Charlotte shuffled the cards and began to pass them out to each of them, waiting for Elizabeth’s reply. Elizabeth blushed deeply and said, “Oh, I do not think so. My father would consider it most indecorous of a young lady to do so. Playing cards with men. And the four of us unmarried.”
Charlotte leaned forward. “Well, we shall not tell him, then shall we? Let’s begin.” She gave Elizabeth a quick list of rules, and Elizabeth nodded along, her lips pursed in thought as she digested Charlotte’s instructions. They began to play a round, and Elizabeth grew more and more confident the longer they played.
“Are you enjoying it, Elizabeth?” Charlotte asked, pleased with the success of her new friend.
Elizabeth nodded but did not look up. “I like it better when I win the trick, though.”
Charlotte laughed. “Well, yes, I suppose that would make it more interesting. But, you should see how fun it is with others playing. There are many tips I could give you to help your success.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Well then, I could maybe be convinced.”
“I did not realize you could be so competitive,” Charlotte replied.
“I didn’t know I was either! There’s something about this game that is bringing it out in me.” Elizabeth laughed, and Charlotte was excited. The temptation to make Elizabeth her sort of project was all too strong. They continued to play, and Charlotte decided to broach the subject of Liam.
“Elizabeth, did you find Mr. Liam, the man from today, handsome?” Her voice was light and casual, and she placed a card in the center as she spoke, but then slowly glanced up at her friend.
Elizabeth paused and then looked up, a slight flush coloring her cheeks. “I was afraid that you might ask me that. I did show myself to be rather a fool, didn’t I?” Elizabeth looked slightly pained. “Yes, I found him to be one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. I was struck dumb. He was mesmerizing. But, I’m certain he must think me a ninny. I couldn’t think of anything to say.”
Charlotte replied, satisfied that her theory had been correct. “No, Elizabeth, you were perfectly charming. Liam MacLean is rather a handsome man.” She thought about it for a moment. Yes, he was most definitely handsome and very well-liked in the clan. But nothing he had ever said or done had stirred her blood or made her ache in places that brought a blush to her cheeks. But apparently, he did with Elizabeth. “I’m sure we will see him again from time to time. He is often here, hunting and the like.” Charlotte attempted to appear casual so as not to scare her skittish friend from meeting with him again. She would have to speak to Liam.
“Will we?” Elizabeth asked, her hand poised over the card pile as she made a move. Her voice was so innocent and eager that Charlotte wished she could kiss her. Elizabeth coughed to cover her embarrassment. “Oh, do forgive me. I’m afraid I am all aflutter. I do not know how to behave when such topics are discussed. My father would say it isn’t right for women to ogle men like items in a market.”
Charlotte furrowed her brow. Well, your father can keep his large mouth shut. No wonder his daughter is a trembling mess of a woman, despite her intellect, beauty, and kindness.
“Like I said, Elizabeth, I would be happy to be your teacher. Balls and social settings are my forte, as the French say, and young men are easily spoken to if you know the right tricks.” Charlotte winked at her new friend, and Elizabeth nodded. She pushed another stray piece of red hair behind her ear.
“Yes, I think I would very much like that. But please, say you will not tell my father. He would not let us spend time together, and that would make me most unhappy.”
Charlotte tapped a finger to her lips. “You can depend upon my silence, my friend. We women must stick together in this fortress overrun with men. I do hope you will not tell him about our clandestine meeting with a certain handsome Scotsman?”
Elizabeth blushed again and shook her head furiously.
“Excellent. Now, about your spectacles…”
* * *
Angus woke up, and it felt like a sword had sliced his head in two. The room around him was still blurry, and he felt clammy and warm. He had no concept of what time it was or how he had gotten there. He heard a calming voice next to him say, “All will be well, Angus.”
He reached towards the voice and said hopefully, “Charlotte?”
A small but coarse hand took his in it and said, “Nae, lad, but perhaps we should send for her. This is Mrs. MacLean. Ye’ve had a fall.”
Angus groaned. He remembered it now. He had been feeling sick, and then he was put off-balance somehow. Suddenly, he remembered that he had forgotten the sacks. “The vegetables!” he tried to sit up, but Mrs. MacLean gently pushed against his shoulders until he laid down again. “They must be distributed! David!” he cried out weakly.
Mrs. MacLean shushed him and said, “All is well. We have taken care of it for ye. The patients have all been given their share along with instructions, lad.”
Angus sighed and laid back once again, a feeling of relief, giving him some respite from the ache and heat that roamed across every muscle.
He seemed to drift off for a moment, and he lost once again why he was where he was. The room was a blurred mix of colors, and all he could feel was the softness of the bed underneath him. Then he saw a face in front of him: pink lips, reddish-blond curls, and green eyes. He reached out for it, saying softly, “Charlotte. Ye’ve come. I needed ye.”
But then the face disappeared, and Angus fell into a feverish slumber once more.
* * *
After their game, Elizabeth left for her room to continue reading, and Charlotte finally had a chance to read Mrs. MacLean’s letter. She pulled it from her pocket and sat in a new chair in the parlor to read.
Dear Miss Andrews,
You are much missed. I cannot decide whether it is Liam or Angus who misses you more. Both of them have been a little sullen since you left. As for Angus, I fear he will wear himself down until there is nothing left. I do not blame your hasty departure. I know it is your duty to follow your father’s instructions.
I have been taking care of the patients as you’ve asked, but I’m afraid they have not improved. David is growing even more ill, and Breya is concerned that he will die soon, leaving her alone in this world. I will continue to care for them as best I can. Do let me know if there is anything new you think of or if there is a time when you may come and visit. I would like to see you again, as I know all of us would.
Mrs. MacLean
At first, Charlotte was touched by her kind words. Only an old Scottish woman would write such a heartfelt letter. Despite her scores of friends in London, not one of them would write in such a touching way. That’s why she had attached herself so wholly to Julia after they were reunited and, hopefully, now to sweet Elizabeth.
But after she’d finished the letter, her heart fluttered with worry. She breathed slowly, thinking about all that the letter contained. First, Mrs. MacLean thought that Angus actually missed her and that his sullenness had to do with her leaving.
Also, she knew that although Liam liked her in a lighthearted sort of way, he would get over her departure soon enough. But to hear from both Liam and Mrs. MacLean that Angus was not faring well made her guilt even more pronounced. Did she do him wrong by leaving? Could she really have helped simply by staying another week? She wondered the same about the patients.
Would her presence there for just a few days longer have made any difference? Well, at least her father had had the means to send over a large amount of food. Hopefully, that would do something for them. But Mrs. MacLean did not even mention it in the letter. She bit her lip in concentration. Mrs. MacLean must have sent it just before she’d received them. Also, Charlotte did not think she would be able to find a time, but both Liam and Mrs. MacLean had mentioned that she should visit whenever she could.
Perhaps she could somehow orchestrate a visit if Lord Darling knew nothing about it. She would not be able to tell her father either. It sounded like th
ey might need her. She thought about Angus, sitting alone, the weight of a clan on his shoulders, and she actually felt sorry for him. What was happening to her? She had left in a hurry, desperate to get away from the man who had angered her at every step, and now she was pitying him? She wished to be by his side?
That was the real reason she wanted to go. She knew it in her heart, but she tried to push that away. She wanted to be with Angus, to see him again. She tried to think of it as the fact that she couldn’t watch human suffering, but that was not it, at least not fully. She sat back in the chair and placed the letter on a side table. Why did Angus anger her so much? What was it about him that had frustrated her so and made her act so unbelievably rude and harsh one minute and amorous the next?
He had tried to keep her in line and tell her what to do, and that had always made the rage boil up inside of her. But he was nothing like Lord Darling, stating words like laws in a cold tone and thinking her a less than capable, silly woman. No, Angus was not like that. He was simply trying to keep her safe. With all that he had to do, he had made her a priority, and while she had been so wrapped up in trying to live her own life, she didn’t see it. Now she had run away from the castle and had willingly flung herself into a prison.
She sighed. She would find a way to get over the Sound and to the island sometime. It may take a little thinking to set up a plan, but she would do it. It was the only way to test a theory about the feeling that was beginning to sprout in her. She had to see Angus again.
She left the room and decided it was time to speak to her father about all the nonsense that was going on. She crept by his study and thanked God that he was alone. She knocked quietly and then rushed inside. General Andrews looked slightly surprised but then smiled, even if a little sheepishly.
Charlotte closed the door and then placed her hands on her hips. “Father, I think ‘tis only right that you tell me just what is going on here? We can no longer send gifts? He will be helping you find me a match? I barely know this man, and suddenly he comes and controls everything?”
General Andrews laid down the quill pen that he was using and sighed. He moved to a side couch that was next to the desk and patted a spot next to him. Charlotte acquiesced and sat, waiting for his reply.
He laid his hands softly on his knees. “I am sorry, my dear, but there will have to be a lot of changes. Changes that even I did not know about. The men will be adding even more training to their daily schedule. Meals will be cut down, for the Earl thinks we have too many frivolous things here and we are wasting our money. And he asked about your plans for marriage, and I told him I was hoping to find the time to make a suitable match. He agreed to help because he feels it is bad luck for a woman to be in the Fort with all these men, and it might not be safe.”
Charlotte was aghast. “But Elizabeth is here!”
Her father shrugged. “He says that Elizabeth is a well-behaved young woman and would never stray from her father’s commands. And if battle ensues, then there is an aunt she may go and stay with.”
Charlotte gasped. “Father, do you not take offense at such a comment? He assumes that I am ill-behaved!”
“I do, but what can I say? The man has been sent by the King. The Earl fears an upcoming battle, and so has given that same fear to the King. I must follow whatever rules necessary in order to appease my sovereign.”
Charlotte was silent. She knew that whatever her father was, he was loyal to his King and country, and he wouldn’t do anything to damage it if he could help it. She gripped onto his hand and looked into his eyes, wishing she could get through somehow.
“But, Father, surely, we can ask that you have the final word on anyone that he selects? Or will he force his way?”
Tears were beginning to well in her eyes. At the reminder of the Lord’s command, she felt her old world slipping away from her. The image of a smirking Angus came to her, and at that thought, one tear slipped free of its bonds and down her cheek.
Her father looked at her with kindness. “I will do my best, my dear. But he has told me that he has already found someone that he deems to be sufficient.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lord Mortimer Darling stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the training of soldiers in the backlands of Fort William. Both General Andrews and a few lesser officers were assisting in the training, and Lord Darling wished to be there to make sure that everything was done according to proper regulations.
He sighed. He had never expected his mission to be so easy. He had heard rumors of General Andrew’s easy manner and malleable will, but he didn’t expect this. He was glad that the General’s regulations and dealings with the men were not lax, but with his daughter, they were most certainly so. He had noticed it right from the beginning.
That girl was going to be trouble, and the faster she was out of there, the better. When he’d met her, he could tell she was the type that believed she could control men with her little finger, her beauty, and intellect being her weapons. The way she spoke to her father had told Mortimer that she was used to many years of being in control. Alas, that could no longer be the case. He was in charge now, and he needed every obstacle out of the way.
He had found someone for the girl who would prove to be a perfect husband – on paper, at least. The father would agree for the man was both titled and wealthy, and then Charlotte Andrews would be out of his way for good. With that firmly sorted in his mind, his thoughts returned to his reasons for being there, and his jaw tightened in anger, an anger that would be appeased in the truest and sweetest revenge.
His brother had been murdered, and it had all been covered up by none other than the soft General himself. He could feel the sweat breaking out on his brow. It was getting harder and harder to remain silent when his revenge was soon at hand. He would find out who the man was who had actually killed his brother, and he would find a way to have him killed.
War was the best option. He smirked to himself. He would get the brutes to kill each other if he could, and he knew just where to start: The Campbells. Long, secret alliances of the British, he would journey to their castle tomorrow.
* * *
The next morning, Elizabeth and Charlotte made light, casual conversation over breakfast while their fathers sat in discussion. They had resolved not to let either of their fathers know about their budding friendship. If Charlotte’s father knew, then he would certainly tell Lord Darling. If Elizabeth’s father knew, then he would find a way to put a stop to it. And that didn’t work for Charlotte’s plans to get Liam and Elizabeth to meet again and to teach Elizabeth how to be confident around other people, especially Liam.
The men finished their morning meal and stood. General Andrews cleared his throat. “My dear Charlotte, and Miss Darling, I must inform you that I have urgent business to attend to at Fort George, nearly a half day's journey from here. There are new supplies and methods of training that I need to speak to the General there about.” He gave a sideways glance at the Earl, and the Earl nodded slightly as if to approve of his words.
Charlotte wished to scoff with disgust but thought better of it. She was sad that her father would be leaving.
“I will need to stay the night there and then return the next day, late in the evening.”
Charlotte’s face fell. She would need to be alone with Lord Stone Heart for two days. “Oh, I shall miss you, Father. I hope you will have a safe journey.”
He smiled and nodded at his daughter. “Not to worry, I will be accompanied by a few of my men to put your mind at ease.”
Lord Darling began to speak. “And I shall be gone as well. I have a meeting with the man in control of food distribution to discuss the reduction of food.”
Charlotte wanted to roll her eyes at the man’s words, but inside, her heart soared. This was her chance to get away, just for one night. She watched as Elizabeth listened to every word her father said in a demure silence. Charlotte was not sure that she would ever be able to master that skill. S
he would try to rid Elizabeth of that behavior as well if she could.
Elizabeth nodded in understanding and replied, “I understand, Father. See you upon your return.”
Lord Darling smiled in that same awkward way and said, “Elizabeth, I trust you and Miss Andrews shall conduct yourselves with decorum in our absences.” There was a sharpness in his glance when he turned to Charlotte.
Elizabeth replied calmly, “But, of course, Father. You can depend on us.” She looked at Charlotte quickly, and Charlotte could almost detect a smile at the corner of her lips. Elizabeth Darling is turning into quite a changed woman.
Lord Darling continued. “There will be the normal men on watch, and of course, we have the housekeeper and other servants that will be at your service. If you should need anything, you must merely call upon one of them. The next head officer shall be in charge of your safety and, upon pain of death, shall assure it.”
Mending a Highland Heart: Healing him was more scandalous than she ever imagined… Page 13