Chapter 9
“W
e dinnae need anything in England,” Douglas said.
“But it’s my birthright. I can’t just turn my back on it or forget about it,” Lyndsay said.
Douglas threw his hands up in the air and scowled.
Emma returned to the kitchen in the middle of the discussion. She was still reeling from the revelation. All this time she thought it was something bad, but instead, her mother was someone of wealth, someone of importance!
“We hae lived without this estate for twenty years now. Let us just sell it and take the coin. We dinnae need any land in England. It’s nae as though we hae any interest in gaeing there,” Douglas said.
Lyndsay hesitated, and there was a world of emotion in that pause. “I do have to admit that I’m curious about the state of things back in England. The estate was a humble one, but it was bigger than this farm and?—”
“Is the life I’ve provided for ye nae good enough?” Douglas thundered.
“I never said that,” Lyndsay replied acidly. “It’s just that there’s no need to dismiss the matter. It’s not as if I’m going to up and leave you and ride back to England this minute, is it? You don’t have to be so damned stubborn about everything. Let us just talk the matter out.”
Douglas grumbled and pulled out a chair, plonking himself down with such weight that Emma was surprised the chair didn’t snap like a brittle branch.
“Surely this is a good thing,” Emma interjected tentatively, for she was afraid of getting caught in the whirlwind of her parents’ argument. They loved each other dearly, but sometimes when they were opposed to certain things, they raged like a storm.
“Of course it’s a good thing,” Lyndsay said, placing emphasis on the words and staring pointedly at Douglas.
“But there are still matters we need to think about. Owning land is not the same as living on it. I am well aware that we have made our home here, and I would not be looking to leave immediately. We have friends here, and we are safe. The Highlands are peaceful, and I do not have any great wish to return to England,” she said.
Douglas seemed satisfied with this, but Lyndsay had not finished speaking.
“However, I can’t just turn my back on my birthright either.
I have to admit that I assumed the estate would be taken over by the nearest lord or baron.
I never imagined I would still have a claim to it after all this time.
My instincts tell me that I want to go and see it again, and I think it would do Emma some good as well. ”
“I would love tae see it!” Emma cried, and Douglas’s scowl deepened.
“What good is it gaeing tae dae her? Her home is here! She haes everything she needs in the village,” Douglas said.
Emma didn’t know if her father was being deliberately obtuse because it served his argument or if he truly didn’t know her at all.
“Of course she has,” Lyndsay said in a diplomatic tone, “but Emma also has English blood flowing through her veins. I think it’s only right that she should know something of her past from my side of the family.
I have not been able to share much with her over the years, but this is something that I would like to be able to do.
” Douglas didn’t seem convinced, but Emma was overjoyed that she might actually have a tether to England.
“And it might be good for you as well, Douglas.”
Douglas snorted again. “Good for me? How would it be good for me, my dear wife?”
Emma could tell that her mother was beginning to get annoyed with Douglas. Her lips were two thin lines, and there was a steely look in her eyes.
“Because we have lived in Scotland for the better part of my life, and while I enjoy our life here, there is no harm in thinking about different things. There was a time when you were determined to be a laird and hold land of your own. If I can be in control of my own estate then perhaps you could manage the affairs and be a man of importance. Do not think I haven’t seen you struggling to hold your tongue when Leigh makes a decision you do not agree with.
There is still a part of you that longs to take control. ”
Emma could not hide her surprise when she heard this.
All her life she had believed her father wanted nothing more than to be a farmer and was quite content with his lot in life.
To learn that once upon a time he yearned to be a laird was surprising indeed!
It made her wonder what else about her parents she did not know.
Sometimes it was easy to forget that Lyndsay and Douglas had had lives before Emma came along, that they were two individuals with their own ambitions and desires that may have been different from what Emma knew of them.
Emma had only known them for a small portion of their lives and had only seen them through the lens of a child’s vision.
There was a time when they had been young and uncertain as well, just as Emma was now.
“I have embraced our life together just as I thought ye hae. Ye know that my ambitions disappeared when I found ye. Being with ye is the greatest thing I could hae accomplished. I need no other title than tae be yer husband.”
Lyndsay smiled, and for a moment, the tension in the room had been defused, but Lyndsay still wasn’t willing to let go of the matter.
“That’s all very well and good, and it’s rather sweet, Douglas, but we are older now and I would hope we are a little bit wiser as well.
There is no reason why we could not run and manage an estate.
It would certainly increase our prospects and Emma’s too.
If I have a right to this land, then why shouldn’t I accept it? ”
Lyndsay’s voice was soft and gentle, but Emma could hear the stubbornness.
She had a feeling this matter was going to define the household for the following few days.
Both her parents could be intractable when they set their minds to something, and she wasn’t looking forward to being caught in the middle of it.
Of course she was biased because the idea of going to England and discovering an entire estate was a far more enticing prospect than enduring the monotonous routine of her life and putting up with David’s incessant marriage proposals.
“We hae land here,” Douglas said.
Lyndsay placed her head in her hands and sighed.
She turned to Emma. “I think it would be best if you went into the village and helped them prepare for Beltane Day. Perhaps you could pick out some nice decorations for us to beautify the house with as well. I need to talk with your father alone,” she said.
Emma was about to protest, but she knew it would not do any good.
There were times when she could argue against the wishes of her parents, but this was not the time.
She nodded and grabbed her shawl and a basket before venturing out to the village with mixed feelings in her heart and her mind swirling with thoughts and ambitions of how her life might be changing.
As Emma strode through the village, she couldn’t help but look around at all the people and think about how she was technically wealthier than them.
She held her head a little higher than usual and thought about all the times people had teased her about having nothing to her name.
Soon enough, she would be able to throw it all back in their faces, and they would have no choice but to treat her with respect.
She might be wealthy enough to be able to hire bandits to come into the village and throw rotten vegetables and fruit at the people who had teased her throughout her life.
She allowed herself to chuckle as she walked through the village, admiring the Beltane decorations.
People murmured under their breath as she passed, no doubt speaking about the fight that had occurred the previous night.
There was no sign of David, and she assumed he was nursing his wounds.
She also kept an eye out for Trevor and found him outside the inn helping make repairs to the damaged wall.
He had a hammer in one hand and nails in the other.
Emma’s heart fluttered at the mere sight of him.
She had never known anyone to have this power over her before.
“If ye are making repairs, then there are a few things around the farm that Da haes nae gotten around tae yet,” Emma said.
Trevor turned and flashed a wide smile. He stepped back to face her. “If there’s time, then I’m sure I can get around to it.”
“I didnae realize this kind of thing was something a solicitor did.”
“It is when said solicitor got into a brawl and damaged the only inn in the village. I plan to stay here for another week, and I can’t use your barn for the entire time,” he said.
Emma wanted to tell him that he could, but she didn’t want to come across as desperate.
“Although I am due a break,” he added, and gestured for her to join him inside.
The inn was far quieter than it was during the night.
The few people who were sitting at tables were enjoying a hearty breakfast rather than guzzling ale down their throats, so Emma assumed there was little chance of a fight breaking out.
The innkeeper’s temper had cooled somewhat, and he wasn’t treating Trevor with any enmity.
“Allow me tae buy the drinks, Trevor. It’s the least I can dae for making yer life difficult,” Emma said.
Trevor was not the kind of man to refuse a free drink, so he gratefully accepted.
“How are your parents?” he asked.
“They are…discussing the matter,” Emma said after a moment. “In truth, I am still trying tae wrap my mind around it. Is this really happening? It feels as though this is the kind of thing that always happens tae someone else.”
“I can assure you it is the truth. I have seen the documents myself.”
“Sae my Ma really is wealthy in land.”
“Indeed she is.”
To hear Trevor confirm it again focused the matter in her mind and set it in stone.
“I cannae believe it…but what happens if Ma cannae make a decision before ye leave?”
“I’m afraid that I must have an answer by that time, otherwise it will default to an auction and anyone can buy it, although in these cases it is usually the crown that purchases the land. I have seen the same thing ten times over.”
Emma nodded, pretending that she understood the inner workings of the English monarchy.
“I hope that your mother does return to London with me, otherwise I fear that I have made this trip for nothing,” Trevor said.
Emma’s pride was a little hurt at this, for she had hoped that spending time with her would have been a boon of his trip.
“I’m sure that Ma will come tae the right decision. I think she just needs tae convince Da. He can be a wee bit difficult at times, and he grew up hating the English.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, although it seems strange that a man who hates the English would marry an Englishwoman.”
“Aye, well, people are strange. I dinnae think it was easy at first. Da’s parents were killed by English soldiers when he was very young.
I suppose that loving one Englishwoman is different tae living in the country and surrounding himself with them.
Ma didnae hae the best time of it in England either, if truth be told. ”
“Well, there is always time to change that in the future,” Trevor said wisely. “I would love to continue this conversation, Emma, but I really do need to freshen myself up. Is there a place you use to bathe?”
“Aye, there’s a creek nae far from here,” she said, and began to give him directions.
“Actually, would you mind showing me? I’m terrible at following directions, and I would prefer to have some company.”
Emma’s face lit up, and she nodded with delight.
Trevor went to the innkeeper and placed the hammer and nails on the bar, telling Shem that he would return.
Shem took one look at him, and then at Emma, and did not seem convinced.
Emma didn’t care what he thought, though.
She was just glad to be able to spend more time with Trevor.