Page 61 of To Wed a Wild Scot
“It’s what I wanted, all right, and if you’d made the decision a day earlier, I would have been able to say I knew you’d marry her all along, and my faith in you was totally justified. As it is…well, let’s just say what’s done can’t be undone.”
“Well, what the devil’s been done?” Logan didn’t have the faintest idea what his brother was going on about, but he didn’t like the sound of it.
Fitz didn’t answer right away. His brows drew together, as if he were pondering the best way to explain himself, but when he did speak, his words only added to Logan’s confusion. “You know, I never asked to be the laird. Never wanted to be either, if you want the truth.”
Logan gaped at him. “What does that mean?”
“Never asked to be duke, either, come to that. I certainly never asked to be both at once. God knows being a duke is enough trouble for one man.”
“Enough tr…for God’s sake, Fitz, what are you talking about?”
“But then I guess our uncle must have known that, since he never intended for me to become the Laird of Clan Kinross.”
Logan stiffened. “He left the land toyou. Whoever owns the land is laird. Our uncle knew that well enough.”
Fitz shrugged. “Yes, I expect he did, but then he also knew the Kinross land wasn’t part of the entail. It belonged to our grandmother on our mother’s side, as I’m sure you know. It became our grandfather’s when they married, and then our uncle’s when he became duke, but it was never part of the Blackmore dukedom.”
“So? What does it matter? The land is yours now. That makes you the laird.”
“Ah, but as I said, I don’t want to be laird. Never did.Youdo, though, don’t you, Logan? Want to be Laird of Clan Kinross, I mean.”
“You know damn well I do.” As far as Logan was concerned, he was now and always would be Laird of Clan Kinross, regardless of who owned the land. He’d been raised to act as laird—had expected to lead the clan since he was old enough to balance on his father’s knee, the law be damned.
The law might say he wasn’t laird, but the law couldn’t erase a man’s history.
“Yes, I do know that.” Fitz’s tone remained casual, but he was watching Logan closely. “But there’s something you don’t know. You see, our uncle always intended for you to have the land, Logan. He left it to me, yes, but I can dispose of it if I wish, to whomever I choose. Why do you think I came to Castle Kinross in the first place?”
Logan’s mouth opened, then closed again. He stared at Fitz, too stunned to say a word.
“It’s a fair trade, really, once you consider it rationally. Our father’s eldest son in exchange for a large parcel of land. The Duke of Blackmore gets to raise his heir, and Gordon Blair’s second son gets the land and becomes the rightful Laird of Clan Kinross.”
“A trade?” No, it wasn’t possible. His father would have told him.
Fitz sipped at his whisky, watching Logan over the rim of his glass. “I didn’t think you could have known. If you had, you’d have been pleased to see me arrive at Castle Kinross. I’m surprised our father never said anything to you about it, but then he and our uncle didn’t much care for one another. Maybe he thought the duke would go back on his word. Then again, our father did raise you as if he knew you’d become laird someday.”
Logan was thankful he was sitting down, because if he’d been standing his knees would have buckled beneath him. “You mean to say you came here to turn the land over to me?”
His heart was pounding with hope, but Fitz dashed it with his next words. “I did indeed, but then I changed my mind.”
“What do you mean, you changed your mind?” Logan’s voice lowered to a dangerous growl. “You just told me our uncle always intended to turn the land back over to the clan.”
“He did, but that doesn’t mean I have to honor his wishes. I’m the duke now, you see, and the land is mine. I can do whatever I choose with it.”
A roar filled Logan’s ears, and the next thing he knew he’d shot to his feet, grabbed Fitz by his coat and jerked him out of his chair. “You’re a bloody cheat,brother.”
“No need to threaten me,brother.” Fitz grasped Logan’s wrist and calmly detached his coat from Logan’s grip. “You’ll get your land, now you’ve made up your mind to marry Lina.”
It took Logan a moment before he could make sense of Fitz’s words. When he realized what Fitz meant, he dropped back down into his chair, stunned. “You’ve given the land to Juliana.”
“I have, indeed. I thought you’d come to the decision to marry Lina on your own, and I was right about that, but you dithered on about it for so long I got nervous, and decided to force your hand. My solicitor brought me the paperwork earlier today, and I signed it. The land belongs to Lina now, and—”
“And once I marry her, it will belong to me.”
Fitz nodded. “Just as our uncle intended, albeit with one added step.”
Logan stared into the fire, his thoughts in turmoil. On one hand, he couldn’t help but admire his brother’s cleverness. Fitz was well aware Logan would do anything he must to protect the clan, and the best way to protect them was to have control of the Kinross land.
On the other hand, it infuriated him Fitz had been so damned high-handed about it. If he’d only waited another day this all would have sorted itself out, but now, once Juliana found out Fitz had given her the land, she’d think Logan had only agreed to marry her so he could get his hands on it himself, and become the laird.
