Page 101 of A Torn Allegiance
“Have you married?” She held her hands to her cheeks, the joy in her face obvious. “Might I wish you both the best wishes and congratulations! But I’ve been given no notice. The place is not ready for a wedding stop, not at all.” She brushed her hands down the front of her dress. “But no matter. We shall make things right.”
Elsie knew her face was at once the brightest red. “Oh, Mrs. Gordon.” She found herself at a loss, for suddenly she recognized the impropriety in her actions. Yes, they had servants with them, but the appearance of her and the duke’s situation left much to be desired.
He stepped up beside her. “If I may, Lady Elsie has an urgent reason to be traveling to Scotland, so I offered to accompany her, to ensure her safe arrival.”
Elsie nodded. “Yes, this is the Duke of Sumter. We are not married.” She forced herself to try to act as if everything were normal. “Nor are we considering so to be.”
Mrs. Gordon looked from one to the other for a moment and then smiled. “Yes, Your Grace, my lady. As I said, we are unprepared, but we shall ready the rooms immediately. Refreshment can be brought to the drawing room.”
“Thank you.” She led His Grace in that direction. “How embarrassing. I had not thought of the perceptions of others.”
“It is no worry and will likely not trouble you further. But word should be sent to your parents of your safe arrival.”
“Yes, of course.” She made arrangements for several servants to travel immediately to the Everly estate and then asked for writing materials and quickly wrote a letter, hoping all the while that her parents would forgive her brash move. While it had felt perfectly reasonable in the moment of her leaving, seeing her housekeeper’s reaction and realizing her parents would worry had her doubting.
She sat taller. But what more could she have done? She’d been asking to travel to Scotland for months, years. They certainly would not have allowed a sudden journey, especially not when her father and Hayes were at odds. No, this was the only way. If she wished to win Hayes’s forgiveness, she had to do what she had done, heaven help her. And bless His Grace.
She turned to him. “Thank you for accompanying me.”
His eyes were kind. “I believe in the power of love. I think a love match to be the most important of all decisions.” He winked. “Besides, assisting the best friend of someone for whom I care deeply can only help my case there, correct?”
Elsie laughed. “It most certainly already has.” She thought of her best friend married to this man. “I’m so pleased for you both, and I cannot wait to wish you every happiness.”
“As long as I don’t blunder my way through things, I hope that day will be soon.”
“And then, ifIblundermyway through things, I shall still have something to celebrate.”
“I cannot pretend to know the prince’s mind, but you will surely make an impression, and if you didn’t try, you would never know.”
“Yes. I have to try, and he must be convinced.” As she exhaled, the smallest portion of tightness lessened, but she wasn’t certain of her next step. “Perhaps I shall go for a ride.”
A maid entered with much-welcomed refreshment.
“Could you alert the stables that I will need a horse?” Elsie asked.
She bobbed a curtsy. “Very good, my lady.”
As soon as Elsie was outside, dressed in her warmest riding habit to battle the constant wind and settled atop one of their fine horses, she felt her courage rise. She thought of her great Scottish ancestors. She thought of the fierceness of the tenants to have worked the land, tamed the rocks, and encouraged growth in such harsh environs. She thought of her mother and her father. She sat taller. She was Lady Elsie, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Shelby. She could do hard things. She could apologize. She wished to cower at the thought but refused. She could tell the man she loved that she loved him. She could stand up to men like Everly, and she could save her land.
She wasn’t certain how saving her land had come to be linked to her fight to win back Hayes’s good opinion, but it seemed natural as she rode out across Argyll land, breathed in the Scottish air, and remembered from whence she’d come.
With a much clearer mind, she approached the Everly estate. But all seemed quiet. No one was visiting—at least, no carriages waited in front. Hayes had left. And there seemed to be no movement in the house. Still intent on doing something, she approached the house, but the sound of a rider interrupted. She turned, patting her horse. “Easy.”
The Duke of Sumter rode at breakneck speed, coming to a stop near her.
“What? What has happened?” All sorts of emergencies played through her mind.
He waved them away. “All is well. I come with news of a meeting right now, at the pub of the landowners. They are discussing land, tenants, and sheep, and I know for a fact that Lamoreaux has coordinated his own group to be there.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Her horse leapt forward at her nudge. The duke took off back in the direction he’d come, and she followed close behind.
They arrived at the pub to a surprisingly large number of carriages out front and what looked like an overflowing dining hall. They left their horses in the stables and approached the front door.
“What shall I do? What should I say?” Her hands wrung together in front of her.
