Chapter Eleven #2
“Barclay will tell Mr. Brown to pack yer things. Ye know that as well as I.” With a graceful swing of her hand, she aimed her pointing finger at Malcolm.
“And ye best be hauling yer wee arse upstairs to speak to yer man. Dinna leave everything for Barclay to manage. He already has Lairie and Mr. Brown to inform.”
“Aye, Mother.” Malcolm hurried from the room as if his coattails were afire.
She shook her finger at Duncan again with renewed sternness. “Dinna move, ye ken?”
“Aye, Mother.” Five and thirty years of age, and here he stood like a wee lad waiting to get his arse tanned for misbehavior. He fidgeted in place, checking his pocket watch and wishing Mother had remained at Galkirk rather than joining them in London.
Wherever she had gone, it wasn’t far, because she returned after a few short minutes. Marching over to him, she took his hand in hers and placed a small, heart-shaped black velvet box in his palm. “This was my mother’s, yer grandmam who died before ye were born. It should be yer wife’s now.”
Duncan eased open the hinged lid, then bowed his head, grateful for this woman who had done the best she could to protect him and make him feel loved in their broken family. “It is beautiful, Mother. Merry will love it.”
“Sapphires symbolize commitment, trust, and sincerity.” Her smile thoughtful, his mother gently took her handkerchief and polished the facets of the large, deep blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds set in gold. “And the stone matches her lovely eyes. I think it perfect for her.”
“Indeed, it is.” He kissed his mother’s cheek, then tucked the ring back in its box and placed it safely in his jacket’s inside pocket.
Touching her handkerchief to her eyes, she shooed him away. “Make haste now. If we wish to leave this afternoon, there is no time to be standing about in the parlor.”
“Aye, Mother.”
Warmed by her heartfelt gift, he headed to the stable and found Angus. “Get the carriage ready for Gretna Green,” he told the man. “We leave this afternoon.”
The driver grinned and tipped his hat. “Congratulations, my lord. I’ll have everything ready within the hour.”
“Arm it well.” Duncan glanced up and down the mews behind the townhouse. “In case someone decides to be a fool and join us.”
Angus’s happiness soured. “It will be done, my lord. Never ye worry about that. Me and the lads have kept watch around here ever since ye told us about that sorry cove, and what he tried to do to yer lady. Been quiet so far, and ye can be sure we will keep it that way.”
Duncan hoped it stayed that way, but he’d put nothing past Brixham. “I know I can trust ye and the lads as well. Make haste now. My bride awaits.”
My bride. He liked the sound of that.
As Angus charged deeper into the stable to rouse the lads to action, Duncan crossed the mews and strode back inside the townhouse, heading for the library.
He needed to ensure he carried plenty of funds for this trip.
Multiple changes for fresh horses for the duration of the journey.
Inns. Even the anvil priest himself would need to be paid.
But it was all worth it. Merry would finally be his.
As he was accessing his safe, the crash of breaking glass and a hard thud came from the hallway.
“What the devil?” Charging out of the library, he discovered a large rock lying among the shards from the broken window beside the front door.
The rock was wrapped in a torn bit of parchment secured with twine.
He snatched it up and worked the paper free of its bindings. The note read:
She is mine.
“The hell she is.” Duncan crushed the note in his fist, wishing it were Brixham’s neck. The man was unhinged, and unhinged was dangerous. Why could he not accept that Merry would never be his?
Returning to the library, Duncan pulled guns from the drawer in his desk. Angus and the lads would be amply armed, but it wasn’t enough. He had sworn to protect his precious Merry, and he’d meant it.
Malcolm darkened the doorway. “What the devil happened in the hallway?”
Duncan pointed at the rock on his desk, then tossed the crumpled parchment to Malcolm. “This happened.”
When he stared down at the note, Malcolm’s jaw dropped. “The man has gone mad.”
“The duke said Brixham has rarely heard the word no in his life and refuses to understand or accept it.” Duncan checked his pistols, ensuring they were loaded. “Arm yerself well. The man is capable of anything.”
“We should warn His Grace and have him do the same.” Malcolm threw the note back onto the desk. “I hope Brixham tries something. Better for us to deal with him and relieve the world of his evil.”
“I agree, but I dinna want Merry or any of her family hurt. I know we can take care of ourselves, but I worry about them.”
Malcolm snorted. “Even Mother is a damn fine shot with that wee pistol she keeps tucked in her muff. We should warn her as well.”
“The more guns, the better.” With any luck, their exit from Mayfair would go unnoticed, but when it came to lives and his Merry’s safety, Duncan refused to depend on luck alone. “Are ye packed?”
“Aye, and as near as I can tell, yer man Brown has ye packed as well. Leastwise, there are bags in the hallway.” Malcolm jerked his head toward the door. “Will ye be notifying the constable or the Bow Street Runners about this bit of vile mischief?”
“We’ve no time for that. I’ll have Barclay see to the repairs.
” Duncan secured his pistols into his belt, welcoming the familiar feel of the old friends who had served him well in the war.
He took the insulting note and the rock it was wrapped around and shoved it away in a drawer.
“I wish we could keep this from Mother, but she probably already heard the racket. She has the hearing of a wee owl.”
An insistent “Duncan?” came from the top of the stairs.
Malcolm threw up his hands and backed away. “Ye need to be the one to tell her. I dinna want to get it wrong.”
“I have no choice but to tell her the truth.”
“Aye, and then she’ll probably want her rifle in the carriage with ye.”
Duncan groaned. He shouldn’t have told anyone about the elopement to Gretna Green. He and Merry should have ridden away on the back of his horse under the cover of night. He pointed at the hallway. “Go tell her what happened, and what the note said. I am still gathering necessities.”
As he started toward the door, Malcolm grinned and waved for Duncan to hurry along. “Make haste, then, brother. Ye promised the lady we would leave this afternoon.”
“That was before I realized we would be taking half of London with us!”