Callum’s Vow: The Victorian Highlanders
Page 22
“Close to the shore,” Roderick replied. “Bear in mind, these are only the crofters that remain, anyway. Many have left, for Glasgow or Edinburgh or even the Americas.”
Finlay sighed. It was the way of things now. Even his own cousin and brother had taken the easy way out, abandoning their home and their people.
“What do you think, Fin?” asked Roderick now, as always ensuring there was no silence to be had between them. “Do you think it’s time we moved more of our—"
“No,” Finlay cut him off. “We will not do the same to our clansmen. These people have supported us as their clan leaders for hundreds of years. We will not leave repay them by taking anything more away from them. What are the MacTavishes thinking, leaving their people to fend for themselves?”
“I’m not sure—”
“Niall has apparently given up on making any difference at all,” Finlay scoffed. “Rory is a joke, and Kyla—”
He didn’t want to speak of Kyla.
“Kyla does all she can,” Roderick finished.
The McDougalls had turned to raising sheep as well, but only repurposed land when a family left of its own accord. While they charged rent for the land farmed by the crofters, many went months without the ability to make a payment.
Duncan had forgiven much of it for many years, but it was now catching up to the McDougalls, as they were having difficulty affording the staff they hired for their own lands. The harvests were worsening and the potatoes were barely worth picking.
Duncan ensured, however, that his family lived a very conservative lifestyle, not like those of other chieftains he knew who were beginning to think themselves like the fancy lords in London, leaving for weeks on end to enjoy all that the big cities such as Glasgow had to offer.
“We best visit ol’ Mack,” said Roderick as they turned down the path towards the fields that held some of their sheep. “I heard he had a new calf last night and you know he would have had a time of it, but would have been too stubborn to ask for help.”
Mack McDougall, as he was called, was somehow a relation of theirs, although none of the brothers were quite sure in what way. With no children of his own, Mack continued to maintain his land and animals with very little help, although he obviously needed it so they had taken to checking in on him most days.
“What are your thoughts on the options available?" asked Adam, returning to their original conversation. “You donna want to move the crofters, they cannot afford to pay more rent, and we’re running out of hands to maintain our own land and administer the rest of the holdings.”
He made a valid point. More than one valid point. Unfortunately, Finlay had no answer for him.
“We’ll manage,” he said with as much confidence as he could muster. “We always do.”
He would never admit it to his brothers, but inside he was as nervous as the rest of them on the fate of the McDougall clan. The difference, now, was it would become his responsibility, and not Callum’s, to do something about it.
He only wished he had some inkling of just what the next step should be.
* * *
Kyla urged her horse into a gallop, exhilaration growing within her as they raced through the trees. She bent low over the horse’s neck, evading small branches that reached out to slap at them when they hovered too close to the side of the path.
Every morning without fail, Kyla ran Cadern through the MacTavish woodlands. While some enjoyed a cup of tea and a spot of porridge first thing, she found a jaunt through the woods cleared her head and stirred her blood better than any sustenance ever could. It was also time away from her father, a hard man who had aggravated her more than usual of late.
When Callum McDougall had remained in the Northwest Territories with his new bride, Niall MacTavish had been furious. At Callum, yes, and at the McDougalls in general, but also with Kyla. He berated her for not “securing” Callum while she had the chance, for not using her “feminine wiles” to woo him and make him stay, or, at the very least, come back for her and unite the clans in marriage.
How could she explain that Callum had never been particularly interested in her, and nothing she could do had ever made a difference?
Kyla had always understood that she had been spoken for, and she had been prepared to marry Callum. True, she had never felt any particular attraction to him, despite the fact he was handsome and charming and certainly a man who many girls would have fallen for. All the McDougalls had the same dark handsomeness as their father, though each in their own individual way. She liked Callum well enough and knew that she would have had an agreeable life with him — which was more than many had to be thankful for.
Callum, however, had always held himself back from her. She had questioned why he had kept such distance. She had wondered if there was another woman he was harboring affection for, but apparently not. She supposed now that he had been of the same mind as she, except that instead of accepting their family’s plans for them, he had held out for something more. She was glad for him that he had found whatever it was he had been searching for.
And, if she were being honest with herself, it was some relief to be released from a marriage to Callum. She had accepted that she would have a marriage without love, but now that it would no longer be the case, she welcomed the freedom of choosing her own destiny.
No longer was her sole purpose to unite the clans together for the long-term prosperity of both of them. There were many issues within her clan, and she didn’t think she could shoulder the heavy burden alone. Had she married Callum, he would have been some help, but she was well aware that he had never had a head for the business of caring for the lands and the crofters who lived in them.
Now, though, thoughts of her future were running through her mind as she and Cadarn raced alongside the river. Her worry now was who was going to see to the MacTavishes. What was she to do going forward? Her brother, Rory, would be chieftain of their clan one day, which was a bit of a terrifying thought. While her father was formidable, Rory was happy simply sitting in the keep and watching the days go by.
Rory had, through his visits to the cities, come up with a scheme of welcoming visiting Lowlanders, who paid to hunt on their lands, but she was yet to decide if the idea was his best or his worst. It had given some people jobs, such as gamekeeper and gillies to lead the Lowlanders around through the woods, but it also took away land which the people could use for their own purposes.
Despite his many faults, however, Kyla loved Rory, more than she did anyone else in the world. In many families, he would be the one expected to protect her, but she had spent her entire life mothering him and attempting to make up for his irresponsible ways.
She would always be grateful for his presence as a strong shoulder for her to pour her heart out to. If her father ever came down hard on her, Rory was there, letting her rage her frustrations or cry out her hurt. For that, she would always love him.
Now that she was no longer marrying, her plan was to remain with the clan to do all she could to help Rory.
She thought she could help him become a capable chief, if she were there to oversee the administration of the lands and their leases. A large part of that would include winning back the loyalty of their crofters. Her father had stripped so many of them of their homes and lands that many had left, and those who had stayed now hated Niall, and, by extension, Rory.
Not that Rory seemed to care. It didn’t seem as though he had much thought at all for their home or their clan. He would prefer to be elsewhere.
Kyla cringed when she thought of her family’s current position in comparison to many others in the nearby area. While many clans, like hers, were surviving by changing their methods to focus on the land and not the people, it was not an honorable way to live. She preferred the methods of clans like the McDougalls, not that her father would ever listen to her. He would allow her to do all the work required, but he wouldn’t take her opinions into account.
Duncan McDougall, while a tough
, stubborn man who intimidated most, also loved his people, and he was proud of his family’s history protecting his clan. She knew they had no intention to erase that legacy today.
As much as she was relieved, it was to the detriment of the clans that they were no longer integrating. They could have mutually benefited from the strengths of one another.
There was nothing to be done now, she thought, as she felt the breeze through her long blonde hair. Instead, she would focus on the positives.
She was free.
Finlay’s Duty is now available to preorder on Amazon.
Also by Ellie St. Clair
Standalone
Unmasking a Duke
Christmastide with His Countess
Her Christmas Wish
Happily Ever After
The Duke She Wished For
Someday Her Duke Will Come
Once Upon a Duke’s Dream
He’s a Duke, But I Love Him
Loved by the Viscount
Because the Earl Loved Me
Happily Ever After Box Set Books 1-3
Happily Ever After Box Set Books 4-6
Searching Hearts
Duke of Christmas
Quest of Honor
Clue of Affection
Hearts of Trust
Hope of Romance
Promise of Redemption
Searching Hearts Box Set (Books 1-5)
The Unconventional Ladies
Lady of Mystery
Lady of Fortune
Lady of Providence
Lady of Charade
Blooming Brides
A Duke for Daisy
A Marquess for Marigold
An Earl for Iris
A Viscount for Violet
The Bluestocking Scandals
Designs on a Duke
Inventing the Duke
The Victorian Highlanders
Callum’s Vow
Finlay’s Duty
About the Author
Ellie has always loved reading, writing, and history. For many years she has written short stories, non-fiction, and has worked on her true love and passion -- romance novels.
In every era there is the chance for romance, and Ellie enjoys exploring many different time periods, cultures, and geographic locations. No matter when or where, love can always prevail. She has a particular soft spot for the bad boys of history, and loves a strong heroine in her stories.
She enjoys walks under the stars with her own prince charming, as well as spending time at the lake with her children, and running with her Husky/Border Collie cross.
www.prairielilypress.com/ellie-st-clair
ellie@prairielilypress.com