“Ah, what you’re saying is he is colder than a witch’s tit?”
A nurse in the background seemed to choke on her own spit, but I was used to Great-Grandpa’s sense of humor.
I smiled. “I guess you could say that. Or that he’s kind of an arsehole.”
“Is the rest of the family like him?”
I shrugged, running my fingers through my hair as my thoughts crept to the sweet Lady Elizabeth. “No, not all.”
“Good, good. Did they ask you about a date? I’m sure they were expecting that baroness. What the hell was her name? The one with the nose?”
This time the nurse wasn’t the only one laughing as my chest vibrated, trying to hold back a snicker. “Everly? No, they didn’t ask about her. I actually met the bride’s sister, and well, I guess you can say she’s my date.”
The words came so easily off my tongue, but there was another bite to them. Something that didn’t feel right as I said them.
Friends. We agreed. Just friends and a date.
So it didn’t make sense why my palms were sweating as I told my great-grandpa about her.
“Ah, the American? Didn’t take you for the type to cross that part of the pond, but if she makes you happy…”
Great-Grandfather opened his mouth to speak again, but Blair jumped in before he could.
“Find any interesting history or documents?”
“Not yet, but there is a curator here who I’m hoping will give me a tour of the library,” I said, forcing the biggest smile I could, not even sure if Great-Grandfather could see me on the small screen.
“That would be grand, wouldn’t it, Great-Grandpa? Maybe Jacob can find an interesting piece of history about the MacWebleys?” she hinted.
Why the bloody hell didn’t she just come out and say she wanted to know if I found a document saying we could inherit Webley?
Guess it was better this way, in case a rogue maid was waiting around the corner, listening to my conversation.
“Ah, I’ll see what I can find after dinner tonight. But I need to get ready. We’ll talk soon, okay? Love you, Great-Grandpa.”
He looked off screen, and Blair yelled, “Jacob has to go, but he says he loves you and we’ll talk soon.”
Great-Grandfather nodded, his eyes slowly closing then opening again, his chest rising in the same heavy breath.
How much more time did he have?
As I hung up the phone, I let out the deep breath I was holding in. I couldn’t back down. I had to find information on the MacWebleys’ claim. As I finished getting ready, I tried to think how the hell I was going to get those documents from the library.
The maid came to the door to announce it was time for dinner, right as the loud grandfather clock down the hall chimed. Nodding to the maid, I adjusted my cufflinks to keep my hands from shaking. The well-worn gold pieces were engraved with the MacWebley family crest. They were my grandfather’s and my great-grandfather’s and his father’s before him.
If I wanted to keep the MacWebley family name alive, this night had to go well.
I vowed to honor my family, but even as I strode down the long hallway toward the dining room, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. What would happen to Madison and her family? I didn’t know their situation, but according to the little hints I’d gotten from her, things weren’t the best back in America for them.
Well, things weren’t the best for the MacWebleys, either.
I just had to find a way to make it so she wasn’t hurt in this process.
Easy as a Victorian sponge.
I hoped.
Once I reached the dining hall, I had to rein in my emotions.
I’d heard stories of lavish dinners at our home in Scotland, and I vaguely remembered some Christmas Eve celebrations with dancing and lots of women in frilly gowns mingling around the room. But that seemed like so long ago. These days no one entered what Mother used to call the grand hall. All the tables and chairs had been sold, the room going into disrepair like the rest of the home.
The Webleys, of course, had their home fancied to immaculate proportions.
The gilded oak doors opened to the hallway as the faint sounds of music streamed outward. I stopped just short of the maid announcing me. Inside awaited a live string quartet playing softly to one side, and a large dining table filled with golden candelabras dominated the center. But there was one thing that had me standing at attention.
No, not a thing.
A beautiful damsel.
The crystal chandelier caught the setting sun and cast a warm beacon of light over the soft red waves of her hair.
Last I saw my wedding date, she’d been covered in sugar and water.
Now…
Madison was as radiant as the sun, her eyes wide and lined with a smoky shadow, her gorgeous red mane landing at her shoulders and spilling down one side. The black sleeves and thin swatches of glittered fabric molded to her frame.
I wanted her to stand up so I could get a full view of her.
Hell, I wished no one else was in the room with us.
But that reality zeroed in on me as soon as Gavin’s voice broke me out of my haze. My cousin was dressed in a tailored three-piece suit, hair styled, and face as rigid as stone. Beside him were Lady Helena and Lord Edwin, their faces set in equally smug expressions.
“Mother, Father, this is Lachlan MacWebley the Third, from Scotland,” Gavin said, patting his mother’s arm, who seemed to have a death grip on him.
Lady Helena was a classic beauty with her dark blonde hair swept in a fancy updo and a long deep purple dress that covered most of her small frame. But even though she was slight, she had a presence about her that commanded everyone’s attention. And by the way she scrutinized me, it took everything I had not to flinch as I approached her and put out my hand.
“Lady Helena, it’s an honor. But, please, call me Jacob. My father and great-grandfather go by Lachlan.”
There was a flick of hesitation on her face as she glanced toward her husband before she pursed her lips into a tight, almost constipated smile. She then put her hand out, and I bent down to brush my lips against the cold skin. I couldn’t help but notice the large diamond on one finger and the emerald on the other.
My mother had had similar pieces at one time.
Before she had to sell them to keep our family going.
I quickly pulled my hand away, stepping to the side and trying to keep my mind off the glittering diamonds that signified the prosperity that the MacWebleys were lacking.
Luckily, Lady Helena didn’t have much to say to me, and Lord Edwin was a bit more pleasant. Unlike his son, at least this man smiled under his waxed mustache. He was about the same height as Gavin but broader like an athlete who never let go of his physique.
“It’s an unexpected surprise to see you here, Laird Lachlan, or I guess it’s Jacob?” he asked, holding his hand out and giving me a brisk handshake that belonged to a politician.
He smelled of toffee and smoke, exactly like my grandfather and great-grandfather. The whiff of a memory reminded me why I was here. To preserve our family legacy. Whatever it took.
I nodded, not smiling as I responded. “Yes, Laird Jacob MacWebley. Great-Grandfather would be here, but he wasn’t feeling well. Though he sends his regards, and his great-grandson, of course.”
Lord Edwin cleared his throat, dropping his hand. “Of course. Gavin told us about this situation. Though we can’t say we’re not surprised, it will be nice to have some tradition added to the manor we haven’t had in years.”
“Tradition?” I asked, unable to hide the trepidation in my voice.
He laughed, a barrel of a chuckle. “Of course, my boy. Since my son is marrying a historian, she looked up all of the old wedding traditions from when the Webley family began.”
MacWebleys. That’s what they were before their ancestor got this manor. An English family who married Scottish nobility.
“I look forward to it.” I forced a smile.
He put his arm out, extending it toward the opulent table setting. “We can talk more about that later. First, our chef has prepared a feast.”
I knew exactly what food he’d prepared. I smelled the aroma of roast and rosemary potatoes. Enough food that it could have probably fed my entire extended family for a few weeks and this was just for a few people surrounding the table for one night.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the empty seat next to Madison.
My eyes trailed over the long flow of her dress and how it ended just below the elegant curve of her neck, only visible when she brushed her hair to the side.
Concentrate on the family, Jacob. Not how darn good the woman next to you looks.
“Madison, I must have missed you getting ready. Sorry to have not been able to escort you,” I said curtly, trying not to stare at the way her teeth clung to her bottom lip. The lips that had been pressed to mine not long ago.
Shite, this girl knew just how to distract me, even if she didn’t mean to.
“She was with me,” an uppity voice called from beside her.
I glanced around Madison to see a petite blonde with bright blue eyes and her mother’s tight smile.
“Ah, you must be Lady Cecily,” I said as she put her hand out, and I took it in mine, noticing the same diamonds and emerald cuts along her manicured hands. How many did they have? What I would give to see my sister wearing our family’s legacy jewels, or even my future wife.
“Yes, and you’re the infamous Cousin Jacob, I see. And our mutual friend Madison’s date.”
I glanced between the two women, Madison shifting uncomfortably while Cecily’s eyebrows rose, her lips quirking into a slight smirk.
“Ah, yes, the reason we’re all here, for the wedding of my dear cousin Gavin to Madison’s sister,” I said, looking across the table at stone-faced Gavin as he took his seat next to the nervously smiling Natalie.
“Natalie, I hear you have a lot of tradition planned for us before the wedding. I look forward to hearing more about the English side of my family.” I took a sip of water out of one of the crystal goblets.
Lady Elizabeth giggled from the head of the table. “Oh, yes, I’ve been talking to her all morning in the library. It’s so exciting to finally have everyone back together and to carry on the old traditions.”
“And what are these traditions, Great-Auntie?” I asked, trying to hide my own smile. Exactly the excuse I needed to start a conversation on family history.
Her grin grew at least twice as wide on her face as she fluttered her hands. Though, out of the corner of my eye, Gavin’s mother, Lady Helena, winced at the term.
Good.
She should see that we were family.
Having Lady Elizabeth be excited about the discussion was just icing on the cake.
“Well, originally the couple wasn’t going to have a stag or hen party, but since you’re here, we will be having the official hen party for Natalie and the hunting stag for Gavin.”
“A hunting stag?” I asked, wondering if there were even stag anywhere in the village. The last time I hunted was when I was just a young lad and couldn’t say I enjoyed it since it was the middle of the winter.
Natalie cleared her throat.
Looking across the table, I caught her subtle smile.
Unlike Lady Helena and her son with their stiff and regal demeanor, Natalie’s shoulders were just a little more slumped. Relaxed even. But when she started talking, her entire face and body seemed to light up, her hands fluttering in the air like the Italian ambassadors did.
“A hen party and stag are the traditional parties for the bride and groom the day before a wedding. Kind of like bachelor and bachelorette parties in the States, but these last an entire day. The hen party usually consists of things like tea parties and long lavender soaks, while the stag focuses on hunting, fencing, archery, and all those more manly things. Though you’re welcome to also join us for tea if you’d like.”
“Did you plan all this before I came or just now for the occasion?”
Natalie laughed, putting her hand on Gavin’s arm, which he seemed to melt into, the first sign of a little bit of relaxation from the statue of a man. “Well, I’d always wanted to, but Gavin didn’t think we needed these parties. Hugh will be coming in soon. It’ll be fun to do all of these activities leading up to the wedding.”
“Hugh’s my brother. He’ll be in later tomorrow,” Gavin said, bemused.
“Grand. Will I be getting to meet the entire family?” I asked.
“Hopefully,” Lady Elizabeth cooed.
Something shifted in the pit of my stomach.
Were they all elated that I was here or was there a much deeper plan?
I wondered how much research Natalie had done on this family in all their library books. Maybe there was something in those old books that could give me the answers I needed. I had to get myself to the library as soon as possible.
Before any more awkward conversation could continue, the first course of chilled lemongrass soup was served, something that we never made at our own manor. It was considered something only for special occasions and frankly because it smelled and tasted like meaty lawn shavings.
“Did you make this, too?” Madison asked quietly.
“No, just the desserts. Which you left before we got to finish,” I said coolly, noticing her face flush.
Shite, why was I still playing this game with her?
“What was that I heard, you cooked?” Cecily’s voice rose over Madison.
All eyes at the table flickered toward me, their hard stares gliding over me.
“Bake. And just some of the desserts. Sort of a hobby of mine,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.
As soon as the words left my mouth, that smug smirk returned to Lady Helena’s lips, though she tried to hide it behind her wineglass. As if this was a clear sign that the MacWebleys were beneath the Webleys.
“That explains why Miss Madison was covered in frosting and sugar,” Cecily said with a laugh, and I swore Madison’s entire face turned the same shade of red as her hair.
“Madison, you were baking?” Her mother’s meek voice carried across the table from her seat next to Natalie.
While everyone else was in their most regal attire, the down-to-earth mother of the bride wore a simple gray blouse with a string of pearls. Her short hair was swept to the side, the bangs pulled back with a tiny clip.
Madison cleared her throat, and I shifted in my seat, smiling as I waited for her reply.
“I, um, well, I found Jacob down in the kitchen and offered to help. Didn’t exactly go so well, though,” she muttered before picking up her glass, taking a large gulp.
“So you’re a trained pastry chef?” Lord Edwin asked with genuine interest, even a darn smile on his face. Or maybe he was hoping that it would be a sign I wasn’t there for anything more than to be helpful.
“Not professionally trained, Lord Edwin. But it’s a hobby. Something I like to do and with everything else going on, I thought I’d take a little bit of a break and help out with some of the sponges.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to try them. Tell me, did you add any of your family’s recipes into our course tonight? It’s been so long since I’ve had a good cranachan,” Lady Elizabeth gushed.
I couldn’t help but smile at the old lady, pushing down the twinge of guilt at betraying her trust. “No, not tonight, Lady Elizabeth. I kept with the pastry chef’s orders of fondant fancies and Victorian sponge.”
“Oh, darn, maybe next time.” She pouted.
“Maybe you can bring Madison with you again. If the messy state I found her in is any indication, she could
use a little more practice,” Cecily piped up, and Madison stiffened next to me.
“If it’s what my damsel desires, then I’d be happy to indulge her,” I said, slinging my arm over the back of Madison’s chair. “Messy is fun.”
Cecily narrowed her eyes before taking a big gulp of her drink. Maybe no one ever talked back to her, but Madison didn’t deserve to be put on the spot like that. Especially not for the incredible and intimate time we’d had.
After a short pause, the conversation continued around the table. I wanted nothing more than to stay by Madison’s side, but the longer I did, the harder it was going to be to get away.
I had to find a way to get to the library. There had to be something in the texts that clearly showed what the MacWebleys owned of this manor and land. I’d then show it to Lord Gavin and Lord Edwin and be done with it all. Maybe there was a way we could work everything out that wouldn’t affect Madison and her family.
I just had to get away from the scent of Madison’s floral shampoo and the sight of her long red hair and plush lips long enough to think straight.
The whole dinner, while everyone made small talk, I kept trying to think of the easiest way to excuse myself. The proper thing to do was probably to wait until everyone was asleep and sneak down the hall. But the longer I put this off, the more others could get hurt.
I had to do this now.
As soon as dessert was served, I stood, dropping my napkin to my plate. “If you’ll excuse me. Normally I don’t eat my own delicacies, so I was going to retire to my room for a bit. It’s been a long day.”
Lord Edwin frowned, but Gavin’s eyes became steely as if he knew exactly what I was up to.
Before anyone could protest, I headed out of the doors of the dining room, making my way down the long hallways, racking my brain as I pictured the gilded doors that led to the library room we’d passed when we’d first got in. After one or two wrong turns, I found it.
The smell of old leather filled my nose as I took in floor-to-ceiling rows of mahogany bookshelves with ladders spread across the room to reach some of the higher tomes. Not a speck of dust covered any of the large wooden desks or the leather chaises that surrounded an oriental rug next to the fireplace.
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