Lucy and Her Scottish Laird Read Online Free PDF

Kildrum asked, her eyes fluttering open.
    “Here. Right beside you, pet,” Lord Kildrum said softly. He touched his wife’s face gingerly. “We’ll take good care of
    you.”

 
    Chapter Four
----
     
    Ian left the room. Such sentimental blatherskite made his skin crawl. He knew of no other couples that behaved in this manner, certainly not his parents.
    If anything, they barely tolerated each other. Why the duchess had not moved away to one of the other Craigmuir estates, he did not understand.
    If his parents’ marriage had been the love match it was purported to be, why had his father had sought the bed of an Irish mistress? Ian supposed he
    could not fault the duchess for feeling so betrayed.
    The duke wanted Ian to marry, but the thought of marriage chilled him now. Prior to being summoned to Craigmuir Castle, he’d considered going up to
    Edinburgh and making the social rounds with an eye to finding a suitable mate. But that was out of the question now, at least until he came to terms with
    who he was. He could not fathom any well-bred lady who would want to marry a bastard.
    Not that he intended to tell a prospective wife, or anyone else, of his ignoble beginnings.
    Ian knew his father had taken to drinking, but he’d had no idea how excessively. He hadn’t been aware that the Craigmuir tile and brickwork
    business that supported his family and his tenants was failing. Or that his father could barely hold a conversation because of his drunkenness.
    But now he knew.
    He also knew that his cousin, Duncan, had been staying at the castle for several days prior to Ian’s arrival, spending much of his time in the
    company of the duke. No doubt he’d been up to no good.
    Ian went downstairs where Ferguson apprised Lockhart, the butler, of the situation with Lord Kildrum’s family. Then he handed Ian the thick leather
    portfolio they had taken on the road to Selkirk, containing his father’s sealed legal documents, as well as several new orders for the drainage tiles
    that they hoped would revive business and income for the families that lived on Craigmuir lands.
    Agriculture had improved significantly during the past generation, a direct result of the tile drainage systems Ian’s father and grandfather had put
    in place, but last year’s harvest had been disastrous, all across Scotland. The summer had been cold and wet, and the crops had suffered.
    Ian had seen an opportunity to sell drainage tiles to farmers over the past few days on their route to and from Selkirk. As a result, the Craigmuir kiln
    was going to be very busy in the coming weeks.
    Judging by the condition of this year’s harvest, those farmers would not be able to pay for their tiles for at least another year. Ian was not sure
    he had enough capital to keep the Craigmuir estates – as well as his own – running for that length of time, and he didn’t know how he was
    going to pay the tile men at Craigmuir Way. He might have to try raising some money from investors in Edinburgh or Perth, which was not a particularly
    desirable option. But one he would have to consider.
    “My lord,” Lockhart said, “Dr. Henderson should be here shortly.”
    “Very good. What about the damaged carriage?”
    Ferguson gave him a nod. “The wheelwright should be on his way up to fix the wheel. Once there’s a wheel on it, the carriage can be brought
    here for further repairs. In the meantime, I’ve sent a buggy out for Lord Kildrum’s servants, and a wagon for the driver’s body.”
    “Thank you, Ferguson,” Ian said. He turned to the butler. “Do you know where my father is, Lockhart?”
    “In the library, my lord.”
    Ian walked through the great stone hall and out through a narrow passageway that led to the library. The castle was an ancient fortress built by his
    ancestors some thirty generations ago. In recent centuries, two huge wings on the north and south walls had been added to the original keep. Now the
    residence was immense, but there