Page 1 of The Highlander's Alluring Spy
1
The Meeting
There was no male heir to the Elfinstone Estate. Lady Magnolia Winterbourne, daughter of the Earl, was more acutely aware of this with every passing day. She had never married and never birthed children, and at six-and-twenty, the marriageable age had likely passed.
Magnolia had no male cousins, no brothers, no nephews–nobody to take the burden from her shoulders. Magnolia felt the pressure of the heirship more heavily than any boy in her position would. Though she would not change her service and loyalty to the Crown for anything, she had to concede to a certain amount of pressure to prove herself.
That was why she was struggling not to snap at her coach driver to hurry as the cab trundled along the road at a snail’s pace.
She must reach the meeting hall, and soon, or it would be disastrous for the reputation of Elfinstone and the Winterbourne name. The sun seemed to be speeding across the sky, each passing minute, admonishing her as it reached its peak.
I cannot believe that this would happen today of all days! Can’t this carriage go any faster?
It was no fault of the driver that she was late, but her own; she had been waylaid in her visit to her childhood friend and her new son. Magnolia had known that the meeting was at noon, but she’d foolishly let cooing over the babe take up most of her morning, and now she was going to belate.
“Timothy, is there any way–?”
“The ol’ mares are trotting as fast as they can, My Lady,” Tim assured her. “We’ll make it, dinnae ye worry. Trust me.”
She’d known Tim, a Scottish transplant who held firmly onto his accent, since she was born. He’d been her mother’s favorite driver, and now he was Magnolia’s, too. She did trust him, but Magnolia worried anyway.
She should never have been invited to this meeting at all. Her father’s reputation was already on the ropes thanks to his insistence on her induction into the Order. Yes, she’d proven herself finely, but this was a step up. A secret meeting, even within their secret society!
I cannot believe that I would be invited to such a thing. Father claims it was the Marquess’ idea rather than his own, too!
Magnolia had served in many roles since the death of her mother. She was a member of the Order, a dutiful daughter, and now the acting Countess. Some might say it was too much for a young maiden like her. Many did speak so, in not-so-subtle whispers behind her back.
Let them whisper, though.
Magnolia did not care for their whispers, just as her mother had always taught.
They may say what they will, out of jealousy or suspicion, but it does not change who I am or what I am doing. My wish is to make my Father proud and show my loyalty to the Crown and my Country. Nothing more.
Now, if only the horses could gofaster…
* * *
Daniel Winterbourne had sported the title of Earl of Elfinstone for four-and-thirty years, ever since his fifteenth birthday. Since that day, he had served as one of the Crown’s most loyal servants, taking pride in his rank and his heritage in a way that benefited his station most greatly. The Winterbourne name was discussed in the courts with high esteem.
Lord Winterbourne’s services were more profound than merely land ownership and noble duties. Though few knew of it, and those who did rarely spoke of it, he was a critical member of the Royal Order of the Red Blossom. His duties encapsulated many covert missions, but he was especially well-known for his work against the threat of the Scots.
The realm existed in a time of peace now, but Daniel had seen too much war to ever truly relax. The Scots and the English, when they attacked one another, were merciless.
It is an ugly thing. I pray from my heart, and in the name of my late wife that I should never see such a conflict again. I hope to God it is avoidable.
He had given everything to the Crown, risking life and limb, and love, too. For his sacrifices, he had returned with more successful missions than any other member of the Order. It was the central pride of his heart, and he would not change it for the world.
His work had not come without great personal cost, however. As was his duty, he married at the age of sixteen to the daughter of a local Lord. The girl was a few years older than him, and while it was not a love match, he had grown to love her deeply.
The esteemed Lady Eleanor, Countess of Elfinstone, had been a wife as beautiful as she was dutiful. Though the two knew nothing of each other, they became fast friends.
I still do not know who was more nervous: Eleanor or me. Neither of us had so much as courted another before, and here we were, expected to be married! But married we were nonetheless, and we found happiness. Love. Many cannot say the same.
When Daniel joined the Order, he had trusted in Eleanor when he had no other confidante. She had steadfastly kept his secrets and smoothed the running of the estate in his absence. She was a delicate woman, though, and as the years passed without children, and his absences grew longer, whispers started at court.
And how they loved their whispers. They have not changed.They would claim she was barren. That I was uninterested in my wife. That we were cursed. They said all sorts, didn’t they, Eleanor?
It was a way he often spent his spare time; talking to his beloved late wife in his mind. He knew she could hear him. Sometimes, he even imagined her responses.
