Once Again, My Laird
Page 20
She might have been content and satisfied with the duke. Now she was alive. She sparkled with an aura of joy that everyone in her company felt.
Maisie openly boasted of her role in precipitating said joy. It hadn’t come about exactly as she’d anticipated, however. There’d been an additional surprise in it for her.
She took the handkerchief Ardmore offered and used it to dry the baby’s head. Alexander hadn’t even let out a whimper.
Her sweet baby brother.
Her full brother.
With a smile, she turned to her mother, who was teary-eyed as usual. She did wear her emotions on her sleeve! Georgiana looked a bit shaky just then, so Maisie decided wee Alex would be safer in a steadier set of arms and turned to her father—yes, her father—who beamed proudly as she passed the baby to him.
Mal dropped a kiss on his son’s downy forehead, but it was to her he reached out, cupping her cheek tenderly before kissing it.
“Thank ye, my Maisie lass.”
Anthony Egerton, the Duke of Bridgewater, was and always would be a father she adored, but Malcolm MacKintosh was the father of her blood, the father of her heart. Said organ gave a little wobble at the thought.
The priest finished his blessing. Both David and Lindsay looked relieved. The colonel even mopped his brow with his handkerchief before delivering a humorous jibe to Mal that had the men all laughing aloud.
“Oh, darling!”
Her arms free, Maisie surrendered to her mother’s embrace. In short order, she, the baby, David, and Rabbie Lindsay, who shared the position of Alexander’s godfather, were all shuffled through a gauntlet of hugs and handshakes. Offered congratulations for her new half-brother.
Most of her family considered her a flighty cabbagehead incapable of serious thought. Still, she wasn’t certain how they remained convinced she didn’t know the truth. She’d been well aware of her parentage for nearly three years now. In truth, it’d been obvious to her from the moment she came face to face with Mal that first night. There’d been a flash of shock, then panic—and more than a few inquiries for her mother popped to mind.
Then the most amazing thing had happened. A rush of kinship struck her and even if her life had depended on it, she couldn’t have stopped herself from throwing decorum to the wind and embracing Mal right then.
If that moment and his similar coloring and mannerisms hadn’t been adequate persuasion, one look at Margo MacKintosh would have solidified the suspicion. Frankly, it was gratifying for Maisie to know she’d still have her looks when she was well past her seventieth year. Because she was so like her grandmother.
She cast a glance at the elderly lady as she came alongside her son.
“Can I hold my grandson?”
Mal handed Ian over obediently. “I wager ye never thought ye’d have a grandchild to coddle, aye, Maw?”
Margo cast a wicked grin at Maisie and winked. “It’s a miracle, I’d say.”
Lindsay guffawed loudly and Maisie bit her lip to stifle a smile. It hadn’t taken her long to determine she’d inherited her astuteness from her grandmother. Why, she and her grandmother were the only two who’d guessed the truth with one look, after all, when no one else even suspected.
It was their secret, their private joke upon the world. A rather nice one to share with the feisty lady who’d come to mean so much to her.
Honestly, it wouldn’t bother her a whit to be publically claimed as Mal’s true daughter. To call him Father with pride. She hadn’t the inflated sense of consequence to care what others thought. So, she’d let them have their way for their sake rather than her own.
They were an overprotective lot, all of them.
She adored them for it, one and all. And was glad to have them in her life any way she could. Whatever her involvement in launching the search for Mal, Maisie knew she wouldn’t have any of this if Mal hadn’t put aside his wounded pride, if her mother hadn’t been absolved of her guilt and accepted his apology. Twenty years apart was a steep penance to pay for nothing more sinful than young love. Because of that, she’d been willing to protect the secret they fought so hard to keep.
But it was a bit of fun to keep them on their toes.
Absently twisting a lock of hair around her finger, Maisie cast a mischievous grin at Margo. “It is a miracle, isn’t it? Have you given any thought to what you might like Alex to call you? Gran perhaps? Or Grandmama?”
She’d been calling Margo Grandmama in private now for over a year. She longed to freely say it aloud as much as Margo wanted to hear it.
“Grandmama,” Margo confirmed with a nod, a glint of tears in her eye though she smiled with a hint of wickedness.
“Perhaps we should call you that, as well. What do you think, David?”
Her brother’s eyes widened with a hint of panic, as did her mother’s and Mal’s.
“What do you think?” She turned to Mal. “It wouldn’t be fair for little Alexander to be the only one to have a grandmama, would it? If he is my brother, it makes sense Margo should be my grandmama, as well.”
His dark eyes narrowed on her, then filled with comprehension.
Well, it seemed he’d gotten a spot of that cleverness, too.
“And so she is,” he said, his brogue soft with emotion that brought an ache to her heart.
Maisie couldn’t continue on, no matter what it cost her. Her pride in her parentage yearned to be cried out to the world.
“And if she is my grandmamma, naturally you shall be my papa then.”
Apparently she’d inherited more of her mother’s sentimentality than she’d realized since her voice caught on the word. Tears sprang to her eyes and he reached out to brush them away.
“Aye, my wee lass, I will.”
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Once Again My Laird. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
While success for me personally is measured in bringing you joy, a moment of emotion, and escape from the hectic thing that is life, it is also measured by the quality and quantity of the reviews my books receive. They don’t just help other readers decide to spend their time and money on a book, they help me, too. I read each one that is posted. I take what you say to heart and use it to improve and grow.
If you would take a few minutes of your time to leave a review, I’d be grateful.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy.
Angeline
About the Author
Angeline Fortin is the author of historical and time-travel romance offering her readers a fun, sexy and often touching tales of romance.
Her time travel romance, Taken: A Laird for All Time Novel, was awarded the Virginia Romance Writers 2015 Holt Medallion Award for Paranormal Romance. This book is a finalist for the 2017 Reader's Choice Award for Historical Romance.
She is a PAN member of the Romance Writers of America and Midwest Fiction Writers.
With a degree in US History from UNLV and having previously worked as a historical interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, Angeline brings her love of history and Great Britain to the forefront in settings such as Victorian London and Edinburgh.
As a former military wife, Angeline has lived from the west coast to the east, from the north and to the south and uses those experiences along with her favorite places to tie into her time travel novels as well.
Angeline is a native Minnesotan who lives in Apple Valley outside the Twin Cities with her husband, two children and three dogs. She is a wine enthusiast, DIY addict (much to her husband's chagrin) and sports fanatic who faithfully cheers for the Twins and Vikings through their occasional highs and average lows.
Most of all she loves what she does every day - writing.
You can check out her website http://www.angelinefortin.com for summaries off all her books, companion information and sign up for her newsletter for news about upcoming releases. You can contact her at mailto:fortin.angeline@gmail.com.
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Also Available by Angeline Fortin
The Questions for a Highlander Series:
A Question of Love
A Question of Trust
A Question of Lust
The Perfect Question
A Question for Harry
A Question Worth Asking
The Laird for All Time Series:
A Laird for All Time
A Time & Place for Every Laird
Taken: A Laird for All Time Novel
Love in the Time of a Highland Laird
A Laird to Hold
Time Travel Romance:
Nothing But Time
My Heart’s in the Highlands
Short Stories:
In The Holiday Spirit in Spirits of the Season anthology
The Leap in Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota~Autumn
Alone with the Devil in Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota~Winter
A Three Night Stand in Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota~Summer
Pride & Penitence Copyright © 2017 Angeline Fortin
Cover Art by Midnight Muse
All rights reserved.
Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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My Personal Bubble LLC
Pride & Penitence Copyright © 2017 Angeline Fortin
All rights reserved.
Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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