Roderick’s Purpose: The Victorian Highlanders Book 4

by St. Clair, Ellie

  He looked deeply into her eyes, seeing the gleam of tears that she was too proud to shed, and he nodded. He believed her.

  “Very well,” he said, “though I’ll need the key back.”

  She took it from her pocket, placing it in his palm before turning back to Doc. Roderick slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him as he went to find a crew member to tell him repairs were needed to a cabin door.

  Chapter 10

  Gwen had never seen a man filled with as much relief as Roderick when his feet touched the soil of Scotland. She knew the motion of the boat had overcome him for most of the journey, though he had never said a word of complaint. She was somewhat impressed by his stoicism, although she would never actually tell him that.

  Roderick had stayed away from her for the remainder of the journey after giving into his desires for her in the cabin. Her ploy, she had realized with some chagrin, had not been altogether fabricated. She felt this inexplicable pull to him, and she told herself it was simply a physical attraction — but to give in, well, that would be folly.

  “Ah, Glasgow,” he muttered, breaking into her thoughts, “as dirty as ever.”

  His sentiments surprised her, and she turned to him with raised eyebrows. “From your talk, I thought you loved Scotland.”

  “I do, lass,” he said with a wistful sigh. “But this is not my Scotland.”

  His accent seemed even more pronounced now that he had made it home.

  “He speaks the truth,” said Doc, his voice nearly cracking as he hung from Roderick’s shoulder. Gwen felt a sense of relief at the fact he had survived the trip thus far, and she could only hope he could make the journey the rest of the way, to the home he had once known.

  “Roderick,” she said, with more conviction than she actually felt, not allowing him to see how desperately she needed him to agree. “I have to ask you one more favor.”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head before she could get another word out. “I have given you quite a number of favors, lass, and I am finished. Our contact should be welcoming us — you — any moment, and then I will be away from here and back to Aldourie.”

  “But that’s just it,” she said, placing a hand on his arm, hoping she could sway him, but he stiffened at her touch, apparently having learned from his previous mistake. “Doc’s home is Tomatin, which he tells me is not far from where you live. If you could just escort us there, then you can continue on your way. You’ve done your job and gotten us to Scotland. The Scottish authorities can do nothing but put us behind bars, if that’s what they so decide and I—” She cursed as she heard the break in her voice. “I just can’t be put away. Let Doc see his home one last time. Please?”

  He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he turned away from her to look at the people around him, likely searching out their supposed escort.

  “I think you were had, Roderick,” she said, feeling slightly sorry for him at the look of desperation he now wore.

  “What are you talking about?” he said to her on nearly a snarl, and she straightened her shoulders.

  “No need to be so surly. I just mean, I don’t think anyone is meeting us here. The Glasgow police likely have no use for us, and it’s not as though any of the Highland forces are going to do anything about us. No, I think your Sergeant McLaren has sent you away, with the two of us as an excuse. Why else would he not just hang us?”

  Roderick didn’t look at her, but from the slump of his shoulders, Gwen could tell that he had not only heard what she said, but agreed with her. She had correctly assessed McLaren’s relationship with Roderick back in the Northwest Territory. She hid her triumph from him.

  “They would not hang you,” he said. “It would look bad to hang a fair woman they couldn’t pin a murder on.”

  “Did you just call me fair? Why, Roderick, I’m beginning to think you may like me more than you let on.”

  He gave an unexpected bark of laughter before finally turning his gaze upon her, and by the resigned look in his eyes, she knew she had won.

  “Fine,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll take you. As much as I know I’m going to regret this, I’ll do this one last thing for you. But, lass, if you ever — ever — return to the Territories again, I will have you in a jail cell in minutes, do you hear me?”

  She smiled at her victory. She knew, even if Roderick himself didn’t, that there was no way he was returning back to the Territories. She could see it in his eyes, in the way his entire being had relaxed and his tension eased upon stepping onto these shores. It was more than leaving the ship, as she had never seen this aspect of him on the other side of the ocean. No, he belonged here, even if he couldn’t admit it himself.

  “Yes,” she said, “I promise.”

  “Very well,” he responded with a shrug. “Although I should know better than to trust the word of a thief. Come along then.”

  The train station was but steps away, and soon enough they had purchased tickets that would take them to Perth, and from there, they would board the Highland line to Inverness. It should then be a day’s journey to Tomatin, where Roderick would leave them for Aldourie. Gwen knew he was eager to return home, and she wished she had a way to show him her appreciation for trusting her and following through on his promise.

  “Thank you, Roderick,” she said simply, and he nodded in reply as he helped Doc up the steps. Gwen made to follow them when she thought she saw movement behind her. She turned her head to look but saw no one. Perhaps she was being overly suspicious, although her instincts had proven fairly accurate before and had kept them out of more than one dire situation. She had been grateful Roderick hadn’t had a chance to talk to James, that he had escaped the hold before he could have been found. The ship’s crew said it wasn’t the first time they had seen such a thing before, and luckily, Roderick hadn't questioned it any more than that.

  She looked around again, the hairs on her arms nearly standing on end. There were many people bustling around the station, and yet she felt as if she was being watched.

  Foolish James must not have been alone, and somehow, his companions had made it to Glasgow. Gwen had no idea how she knew it to be true, but she could have sworn on it. She had to shake their pursuers — but how?

  Unsure of what else she could do at the moment, she followed Doc and Roderick up the stairs to the compartment Roderick had purchased for them. Luckily, they didn’t have far to travel to reach Perth, but Roderick had agreed that Doc needed the space.

  Doc stretched out on the bed, with Gwen and Roderick sitting across from him, each as far to one corner of the small bench as possible.

  “I—”

  “You—”

  They both started, and she gave a little nervous laugh.

  “I’m sorry, go ahead,” she said as the train began to move.

  “I’m going to go find something for us to eat,” he said, then looked at her intently. “You’ll not go anywhere?”

  “Nowhere,” she promised, giving her head a shake, and apparently he believed her now as he rose and made his way out the door.

  “Gwen.” Doc’s voice was thin and reedy, but Gwen reached over to take his hand and looked into clear eyes that bore into her. “You must find the man who wants the jewel, you know that.”

  “I do,” she said, nodding her head.

  “I dinna think I’ll make it to see our greatest payout come true,” he said, his breath coming out in a raspy sigh. “I trust you, though, girl.”

  “Thank you, Doc,” she said with a tremulous smile, hoping he wouldn’t see the concern on her features.

  “There’s something else I need you to do,” he said, and she looked at him with a bit of surprise. He had asked quite a bit of her this past while, and she didn’t know what else there could be. “When you get the money from the jewel… there is a woman in my village, by the name of Aileen, should I not make it there to meet her. Will you give her, or her boy, some of the money?”

  “Of course, if
that is what you want,” she said before her curiosity got the better of her. “Who is she?”

  “My wife,” he said, and then his eyes shut and he drifted off to sleep.

  * * *

  Roderick hummed a bit of a tune to himself as he made his way down the train corridor. Scotland — the true Scotland — was beginning to appear out the windows now that they had left the city, and he felt a sense of comfort and ease that he hadn’t known since… well, since he had left. He had been so eager to be free of all this land held and to create a life of his own. What he hadn’t realized was that as wonderful as adventure was, a new place was not what had been missing in his life. He thought he had discovered a sense of purpose when he had found a job of his own, but it was not for him — that was Callum’s life.

  Now, being home, well, he didn’t want to admit his failings to his family, but he also knew he couldn’t go back to the new land.

  He opened the door of their car and stopped short when he saw the vacant expression on Gwen’s face. She was staring, not at Doc, not out the window, but at the wall across from her, her back straight, her green eyes reminding him of the hills of his land.

  “Gwen?” he asked, slowly easing into the cramped car. He could hardly wait to be done with these tiny travel spaces that were far too small for his size. He was made for fields and mountains, not these tight quarters.

  He sat down next to her, easing his elbows down upon his knees as he looked into her eyes. “Are you all right, lass?”

  “I thought I knew him,” she said, nothing moving but her lips as Doc slept across from them. “He was never a particularly good man, that I realized, but at least I thought I knew who he was. He’s my only family and yet… it seems he has hidden so much from me.”

  Roderick was silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond, worried that if he said too much, she would close herself off from him.

  “Apparently, he has a family,” she continued. “A wife… and a son. When we get to Tomatin, we are to find them, then reunite them.” She looked up at him finally. “Will you help me?”

  “Of course,” he said, though why he would be so ready to do this for her, when all he wanted, he continued to tell himself, was to be rid of the pair of them, he wasn’t sure. “It won’t be long now.”

  Her shoulders were slumped, the proud warrior he was used to — and appreciated, he had to admit to himself — seemingly vanished, leaving in her place a defeated woman. And he didn’t like it.

  “Cheer up, lass,” he said, chucking her under the chin. “Where’s your spirit? Tell me you’ve not let the man take it away from you? You’ll have me thinking you’re a woman after all.”

  Her head shot up at his words, her eyes blazing as she got to her feet and looked down at him. “Emotions do not take away any bit of strength from a woman — or a man,” she said, the fire returned to her words, and he tried to suppress his grin of satisfaction that his tactic had worked. “They can only make someone stronger.”

  “A fine sentiment,” he said, coming to his feet himself and smiling at her, thankful that the spirit had returned. Her eyes widened as she realized he had purposefully provoked her.

  “Why you… you…”

  “Aye?” he said, raising an eyebrow with laughter in his voice.

  “Ugh!” she groaned, her fists clenched, and he knew had she the space she would have stormed out away from him. She didn’t have a chance to move, however, as the train suddenly began to slow, and the momentum flung her against him. He let out an “oomph” as they hit the bench behind him, and she looked up at him, pausing just long enough for him to appreciate the soft curves of her body before she pushed herself away from him and checked on Doc. He was still sleeping, and she roused him gently as the train pulled into the station.

  “We’re here,” she said and began to pull together the few meager belongings they had collected. Roderick said nothing but simply led them off the train.

  Chapter 11

  “We did it,” Gwen said, staring incredulously at the town around them, realizing that she had never truly believed that the three of them would make it this far. She looked at Doc, and despite the confusion of emotions she currently felt for the man she had considered a father, she was grateful for the peace that had filled his face. The weather-beaten tanned skin had eased somewhat, and the hardness of his eyes had been replaced by — was that tenderness? She had a hard time resolving his expression with the man she had known half her life, but clearly, Doc had a past that he hadn’t wanted to share.

  “Well, Doc,” she turned to him, “where to?”

  “Not far,” he said, pointing down the road. “Just a ways down and then make a right into the woods beyond.”

  “Should I find a way to transport you, Doc?” Roderick asked, clearly concerned about whether Doc could make the trip on his own feet, but he shook his head, his resolve apparently renewed by their arrival. A family had been kind enough to offer them a ride in their cart from the train to the outskirts of the town, and it wasn’t far now.

  It was beautiful here, Gwen realized as they made their way through the street, the people giving them odd looks as they passed. Strangers were not common here, she figured. Doc dragged a bit, but his face took on a steely resolve, and she said not a word to him as they continued down the road and he pointed them to a rough path in the woods.

  Finally, the three of them stood in front of a small cottage. While it seemed it had been kept up to the best of the owner’s ability, it was painfully obvious that there was work to be done which required some investment that the owner lacked. When Doc simply stood there, Gwen took it upon herself to give the door a hard rap. Moments passed, turning into seconds and finally minutes.

  “Who lives here, Doc?” Gwen asked, although she already had a fairly good idea. When he looked at her, she knew. It was his wife, his family, if his words were to be believed. She opened her mouth to ask what he wanted to do when a voice came from down the way.

  “Are ye lookin’ for Aileen?” a woman asked, drawing near to them. She looked to be in her fifties, one hand on her hip and the other holding a trowel. Her skirt was stained with mud, and she looked them up and down. Gwen knew what she saw — an elderly gentleman, a woman dressed in breeches, and a man who would capture the eye of any woman, no matter who his traveling companions were.

  “We are,” Doc said, nodding his head.

  “Well, she’s gone, God rest her soul,” the woman said, still eyeing them quizzically, as if she wanted to ask what they were doing there but held her tongue out of politeness. “Her son’s gone too — not gone the way she is, but he’s left. No one lives here now, but I do me best to keep it up until the boy returns. Though he’s no’ a boy anymore, that’s for certain. Left last year, as soon as she died.”

  Gwen looked at Doc, whose mouth had tightened into a thin line, though he betrayed no other emotion.

  “Thank you,” Gwen finally said, and the woman began to slowly approach them, her eyes narrowing in recognition as she stared at Doc.

  “I say…” she said, in what sounded like almost a reverent whisper, “is that you, Stephen?”

  Gwen saw Roderick’s eyes widen as he looked at Doc before he turned to her with an incredulous expression on his face. “Stephen?” he mouthed, and she shrugged her shoulders. She had known it was his name, though she had only heard it once or twice when she had first joined him.

  “Maggie,” he said in a monotone voice, and the woman stopped on the stair in front of where they stood on the porch.

  “You scoundrel,” she said with malice, her previously pleasant facade fading, and Gwen could see she was of about the same age as Doc, though a great deal rounder and with fewer lines on her face.

  “Now look, Maggie,” he said, easing himself down on the wooden bench beside the door. “You know it was better that I left.”

  “You left her alone with a little one to care for all on her own!” she said, shaking her head at him, some of her ini
tial anger replaced by sadness. “How could you do it, Stephen?”

  Doc’s face was closed, his eyes hard as he looked beyond her, at the road running below them. “I made a terrible husband,” he said finally. “I didn’t know she was with child until I received her letter and by then it was too late. If I’d returned, I would have only made things all the worse. I sent her money, instead. I know it likely wasn’t enough, but I hoped it helped.” He paused for a moment. “Just tell me, Maggie — was she happy?”

  The fight completely left the woman, her shoulders slumping as she finally said, “I suppose in a way, she was. She had her John, and that was all that really mattered to her.”

  “Good,” said Doc, releasing a deep breath that revealed his exhaustion, “that’s good.”

  “Well,” Maggie said, flailing her hands in front of her a bit as if there was nothing else to be done. “I suppose this cottage is yours as much as it is John’s, so yer free to use it for as long as you’re here. I’ll tell the other townsfolk not to bother you.”

  “Appreciate that, Maggie,” said Doc with a nod, and Gwen smiled warmly at the woman before she descended the bottom two stairs and continued on her way, looking back and shaking her head.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Gwendolyn,” said Doc as she turned to fix him with a stare. He sighed. “I made a lot of mistakes in my life — more than you know. It’s too late for reparation. But keep yer promise, Gwen, will you? See to the boy.”

  Gwen nodded, all further words sticking in her throat as she was unsure of what to say, the emotions at odds within her as she tried to resolve the hard, bitter man she had known for the past twelve years with the contrite man full of regrets sitting in front of her.

  “Well,” she said, finally. “We best have ourselves something to eat and see what state this cottage is in. Are you coming in, Doc?”