Read Online Wedgewick Woman by Patricia Strefling - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patricia Strefling
Tags: Romance, Historical
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perform evil deeds in order to gain lands or peoples.
“Your father was a good man at the beginning.” Ross began, paused, and went on. “Then as the years went by he became more determined to crush other, smaller clans, and become the leader of them all…including the Campbells.” Ross finished.
“The Campbells did not fear him?” The younger Carmichael asked, surprised. He’d thought all men feared his father.
“They did not.” Ross said quietly. “That is why he is dead.”
Taking the reins of the people meant he had to answer questions day upon day concerning this or that. Then there was Helen. She caused such a ruckus among the servants, the peasants, and even his own guard, that he’d done little more during his marriage than get his wife out of trouble with most everyone in the castle.
He would forever remember the pouting words she would pretend to mean. And the tears that were like her mothers. Unseen. Unshed. She cried only when she felt slighted and that was all day, every day.
Two years into the marriage he knew she had not only been unfaithful to him, but that she flaunted every opportunity to stand close to his guard. The Four. Her blatant character flaws shamed him among the men and the people; but he truly did not know what to do…so he allowed her travel to England and France to visit her mother as often as she wished. At times she would not come home for months on end. He knew she spent much of her time in London among the ton ; for stories of her flirtations always found their way to him. More than once he’d had to send a troupe to bring her home when she’d done some evil deed that shamed even her mother enough to send her eldest daughter back to her husband.
The last time he ordered Helen home from London, she had been so overcome with spirits that she’d gambled away a month’s fortune in the men’s gaming rooms, and then embarrassed everyone by falling drunk on the boulevard, tearing her well-made gown into shreds in the doing of it, and sleeping the night away in front of Whites.
All of London spoke about it, Helen’s mother informed him, her aristocratic nose in a snit.
That was the day he made the decision. He would not let Helen ruin his life, nor would he allow the land acquisitions to rule his every move. Ross had been his father’s guard as had Cameron. Fergus and Ewan had joined him by his appointment. Heretofore he felt it his duty to make decisions without benefit of counsel to show his strength. He realized that he required their advice and called his men together.
Ross wisely suggested he break up the lands into sections and give more power to the landowners; appointing leaders to oversee the smaller groups. Cameron agreed wholeheartedly.
Together he and The Four wrote the Writ of the Carmichaels, allowing more authority to be given to those who could be trusted. That done, it had taken nearly a year for all the people to come into agreement, but in the end he demonstrated that even though young, he did have his own ideas and he expected the clan to follow their Laird.
Now as he sat in James’ seat, his thoughts returning to the present, he wondered how they had gone wrong. James had been stealing from the servants and giving the money to Helen. For what purpose? Most likely she had gambling debts, which his English wife was so well known for. He could not, in his Scot’s nature, imagine why people would give their money away for such whims as betting on horses, a very unsure thing to his way of thinking, or placing wagers on most any foolish inclination they could think of. Had they no discretion ? He wondered. Evidently not, for his wife was the worst of them. And now James had been found out. All this under his roof.
The servants said they had received money back faithfully from James, so he was making restitution but what would cause him to flee now? He had given James freedom to assert himself as
“Your father was a good man at the beginning.” Ross began, paused, and went on. “Then as the years went by he became more determined to crush other, smaller clans, and become the leader of them all…including the Campbells.” Ross finished.
“The Campbells did not fear him?” The younger Carmichael asked, surprised. He’d thought all men feared his father.
“They did not.” Ross said quietly. “That is why he is dead.”
Taking the reins of the people meant he had to answer questions day upon day concerning this or that. Then there was Helen. She caused such a ruckus among the servants, the peasants, and even his own guard, that he’d done little more during his marriage than get his wife out of trouble with most everyone in the castle.
He would forever remember the pouting words she would pretend to mean. And the tears that were like her mothers. Unseen. Unshed. She cried only when she felt slighted and that was all day, every day.
Two years into the marriage he knew she had not only been unfaithful to him, but that she flaunted every opportunity to stand close to his guard. The Four. Her blatant character flaws shamed him among the men and the people; but he truly did not know what to do…so he allowed her travel to England and France to visit her mother as often as she wished. At times she would not come home for months on end. He knew she spent much of her time in London among the ton ; for stories of her flirtations always found their way to him. More than once he’d had to send a troupe to bring her home when she’d done some evil deed that shamed even her mother enough to send her eldest daughter back to her husband.
The last time he ordered Helen home from London, she had been so overcome with spirits that she’d gambled away a month’s fortune in the men’s gaming rooms, and then embarrassed everyone by falling drunk on the boulevard, tearing her well-made gown into shreds in the doing of it, and sleeping the night away in front of Whites.
All of London spoke about it, Helen’s mother informed him, her aristocratic nose in a snit.
That was the day he made the decision. He would not let Helen ruin his life, nor would he allow the land acquisitions to rule his every move. Ross had been his father’s guard as had Cameron. Fergus and Ewan had joined him by his appointment. Heretofore he felt it his duty to make decisions without benefit of counsel to show his strength. He realized that he required their advice and called his men together.
Ross wisely suggested he break up the lands into sections and give more power to the landowners; appointing leaders to oversee the smaller groups. Cameron agreed wholeheartedly.
Together he and The Four wrote the Writ of the Carmichaels, allowing more authority to be given to those who could be trusted. That done, it had taken nearly a year for all the people to come into agreement, but in the end he demonstrated that even though young, he did have his own ideas and he expected the clan to follow their Laird.
Now as he sat in James’ seat, his thoughts returning to the present, he wondered how they had gone wrong. James had been stealing from the servants and giving the money to Helen. For what purpose? Most likely she had gambling debts, which his English wife was so well known for. He could not, in his Scot’s nature, imagine why people would give their money away for such whims as betting on horses, a very unsure thing to his way of thinking, or placing wagers on most any foolish inclination they could think of. Had they no discretion ? He wondered. Evidently not, for his wife was the worst of them. And now James had been found out. All this under his roof.
The servants said they had received money back faithfully from James, so he was making restitution but what would cause him to flee now? He had given James freedom to assert himself as
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