arabella, it’s true, but it doesnae matter anymore. I’ve put it aside. Came early from the hunt because there was something I had to ask ye!” Francis interjected.
Arabella appeared curious, but she would not be stopped.
“Ye may say it, whatever it is, but first ye have to listen to me, Francis. It’s important. More important than ye can imagine. It’s about yer mum. She wasnae lying, Francis. She wasnae. And now, now I have proof,” Arabella insisted.
Francis looked at her with awe. Could it be true? Could she really have a way of proving it?
She dug around in her purse and pulled out a worn piece of paper. She placed it in Francis’ hand and urged him to read it.
What Francis saw gave him chills. His eyes swarmed with tears and he was completely undone by the words on the page.
His desperate mother was pleading to be believed. She was terrified and anxious, and why should she not have been? Oh how she was hurt and wounded by all of the lies! How his horrible uncle had betrayed them all for the sake of his own designs upon the lairdship, and the power that would never be his!
Francis looked back to Arabella.
“Where did ye get this?” he asked.
“Lady Anisette,” Arabella replied. “She had it, but had been too frightened to get it to yer faither sooner. She had not understood what she might be able to do about all of it. But when I came and begged her last evening to help me understand, she had gotten terribly angry. Today, however, today she was ready. Today she wanted nothing but justice for Jeanne. For yer mum.”
Francis could not help himself. He began to weep. Here it was. All the evidence he needed. After all that time of wondering about his legitimacy. All those years of pain and agony and feeling as if he meant nothing at all. It was now, finally, coming to an end.
He was truly the laird’s son. He was the next. The heir of the position, but more importantly, the only child of his true faither.
“I must show me faither,” Francis said, tasting the word on his tongue in a new way. He no longer had to fear using that word, wonder if it was a lie. Now he knew that it was true. He was truly his faither’s son. His faither’s child. Nobody could deny it anymore.
“Aye, Francis, ye must show him. And be quick about it! We have to return to yer grandmother’s home so ye can thank her. She had other things of yer mum’s. Things of yers from when ye were a child. Other letters. This one isnae the only. Francis, there is evidence of her fear and worry about yer uncle. Nobody can deny it now. No one at all,” Arabella promised.
Francis nodded, shocked but grateful.
As the laird was still not home, they first made their way to Lady Anisette’s estate. The old woman had already ensured that there was food and tea for them to enjoy while she pulled out items, one by one, to show them.
She was thrilled to see Francis and he was grateful in return, hugging his grandmother as he had never hugged a woman since he was a small boy at his mother’s side.
“Lad, here are a pair of yer socks from when ye were just a bairn!” she exclaimed. Francis laughed, amused that Lady Anisette had kept them for so long.
“But I ken that ye’re primarily here about the letters. I sent the one with Arabella so ye might be willing to come and see what all I had for ye. But there are others. Some even detail how yer uncle threatened her and told her she had to confess to an affair or he would do all he could to have ye removed from the laird’s heirs through other means. She feared for yer safety, lad. She cared about ye more than ye can possibly imagine,” Lady Anisette told him.
Francis’ eyes were filled with tears and he saw that Arabella was unsure if she ought to stay. He grabbed her hand, trying to remind her that he wanted her nowhere else than by his side.
Francis looked through all of the items, but paid careful attention to what amounted to six letters detailing that she was being blackmailed with a lie that had never taken place. She was afraid for Francis and worried about what the laird’s brother, Angus, might do to Francis if his rumor did not succeed.
Francis considered what he had done and was glad that his mother was not here to see it.
Angus’ lies had not wounded Francis physically. To the outside world, he appeared normal, still the same man he had always been.
Inside, Francis had taken a bitter root, had turned cold and hard against the world. He had become something horrid and unrecognizable for a woman like his mother. Angus had made him dark, vile, violent even. He had made him filled with hate and bitterness, rife with anger.
Yes, Francis was glad that his mother had not seen this side of him. However, he was anxious to ensure that he never responded in such a rage to anyone ever again in the future. He knew the truth now; he would no longer allow himself to settle for the hate of a lie. He believed that with Arabella in his life, he truly did deserve better now. He could live better. He could be the man he had always wanted to be but never thought possible.
Francis looked up from the letters to his grandmother and to the woman he wanted to spend his life with. Both were watching him with tears of relief in their eyes.
“Thank ye, both of ye, for helping me get this far. Thank ye for not giving up on me when it would have been easy to do so. Thank ye for believing that I could be more than what was said of me. I promise, I’ll not disappoint either of ye,” he said, meaning it from the bottom of his heart.
“I expect nothing less from me grandson,” Lady Anisette replied.
After a time, Arabella and Francis knew they had to return to the laird’s estate. There was much to be discussed and they would have to figure out the best way to present the news to the laird, aware that it would cause many issues with Angus. They trusted that the laird, being a good man, would take Francis’ side. He would see the truth in the words written by his deceased wife and no longer believe the falsehoods of his brother.
“Thank ye, Arabella, for making this happen. Thank ye for not giving up on me,” he said again as they road in the coach. Arabella smiled at him but said nothing.
He could see that she was exhausted from having fled from Angus in the morning and then run back to the home to deliver the letter to Francis.
“Ye ought to have asked Lady Anisette if ye could use her coach when ye came back,” Francis said reasonably.
“Aye, but I wasnae thinking. I was too excited. Francis, ye ken what this means, dinnae ye? Ye’re truly the son of the laird! How could I think of coaches and all that nonsense when I just had to find ye and tell ye that all of the doubts were over?” she pointed out.
Francis was thankful for her diligence, grace, and beauty. He wrapped an arm around Arabella and pulled her close, kissing her gently on the forehead.
They soon arrived at his faither’s estate and unloaded from the coach.
Voices rang from inside the dining area, as it was lunchtime, and Francis and Arabella made their way into the room to find Angus, the laird, and a few other gentlemen.
“Excuse me, but I need to speak with me faither,” Francis said, putting an emphasis on the word.
“Ye mean the laird?” Angus said in irritation.
“Aye, he is the same man, after all,” Francis replied nonchalantly.
Angus seemed to seethe, but Francis only allowed his face to show the slightest hint of a smile and turned back to his faith
er with eyes requesting a moment to speak together.
Finally, the laird stood. “Aye. If ye need an audience with me, then I’m happy to do so. Excuse me for a moment, lads,” he said, leaving the table.
Francis and his faither made their way to the parlor and Arabella waited outside, understanding that this conversation had to happen between the two men alone.
“What is this about, Francis?” the laird asked.
“Well, that is an excellent question. Ye see, me whole life I’ve heard the rumors. I’ve understood that people spoke ill of me mum-”
“Lad, we are at war, this is no time for talk of all of this. Dinnae start,” the laird warned.
“Listen to me!” Francis insisted. “Ye have to listen! I have proof that it was all a lie. I have evidence that me mum was terrified of Angus because he was spreading falsehoods about her to get me out of the line. He wants to be laird when ye are gone, Faither. He is manipulative, trying to ruin everything,” Francis said, needing his faither to understand.
The laird sat slack jawed. “Proof? What do ye mean ye have proof?” he asked.
“I have letters, written from me mum to me grandmother. She recounts the threats yer brother made against her, how he tried to hurt her with them, how he told her he would be rid of me even if she didnae come forth and confess a crime she never committed.
“Angus is a liar. And ye are me faither. Dinnae let his lies stop ye from seeing that. I will show ye the letters. I will prove to ye that ye’re me faither,” Francis insisted.
The laird looked at him and silently nodded. “I-I should very much like to see them, lad.”
Francis quickly pulled them out and handed them to his faither, who looked at the script on each one. Francis saw that his faither was confirming they were indeed written by his mother’s hand.
Love Saves A Highland Spy: Ladies of Dunmore Series (A Medieval Scottish Romance Story) Page 17
