The two of them would have a long discussion once they were back in Cornwall.
Ian stepped forward. “Thank you for your assistance in this time of need.”
They were going to play out the mourning, here, on the docks?
“I’ll have my crew load your hus—”
“—Cousin,” Arabella interrupted.
“Cousin,” Harrison said a bit louder. “Please, come aboard so that we can talk in my quarters.”
A wise decision, Gideon decided. He’d been on this ship before and though it was a smaller merchant ship, Harrison had outfitted comfortable quarters for himself that were large enough to accommodate all of them for the discussion that needed to be had.
Once they entered and the door closed, Gideon wheeled on his brother. “What the blazes do you think you are about?”
Harrison stared at him. “I believe that is obvious. The Grants need assistance in shipping their cousin home for burial.”
Gideon rolled his eyes.
“You two know one another,” Grant asked slowly.
“Your captain, who you know so well, is my bloody brother.”
The Grants’ eyes widened.
“It never occurred to you that Captain Trent could be a relation?” Gideon demanded.
“It isna exactly an uncommon name,” Arabella murmured.
There was that, he supposed.
“How long?” Gideon demanded. “How long have you been risking your neck?”
“Longer than you care to know. I can assure you of that.”
“While I was a Revenue Officer?”
“I prayed that our paths never crossed, but at the time, I was not yet a captain of my own vessel.”
No, he was just learning the trade upon one. What Gideon wouldn’t do to have some of that whisky Arabella now carried.
“How do you know the Grants and why are you even with them?” Harrison returned.
“The Grants happen to be close to the MacGregors.”
Harrison’s eyes widened at the familiarity of the name.
“It didn’t occur to you that when I told you my wife was a MacGregor that she might be of the same family you shipped grain for?”
“In Scotland, it isn’t an uncommon name,” Harrison countered. “But, that still doesn’t explain why you are here.”
Gideon lifted Arabella’s veil. “Harrison, may I have the honor of introducing Arabella MacGregor. My wife. I was returning for her when we crossed paths last evening.”
Harrison’s mouth popped open as he took in her appearance before the unspoken question reflected in his eyes.
“It’s a belly canteen. Apparently, a coffin full of contraband wasn’t enough,” Gideon ground out.
Harrison burst out laughing and offered a mock bow to Arabella. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise, Captain.” She grinned back.
“So, it appears that my agreement with your family may now be considered a family business so to speak.” Harrison laughed.
“I’ll certainly advise my uncle and brothers of such,” Arrabella assured him.
“Bloody hell,” Gideon mumbled under this breath and crossed to the cabinet where he knew Harrison kept the liquor.
“That would also be extended to my family as well,” Grant offered. “Being as my wife, Davina, was a MacGregor before we married a month back.”
“And I’m the one stuck in the middle of the den of thieves, or smugglers, as it may be.” Gideon poured a generous amount of brandy into a glass.
“I am afraid Gideon doesna approve.” Arabella cast him a worried glance.
“As this will be our only venture into the family business, it’s not for me to approve or disapprove.” Though he’d like to offer his brother a word of warning. However, Harrison was a grown man. If he wished to risk his neck, then so be it. Clearly, he’d been doing this for some time and knew what he was about, though it didn’t sit well with Gideon and he wished he’d never learned. “Does Tristan or anyone else know what you’ve been up to?”
Harrison snorted. “He’d approve as much as you, and the others don’t need to know.”
“I wish I didn’t.” Gideon took a drink.
“You aren’t going to say anything, are you?” There was a warning edge to his brother’s tone.
“Our family has dealt with quite enough of late. I prefer not to add any more distress now that things have finally begun to settle. Though, if you are caught, I will pretend ignorance because they’d never forgive me for not trying to stop this lunacy.”
At the scratch at the door, Harrison called for them to enter.
“The cargo has been stored.”
“Well, then we shall be off,” Grant said, ushering his wife toward the entrance.
“Wait. What about this?” Arabella gestured to her protruding stomach.
“Do you have a vessel we could empty it into?” Gideon asked.
“I wasn’t anticipating the possibility. Other than taking the belly canteen, there is no other means to transport it.”
“You can’t do that,” Mrs. Grant argued. “Arabella can’t very well board the ship in one condition and leave in another, especially in so short of time and without a babe in her arms.”
Gideon barked out laughter.
“What is so humorous?” Arabella demanded.
“Finally, something you didn’t think of.”
She pursed her lips and stared at him.
“Harrison, what direction will you be sailing?”
“South.”
Gideon nodded. “Walk with me, will you?”
Arabella started after them and Gideon turned. “You, dear wife, will remain right here.”
Arabella had paced inside the captain’s quarters for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for Gideon to return, and finally helped herself to the brandy Gideon had left behind. After all, the captain was her brother-in-law so he shouldn’t mind. Or, at least that is what she told herself. When they finally did return, Gideon informed her that Ian and Davina had left and he’d sent his carriage on and that the two of them were going to be guests on Harrison’s ship for a short bit. Further, in the privacy of the captain’s quarters, Gideon had her remove the belly flask from her person and then it was crated for delivery. He did not want anyone speculating on her appearance when they next disembarked from the ship.
“Nobody will see you in such a condition until I’ve planted that babe in your belly.”
Her body heated in anticipation at the very idea. Goodness, she’d never dreamed that intimacy could be so wonderful, and she couldn’t wait until they retired for the night, hoping that Gideon would once again show her how married couples got along.
“You know I hate to lie.”
“Aye.”
“But we need a reason for you to be in mourning when we reach our destination.”
“Which is…” she asked
“You’ll learn soon enough.”
Why was he being so cryptic? All she knew was that they were sailing south. Was he taking her all the way to Cornwall?
“We have two options,” he offered. “Your trunks were misplaced and this was all the woman at the coaching house had that you could borrow.”
Arabella shook her head. “They have servants and employees. Any one of the women would have sold me a sturdy dress, whereas a woman wouldn’t part with a mourning gown, as one can never anticipate when there will be a need.” At least those would be her thoughts on the matter. When Uncle Beathan died six years ago, the girls had to find a dress and dye it black, and then more were created by a seamstress for the duration of time they’d been required to be in mourning dress. Before that period ended, they lost Aunt Meg. Given how difficult it was in those first days not to have an appropriate dress, Arabella, and her cousins, had put their mourning clothing away, to be protected until the unthinkable occurred, or in this case, it was needed to smuggle whisky.
“The other option, is claiming a relative passed.”
“We’ve claimed a cousin was in the coffin,” she offered. “That only requires six weeks of mourning dress.”
“Nobody will know there is a coffin on this ship when we arrive at our destination, yet you will leave dressed in black.”
“If I ken where we were goin’….”
Gideon simply smiled at her. “You will learn soon enough.”
Oh, she hated not knowing what was going to happen or where she’d been. Her life had always been certain. Of course, it had also been predictable as all of her days were spent at Anagburn, until she ventured out one time to smuggle whisky. She couldn’t be sorry. Even though she knew the dangers of participating in the illegal activity, she had never been as unsure as she was just now with not knowing where she was going or what her immediate future held.
“We will claim that it was a cousin who passed, but that the time of mourning will soon come to an end.”
“When will that be?” she asked cautiously.
“When your trunks arrive from Anagburn. Grant is seeing to it.”
Arabella gasped. “He kens where ye are takin’ me?”
“Someone needed to know the destination.” Then he turned to Arabella and drew her close. “Now that I have you back with me, I wasn’t about to return to Anagburn when I already found a place where we will live.”
Her heartbeat sped to a pound. The familiar panic of being away from her family and all that was familiar began to build.
“Arabella, breathe,” Gideon said softly.
She attempted a breath, then slowly blew it out. Her place was with her husband and she did love Gideon, but….
“You will not be so far away. Just far enough for me.”
She frowned. “Ye doona like my family.” It was a declaration not a question and she couldn’t blame him. Not after the way Uncle Aiden and her male relatives coerced them into being together.
“Actually, I do like them,” he assured her. “I just don’t want them so close that they can continue to intrude in our lives.”
“How far?” she asked as the panic subsided. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so far.
Gideon studied her. “What is your fear of leaving Anagburn?”
“It’s home.”
“My home was in Cornwall—it isn’t any longer. I will still visit, as that is where my family is, and you will visit Anagburn, but it’s time I put the security of childhood behind me.”
“Is that what ye think I’m doin’? Tryin’ to hold onto childhood?” That wasn’t it at all. Further, he knew very well that she was no longer a child.
“What are you afraid of losing?”
Tears welled but she tried to keep them at bay. “My family.”
Gideon pulled her into his arms. “I promise, I would never keep you from your family.”
He didn’t understand, and maybe she didn’t either. Perhaps this was completely irrational, which she acknowledged, but the fear of losing family began so long ago. “So many losses, in so short a time, that I’m afraid I’ll lose another and won’t be there.”
“I understand,” he assured her. “But none of us have control over the fates and there comes a time when the offspring must leave home.”
She knew Gideon was correct, but it didn’t make leaving home any easier when it was all she’d ever known.
Chapter 38
“I promise. You will be no more than a day’s travel. If we leave in the morning, there will be no reason to stop at a coaching inn for the night.”
Arabella blew out a breath and relaxed against him.
“I’m just as certain you’ll see more of your family visiting us than we will them.”
She tipped her head back and looked up at Gideon. “How can ye be so certain?”
He simply smiled. “If I tell you, it will give my surprise away.”
“Surprise, bein’ our new home.”
“Possibly.” He didn’t want to tell Arabella any more. He wanted her to see it and hoped that she’d feel the connection, the same sense of belonging as he had. If she didn’t, or if Arabella hated the manor, land and beach, Gideon wasn’t certain what he’d do or where that would leave them.
At the knock at the cabin door, Arabella pulled out of Gideon’s arms.
“We are about to arrive,” Harrison announced as he stepped inside the cabin.
“To our new home?” Arabella asked, looking into his eyes.
Gideon kissed her forehead but didn’t answer the question. She’d see soon enough.
“I’ll have the crate loaded onto the carriage.”
“Yer taking the whisky?” Arabella asked in surprise.
“It’s my payment for going along with the mad scheme concocted by Grant.”
“It wasna Grant,” Arabella said.
“Then your brothers or cousins. It doesn’t matter.”
“It was me.”
Bloody hell. “Maybe we are settling too close to your family after all.” He put a hand at the small of her back as they exited the cabin. “Or, maybe I’m saving you from them just in time.”
“It wasna so bad and ye worried for nothin’,” Arabella assured him.
“Perhaps, but your whisky smuggling days are over,” he whispered in her ear as they emerged onto the deck of the ship.
“Where are we?” Arabella asked.
“Still in Scotland,” Gideon assured her.
Arabella frowned. “Yer carriage is already here. How is that possible?”
“I asked Harrison to take his time so that we’d have a conveyance available when we arrived.”
“We arena so far from Ayr?” she surmised.
“Perhaps not far enough.” Gideon chuckled. “Since some of your family is fond of the port.”
At his assurance, Arabella relaxed all the more. She simply needed assurance that she’d be close enough to go home if needed.
Gideon had told her very little, and she could only guess where they were. What she’d gathered was that they were in a small village, though the few buildings along the harbor were fairly new, as if the village was beginning to grow. “What kind of place is this?” Though there was a harbor, there were few boats.
“A fishing village.”
“Its verra quaint.” She smiled as they passed the buildings, leaving them behind as the carriage traveled north. Excitement began to build, replacing all of her earlier anxiety.
“We will not be so far from the village if you need anything, but far enough to have peace.”
Quiet, that is all Gideon ever wanted in a home, and the coast.
When the carriage turned onto what she assumed was a drive, Arabella strained to see what was ahead, but it was impossible. She then tried to look out Gideon’s window, but he pulled the shade. “All in good time.”
With a huff, she settled against the squabs and tapped her foot to release some of the excitement.
When the carriage finally did stop, she almost didn’t wait for Gideon to open the door, but crossed in front of him to let herself out.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she nearly screamed.
Gideon exited and held out his hand. Arabella took a deep breath and stepped outside. Before her was a lovely manor, two stories high and just as long. She blinked and looked again. This was not what she was expecting. Gideon had adored the cottage.
“Ye purchased a manor?”
“What did you expect?” He laughed. “A cottage for the two of us?”
“Aye,” she admitted.
“Truthfully, I wasn’t certain what I was searching for until I found it.” With that he offered her his arm as the front door opened and four servants stepped outside to greet them.
He then led her inside and the sensation of peace and home surrounded her instantly. It was impossible to take it all in, the light entry and dark wooden stairs leading to the next level. To her left was a dining room and to the right, a parlor, though neither was furnished. Gideon led her down a corridor and pointed out the library, a wa
ll of empty shelves that he promised to fill, the kitchens and then a back sitting room that he’d like to make his own. Arabella walked to the back window and looked out. Just beyond, long grass, a sandy beach and waves rolling in. Smiling, she turned. “This is where ye wish to write yer novels.”
“Yes.”
“It’s perfect. At least, from what ye’ve told me.”
“There’s more.”
With that, he took her hand and led her outside. They crossed a small veranda and through gardens before coming to the stables. Beyond was further away from the sea, a two-story building was being constructed, though it was round. “What is that?”
“Mews.”
Her heart lifted. “For me?”
“I know how you love your birds.”
“Do ye have land, crops that will need kept free of prey?”
“First, it isn’t me, it’s we.” He drew her close. “We will have nothing beyond a kitchen garden and what is needed to put food on our table, unless you wish for more. But, I know how you love flying your birds, and I didn’t want to deny you the opportunity to continue.”
“I can buy chicks and train them?” She knew how, but it had been so long.
“And, you can find the perfect pup to train as well.”
Overcome by his kindness, Arabella threw herself into his arms. “Oh, Gideon, thank ye.”
He hugged her and merely chuckled. “There is more.”
How could there possibly be more. She was within a day’s drive of home, would live in a beautiful manor with Gideon and she’d have birds.
“Come with me.” Taking her hand, he led her through a small outcropping of trees and to a field so green where more men were working.
“What is this?”
“When it’s complete, it will be a small golf course.”
Her heart nearly skipped a beat. “But ye doona like golf. Or, at least I dinna think ye favored it.”
“I liked it well enough, though I anticipate enjoying it much more with you.” He then leaned in close to her ear. “Especially if you wear trousers.”
Unlike Uncle Aiden, her husband wasn’t going to censor her in anything. Arabella had never been allowed so much freedom. But, how much would he allow.
Kissing the Lass (Scot to the Heart #2) Page 25