Page 19 of Laird of Secrets
“Do you mean the reverend is involved in this too?”
“He is a kinsman. That is enough.”
“Is it? He is a man of God.”
“Surely your brother the important excise officer told you that the free trade is common all over the Highlands. It happens now and again in Glen Kinloch as well. Those who run it keep silent about it, while those who see it wisely look away.”
“So everyone in Glen Kinloch is either a smuggler or knows a smuggler.”
“We are hardly a nest of criminals here, Miss. The people of the glen are fine honest folk who do what they must to survive.”
“Are you warning me to look away as well?”
He stepped closer, his gaze compelling in the growing darkness. “Take it as a warning if you will,” he murmured. “Your brother sides with the law, which will not sit well with some of us.”
“True, one of my brothers is involved with revenue collection, but I do not think he is assigned to this glen.”
“Of course he is. Wait. How many brothers do you have?”
“Three. One is a revenue officer. One is a physician in Edinburgh. And the oldest has an estate in this region. So does a cousin of ours. And that makes me less than a stranger here.”
“You have other kinsmen here besides the young gauger?” he asked quickly.
“My twin brother is Viscount Struan. His estate lies southeast of here.”
“Struan! I know it well. I heard a Lowlander had inherited it.” He paused. “Did your brother Struan marry a Highland girl, by chance? I heard that, too. The granddaughter of the weaver of Kilcrennan.”
“He married Miss Elspeth MacArthur of Kilcrennan. Do you know her?”
“Her father is my distant cousin.” He narrowed his eyes. “Twin brother, is it? You will be close, then. No doubt Struan will visit you here and you will tell him all.”
“He has been in Edinburgh for some months. He is a lecturing professor there. We do not tell each other everything.” That was not quite true, but she could hold a secret quite well. She was not sure yet what a bargain with Kinloch would mean.
“And the cousin?”
“The Earl of Eldin. We are not close.”
“They say Eldin purchased Auchnashee to make it into a hotel for tourists.” He frowned. “You keep lofty company among your kin.”
“Not really. But you can see, I have ties to the Highlands.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “The gentleman you were with on the hill today. A kinsman? Your brother?”
“Aye, Patrick, the excise officer. I was not aware that you saw us earlier.”
“I watch over my mountain and my glen. Did Reverend MacIan know your brother was a revenue officer when he invited you here?”
“I did not know myself. Patrick was appointed to the post after I had agreed to come here. But he says his jurisdiction is south of the loch, so you may not encounter him...on your sojourns. He is likely to visit me here, to make sure I am safe,” she added, making that boundary clear.
“As laird here, I will guarantee your safety.”
The Laird. Did he mean laird of the glen or the smuggling laird Patrick spoke of? Something thrilled through her, a yearning for adventure, for excitement. She squared her shoulders against it. “You are the one in danger. The king’s men are eager to find one they call the Laird.”
“So I have heard. They know where Kinloch is if they want to talk to him. They suspect me of much, but I am innocent of much as well. Except for kissing a bonny lass in a moment of weakness. And for that I apologize.”
“No need,” she murmured.
“As for what you witnessed tonight, the excise men are often after me. It is the price of a lairdship in a glen where free trade occurs. The laird is to blame if the offenders cannot be found.”
