A moment later, Griff emerged from the yellow salon and he smiled that heart-stopping smile of his. “Ye wanted to see me, Ellie?”
“What do ye think ye’re doing?”
His toothy grin only widened. “As I said, I was helping the gentlemen solve a dispute. Much more civilized than dueling, don’t ye think? I’m certain their mother would be appreciative.”
That wasn’t what he was doing at all. He was trying to make them appear as foolish as he thought they were. He wanted to mock them, to mock Ellie, and she had put up with quite enough. It was one thing to decide he didn’t want her, but another to ridicule the suitors she did have, not that she wanted Griff. That wasn’t it at all! It was the principle of the matter.
She closed the small distance between them and poked him in the chest. “Ye’re a nuisance, Griffin Reid. Ye’re here all hours of the day and night just to drive me mad.”
“I’m not here to see ye at all, Ellie.”
“Nay, ye never are,” she grumbled, which was probably a mistake to admit as a bit of hope flared in his eyes at her words.
Griff tilted his head to one side as though to better see her. “Do ye want me to come here just for ye, Ellie?”
She didn’t want that at all. Having him near only confused her, complicated her life in a way she didn’t need. “That isn’t what I meant, and ye know it.”
“Are ye sure?” A rakish twinkle lit his eyes, sending spirals of something racing to her core. Blast him!
Stubbornly, she lifted her chin slightly in the air. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. Just go away, Griffin!” she pleaded. “Leave me be. I’ve had all of ye I can bear for a lifetime.”
Griff’s smile turned sad and behind her, someone cleared their throat. Perfect! Which family member would come to his defense now? Ellie spun on her heels, prepared to do battle with whichever MacLaren was eavesdropping on her conversation, but found instead, their butler, his eyes wide, looking most apologetic.
“Pardon me, my lady.” Howard dipped his head towards her then he glanced at Griff. “His lordship said to tell you he’s ready for you in his study, Captain.”
Griff nodded towards the servant and said, “Thank ye.” He glanced back at Ellie, the rakish twinkle in his eyes long gone. “Goodbye, then, Lady Elspeth,” he said as strode past her towards Ian’s study.
And at once, in the pit of Ellie’s stomach, she felt like she’d lost something quite important. But that was foolish. She hadn’t lost anything. And certainly not Griff. Once he finished conversing with Ian or whatever it was they did in her brother’s study, he’d be back to harass her, make fools of her suitors, and drive her to the brink of madness all over again.
Griff heaved a sigh as he entered Ian’s study.
“Ah, there ye are.” Ian glanced up from his desk. “Ellie isn’t attending anything this evening, so I thought we could make a night of it at a Hazard table. What do ye think?”
That this whole thing is pointless. Griff pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache that would most likely find him anyway. “I almost had her,” he said, hearing the sound of defeat in his own voice.
“Ellie?” Ian rose from his desk, a surprised smile alighting his face. “What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“Ack!” Ian waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Don’t sound so disheartened. If ye almost had her just now, it won’t take much more to have her completely the next time. Ye just have to keep up with the plan.”
The plan, to be ever present, to make Ellie realize there was something between them, to hopefully give her the opportunity to fall as much in love with Griff as he was with her. But the plan was a waste of time. All the plan had accomplished was in making Griff fall even more in love with Ellie. Being near her, smelling her gardenia scent all the time, made him want her even more. It was all he could do to keep from kissing her nearly every day, but she’d never wavered, never gave him even a sliver of hope that the plan was working until a few minutes ago when it seemed like she wanted him to be at MacLaren House for her alone, not for her family. But then she’d doused that hope with her next set of words.
I’ve had all of ye I can bear for a lifetime.
He would never change her mind, and being so damn near her would only drive him slowly mad. Griff shook his head. “Nay. She doesn’t care for me, Ian. It’s time I accepted that, time I moved on.” It would have been different, of course, if Ellie had known she was his intended, if she’d known it all her life. But that was neither here nor there anymore. She hadn’t known the truth then and it was too late now.
Ian’s brow furrowed. “Moved on?”
Griff nodded slowly. The question was where he should go to move on. He couldn’t go home. There were memories of her everywhere at Achmore. Of mother teaching Ellie the violin in the parlor. Of the forest where she would chase after Ian and him in their younger days. Of Loch Ericht itself, the exact shade of blue of Ellie’s eyes. “I’ll talk to Colonel Throssell,” he finally said. “Look into changing regiments, maybe to one in India. Or…” he searched his mind for an answer, then hit on something that might suit him. “Actually, Healeyfield could use a steward with that abbey of his. I’m sure he’d take me on.”
“A steward?” Ian echoed incredulously. “Ye can’t be serious. Ye don’t know the first thing about being a steward.”
That was true, but… “I didn’t know the first thing about being a soldier until I joined the Dragoon Guards either. I’ve always been a fast study.”
“Griffin.” Ian raked a hand though his hair. “Ye can’t give up on Ellie now. Ye said yerself that ye were close to having her.”
But in the end, he’d failed. His dreams of reclaiming his family’s lost land, his dreams of Achmore being his in reality, his dreams of Ellie by his side for the rest of his days, they were all for naught. Still, he would have to go home at least one more time. “Just let me clear out mother’s things from Achmore, and then ye won’t hear from me again.”
A snort escaped the earl. “Ye’re the best friend I ever had, Griffin Reid. Just because Ellie’s a fool, doesn’t mean I want to lose my friend again.”
And Griff would miss Ian, the Ian he knew now, the Ian he’d known as a boy. But maintaining a relationship with Ellie’s family would only lead to heartache for him. He didn’t want to set himself up to hear about her future husband or the children she’d have with some other man. He couldn’t bear it. “We’ll always be friends, Ian. But I need to start my life, whatever is left of it, somewhere else.”
“But the land,” Ian pressed.
“Means nothing without her,” Griff replied. And it didn’t. That land had always been tied to her, to their marriage. He couldn’t imagine spending his life without her there.
“Then at least let me pay ye the land’s value. Ye put in yer time, ye upheld yer part of the bargain. Ye’re entitled to the funds as recompense for the broken marriage contract.”
But the idea of accepting a purse of coins instead of Ellie’s hand made Griff’s stomach turn. He wouldn’t be able to stand the idea that he’d sold his rights to her for a sum, no matter how large. He couldn’t live with himself if he did that. “Just let me retrieve my mother’s things.”
Ian shook his head in frustration. “Of course ye can take your mother’s things, Griffin. I’m not keeping them hostage. But ye’re being bull-headed about the entire thing.”
“I am a Reid.”
Ian scoffed. “The most bull-headed Reid of the bunch.”
“Flatterer.”
At that, a ghost of a smile tipped Ian’s lips. “Is there anything I can say that would change yer mind?”
Griff shook his head. “But don’t tell her, Ian. Don’t tell her any of this. I’d rather she never know.”
Uncertainty flashed in his friend’s eyes; but then Ian agreed with the incline of his head. “If that’s what ye want.”
He wanted Ellie. He feared h
e’d always want Ellie. But if that wasn’t to be, he didn’t want her to know that she’d been his betrothed, that she should have been his wife. If she didn’t want the role on her own, then there was no point in her ever knowing the truth.
Heavens, the house seemed empty! It wasn’t empty, of course. Cat’s giggle filled the air at all hours, Mama had visitors come and go, and Ian was ever present. But Griff was nowhere to be found. Had he and Ian had another falling out? Her brother didn’t quite seem himself these days, more snappish than usual and a bit on edge. Almost as though he felt guilty about something. Had he done something awful in regards to the captain? If so, whatever could it be?
Ellie hadn’t thought she could possibly miss Griffin Reid, but she did. No matter that he was wholly unacceptable as far as suitors went, she missed his presence, she missed his teasing, she missed that rakish twinkle in his eyes. Of course, she saw him every blasted night in her dreams, his arms around her waist, his lips on hers, reliving that kiss over and over. It was maddening. And she missed him terribly. More than she could have ever imagined.
At least she had her violin to help drown out his memory during daylight hours. The music she played swirled around her, helping to block out nearly everything except for the tune from her bow.
Even with her eyes closed, she sensed someone in the doorway. Ellie opened her eyes and turned around to find her sister standing just inside the music room, a solemn look upon her face, which for Cat was most unusual.
“Ye all right?” Ellie asked, lowering her violin.
Cat nodded quickly. “Aye. Just wondering if ye’ve seen Griff.”
So Cat noticed he was absent too. Ellie shook her head. “Not for days.”
“Me neither.” Cat frowned slightly. “But he’d promised we’d play loo on Tuesdays. It’s Tuesday, but I haven’t heard a thing.”
A bit of dread settled in Ellie’s heart. Had he stopped coming to MacLaren House because of what she’d said that day? He couldn’t have, could he? “Have ye asked Ian?”
Again Cat nodded. “He barked at me. Told me it was none of my concern.”
Then Griff must have had another falling out with Ian, Ellie was right. She took a slightly relieved breath. At least Griff wasn’t angry with her. But what had happened between him and her brother? “I’ll find out, Cat.” After all, if anyone could finagle an answer out of Ian, it was Ellie. She’d had a lifetime of practice.
She placed her violin on the pianoforte and then started for Ian’s study. He might put Cat off, but not her. She knocked on his door as she pushed it open.
Ian glanced up from his desk and said, “Well, I suppose ye can come in, since ye already have.”
He was in a temper. He had been for days, actually. Whatever had transpired between Ian and Griff must still be eating at him. Ellie smiled her widest and strode further into the study. “Good afternoon to ye, too, Ian.”
He dropped the quill he held to his desk and said, “What do ye want?”
“Well,” she said softly, dropping into a chair across from his desk, “Cat’s concerned about Griffin. I’m assuming the two of ye have had another falling out. But if he had plans with Cat, he really shouldn’t—”
“Griff is gone, Ellie. So Cat can clear her calendar. Is that all?”
“Gone?” she echoed, noticing a slight hitch to her voice.
“Aye.” He glanced back to the papers before him. “Now I am busy, if ye don’t mind.”
He didn’t really think to dismiss her so easily, did he? He had known her all her life, after all. “What did ye do to him to make him leave?”
He returned his attention to her, a dangerous look in his eyes. “I did nothing, Ellie. If ye’re looking for someone to blame, ye can look in the mirror.”
“Me?” Her heart clinched. “B-but, I didn’t say anything all that awful.”
“Awful enough, I’d imagine.” Ian’s blue eyes seemed to assess her, and then he added, “Am I to interpret yer squished up face to mean ye actually miss him?”
She missed him desperately, not that she wanted to admit as much to her suddenly judgmental brother. “Well, Cat—”
“Forget Cat,” he grumbled. “I’m asking about ye, Elspeth. Do ye miss Griffin at all?”
She shrugged. “I was accustomed to finding him here everyday.”
“Ye are a stubborn lass.” Ian frowned. “But I think I owe ye the truth anyway.”
Perfect, as that was precisely what she’d come for. “What truth?”
“One that goes back seven decades.”
“Seven decades?” She wanted the truth about Griffin. She wasn’t looking for a history lesson of some sort. Had her brother started imbibing in the early afternoon these days?
“Just listen, will ye?” Ian heaved a sigh. “When we were just lads, Griff and I thought ourselves very brave. And one day we ventured into Lara’s chambers.”
Ellie frowned. She never even stopped in front of that door. It was always colder than the rest of the house, which was saying something. Whenever she walked past the room, a chill raced down her spine. As she’d gotten older, she could only think that it was the tales she’d heard in her youth that had sparked such a reaction within her. Tales of a pretty Reid lady who had thrown herself from her window after her true love failed to return to her. “The haunted room at Achmore?”
“Do ye believe in ghosts?” Her brother’s brow lifted a bit.
Ellie scowled at him. “Oh, hush. What did it look like? The room? I always wondered.”
“Despite the dust that had settled everywhere, it looked like a room that might belong to any young lady, though half a century earlier, of course.” He shook his head as though to get back on target. “Anyway, we thought of ourselves as adventurers, Ellie. We went through the wardrobe, the desk, looking for the ghost of Lara Reid.”
Ellie giggled at the picture he painted in her mind. The two of them must have looked like idiots. “And did ye find her?”
“We found…something else.”
Something else was more than a bit enigmatic. “Well, what was it?”
“A letter, hidden in a bench beneath the window. The bench Lara Reid must have leapt to her death from all those years ago.”
“A letter?” Ellie echoed, not wanting to think about a young lady throwing herself from a window, even half a century earlier. “Ye make it sound quite mysterious, Ian. What was in the letter?”
He snorted. “The end to Griff’s childhood. The end to mine. A tale that Father hoped would never see the light of day.”
“Papa?” Ellie frowned. What did their father have to do with any of this?
“Let me tell ye a little story, Ellie.”
“Now a little story?” Ellie narrowed her eyes on her brother. She thought he was going to tell her the truth about Griff, not some history lesson, not some little story.
“Mmm. Once upon a time there was a prince whom many believed was the rightful heir to the throne. His house, however, had been long exiled.”
“Bonnie Prince Charlie,” Ellie replied. She did know Scottish history. Though why her brother thought she needed a refresher made no sense at all.
“Exactly.” Ian nodded, oblivious to her irritation. “He raised quite an army of Highlanders, Catholic and Protestant alike. Including Dougal Reid and,” he took a staggering breath, “Angus MacLaren.”
“Angus MacLaren?” Ellie echoed, not certain she heard her brother properly. She’d seen the name before in the family bible. He’d been her father’s uncle, but there weren’t any MacLarens in the Jacobite army. Her great-grandfather had been awarded land, in fact, for his loyalty to the crown during the uprising. Her brother had to be mistaken.
Ian met her gaze, more serious than she could remember him. “Dougal and Angus were the best of friends. Angus was even betrothed to Dougal’s sister - Lara…”
Lara? The very Lara who haunted the old set of rooms at Achmore? Had she leapt to her death because of something that had happened to Ang
us MacLaren? It was a sobering thought, and Ellie wondered why she’d never heard the pair’s love story until now.
“…The three of them were very close,” Ian continued. “And in a lot of ways, they remind me of Griff and me and ye.”
Ellie could only blink, while her mind swirled. Had her great-uncle really been amongst Bonnie Prince Charlie’s men? He’d been engaged to Lara Reid? Who was she to Griff? A great-aunt? That must be it.
Ian heaved a sigh. “Neither of our great-grandfather nor Griffin’s supported the Jacobites. They were old, set in their ways, happy with their lots in life; but their eldest sons were another matter, idealistic, the both of them, hungry for change. And against their fathers’ wishes, both joined the rebellion.”
Ellie still had a hard time believing that bit. Angus MacLaren couldn’t have been part of the Jacobite army. That didn’t make any sense at all. Families who’d been part of the uprising lost everything they possessed, but the MacLarens had only gained. How was that possible?
“Dougal, apparently, fell early at Culloden, but Angus was captured after the battle by the Duke of Cumberland’s men. And when they demanded his name, he gave them Dougal’s instead of his own, thus preserving the MacLaren good name in the eyes of the crown.”
Ellie gasped. That was awful!
“A day or so before they hung him as Dougal for a traitor, Angus smuggled out a letter to his love Lara and—”
“The letter ye found in the bench beneath her window?” Ellie said, barely recognizing her own voice.
Ian nodded. “The Reids lost everything. Their money, their land, their eldest son, their only daughter.”
“But the MacLarens prospered,” Ellie breathed out. The flood of unflattering things Griff had said about her family echoed in her ears, wave after uncomplimentary wave. No wonder he held such animosity towards the MacLarens.
Again her brother inclined his head. “Griff was enraged, as ye might imagine. He was all of sixteen, but filled with righteous indignation. He showed the letter to Father and demanded the Reid land be returned to him or he’d reveal the truth about Angus.”
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