Fearing my uncle might think me nonsensical if I suggested such, or even if I admitted I did indeed believe in the water horses as well as other creatures that I’d seen first hand, I gave a more acceptable, yet still true, answer.
“Let me just say that living on the sea, I’ve seen my fair share of unexplained happenings throughout my life. It’s great fun to imagine all the legends of the deep might be true, don’t you think?”
His smiling gaze held mine for a moment, and he gave a nod. “Aye. I do.”
Chapter two
June 11, 1829
Jinny Fairchild
With a buoyant heart I joined Uncle in the drawing room for a game of chess. Our evenings were stimulating and rather fun, as my mind had been quite numb since Papa’s passing.
To my enjoyment, Uncle had been surprised, yet delighted, over my skill at the board, and now we played every evening, just as Papa and I had. It had been our routine during the past fortnight—supper and then chess. Uncle shared with me stories of his and my mother’s childhood, making my heart soar with the opportunity to know her through his eyes.
I found myself actually laughing, which happened often during those evenings. It was happening the moment I turned in high spirits to see a finely dressed lady standing in the doorway of the drawing room. Even though I suspected her look was naturally sour, she appeared to be quite scandalized. A very handsome younger man in a suit coat and kilt accompanied her.
My laugh and Uncle’s faded and I felt my smile fall away. Uncle cleared his throat and rose from his chair at the chess table. He walked to the couple.
“Fia, my dear, yer home.” He kissed her plump cheek and stepped back.
I was struck by how mismatched they seemed—his demeanor so pleasant and appearance so pleasing, and hers … not. She wasn’t ugly; she just looked too disagreeable to be pleasing. She looked almost … threatening.
I bit my lip against a rush of guilt, and berated myself for the gauche thought.
Uncle looked at the man at her side who was watching me—the man I now knew was my cousin. He squeezed his broad shoulder.
“Lachlan. Welcome home.”
My cousin looked at Uncle and nodded. I was struck by how absolutely arresting the lines of his face were. He had to be the spitting image of my uncle. I now knew what uncle must have looked like without the beard, although my cousin’s unruly shock of hair was not brown, but a dark auburn, like his mother’s.
Uncle said to him, “Thank ye for seeing to yer maw these last weeks, and bringing her home safe and sound. So, how are ye?”
“I’m good. But maybe no’ as good as ye?” Lachlan’s lips pressed thin as he cut his accusing glower back to me.
My eyes stretched wide and my cheeks burned hot.
Uncle scowled and turned to me. “Jinny, come and meet yer aunt Fia and cousin Lachlan.”
Rising, I smoothed my skirts and forced my feet to move toward them.
“Aunt?” Aunt Fia said frowning. “Do ye mean Jinny Fairchild, then?” Her harsh voice married well with her aloofness, but struck a harsh contrast against the usual warm appeal of the Scottish burr. “So, where is Nathaniel?” She turned her gaze toward the hallway.
Uncle said, “We’ve a bit of bad news. Nathaniel died. Jinny’s come to live with us.”
Aunt Fia stabbed Uncle with a glare. “And when did she arrive?”
I swallowed against the lump now lodged in my throat, struck more by her lack of acknowledgement of my father’s death than her rudeness toward me.
“This is her second week,” Uncle said.
“She’s been here a fortnight, alone with ye in this house?”
“And what of it? What are ye accusing me of?”
Fia stood looking at Uncle, silently, as if wanting to accuse him straight out, but shrank back at his darkening features.
“I’m no’ accusing ye of anything, Ewan. I merely would that ye hadn’t hidden it from me.”
All I wanted at that mortifying moment was to slink away and go bury my tears in my pillow. Did my aunt truly believe something could have happened between Uncle and me?
Noticing my misery, Uncle said to Fia, “I hid nothing. I was apprised of her misfortune only days after ye and Lachlan left for Glasgow. Of course I didnae wait to hear from ye before I sent word to her that she is welcome here. And I didnae want to worry ye. I knew ye were needed there with yer sister being ill worse than I needed ye here.”
“Ye should have let me decide that for myself.”
Embarrassed, and in truth, looking for an ally, I slid my gaze to Lachlan to find his moving up my person, lingering at my cleavage.
A queer feeling clenched my gut for the briefest of moments.
He lifted his gaze to mine and I couldn’t hide my unease. He, thankfully, looked away.
“I didnae mean to ruffle yer feathers, Fi, but I can no’ go back and change it now. Will ye and Lachlan welcome the lass? Or am I to continue to be shamed in front of her to think I have such a callous and unfriendly family? No’ to mention ill-mannered.”
Fia stepped back with a gasp, her mouth sagging as if Uncle had drenched her with a bucket of cold water.
She regained her self-possession and faced me.
“Welcome to my home, Jinny.” Like a different person, she spoke as a model hostess and drew me into a reserved hug. I wondered if it was duty or true hospitality.
She drew back. “Allow me to introduce ye to yer cousin, Lachlan.” She turned to her son. “Lachlan, say hallo to Jinny.”
Lachlan looked amused. “Hallo, Jinny.”
I swallowed. “Hello, Lachlan.”
***
Uncle and I had given up our chess game, and sat with Fia and Lachlan.
Fia’s gaze settled on me. “I’m sorry to hear of Nathaniel’s passing, Jinny. Why are ye no wearing yer mourning clothes?”
A bit of tension left my shoulders. “Thank you, Aunt Fia. It hasn’t been easy to accept. But my time of mourning is spent. Papa died just over a year ago.”
“And we’re only now being told?”
“I apologize for that. We were in China when he died. I’m sure you can imagine the position I was in. I could not travel without a chaperone on a trade ship with only a crew of men, so I sent the Jinny Rose back to London without me. It took me some time to acquire a female travel companion and then many months to make our way back to England. It wasn’t easy with over fifteen thousand miles to travel. Once I arrived in London, I realized I should have sent word before then, but my mind was consumed with grief and all I could think of was seeing to the business that needed to get settled.”
“What sort of business?” Fia said.
“Well, my father’s ship and so forth.”
“Did ye find a buyer and get it sold, then?”
I looked at her, a bit hesitant to comment on her assumption.
“Why, no. I have no plans to sell the Jinny Rose. The business I attended to was settling on a good captain and making him an offer he couldn’t refuse. A first-rate and honest captain is hard to come by and this one came highly recommended.”
Aunt clipped off a squawk and her brows stretched upward. “But ye’re a mere girl! Ye have no business running such a concern. Of course ye’ll sell the ship.”
I didn’t want to go against my aunt the first night—or ever, really—but I was not going to sell Papa’s ship.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Aunt Fia. But I have no interest in selling the Jinny Rose. It is a respectable enterprise, and one that will make me money for as long as I own it. As you know, my father sold all his belongings and put his money into that vessel, so I have no stipend I could count on as many girls do.”
Uncle cleared his throat and looked at my aunt. “Tell me, Fia, how was Glasgow?”
As my aunt and uncle conversed, I felt appreciation for Uncle, and glanced over at Lachlan, taken aback to find him staring at me. It was a gaze that said he’d been looking at me longer than a mere meeting of
the eyes. I blinked, thinking he would look away, or else say something. He didn’t—only watched me.
What on earth?
I smiled, not knowing what else to do. His lips made a scant curve, but his expression again turned serious.
I looked away and tried to pay attention to the conversation, but why was my cousin watching me so keenly?
Waiting as long as my curiosity would allow, my gaze turned again to find his stationed on my face. It sent a surge of … of … something through me. I felt my cheeks warm and looked away quickly. I gave up trying to pay attention and simply pretended I was doing so.
Should one feel such strange sensations toward one’s cousin? Why was he staring at me? It was very disconcerting.
The minutes passed and I felt sure his notice was on the conversation. A quick glance showed I was wrong. Feeling uncomfortable, I attacked the situation head on, and turned more fully to face him.
“And you, cousin, did you enjoy your trip to Glasgow?”
He seemed to consider his answer.
“It was a typical journey; nothing out of the ordinary … until returning home to find ye here.”
Was he angry about that? “I see.”
“Na, I don’t believe ye do. I met ye once when I was ten. Do ye remember?”
“No, I’m sorry to say I do not, though Uncle mentioned this to me the day I arrived.”
“Did he? Well, maybe this time ye will remember me, eh?”
I smiled. “I’m certain I will.”
I breathed a little easier, realizing I was just a curiosity to him.
He said, “I’ve wondered about my only cousin over the years. I didnae like feeling as if I’d been given a gift only to have it taken away the same day.”
I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”
“It was no’ often I went anywhere with my da, but it was an important thing to go to Dalmahearn with him to meet my cousin. And here I have been all these years, thinking of ye, but I never even crossed yer mind.”
“That’s not true. My father spoke of the three of you often. I even felt as if I did know you at times. I am honored to finally say I do.”
He nodded once. “Aye. Too bad ’tis under such circumstances.”
I nodded. “Thank you for saying so.”
He smiled now. “Have ye seen any of the city since ye’ve been here?”
“No, actually. I’ve stayed home and spent time in the gardens and such while Uncle has worked. Of course, I’ve enjoyed our meals together, and the evenings have been a pleasant camaraderie between us, leaving little desire to seek entertainment elsewhere.”
“Of course,” Lachlan said, and he turned his gaze toward his father to study him momentarily.
I looked at Uncle and found him watching us, our conversation having drawn his attention, and my aunt’s. Uncle cleared his throat and stood.
“Well, I believe it’s time we all turn in.” He looked at Fia. “I’m sure ye and Lachlan are tired from the long drive, and I know morning will come too soon for me. Jinny, ye need yer rest … as do you, dear,” he said, looking back at my aunt.
Uncle’s suggestion left no room for opposition, so we all said our goodnights and headed up to our respective rooms. Aunt and Uncle headed east, toward the family wing, and I was surprised to find Lachlan walking along with me, toward the guest wing.
“Perhaps I could show ye some of Balfoureigh tomorrow.”
“Perhaps.” I smiled. “I can’t deny the offer is enticing.”
“Good, then, it’s settled. Ye know, Jinny, I think things will work out nicely with ye living here.”
Chapter three
Three months later: September 7, 1829
Jinny Fairchild
Things had not worked out nicely, not for me, anyway. The months following the arrival of my aunt and cousin had shed a light of a different color on the home life of my uncle. It was not his habit to come home early for supper as he had done while they were in Glasgow. He claimed the need to work late every night, and my aunt accepted this to be normal.
I was left to suffer my aunt’s irritated moods and sneers without Uncle’s warm presence there to reassure me, yet I could not blame the poor man for not feeling his home was his castle or his sanctuary.
And then there was Lachlan.
The first two months were wonderful and I grew to love my older cousin truly. He was six years my senior, but we were near enough in age to have grown close, so I had believed.
We’d spent every day together, whether strolling the sidewalks and shops in town, enjoying buggy rides in the country, or walking various gardens.
But then he had kissed me—so often that I’d had to distance myself from him. Now he was angry that I no longer welcomed those types of affections—I never did, really. Well, maybe the first few kisses, as Lachlan was quite handsome, and I’d been swept up in the moment. He’d made me feel safe and no longer alone. The first kiss had been breathtaking and new, the second, thrilling and educational, and the third had been arousing. That had shaken some sense into me and I’d seen the lack of wisdom in engaging in such actions. I’d insisted we not continue down such a path.
Because of this, everything had changed between us. And now he wouldn’t leave me alone.
Instead of the protector and close friend I’d believed my cousin to be, he’d become something threatening—the way he watched me during meals, and afterward while sitting in the drawing room with his gaze following me from behind the rim of his whisky glass. Or in the way he brushed his chest against mine every time we passed in the narrow back stairwell, which was too often to be coincidence.
Of late, I’d seen an even darker side of Lachlan. There was something riskier and more daring than other men I’d faced, and something greedier than the common male lust I had encountered in the past. Being the only female on a ship with a crew of long-denied sailors hadn’t always been pleasant. Oh, Papa had his trusted mates look after me; most of them had been with us my whole life. But Papa still had to take on new deckhands, many of whom were young and foolhardy. Papa had laid a few backs open with the whip. Thankfully, I’d escaped those rare instances with my honor intact.
But through it all, I learned what lust and greed looked like in the face of a hungry man.
As much as I didn’t want it to be so, Lachlan had that look. I knew he had set it in his heart to have me regardless of my wishes, and I now knew my spoiled cousin was used to having whatever he wanted, especially if Aunt Fia had anything to say about it. I just wasn’t sure what it was exactly that he did want.
All these things I pondered as I sipped a cup of late-morning tea while looking out the front bay window into the garden, waiting for my aunt to join me. Startled by the heat of a large hand skimming my waist, I spun to find it was Lachlan. He wore a charming smile and was dressed to go out—a kilt and suit coat.
I backed away from him; thankfully, he remained where he stood.
“Lachlan … you—you look nice. Are you going out?” I internally cursed myself for stammering, as I didn’t want him to know he’d set me on edge. It seemed to fuel his daring.
“Maw wants me to take ye to the dressmaker today.”
Like Uncle, my cousin was average height for a man, only a bit taller than Uncle, but when he was this close, he seemed to tower over me. He may look like his father, but his eyes were no longer bright and smiling like Uncle’s; rather, they were now dark and daunting.
“You?” I said.
“Aye.”
“Why isn’t Aunt Fia going to take me as she had planned?” I prayed my voice hadn’t betrayed how unnerved his words had made me.
“She’s in her room, nursing a headache.”
“Then I shall wait until she feels better.”
One brow climbed his forehead. “Ungrateful, are ye?”
I sat my cup on its saucer and turned to lower it onto the tea table behind me as evenly as I could, feeling a bit encouraged by the sound of servants’ voices in
the hallway.
“That is not it at all. I simply meant it should not be the responsibility of a man who, I’m sure, has more pressing things to do than to play chaperone to his cousin. Especially for such a dull and unexciting task.”
He stepped too close and I backed against the tea table, the sound of dishes clanking as my hands gripped the edge at my bum. He pinched my chin and leaned his face in, placing a kiss right on my lips for anyone to see.
“Na, Jinny,” he whispered, his lips still near mine, “I think watching ye get undressed will no’ be unexciting at all.”
He released my chin and backed away, leaving me too shocked to say a word.
“Now, let’s be on our way. I already had the closed carriage brought around.”
He turned to leave but stopped at the sight of a maid standing with her mouth agape in the doorway.
“What are ye doing hovering there?” he said.
“I’m sorry, sir. I was in the hallway and heard the clanking of dishes. I came to see if my assistance was needed.”
Oh my Lord! She saw us!
Lachlan said, “Well, clearly ’tis no’. Now, get out of here.”
“Yes, sir.” She bobbed a curtsy and hurried from the room.
Lachlan continued toward the door, unconcerned.
“We’re not walking?” I was barely able to get the words out.
He stopped beneath the lintel and turned with a grin. “No, we’re no’ walking. And if ye’re going to question everything I say to ye, it’s going to take us all day.”
He disappeared around the corner, and the hallway echoed with the sound of the front door closing.
I spun toward the window and watched my cousin cross the walkway and climb into the carriage. It had evidently arrived while we were talking … or kissing. Blast!
My heart hammered in my chest. What could I do to avoid this situation? Not merely being alone with Lachlan in a closed carriage, as he so evocatively pointed out, but with him altogether? Living in the house with him, I was at the mercy of whatever he had planned for me, as Uncle seemed content to stay away, which to my consternation allowed Lachlan to have his way. It evidently always had.
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