Page 14 of Falling for Her Highland Steward
Erin listened to the babble of voices inside and shuddered. She was terrified, but she squared her shoulders and nodded. “As I will ever be,” she replied, then something occurred to her. “Are you going to speak in Scots again?” she asked.
“Aye, milady,” he replied, grinning as he opened the doors. “I grew up speaking it, and it will put them at ease.”
The meeting with the tenants was a lively affair. As before, the man who did most of the talking was Douglas McVittie. He had clearly done some preparation, and both Erin and Caillen were impressed by his thoroughness.
“Milady,” he began, “thank ye for comin’ tae see us yesterday. We have some questions tae ask.”
“Please go ahead,” Erin said politely. “We are both listening.”
“There are poachers comin’ down fae the hills near the Mackie estate. What are ye goin’ tae dae about them?” His voice, look, and stance was challenging.
“I had no knowledge o’ this,” Caillen replied. “Now that I have, I will post extra guards there, an’ they will get a nice surprise the next time they try tae help theirselves tae yer livestock! I might even go there myself. I like a bit o’ rough an’ tumble.” He winked.
There was a chorus of laughter. “Dae that, sir,” Douglas said, grinning. “They will take one look at ye an’ go back where they came fae!”
The meeting went on. Question after question was asked and answered, and at the end of the morning, the villagers were satisfied that they had been listened to, and Caillen had a long list of questions, requests, and grievances. As they all filed out, Mistress Canning came to speak to Caillen. She was so short, she had to tilt her head back.
“What can I dae for ye, Mistress Canning?” he asked kindly.
“Well, sir, if ye have the time, can ye teach some o’ oor lads tae use that big claymore?” she asked. “Then we wilnae have tae worry the guards sae much.”
“What a wonderful idea!” Caillen said, his voice full of enthusiasm. “Bring them tae the next meeting. I will make some time then.”
The old lady’s eyes were shining with adoration as she looked up at him. “Thank ye, sir!” she said happily, before bustling away.
Erin smiled. “That charm of yours could come in very useful! You are winning hearts already,” she observed.
“Did you ever doubt I would?” Caillen smiled, his dark eyes shining with wickedness.
Gradually, things were improving. Caillen had paid several “debts” that were not debts at all and marveled at how many unscrupulous men had taken advantage of the old laird’s illness and his good nature to dupe him.
He set about collecting what the estate was owed by methods that he would once have considered abhorrent, such as cornering Laird Mackie in his study and threatening him with bodily harm.
He had done so under the pretense of wanting to buy two of his yearling colts and was nervous about his ability to complete the task. However, as soon as he saw the other man’s smug face, his doubts hardened into a raging certainty. He would make Mackie repay his debt and enjoy doing so.
Laird Mackie looked delighted to see him. “Would you like some ale, my friend?” he asked, smiling.
“A glass of warm ale would be very welcome on a cold day like this,” Caillen replied, shivering and blowing his hands. He was not at all cold, but he wanted to lull Mackie into a false sense of security.
The ale was brought a moment later, and Caillen took a sip before leaning across Mackie’s desk and throwing the rest in his face.
Mackie staggered backward, gasping. “Damn you to hell! Why did you do that?”
“You are not my friend!” Caillen roared into the other man’s face. “And I would take the greatest pleasure in flattening your ugly nose onto your uglier face. Now, I would like you to repay the money you owe Lady McCaskill, or I will make it my business to spread your filthy secret all over the county. You know the one I mean. And while I am about it, I must tell you that if I find any of your men on her land, her guards have been ordered to shoot them dead!”
When Caillen mentioned the word secret, Laird Mackie’s face paled, and his eyes widened with fear. There were rumors that he had been unfaithful to his wife on many occasions with the wives of other lairds, but Caillen had made it his business to find out the facts. He had done this by interviewing his staff and paying them small amounts to become spies for him. It was not noble or ethical, but it did the job, and he was fairly certain that Robert Mackie would never try to swindle Gowanlea’s estate again.
Meanwhile, he had been working toward doing deals with some other clans and merchants in the area, all of which would bring in much-needed capital.
Erin was delighted and called him into her study one morning to give him the good news. He had been at the estate for over a month, and he hoped he had proved himself worthy of the steward’s position.
“You sent for me, milady?” Caillen asked politely as he sat down in front of her desk. She looked even more beautiful than usual that day, he thought, since she had begun to don slightly brighter half-mourning colors. Today she was wearing a high-necked dress in a warm purple that brought out the intensity of her emerald eyes.
Erin smiled at him. “Congratulations,” she said warmly. “I have been looking at our account books, and it seems that things are looking up. I have decided to employ you as my new steward.”
“Thank you, milady!” Caillen laughed in relief. “I will not disappoint you.”
“I can see that improvements and repairs are happening everywhere,” Erin observed, looking down at the book. “And the tenants are much happier now that they see that things are being achieved at last. Thank you, Cal.”
