Lost Bride Chapter 16

FOURTEEN

TRAVELS WITH WENDY

“Wow!” Wendy dusted off her cargo pants and looked back at the solid wall of stones she’d just come through. “That was insane!” She was practically slack-jawed as she surveyed the rich green hills that surrounded them.

“Mom! What have you done?”

Wendy smiled. “Moved to Scotland?”

Lucy hugged her mother then turned to Rory, who swept her into a desperate embrace. “We’ll make a good life here, I promise.”

She touched her fingertips to his lips. “We’re together. That’s all I care about.”

Wendy looked around at the dramatic Highland landscape. “Nice place you’ve got here, Rory.”

“Wendy? Are you all right?”

Wendy shrugged. “I’m fine. It was this one who thought she should sacrifice her own happiness for my sake, which was sweet but not the best choice by far.” She put an arm about Lucy’s shoulder. “Sorry to invite myself like this, but you know how I love to travel.”

Lucy was still in a state of disbelief. “But Mom…”

Wendy grinned. “Is eighteenth-century Scotch as good as in our time? Why don’t we go to that inn over there and do a sampler?”

“Not in those clothes, you don’t, madam.” Rory glanced sideways at Wendy’s cargo pants. “Lucy, can you give her one of your underskirts? I’ll go see about borrowing some horses to get us back home.” He stopped. “I’m not sure where that is.”

They had never been able to find a record of the exact date of the card game when the estate was lost. Rory thought for a moment. “I’ll go in to the inn and ask to borrow some horses. I’ll mention that I’ve been away. If anything’s happened, they’ll tell me soon enough. Lucy, change your dress and wait outside the inn where someone can see you. That way, they won’t question my wanting two horses.”

“We’ll just go around here and change, then.” The two women walked around to the opposite side of the cairn while Rory waited. Lucy smiled at his discomfort over the immodesty of the whole situation. They emerged with Lucy wearing the tartan dress she’d gone home in, and Wendy in one of her underskirts topped by her soft-shell jacket. With the women properly clothed, Rory felt it safe to leave them to go into the inn.

He returned minutes later more slowly than he’d gone in. When he reached Lucy, he took her hand and continued to walk without missing a step. “We’re too late. He lost the estate five days ago. I was still in the hospital then.” Rory frowned but walked on without speaking.

“Oh.” She was almost as disappointed as he was, but what was there to say? It hurt to see him agonizing over an impossible situation, but she was powerless to offer help or comfort.

“There was nothing you could have done, you know. If you’d stayed here, you wouldn’t have lived to prevent it.”

He glanced in her direction. “Aye. Maybe that’s what bothers me most. There was nothing anyone could have done—except Angus. It was all up to him. He had to ken how many people depended upon him. It’s not only our family. Dozens of servants and workers, as well as their families, depended upon us. With any luck, the new owner will keep the existing staff, but he might be moving his entire household here. Either way, everyone who lived on the estate will be affected by this to some degree. And it didnae have to happen.” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “Well, we’re here now, so it’s best to look forward.”

Wendy, although sympathetic, was in her element, invigorated by the crisp Highland air, rambling through parts unknown. Lucy couldn’t help but smile. This was quintessential Wendy. Nothing fazed her. She just changed clothes and fell into step.

Still, Lucy wondered. “Mom, why did you do it?”

“Do what, honey?”

“I mean, I’m happy to have you here—thrilled, actually. But you just walked away from your whole life on a whim.”

Wendy gave Lucy one of those over-the-glasses looks, except she didn’t wear glasses. “You, my dear, are hardly a whim. You’re my life. And although I was moved by your willingness to stay, I couldn’t watch you give up the love of your life.”

Lucy lowered her voice. “Mom, I don’t know that he’s that. I’ve only known him for a little over a month. How can you just know something like that?”

Wendy stopped. “If I can tell by looking at you, then you already know. You’re just afraid to admit it.”

“Because it doesn’t make sense. There’s no such thing as love at first sight. Tyler and I were together for years before we even thought about marriage.”

“And look how well that turned out,” Wendy muttered under her breath before looking up at Lucy. “Nobody said love makes sense.”

Lucy’s troubled expression said it all. Wendy smiled and walked on, looking satisfied to have confirmation for what she already knew. “So to answer your question, I did not walk away from my life on a whim. I walked toward it. And now we begin a new adventure.” She slipped her arm into Lucy’s.

Lucy couldn’t help but tear up a bit. There was no mom like her mom. “But you know this isn’t like going on safari. There’s no guarantee you can ever go back.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

And she had. Wendy had been there every step of the way until it was time for Lucy to go off to college and build her own life. Her mom had then spent a decade traveling about with no discernible path or agenda in mind, finally able to live her own life, independent of responsibility for Lucy. Maybe that was why it troubled Lucy to see her give up that life once more for her daughter. For selfish reasons, Lucy was glad it had worked out that way. She only hoped it would work out as well for her mother.

They resumed walking with Rory, who had been silent for most of the way, speaking only of practical matters like water and food. For some reason, he had neglected to offer whether he’d found out any more at the inn. Lucy trusted he would tell her when he was ready.

Unfortunately, her patience wasn’t as enduring as her trust. “Umm, Rory, exactly where are we going?”

He swallowed. “My father and brother took what personal belongings they could in a cart and moved out days ago.”

“To where?” Lucy tried not to sound frustrated, but she had never been good at being left in the dark.

Rory ran his fingers through his shock of dark hair. “They had nowhere to go, so Effie took them in. They’re living in a croft.”

Now Lucy was almost as stunned as Rory but for different reasons, perhaps. Under the circumstances, Effie had done a selfless and generous thing.

“Who’s Effie?” Wendy asked.

“Long story, Mom. I’ll fill you in later.”

“She felt sorry for them.” Rory looked at Lucy, still not believing. “After what Angus did, she still had enough pity to take them into her home.”

Lucy stared at the hills in the distance. “She’s a kind soul.”

“Aye.”

“It must have horrified her when her father shot you. Maybe this is her way of making it up to you.”

Wendy turned and stared. “Shot you?”

Rory chimed in with Lucy, “Long story.”

“Long walk,” Wendy countered.

So Lucy filled her in.

Wendy turned

out to be in better shape than Lucy, who had spent far too much quality time in the cubicle farm at work. She kept up with her companions but not with the apparent ease they enjoyed, so the sight of Effie’s croft at midday brought her joy.

Rory called out, and Effie rushed out of the croft, followed by Angus and the captain. After a joyous reunion, the captain met Wendy’s eyes and bowed.

“Captain, I’d like you to meet my mother, Wendy Buchanan.”

Wendy held out her hand to shake his, but he kissed hers instead.

Lucy’s brow creased. Was her mother… No. What? She was not blushing. She slipped her arm inside her mother’s and drew Wendy’s attention away. “This is Rory’s brother, Angus.”

Angus, the man who single-handedly destroyed the family legacy. That Angus.

Effie invited them all inside, where a peat fire in the center of the room warmed the croft and sent ribbons of smoke to the soot-blackened roof while sunlight made a feeble attempt to enter through the two closed windows. Rory took Effie’s hand and held it in both of his. Deep emotion lined his forehead. “What you’ve done is far more than we deserve.”

She met his gaze. “Och, Mr. Rory—”

“Just Rory.” He looked at her sternly.

“Rory,” she said uncomfortably.

“I ken that a thank-you doesnae pay the fiddler, but I thank you nonetheless.”

She shook her head, smiling. “I’ll wager you’re thirsty. I’ll get you some ale.”

Lucy looked about the inside of the croft and took a silent count. Two box beds in the corner, six people, and a cow. There were barely enough places to sit, and that was only because two of them sat on the edge of the box beds. This was bound to be interesting.

The captain spent the afternoon fishing and returned with two salmon for supper. To that, Effie added some turnips and kale from the garden. It was a good meal, but the mood was subdued, for no one had yet mentioned the cause for their presence at Effie’s. Rory was polite but barely looked at his brother. The captain was exceedingly courteous to Effie, clearly mindful that she was the reason they had a roof overhead at all. Lucy made eye contact with Effie a couple of times, enough to know there were things they would talk about later. So went the reunion.

Lucy and her mother shared a box bed, which left the other for Effie. The three men slept on the floor by the fire, and the cow had a stall on the opposite side of the croft. Lucy drifted to sleep, hoping the scent of the peat fire might overpower that of the cow. To her misfortune, the peat wasn’t up to the task.

She awoke the next morning to find Effie coming into the croft with a basket of eggs, which she set on a table not far from the fire. Lucy got up as Effie whipped up a batch of bannocks, which she cooked on the griddle, followed by the eggs. The table was too small for six people, so they sat where they could and held plates on their laps.

Lucy watched the Munro men and wondered how this must be for them. She and her mother had lived a relatively simple life, and this was hardly different from the camping trips they used to go on together. But these men had grown up knowing nothing but luxury. Croft life must have been a hard landing for them.