Marblestone Mansion, Book 4 Read online

  “Through there,” a pleased Cameron said pointing down another hallway, “is the family chapel and a water well, built inside should we come under attack.”

  “I am greatly comforted,” she teased. She followed as Cameron led the way to the room that had once been the MacGreagor Keep. “How I have longed to see this room.” She took Blair’s hand and walked around to look at the glorious tapestries and the weapons Cameron told her about. All of the weapons looked extremely deadly, and she was glad she lived in the twentieth century instead of the twelfth. “I am so privileged to be part of this family.”

  “Hannish and Leesil are coming in the spring,” Cameron announced. He nodded for his footman, Burk, to pour drinks and then urged his guests to sit down. “Blair, what are we having for dinner?”

  Blair dropped Cathleen’s hand, ran to her father and drew in a deep breath. “I forgot to ask?”

  “You best go see.” He smiled as he watched her race out the door. “My kingdom for half her energy.”

  “I quite agree,” said Edward.

  Cameron motioned for Cathleen to come sit with him and then turned his attention back to the Bayingtons. “I do hope you plan to stay a few days at least.”

  “We do.”

  “Good. I am hoping your wife will help Cathleen learn what to expect.”

  “We stay for another reason altogether,” Edward admitted.

  It was then Cameron noticed a troubled look on Edward’s face and decided to dismiss his footman. “Burk, that will be all for now.”

  “Yes, Your Grace.” Burk walked to the open doors, and then closed them both behind him.

  “What is it, what is wrong?” Cameron asked.

  “You best sit down.” Edward waited while Cameron and Cathleen to sit on the sofa opposite him and his wife. “I received a letter from the duchess. She claims Blair is mine and for a fee, will sell her to me.”

  Cameron closed his eyes and hung his head. “Do you believe Blair is yours?”

  “We have only her word for it and as we all know, her word is rubbish.”

  Alarmed, Cathleen asked, “You dinna mean to take Blair from us, do you?”

  “We do not,” Edward quickly answered. “Is that not so, my dear?” he asked, taking Laura’s hand.

  “She is a delightful child and I adore her,” said Laura, “but she looks much like her mother did at that age. She is better off with you where the duchess cannot easily find her. God help Blair if Gormelia gets her back.”

  “Gormelia?” Cathleen asked.

  “Gormelia is her real name, Gormelia Carr. We grew up together as children.”

  “Cameron did not mention that. You must tell me all about it.”

  “With pleasure,” Laura said. “I shall be happy to have a confidant at last. You and Cameron are the only ones I dare speak to about her.”

  Edward leaned forward. “The duchess demanded a deposit in a London bank, and we suspect she will go straight to our house when she finds no funds.”

  “She truly hoped to sell Blair?” Cameron asked.

  “Worse. She thinks to claim Blair and expects me to happily support them both. She said 10,000 pounds would be sufficient.”

  “Frightful woman,” Laura muttered. “That was before she suggested we buy Blair outright.”

  “Yes, well,” Edward went on, “I had a little chat with Mrs. Sinclair. She hates the woman and is quite willing to conspire not to tell the duchess I took Blair.”

  Cameron drew in a deep breath and let it out. “God bless her soul.”

  “Indeed,” Edward said. “I suppose the duchess might try to pry it out of her, but Mrs. Sinclair does not appear the type to be easily intimidated.”

  “Then we shall hold our breaths to see what happens. Meanwhile, you are welcome to stay as long as you like.” When someone lightly knocked on the door, Cameron said, “Enter.”

  Sarah quickly curtsied and then looked at Cathleen, “Your bath is ready, Your Grace.”

  “No more welcome words were ever spoken,” Cathleen sighed, getting up. “Will you come with me, Lady Bayington? We can talk while I bathe.”

  “Of course I will.” When she passed Cameron, Laura whispered, “I not only like her, I adore her.”

  “I knew you would,” Cameron said.

  *

  Lady Bayington sat in a chair on one side of the folding partition while Cathleen undressed on the other. She stepped into the tub, basked in the clean warm water and waited for Sarah to take all the pins out of her hair.

  “My dearest Sarah, I was so relieved when Alistair said you agreed to be my lady’s maid. I feared I would be forced to undress in front of strangers.”

  “Who loves you and your sister more than I?” Sarah asked. “It is an honor, Your Grace.”

  Cathleen remembered her guest and said, “Lady Bayington, Sarah knows all about the duchess, you may speak freely in front of her.”

  “I am relieved,” said Laura. “I wondered how I was going to manage to get around mentioning her name.”

  “After she was banished by Mr. Hannish,” Sarah put in, “the servants here were forbidden to ever speak her name again. Even so, they do talk about her, those who were here at the time. They say she was vicious and they hated her.”

  “I dinna blame them,” said Cathleen. “She took a brush to my sister.”

  “Did she?” Laura gasped. “I had not heard that.”

  “Hannish says that was the day he fell in love with Leesil. Do tell me about Gormilia.”

  Laura thought for a moment and then began, “Well, we lived a meager life in Scalloway, in the Shetland Islands.”

  “Where are the Shetland Islands?” Cathleen asked.

  “Far to the north.”

  “I see.”

  “Yes, well we were quite out of our wits to try a crossing of that sort at night in a small boat. I do not know how we managed, but I suspect the tide carried us in.”

  “Why did you run away?”

  “We married young and were not treated well. It was an easy choice to make, but liars are always found out. If not, we are forced keep lying to hide the truth.”

  Cathleen leaned her head back so Sarah could pour a bowl of clean water on her hair and begin to wash it. “What lies?”

  “I too, had not been put aside when I married Edward. Unfortunately, Gormilia knew and used the knowledge to blackmail us. We can hardly afford such a scandal, you see. I learned later I was a widow and had been since before we sailed from the Island. My first husband was murdered that night.”

  “How awful. Did you love him?”

  “Hardly,” Laura answered. “He was not the best of men. He was deceitful to his wife as well as everyone else. I was happy to get away.”

  “Who murdered him?”

  “We suspect Gormelia’s first husband, but we have no proof.”

  “I see.” Cathleen frowned, “Lady Bayington, I…”

  “Please call me Laura,”

  “Laura, I am concerned that Blair is an uncommon name. I have suggested to my husband that we give her a new first name, but I cannae think of one. He must announce our marriage soon and it should include Blair, but we dare not announce her name.”

  “The duchess will surely see an announcement. She prides herself on knowing everything there is to know about London society.”

  “Then you agree we should give Blair a first name? It is not as if the duchess has not changed names often enough. She will never suspect us of doing the same with her daughter.”

  “If I were to have a daughter, I would call her Alison. We have so wanted a daughter.”

  “Alison is a beautiful name.” Cathleen finished washing, waited for Sarah to rinse the soap out of her hair, stood up, and then took Sarah’s hand as she stepped out of the tub. She started to dry herself off when she stopped. “I’ve a marvelous idea. Could you not adopt a daughter? There must be dozens in want of a home.”

  “We have talked of adopting, but we never seem to get a
round to it. Now that we have seen Blair, perhaps this is a good time to get around to it. I shall ask him.”

  “And you will, of course, name her Blair?”

  Laura paused to think about that. “Trick the duchess into thinking we have her?”

  “She’s not seen Blair in a year or more and she might fall for it. If she believes you have her, she’ll look no further.”

  “But she might come to the house and take our daughter.”

  Cathleen went back to drying off. “True. Then suppose you choose a daughter who looks nothing like the duchess. Once she sees your Blair, she will know she has been tricked and your daughter will be safe.”

  Again, Laura paused to think it over. “I suppose it might work. In fact, I am beginning to like the idea. It is high time someone tricked the duchess and why not let it be us?”

  Cathleen finished drying off and slipped into the robe Sarah held for her. She moved the partition aside and grinned at Laura. “What do you suppose our husbands will say?”

  “They will agree, once we convince them. How can they resist?”

  “Aye, but not until tomorrow evening. We should think this over for a time and be certain it will work. Besides, I am too exhausted tonight.”

  Cathleen walked into the adjoining room, sat down at the dressing table and let Sarah start drying her hair. “Cameron adopted Blair in America, but I am not convinced the duchess cannae find a way to take her from us here. He says he has friends who can prevent it, but…”

  “We can only pray the duchess does not discover you have her. If Gormelia thinks either Cameron or Edward will pay, she will do all in her power to take Blair and ransom her.”

  The door abruptly opened and Blair stuck her head in. “Cathleen, are you out of the bath yet?”

  “Aye,” Cathleen answered. She turned on the dressing table seat, opened her arms, and let her new daughter run into them.

  CHAPTER 9

  The next morning, as Edward and Cameron went off to see about Cameron’s loom making shop, Laura took Cathleen on a tour of the castle.

  “In the days of old, they kept the kitchen in a separate building in case of fire,” Laura explained as they walked down three steps into the busy room. A hard-at-work cook stopped what she was doing, curtsied and then went back to cutting up vegetables for the stew she planned to serve for lunch. Three cook helpers did the same, trying not to stare at their new mistress.

  “It is remarkably clean and in order,” Cathleen said. “I find this kitchen delightful.” She noticed a slight smile on the face of the cook and was glad to see it.

  Laura took Cathleen’s elbow and guided her back up the steps and then down a hallway to the large dining room. “The royals eat at that table,” she said, pointing toward the far end of the room. “It is raised up so the duke can easily see all his guests.”

  A housekeeper was busy washing the long visitor’s table, stopped, curtsied and started to carry her bucket away.

  “Please stay,” Cathleen urged. “You need not stop on my account.” The servant curtsied again, smiled and went back to her washing.

  “This room used to have stone walls, but after Flora…” Lady Bayington quickly lowered her eyes. “I promised myself I would not mention her, and here I have done it on your first day.”

  “You need not fret. Cameron and I have talked a great deal about Flora. I almost dinna marry him because I feared he could not love her, and then love me as much. Do you know what he said?”

  “What?”

  “He reminded me that I loved the children in the orphanage who died, and losing them dinna prevent me from loving all the other children.”

  “He was right,” said Laura.

  “Indeed he was. Yet, we should not forget Flora or pretend she dinna exist. I met her, you know.”

  “That’s right; you met her when Cameron took her to America.”

  “I liked her very much and I lost her too.”

  The subject of Cameron’s first wife was the one thing Laura feared there might be trouble over, and she was pleased with Cathleen’s attitude. “You are a wonder, Mrs. MacGreagor. May you be forever happy here.”

  “I shall be. Now, what where you saying?”

  “I was saying that after Flora died, Cameron threw himself into doing a great many repairs he had neglected. This room benefitted the most. He bought a new hand-woven carpet, paneled the walls with wood to make it hold the heat better, and changed the lighting so it was not so dark. Come and I shall show you the chapel, the billiard room, your husband’s study and the library. Cameron must have a million books, some of which are much older than any of us.”

  After they were gone, the servant quickly finished washing the table and went to tell the others what the new duchess had said. Perhaps this one wasn’t going to be as bad as they feared.

  *

  “This is my favorite room,” Laura said after a footman opened a door on the second floor, let them enter and closed it after them. The sitting room at the back of the house had wide, floor to ceiling windows with a terrace that looked out over the river and the forest beyond.

  “I can see why. The light in here is wonderful.” Cathleen lifted the latch on the door and stepped out on the terrace and into the chilly morning air. She didn’t stay long, just long enough to admire the gentle flow of the river and watch an eagle sour through the air above the tree tops. Then she went back inside and walked to the warmth of the fire in the white, stone hearth. Instead of wallpaper, the room was painted white and decorated with modern paintings. Comfortable chairs with ottomans, a sofa, a pleasant lady’s desk and various tables filled the welcoming room.

  “Cathleen, might I be bold enough to tell you something Cameron possibly has not told you.”

  “Of course, if we are to be the best of friends, you must feel free to tell me anything.”

  “I think you should know, Cameron will be a bit apprehensive if you decided to sleep anywhere except in his bed.”

  “Apprehensive? Why?”

  “Because, Flora was with child and got up often, which disturbed his sleep. She wanted him to rest, went to sleep in her own room and died. For months, he blamed himself for not being with her that night. There was, of course, nothing he could have done, but…”

  “Thank you for telling me, I shall try not to frighten him.”

  “It is just that the custom here is for the wife to have a bedchamber of her own.”

  Cathleen giggled. “From what I have seen, MacGreagor men care little for custom.”

  “It is an odd sort of custom. I suppose the servants are not to know when the master of the house beds his wife. He therefore must sneak into her room when no one is watching.”

  Again, Cathleen giggled. “Shall we let the servants catch Cameron occasionally? If these are like the ones I left in Colorado, there is nothing they do not know. I’d not like them to think anything is amiss.”

  “You are a delight, Duchess of Glenartair.”

  “Thank you. Of course, growing up in an orphanage means I have no customs at all. I am counting on you to teach me each and every one.” Cathleen walked to the windows, admired the view for a moment and then turned back. “We shall have tea here later, but would you mind terribly if we see the graveyard?”

  “Not at all.”

  “If there are any flowers left this time of year, I should like to put them on Flora’s grave.”

  “Oh, I think we can find some.”

  *

  A few minutes later, Cathleen laid a few presentable wildflowers below Flora’s headstone, bowed her head and said a prayer. “How sad we all were when she passed. Most of us cried, for Cameron’s sake as well as hers. Even Alistair shed a tear or two.”

  “And now Alistair is here,” said Laura, trying to lighten the mood before they both started crying.

  Cathleen slowly walked between the graves and looked at each of the names. “How did you and Lord Bayington meet?”

  “You’ll not believe this
story, not by far.”

  “Oh, do tell me.”

  Laura held on to the top of it, when a gentle breeze threatened to carry her blue hat away. “After we ran away, we lived together in a deplorable cottage in London. She didn’t want anyone to know of our circumstances, and I confess neither did I. We had some money, but not enough to survive for very long. One day, Gormilia went out and did not come back for four months.”

  “Where was she?”

  “She never would say, but she returned with jewels, which she promptly sold to pay our expenses. Most of the money went to dress her appropriately. She called herself Alice, walked the streets of London as if shopping, and that is where Edward saw her.”

  “You dinna go with her?”

  Laura laughed. “I suspect she thought me not quite charming enough to attract the sort of man she hoped to entrap. Edward took one look at the beautiful Alice, asked if she would like to see Paris and while there, he married her.”

  Cathleen moved to the next headstone and then the next. “He married her so quickly?”

  “Do not tell him I told you. He embarrassed himself quite handily when he married her, and deeply regrets his foolishness.”

  “So does Hannish. Do go on.”

  “About a month later, Alice came back. By then, she had given herself away and Edward knew she married him for his fortune. He was enraged and followed her, determined to have his say, but she quickly gathered everything of value and left before he could. That was the last I saw of her for many months.”

  “She left you destitute?”

  “Yes, but I was not that way for long. Edward saw me weeping in the doorway and came to my rescue. He found my circumstances deplorable and offered to pay for a room at a hotel. I refused. I could not, you see.”

  “Why not? Are lads not supposed to care for lasses in this country?”

  “Not like that, not when people might think I was…he was…there is no gentle way of saying it - they would think he was keeping me.”

  “Oh, I see. What did you do then?”

  “He refused to leave me in such dire straits and insisted I board with his aunt, where I could be cared for, and his society would not suspect anything of him.”