Page 31 of When the Laird Claims
Victoria returned their smiles softly as she took her seat. She nodded her thanks to the woman who poured her wine and took a deep drink.
“I hope that ye slept well, dearie,” Sophie said first to break the silence.
“The accommodations are more than adequate, thank you.” Victoria nodded, a flush of warmth in her cheeks threatening to expose her.
Sophie and Kristin exchanged curious glances.
“Is there something that I am supposed to do today? I do not wish to be an imposition on your daily duties, of course, but I also do not wish to be a burden by not contributing…” Victoria trailed off as a plate of food was placed in front of her.
She was not going to pretend to know what half of the things on the plate actually were, but it smelled divine. It was not as if she thought that the ladies here had the same sort of leisurely afternoon tea, or other hobbies that she would otherwise have been expected to indulge in to occupy herself at home.
“Nay, and certainly nae yet. Ye still need to recover from yer journey,” Sophie said with a headshake, like the idea of Victoria helping out was absolutely appalling. “I would like ye to keep me Kristin company though, if ye’re open to it. She’s still having a wee bit of trouble recoverin’ and walkin’ long distances.”
“I am recovering fine, Maither.” Kristin sighed.
Victoria nodded. “Of course, I would be happy to.” After a few moments had passed, Victoria could not seem to stop thequestion from tumbling from her lips. “Do you think that the Laird will expect me to do anything? A job here? I am very grateful…”
Sophie smirked, and then quickly schooled her face back into neutrality. “I suppose that ye can always ask him if ye like?”
“Oh, I do not wish to bother him… I would not even know where he was in the first place,” Victoria muttered, feeling as if she were being entirely too obvious. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she kept her gaze trained on the plate in front of her so that she would not blush too deeply from embarrassment. At least, she was trying not to.
“Ye are welcome to bother him. It’ll do him good,” Sophie advised with a soft chuckle. “He and his man-at-arms hurried off early with their bellies only half full this morning. He ought to be in his study, going over whatever they deemed to be so very important.”
“Oh, well, if he is working, I would not…” Victoria trailed off, feeling sadder than she expected.
If she went in there and he was busy, then surely she would be in trouble. Even her father did not like being interrupted in tasks that he felt women had no business in. He said that a man’s study was no place for a woman because she could never hope to understand business matters. It was part of the reason that she had started reading so very much at such a young age. She had wanted nothing more than to prove him wrong. For all the good that it did her.
“Let me make one thing clear, Lady Victoria,” Sophie started, pausing only because using the title was clearly something very foreign to her, and she was only saying it that way to make sure that she was able to get her point across properly. “Ye daenae need to ask for permission here. I know that me son’s the Laird, but this is me house and I willnae have ye asking for permission for anythin’. Ye understand me?”
Victoria’s mouth opened and then closed slowly because she was touched by the kindness, and did not know just what she was supposed to say. Would life have been totally different if she had been met with as much acceptance as that before? If her own parents had been so supportive of what she actually wanted, and not just the woman that she was supposed to grow up to be?
Victoria had always done what was expected of her; she rose to the top of the social ranks in London’s esteemedton, and all she had wanted in return was the freedom to read her books as she chose, have small happinesses. Instead, she had been sold to a monster.
“This could solve everything, Tori.”
Victoria hated it when he called her Tori. Her father’s voice rang in her head, the memory of him coming into her room late that fateful night playing once again in her head as it so often did. At the time, the offer had seemed too good to refuse. The man who was courting her loved her enough to do so much for her family? She could not have ever asked for a better deal.
“The Earl rejected your dowry; this will cover not only our debts but also provide enough income for him to cover the expenses of your sister’s debut next Season! It will secure a comfortable future for her and save us! Tori, you must accept. The Earl has a preference for you; everybody knows it!”
Of course, she knew that the family debts had nothing to do with her, nor Melody, and instead they had absolutely everything to do with her father’s love of port wine and gambling. But she knew better than to call him out on it. And her father knew perfectly well how to be charming and how to manipulate to get the outcome that he wanted; it was how he had managed to keep the debtors off their backs all of this time, though his luck, at that time, had fast been running out.
The moment her father had said that Charles had made a special request, she should have known something was not right. At the time, shehadfelt uneasy in her gut when she had heard that she was to stay at the Earl’s manor for the weeks preceding their wedding, instead of staying in her own home. She had known that she ought to have questioned such an improper situation.
“It is a bit unorthodox, I will admit,”her father had reassured.“But, he is clearly enamored with you, and he is handsome and wealthy and so pleasant. A rejection of his request would be a slight to him; can we really afford to displease him? I think not.”
The Earl’s carriage had arrived the following morning, with the order to ‘please him’ issued from her father, and she had been thrown to the proverbial wolves.
Looking at Kristin now, Victoria knew that they had both been swindled by the same man, but unlike Victoria, Kristin had the backing and unconditional support of her entire family behind her. It hurt her heart to see that for some people it was just that simple. It was the love that she had for her sister, but reflected from those around her.
It made her wish she could be able to stay here.
She was going to feel terrible if Kristin knew that she was the reason for stopping the Earl’s death, if she could manage it. Clearly, the woman felt that was what he deserved as well.
She did the only thing that she could do. She nodded her sincere thanks. “I appreciate that more than you know.”
Sophie waited until Victoria had picked at her food for a couple more minutes before she chuckled. “Why are ye pretending that ye daenae wish to head right on up? His study is on the third floor, left of the stairs and down the hall.”
Sophie winked at her for good measure, and she sheepishly rose from her seat to head out of the room and find Arran. They did have plenty to talk about, after all. “Thank you very much, both of you.”
