Page 34 of This Laird of Mine

Except Claire wasn’t horrific. She was gentle, intelligent, and passionate. If he were honest, she was everything and more than what he had created “Claire” to be.

Jules startled at the thought. He had created Claire. Not his father. So how had his father implemented a plan that Jules had set into play? It made no sense . . . except, a sudden thought occurred to him. He had created his false bride five weeks ago. James Grayson knew about her two weeks before his father had paid for the marriage to take place.

Two weeks. It was enough time for Grayson to send word to his father and for his father to arrange . . . whatever he had arranged.

Why? The word thrummed through Jules’s brain. He had absolutely no idea why his father would do such a thing, or even whether the man had considered his actions to be a benefit or yet another manipulation.

“Shall I get the physician?” Kirkwood asked, his face wreathed with concern.

“No.” Jules shook off his thoughts. “I am well.” He took another moment to collect himself, then turned back to the older man. “Did you find anything else?”

Kirkwood frowned. “Not in his financials, but when I talked with one of his friends, he said Grayson had been meeting often with someone in a black, hooded cloak down at The Doric, an inn on Market Street. I have a feeling that Grayson’s meeting, your father’s actions, and the hooded figure are all somehow connected.”

Agreeing with Kirkwood’s conclusion, Jules asked, “Who is this mysterious person?”

“That,” Kirkwood said, “is what we do not know.”

Jules looked at a clock on a nearby cabinet. “Then I must discover that information myself. Perhaps this cloaked person can shed some light on why my father would pay Grayson to orchestrate my marriage.”

“Indeed,” Kirkwood replied, still frowning.

“If you discover anything more,” Jules said, heading for the door, “you know where to find me.”

Kirkwood sat at his desk as Jules shut the door behind him. Jules needed to find a hackney to take him to Market Street.

That morning, Claire left her chamber determined to find Fin. With Jules gone, the steward might be more willing to answer her questions about the MacIntyre family and this house. Claire made her way through the rooms, searching, until she finally came upon Fin in the library, seated behind an overly large desk, studying the estate’s ledger.

“Fin,” Claire called from the doorway, not wanting to startle the aging servant.

He looked up. A warm smile came to his face. “Come in, milady. What can I do fer ye?”

“Can I ask you about the ballroom upstairs? What happened in that chamber? Why did Jules forbid me from entering?” she asked in a rush.

Fin’s expression saddened. “I’m nae certain the laird wants me tae share that information with ye.”

She straightened. “I am his wife. If I am ever to help him overcome his past, I must know what troubles him.”

Fin’s mouth quirked. “I canna argue with that.” He waved her into the chamber and toward the chair opposite him.

Claire sat and then waited patiently as Fin studied her. “Ye’ll nae hurt him with this knowledge?”

She shook her head even as her stomach clenched. She would never use the knowledge of what had happened in that chamber against him. “I want to help him heal and make new memories as he embraces his new life as the laird of Kildare Manor.”

Tears came to the old man’s eyes. “I thank ye fer that. All right, I’ll tell ye. It does this old heart good tae see that Jules has finally found some comfort in this world.” Fin swiped at his eyes and turned his gaze fully on her. “But ye didna hear this from me. Understand?”

Claire nodded.

“That chamber was where Agatha, his stepmother, was found dead. I was the one who found her. She was cold and gray. The only sign of what had happened tae her was the overturned teacup and the remains of the tea. The shire reeve who investigated claimed he could smell and taste poison in the liquid that remained in the cup. That Jules had purchased that very combination of herbs in the village the day before led everyone tae accuse him of murder. He was sentenced tae hang.”

“He was cleared of the charges?” Claire shuddered at the thought of what Jules had been through in the recent past.

Fin nodded, but his gaze saddened. “Thanks tae Lady Jane, who testified that Jules was with her at the time of the murder. But even though he was cleared of the crime, there was an outlandish ransom tae be paid.” His old eyes were haunted. “No one tried verra hard tae release him, until recently.”

A lump settled in her throat as she thought about how horrible it must have been for him. “Did Jules’s parents love him?”

Fin’s eyes cleared. “His mother did, tae be sure. With his father, things were more complicated.” The aging steward paused a moment before continuing. “I think ’twas because Jules reminded him of his dead wife that the old laird kept his son at arm’s length and why it was easy fer him tae send him tae Lord Lennox. But at the end, I believe his father regretted their estrangement.” Fin shook his head as though clearing the thought. “Some things just come too late.”

“Do you know who killed the second Lady Kildare?” Claire asked, the bold question burning in her chest.