Charles was a decent man, his calm nature a balm to his wife’s sometime skittish behavior. His sister had chosen her partner in life wisely.
“Is that what you are telling yourself? That the only reason you raced after Mary in the middle of Cambridge was out of some sense of righting an injustice? Please, let me know when you actually start to believe that coq et taureau story,” replied Charles.
Hugh didn’t answer. He could proclaim his actions were all in aid of a young woman unfairly treated, but they both knew there was more to it than that. He and Adelaide could have gone to speak with the dean before leaving Cambridge; matters could have been resolved. But that would have left Mary still in Cambridge, and he on the road to Scotland.
He drew back once more on the cheroot, silently grateful when Charles opened his newspaper once more and went back to reading.
Today had been a day of unexpected revelations. He’d experienced genuine fear when he discovered that Mary had been evicted from her home. Of greater concern was the fact that she had not confided in him. That she had decided her own overwhelming problems were too insignificant to share.
That she somehow thought he didn’t care.
“How long are you planning to stay at Strathmore Castle?” asked Charles.
“Christmas, then Hogmanay, finally finishing up on Handsel Monday.” Hugh counted the days out on his fingers. If they arrived on the twenty-third of December, then stayed to Handsel Monday on the seventeenth, he would have just under a month in Scotland.
He wanted to get back to England earlier, but knew his older brother, Ewan, would insist he stayed for the annual handing over of gifts to all the castle staff on Handsel Monday.
“I will be leaving early on the eighteenth of January,” he replied.
Charles nodded. “Well, dear brother, you may think you have plenty of time in which to sort out the Mary Gray situation on your own. But I would counsel you to make haste if you want the decision to be yours alone.”
Hugh understood the underlying meaning of his brother-in-law’s words. The previous year, the dowager duchess, Lady Alison, and Great Aunt Maude had shamelessly played cupid. On Christmas Day, the Duke of Strathmore had made Lady Caroline Hastings his wife.
Knowing his mother and great aunt, as soon as they set eyes on Mary, they would be looking to replicate their success. Two Christmases; two weddings. He couldn’t fault the logic. He wouldn’t be disappointed if indeed that was what transpired, but only if Mary was willing to take a chance with her heart.
Hugh broke off the burning end of his cheroot, and after butting it out in a small patch of snow, he put the remainder in his coat pocket. He got to his feet.
“I shall bid you a good night, Charles,” he said.
“I won’t be long out here. Adelaide is settling William down, and I shall go up to our room shortly. Good night, Hugh.”
Hugh snorted. Charles would do anything to avoid being exposed to the smell of his son’s soiled linen clout before bedtime.
As he walked back into the inn and sought the warmth of his bed, Hugh Radley was struck with a thought. Earlier in the day he had sent prayers to heaven about finding his book and they had been answered. With the unexpected addition of Mary to the group headed for Scotland, perhaps another of his longtime entreaties had finally been heard.
Chapter Seven
Mary looked at the price tag on the long emerald and blue scarf and put it back on the table. It was beautifully made, the thread around its edges no doubt real gold. The silk scarf was worth more than the cost of all the clothes on her back.
“That’s nice. It suits you—it matches your enchanting green eyes.”
Mary saw the smile on Adelaide’s face. Her remark about Mary’s looks was the latest in a slowly growing list of small kind ones Adelaide had been offering since they’d left Cambridge.
Mary nodded, then turned to look at another shelf of goods in the shop.
They were in High Street, Edinburgh, along the Royal Mile, undertaking a morning of shopping before leaving on the last leg of their journey to Strathmore Castle.
Mary wasn’t particularly interested in shopping; the small number of coins in her possession had all been earmarked for living expenses. She could not risk spending money on non-essential items until she had managed to secure a regular group of students in need of her tutoring. Building that client base, however, would take time. And in the meantime, she still needed to pay rent and feed herself.
Still, it was good to be out of the travel coach. Three days from Cambridge to Edinburgh in even a spacious coach, such as the one hired by Charles Alexandre, had played havoc with her back and hips.
Hugh had not helped matters either, constantly asking her how she was to survive going forward. Making lists of people he would speak to on her behalf at the college to get her old living quarters back. Then a shorter list of people he would speak to if his first overtures failed. By the time he had finished mentioning yet again that his brother was the Duke of Strathmore and his brother-in-law the Duke of Mowbray, Mary had developed a headache which lasted two whole days.
She quietly chided herself. At least she wasn’t spending Christmas alone in the bedsit of a boarding house. Hugh and the Alexandres had no connection to her beyond mere friendship, and they were under no obligation to render her assistance. She should be grateful that they wanted to help at all.
“So where else do you have in mind to visit today?” asked Mary.
Adelaide shrugged. It was the first day she had let Charles
