Chapter 8
Trevor’s muscles burned with the strain of exercise.
It had been too long since he had pushed his body to the limits, and he enjoyed the feeling of fire underneath his skin.
The cool water was refreshing as it trickled down his body, and when he looked at Emma, he noticed how her gaze was fixed on him.
It had been a while since anyone had looked at him in this way, and he appreciated the attention.
Her gaze darted up and then away when she realized he had caught her looking.
He wondered if she enjoyed what she had seen or if she had been transfixed by the scars that marked his body, each one a horror that made most people recoil.
The moment had been a brief one, brief enough that Trevor could dismiss it almost as quickly as it had occurred. He walked past Emma and grabbed his shirt, which he pulled on over his broad shoulders, covering up the wounds of his past and all the shame that came with them.
“I suppose I should go and make amends with the innkeeper. I can’t rely on the hospitality of your parents to keep using their barn,” he said, testing her to see if his suspicions would prove to be correct.
“Actually I think that perhaps you should come and speak with them.”
“Oh yes? Well, I should thank them for allowing me to stay through the night.”
Emma played with the tip of one of her fingers before she spoke again. “Did you mean what you said yesterday about how you don’t mean any harm to the woman you’re looking for? It’s not bad news, is it? I mean, it’s nothing that will make her sad or anything?”
“I should hope not,” Trevor said, speaking sincerely to her. “I truly mean no ill will to Lyndsay. I am simply here on a matter of importance that might have a great bearing on her life. I am sure she would like to hear what I have to say.”
Emma nodded. “Then I think you should come with me. I have someone I think you will like to meet,” she said, and began walking back to the house. Trevor nodded and followed her, glad that once again his instincts had been right.
They walked into the farmhouse, which was a lovely home, larger than most in London and free from the clustered, busy feel of the city.
Two people were waiting for him inside. One was a large man, fierce, with eyes like burning coal and hair the color of fire.
He held a lot of tension in his body. Trevor had known many men like him over the course of his life.
The man was bristling and eager for a fight, but Trevor had no intention of getting into one.
The other person was a woman with pale blonde hair and blue eyes, much like Emma.
Now that Trevor saw them together, he assumed they were mother and daughter.
“Trevor Whitehall, these are my parents, Douglas and Lyndsay Galbrith,” Emma said softly, allowing him to step into the house. Trevor felt the unease in the air and tried to defuse it by being as friendly as possible. He shook hands with them both and smiled.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your daughter has been nothing but kind to me. She is a credit to you both. I’d also like to extend my thanks to you both for allowing me to sleep in your barn,” he said.
“Aye, well, dinnae think we’ll make a habit of it as I dinnae take kindly tae men getting intae fights with people of the village,” Douglas said.
“Of course. I should never have let things get out of hand,” Trevor said, bowing his head in deference. “May I assume that your former name was Smythe?” Trevor asked.
Before Lyndsay could answer, Douglas had an outburst again.
“Hae ye been sent by Baron Adams? I’m nae gaeing tae let him take my wife.
He could send an army here if he likes. I’ll drive them all back tae England.
Whatever agreement he haes with Lyndsay’s da doesnae matter.
She’s my wife, and I’m nae gaeing tae let anyone take her away. ”
Douglas’s face was red, and it was clear he loved his wife very much. Trevor was touched by the display of affection, for he knew it was something that he was unlikely to find in his own life.
“I admire your passion, but your concerns are unfounded. I am not here to take Lyndsay away at all, and I don’t think anyone has any claim to her hand in marriage.
If they did, they would be dismissed as soon as they found out she was married to you,” Trevor said, and Douglas seemed soothed by this.
“So what is this about then?” Lyndsay asked. “I have been trying to think of what matters I might have left unresolved in England, but I cannot think of any.”
“Well, there is one matter of importance that does need resolving, and frankly, I’m surprised it has not come up before.
Sadly, my uncle’s firm has been overwhelmed and there have been more pressing matters to attend to.
I daresay that if you had remained in England, we would have found you sooner, but since rumor placed you in the Highlands…
well…as you know, the English are not too keen to break the borders. ”
This remark was met by a snort from Douglas. Lyndsay and Emma nodded, though. Emma had joined her mother at the table, and they linked hands, evidently worried.
“Why all the secrecy then?” Emma asked.
“I had to be sure that I met the right person. It would do no good to have an impersonator. There are devious people in the world, and although I take great pride in my scrutiny, I am not flawless. So can I confirm that you are indeed the woman who used to be known as Lyndsay Smythe?” he asked.
“I am,” Lyndsay said.
Trevor breathed a sigh of relief and leaned forward, glad to finally be able to talk about the matter openly rather than having to dance around the subject just in case anyone would try to take advantage of it.
“Good, then I shall speak plainly. I am a solicitor, and our firm has in holding the estate of your father. You were his sole beneficiary, but because nobody could find you, we were unable to pass on the property to you. The documents have remained sealed in our offices until such a point as you returned to England and made yourself known to the authorities. Since there was no word of your life or your death, the matter has remained unresolved, until I took it upon myself to find you. When I asked my uncle about the case, he said there were some rumors that you had ended up in the Highlands, and he wasn’t prepared to pursue the matter further unless you requested it so.
However, I felt that you should know that you may have been unaware you inherited this property.
I am telling you now and would like to inform you that the property will be officially transferred to your name once you come to London to sign the proper documents.
I would like to apologize on behalf of my firm because I do believe they should have made more of an effort to find you, but I suppose I can understand their reticence.
However, now that I have found you, I hope that this matter can be resolved and you can have your rightful inheritance. ”
The family had shocked expressions on their faces.
“Ye mean Ma owns an estate? As in an entire estate?” Emma said, open-mouthed, with shock.
Trevor nodded and raised his eyebrows. “Indeed. Of course, I cannot say what state the affairs of the estate are in. I believe there was a caretaker, but they may have left the estate in ruin. You can find out when you come to London,” he said, and then he noticed an uneasy glance between Douglas and his wife.
“But I should let you discuss this among yourselves. I will take my leave of you now and allow you to speak of the matter. I shall remain in the village for a while longer if you would like to seek me out.”
“And what happens if Lyndsay doesnae want the estate?” Douglas asked.
“Well, once Lyndsay has signed a document stating that she has no intention to inhabit the estate or manage it, the property would be put up for auction and you would receive the proceeds, minus the legal fees and other administrative conditions, of course,” Trevor said.
It was a big decision, and he got the sense that a heated discussion was going to take place once he left.
Still, he was just glad that he had managed to achieve what his uncle had said was impossible.
He had managed to find the elusive woman and bring this matter to a close.
Surely a hefty bonus and perhaps even a promotion would come his way.
He bid his farewell again and said that he would see himself out, but Emma was already skipping toward the door.
When she was indoors, she was not wearing her shawl, so her blonde hair was set loose.
It framed her face in a pleasing manner, and Trevor was saddened that he had been unable to see her like this previously.
“I’m sorry for nae telling ye the truth straight away,” Emma said.
Trevor gave her a reassuring smile. “I wouldn’t worry about it.
You were only trying to protect your mother, which I think is a rather noble thing to do.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be honest with you from the beginning, but the terms of my job are clear, and I did not want anyone aside from Lyndsay to learn about the matter. ”
“I appreciate yer discretion. We all dae,” Emma said, and glanced back. Trevor could hear the murmur of voices too.
“You should get back in there and talk with them. This affects you as well,” Trevor said.
“It does?”
“You are a part of the family too. Who do you think is going to benefit from the estate in the future? I know it’s never a nice thing to think about parents dying, but sometimes we have to take these matters into mind when we think of the future.”
Emma had a thoughtful look on her face. Given that she was so young, he thought it likely that she had never thought about the death of her parents in pragmatic terms before.
His mind flashed back to the moment when his own father had died.
Unlike him, she would probably mourn the people she loved, for they loved her back.
He could see it in their eyes. Trevor’s father had never loved him, only what he could do.
“I’ll see you again soon. Come and find me in the village when you’re ready,” Trevor said. Emma promised that she would.
He left, feeling quite envious of her and the life she had with her parents.
They loved her in a way that he had never experienced.
He almost wanted to have the same conversation with her as he had had the night before and tell her that she should stay here with her parents for as long as she could, for a parent’s love for a child could never be replicated.
It was safe and loving and warm, unlike the love he had experienced from his father.
That was all brittle and hard and unforgiving, and it was taken away when it suited his father.
Now that he had found Lyndsay, he knew his time in Scotland was coming to an end.
Soon enough he would be back in London and would have to find something else to distract him from his melancholy.
But really all he wanted was to fight again.
The brawl of the previous night had awakened something inside him, something he wasn’t sure he could shake.
Even the training during the morning had made him feel alive in a way he hadn’t been for the longest time.
Perhaps he had tried to be a gentleman for too long. The mask was beginning to slip. It was only a matter of time before it fell away entirely, and all the world would see him for what he truly was.