“What do you want us to do, Nick?” Grant asked in a doleful voice. He and Graeme had actually managed to keep their mouths shut during the unpleasant scene.
“Stay the hell out of trouble,” he said. Nick turned on his heel and headed to the library. The twins were the least of his problems at the moment.
He glanced behind to see his brother prowling in his wake, his gaze roaming the walls of the west gallery, taking in the portraits of their ancestors and looking like a man who’d forgotten his past but just remembered it. Angus, walking beside Logan, gave Nick a defiant stare, as if daring him to exclude him from the family council. The old man and Logan had always been close. In fact, they had corresponded frequently, although Angus believed Nick wasn’t aware of that.
Of course he was, just as he was aware that Logan wrote to Kade and Braden as well. He’d turned a blind eye to it as long as Logan had the good sense to stay away. But since his brother clearly lacked in sense, hostilities were about to resume.
Royal caught up to him. “What are you going to do, Nick?”
“Hear him out, then kick him out.”
“Don’t you think—”
“No.”
Nick opened the library door and stalked over to the glass-fronted mahogany cabinet with its collection of decanters and glasses. As the others filed in, he poured out a healthy dram of whisky—hoping it wasn’t some of the illegal brew his brothers had cooked up—and shot it down, barely feeling the burn. Then he filled the glass again and took it back to his desk.
“You can get your own,” he said.
“Not me. Someone in this bloody family has to keep a clear head,” Royal said as he eased himself into one of the club chairs.
Angus retreated to his usual station by the fireplace, on the edges of the conversation. Nick had no illusions, however, that he would stay out of it.
In fact, he mentally braced himself for opposition from the entire family. Everyone missed Logan, and clearly felt it was time for him to be allowed to return home. After all, as Royal and Angus had pointed out, Cam’s death had been an accident. But it was an accident that wouldn’t have happened if Logan had been watching out for the little boy instead of flirting with a woman.
Women had always been Logan’s weak spot, and that weakness had killed Nick’s son.
Despite what his family might think, he had no intention of forgiving his brother—now, or ever.
Logan glanced at Royal, who was absently rubbing his bad leg. “Does it bother you much these days?”
Royal’s reply was a terse shake of the head.
“It bothers him a great deal,” Nick said. “That, however, is not your business. This family is not your business. I thought you had the sense to realize that and stay away.”
Logan slammed his crystal tumbler down on the desk, sloshing whisky onto the polished surface. Nick watched it leach into the blotter, turning it a dark, ugly brown.
“The hell they’re not my business,” Logan snapped. “They’re my family too. You don’t own them.”
“No, but I am their laird, as well as clan head. As I told you seven years ago, you forfeited your right to be either a Kendrick or a member of the clan when you let Cameron die through your negligence. In doing so, you destroyed my family.”
Logan’s blue eyes glittered with resentment as he leaned forward. “That’s a bit dramatic. Perhaps we can also talk about the way you destroyed Janet’s life. I’m not the only guilty party in this jolly family of ours, Nick, and you know it.”
Nick found himself on his feet and halfway across the desk at his brother before he realized he’d even moved. “Say something like that again and I will kill you, Logan, regardless of the promise I made to Kade.”
Royal reached out and whacked Logan on the arm. “What the hell is the matter with you? You’re supposed to be apologizing, not making baseless accusations.”
Logan straightened and rubbed his hands over his face. “Christ,” he said in a thick voice, “you’re right. Sorry, Nick. That was a filthy thing for me to say. Chalk it up in my growing column of apologies.”
Nick dropped back into his chair, weariness freighting his bones like chains. “You can keep your goddamn apologies, because I will never forgive you for Cam.”
Janet’s death was another story. As much as Nick hated to admit it, his brother was right about that.
“Merde,” Logan muttered as he took the other seat in front of the desk.
When Nick first became earl, Logan had spent hours sitting in that very chair, helping to sort through massive amounts of estate business. Despite his devil-may-care approach to life, Logan had a sharp mind and a canny way with numbers. He’d turned that talent to his advantage, establishing a successful trade in timber and furs in Quebec.
Whatever the reason for his brother’s return, it wasn’t for money.
“I can understand how you feel,” Logan finally said. “It was an accident, but it was still my fault.”
Royal stared at him in disbelief. “Jesus, man, you almost drowned trying to save Cam. No one could have tried harder.”
That was true, but Logan had persuaded Nick to let Cam go fishing with his uncles. Nick had made Logan swear to never take his eyes off the lad. His brother had promised, of course, with the reassuring laugh that came too easily to him.
It was the last time Nick had seen his son alive.
“Well, at least ye were able to bring the bairn home,” said Angus. “That was a comfort.”
Nick scoffed. “Comfort? Yes, a small one.” But the image of his vibrant, darling child, locked away forever in a tomb of cold marble, still tore his heart into shreds. “At least my boy had a proper burial.”
“What should comfort you is the knowledge that I will never forgive myself,” Logan said.
“And you expect me to forgive you when you can’t even forgive yourself?”
“Yes, because you’re a better man than I am.”
Nick reached for his glass. “Not according to your grandfather,” he said before tossing down the rest of his drink.
Angus flushed, his bright red cheeks serving as a dramatic contrast to his snowy white hair. “Now, laddie, ye ken I dinna mean that. I just lost my temper a wee bit.”
Royal hooted. “A wee bit? That’s a laugh.”
“What’s going on here?” Logan asked.
Royal craned around to look at his grandfather. “Would you care to explain, or shall I?”
Angus began to inspect his boots.
“Someone better explain, or I’m going to start bashing heads,” Logan said.
“That’ll be different for you,” Nick said sarcastically.
Logan scowled at him but had the brains to keep his mouth shut. When they were young, his brother had often gotten into fisticuffs just for the fun of it. He’d taken as easily to fighting as he had to drinking and womanizing. Logan had always been larger than life—a lovable rogue, as their stepmother had called him.
“All right, I’ll tell you,” Royal said. “My idiot brothers—”
“The twins, obviously,” Logan interjected.
“Naturally. It would seem the twins set up a moonshining operation. Nick only found out about it yesterday when the customs officers came to call.”
“Bloody hell,” Logan sighed. “And Grandda knew about it, I’m assuming.”
“Correct,” Royal said.
Logan turned in his chair to glare at the old man. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
“According to Angus, I’m the problem,” Nick said. “I abandoned the family when I ‘ran off’ to fight for my country. The twins’ wild ways are, therefore, my fault.”
Logan shook his head. “You were grieving, Nick. No one could blame you for that.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said impatiently. “Angus is right in the sense that I stayed away too long. All the boys needed my help and guidance, and I wasn’t there to provide it.”
“You weren’t exactly whoring in a
brothel or drinking yourself under the table all those years,” Royal said. “You were commanding troops in battle.”
“What’s done is done. All I can do now is try to fix the problem.”
With Victoria’s help, Nick thought he might be able to polish up the twins enough to help them find respectable wives, at least if he didn’t have the problem of Logan distracting him. Just being in the same room with his brother was starting to make him twitch.
“I think I might have a solution to that particular problem,” Logan said.
“The twins?” Royal asked.
Logan nodded. “I know exactly what to do with them.”
“There’s nothin’ wrong with the laddies,” Angus said. “They’re just young and full of vinegar.”
“They’re idiots is what they are,” Royal said. “And the next time they get into trouble, Nick might not be able to get them out of it.”
“They can work for me,” Logan said. “I’m setting up an office and warehouse in Glasgow, and I can use the help.”
When they all stared at him, he shrugged. “I’m a roaring success, as you might have heard. I’ve more than enough funds to support the twins, and then some.” Logan cast a quick glance around the library. “And help out the estate, too, if need be.”
“So you’re just going to waltz in and fix everything, are you?” Nick jabbed a finger at Logan. “I don’t need your damn help. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of the family and Kinglas.”
“That’s not what I heard,” Logan said in a mild tone.
When Nick directed a hard stare at Angus, the old man winced. “Ye ken we need the help, lad. We’re not as flush with funds as we used to be.”
“And the reason for that is because of certain decisions you made while I was away,” Nick said. “Decisions I am now trying to correct to put the estate back on its formerly sound footing.”
“You did leave him in charge, Nick,” Logan said. “I’m sure Angus did the best he could.”
It was an entirely reasonable point. Unfortunately, Nick felt far from reasonable at the moment.
“Aye, that I did,” Angus said with wounded dignity.
“Is that why you came back?” Nick asked his brother. “To assuage your guilt by buying me off?”
Logan’s gaze narrowed to irritated slits. “I came back to help my family. Believe it or not, I miss them, including you.”
“I repeat, I don’t need your help,” Nick replied in a cold voice.
“I think you do.” Logan paused for a second, as if gathering himself. “And I need your forgiveness, so I’m not leaving until I get it.”
Royal leaned forward, his gaze earnest. “It’s time, Nick. You need to let it go.”
Nick snorted. “You’re one to talk—the man who never lets anything go.”
“Like Logan said, you’re a better man than we are.”
Nick had heard quite enough about what a good man he was. Shoving back from his desk, he stood and glared at Logan. “Apparently, I’m not, because you’ll be waiting until hell freezes over before I forgive you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Victoria hurried down the hall to find Royal slouched on the floor by the library door and Angus pacing back and forth, all but wearing a path in the carpet. She paused to draw in a calming breath. The dramatics of the last few days were proving exceedingly trying—as were all the Kendrick men, starting with the earl and moving down the line.
Spotting her, Angus extracted an ancient-looking timepiece from his vest pocket. “Is the lad asleep? It’s well-nigh eleven o’clock.”
“Yes, finally. The poor boy was clearly worn out.” Her short tone had the two men exchanging a guilty glance.
“How is he?” Royal asked as he pushed against the wall and clambered to his feet. “When I tried to talk to him, he would only say that we were all fatheads, and that he intended to ignore us until we stopped fighting.”
“He’s embarrassed by his family’s behavior.”
Angus bristled. “Embarrassed by his own family? Ridiculous.”
“Personally, I think it’s a sad state of affairs when a fifteen-year-old boy has more sense than his elders,” she said.
The old man propped his hands on his hips. “Now, see here, lassie—”
“Oh, give over, Grandda,” Royal interrupted. “She’s right. We are fatheads, and that includes Nick.”
Victoria glanced at the library door. “I’m assuming his lordship has yet to respond to any requests for admittance?”
“He has yet to respond to anything,” Royal said tartly. “We’ve banged and yelled but he’s ignored us.”
Angus slumped against the wall. “He’s swallowed a hare.”
Victoria frowned. “I beg your pardon?”
“He’s drunk, Miss Knight,” Royal said. “Royally drunk.”
“But his lordship rarely has more than a glass or two of wine at dinner.” She’d never once seen him even slightly tipsy.
“True,” Royal said, “but he’s been drinking ever since Logan showed up.”
“That’s bad,” she said.
“Lassie, ye have no idea how bad it truly is,” Angus said with a sigh.
After the scene this afternoon, she’d taken Kade up to the schoolroom. They’d spoken a bit about Logan, though the boy hadn’t wanted to discuss the incident that had led to the death of Arnprior’s son or the estrangement between the brothers. All she could do was focus Kade on his studies as the best way to pass the time until someone came to speak to him.
When several hours passed with no visit from the earl or anyone else, Victoria had grown almost as worried as her young pupil. They’d finally gone down to dinner only to learn that the earl had ordered everyone to leave him alone and then holed up in his library.
“Then perhaps ye’d better tell her how bad it is,” came Mrs. Taffy’s voice from behind.
Victoria spun around to see the housekeeper in her neat cap and snowy apron, calmly regarding them.
“Dammit, woman,” yelped Angus, scowling at Taffy. “Ye all but gave me a heart attack, sneakin’ up like that.”
“Taffy never sneaks,” Royal said. “She’s just very, very quiet.”
The housekeeper threw a glance at the library door. “He hasna come out yet?”
Angus gloomily shook his head.
“That is bad,” she said fretfully. “I think you should let Miss Knight have a try.”
“Try what?” Victoria asked, surprised.
“Try to talk to him. The laird is not listening to his own family, and who could blame the puir man for that?”
“He won’t like it,” Angus warned. “No talking family business to outsiders.”
Victoria sighed. “All this secrecy is getting to be quite trying, I must say.”
“You’re not truly an outsider anymore,” Royal said.
It certainly didn’t feel that way, but it wasn’t Victoria’s place to comment.
“Hmm,” Angus said, “I think yer right about that, lad. And the laird would agree, I reckon.”
A faint warning bell sounded in Victoria’s mind. “I’m not sure—”
Angus interrupted her. “Ye ken the earl had a little boy named Cameron?”
She nodded. “Yes, and that he died in some way that led to an estrangement between the earl and his brother.”
“Cameron drowned when he was four years old,” Royal said bluntly.
“I . . . I’m so sorry,” Victoria stammered.
“After the laird’s wife passed, that little boy was everything to him,” Taffy said with a quiet sorrow. “Master Cameron had the sweetest disposition, much like his uncle Kade.”
“The laird was never the same,” Angus said. “Cam’s death all but destroyed the family.”
“Why does he blame Logan?” Victoria asked.
“It was Logan’s suggestion to take the boy fishing,” Royal said. “He’d got Cam a little rod and reel for his birthday, and the lad was excited to try it out with his
uncles. Nick was busy that day and couldn’t join us, but Logan promised he wouldn’t let Cam step a foot away from him.”
Victoria pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling sick as her mind conjured awful scenarios. She’d seen a drowning once, at Brighton, and the horrible event had stuck in her mind for months afterward.
“We took him to a favorite spot—a burn just north of here that runs into the loch,” Royal continued. “It was spring, and the water was running fast. As was Cam,” he added with a bittersweet smile. “He was so excited, the scamp. Logan was practically run off his feet keeping him out of trouble.”
“But he did get in trouble,” Victoria said gently. “What happened?”
Taffy sighed. “A lass happened. As usual, with Logan.”
“One of the daughters of the local gentry happened by,” added Royal. “She was out riding. Logan was not a man to be tied down, but he actually seemed serious about that girl.”
Angus heaved a sigh. “Aye, the lad was always a dab hand with the lassies. But he was fair taken with that one. Pretty as a picture, she was.”
“Naturally, she pulled his attention away from Cam. The twins and I were farther upstream, just far enough away to make a difference. When Cam slipped and fell into the water, only Kade was close enough to make a grab for him.”
Victoria gasped. “Kade went in after him?”
“Without a second thought,” Royal said, shaking his head. “That boy has more heart than the rest of us put together. As soon as he saw what was happening, Logan went in and started swimming for Cam, while I went after Kade. I managed to reach the boy and pull him back to shore, but barely. It’s a miracle we didn’t both drown in that swift current.”
“That was when Kade caught that terrible fever,” said Taffy. “He’s been delicate ever since.”
“The earl blames Logan for that as well, I suspect,” Victoria said. The others didn’t deny it.
Royal continued the grim tale. “The current swept Cam downstream toward the loch. We knew that if Logan didn’t reach him before then, there would be no hope of saving him.”
“But he did reach him,” she said softly.
Royal nodded. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Logan battled the cold and the current for what seemed like forever. He wouldn’t give up, even when we all knew it was too late to save Cam.” He rubbed his chest, as if it pained him. “But he got the lad, he did. At least he was able to bring his body home to Nick.”
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