Page 36 of A Rogue in Moonlight
“She will fall for your great charm,” Ranald said. “Like she did the other night.”
Dougal gave him a sour look, and his uncles chortled. Truly, he did not know how the lady regarded him. He only knew that he thought about her far too often. And he did not need his uncles pushing for more.
“They do say no lass can resist the bonny Laird of Kinloch. When that lad decides to take a wife, every lass in the glen will be knocking at his door,” Ranald said. “More than one has pined for you, fortunate lad that you are.”
“I doubt that. Besides, I am not looking for a wife.”
Hamish frowned. “You should be. You need to marry.”
“It would be foolish for me to marry now, with all the secrets in this glen.” Dougal shook his head. “As for the lassies, they can easily find husbands and happiness without me. I am content to do as I please.”
“What if we wait, then?” Fergus asked. “What if the Lowland teacher soon goes south? Then we need not worry about what she might see.”
“You cannot frighten her off. I will not tolerate it,” Dougal said.
“Well, we cannot wait until summer,” Hamish said. “We need to move the cargo soon. We need to make a profit on it, and we can find buyers. Your land must be bought back, Kinloch, or else we will all have to leave this glen.”
“The schoolhouse and tower house, bridges too, all need repairs. That could discourage any Lowland lass,” Fergus said. Dougal shook his head, but was ignored.
“What if the teacher thinks the schoolhouse is haunted by the ghost of a scholar who failed? She might pack for home then,” Ranald said. “Or what if the roof leaks on her head?”
Dougal frowned. “Interesting. The roof leaks, the walls are crumbling.”
“Aye. If we must close the schoolhouse, that solves the problem,” Fergus said.
“Perhaps,” Dougal replied warily.
Hamish shrugged. “And we can find another teacher later.”
Dougal nodded reluctantly, glancing toward the school, feeling guilt and regret. Behind those windows and that old door with its peeling paint, the teacher was helping the children of the glen. That included his niece.
He was a beast indeed, as Fiona MacCarran had called him once, to stand here scheming her departure. Yet he must consider his glen and kin over all, though he did not like the choice before him.
“But the children need a glen school and we have a teacher who wants to help,” he said. He needed the teacher too—the thought came impulsively, as if his heart knew something he did not.
Despite the risks, he wanted her to stay. But a lifetime, as his uncles suggested, was out of the question. But he might be a better, stronger, finer man if she did stay. He shook his head against the thought.
“You have secrets to protect, lad, we know that,” Ranald said. “There is a cache of whisky to be safely moved and sold. And there is fairy brew to be made soon. The time is coming when you must go up the mountain to start a new batch. It is your duty as laird.”
“Aye, the fairy agreement,” Dougal said quietly. Ranald and Fergus nodded. Hamish rolled his eyes.
Sighing, Dougal gazed at the broad flank of the mountain that loomed over the glen. “We cannot invite more interest to our glen just now. A Lowland teacher with a gauger brother and other kinsmen—a viscount, an earl setting up a tourist hotel. It is a predicament.”
“Tourists.Tcha!” Hamish grimaced.
“They may come to our beautiful glen, looking for unspoiled, wild Scotland,” Dougal said. “Loch Katrine is nearby, and has brought much attention to the Highlands, thanks to the Bard of the North and his poems.”
“Bah, I will not read such stuff as that,” Ranald said.
“I have. I did not like it much,” Hamish said.
“I read a bit,” Fergus said. “A lot of running about and rescues and fights. A fine story. But our glen will not remain protected and secret for long if tourists come here.”
“I still say Kinloch could do worse than marry the teacher and keep her here. Get her promise to honor our secrets,” Ranald said. “The glen needs a teacher, the laird needs a wife, and the lass is bonny. A wife as smart as that one will keep him interested and happy, hey.”
“It is not that simple,” Hamish grunted. “An educated Lowland lady will not want a poor Highland laird with a small estate and a taste for free trading.”
“She could not find a finer lad or a finer home in Highlands or Lowlands,” Fergus replied.
