Chapter 21

W hen Jessie returned to the townhouse in Auldgate Close, she found Lord Strathburn had already been busy making arrangements of his own—to meet with the Lord Advocate.

"Two o'clock this afternoon, Jessie my dear, that's when we'll get this all sorted out," he announced with a smile when she entered the drawing room.

To her surprise the earl looked remarkably well, despite the long and exhausting journey from Lochrose. Indeed, ever since Robert's return, it appeared that a great burden had been lifted from the old man's shoulders. There was now a twinkle in his eyes and a healthy color in his face. Although it was puzzling in the extreme that Lord Strathburn did not seem the least bit concerned his son was incarcerated, awaiting trial for treason. Jessie marveled at his absolute certainty that everything would work out.

"So, I hear you have been to visit Robert," the earl said, gesturing for her to take a seat opposite him before the fire. "You were very brave to go there, my child. How did you find him? I trust young Alison's uncle, Angus, is looking after him?"

Jessie nodded, impressed by Lord Strathburn's intelligence. "He seems well enough, my lord." Her brow furrowed with concern. "But I believe he's worried that he willna be so easily pardoned. As am I."

Lord Strathburn smiled reassuringly. "As I've mentioned before, Lord Arniston and I are very good friends. He will be sure to secure a pardon from the King. And while we wait for that, I'm sure he will release Robert into my custody. By this evening, he will be here with us in Strathburn House, just you wait and see."

"Oh yes, I can hardly wait." Lady Strathburn's voice dripped with sarcasm as she glided into the room.

Jessie immediately rose to her feet and bobbed a small curtsy as the countess installed herself in the wingback chair beside her husband. As Lady Strathburn smoothed the skirts of her jade green silk gown, Jessie was reminded of a deadly snake, poising itself to strike.

Sure enough, she did not have to wait long for one of the woman's venomous comments. Fixing her frost-laden gaze on Jessie, Lady Strathburn's thin lips twisted into what could only be described as a cruel smile. "I'm looking forward to Robert's return almost as much as your marriage to my stepson, Miss Munroe. A Jacobite traitor and a factor's daughter. Won't that be the social event of the season?"

Heat crept into Jessie's cheeks as she hovered by her chair, uncertain whether to stay or go after receiving such an insult. Humiliation and rising anger tangled up inside her. She was already highly aware that she was marrying above her station, but she didn't appreciate being addressed in such a contemptuous fashion. And she especially didn't want to hear Robert being slighted.

Lord Strathburn glared at his wife. "Now see here?—"

"My dearest husband," Lady Strathburn cut in, seemingly unconcerned by the earl's irritation, "when will you allow our other son to return home, seeing as you unceremoniously cast him out into the streets last night?"

Lord Strathburn rose to his feet and looked down upon his wife, his eyes narrowed to thin slits. "When hell freezes over, as far as I'm concerned," he grated out, his voice shaking with scarcely concealed contempt and fury. "After all the lies and betrayal, not to mention his dissolute ways, Simon will be lucky to even get an allowance off me. And I'll thank you to remember just who funds your extravagant ways also, my lady ." The earl flicked the hem of his wife's lavishly flounced skirts with his walking stick.

Lady Strathburn's face grew visibly paler beneath her powder. For once, the malicious glitter in her eyes was replaced with a look of fear.

The scene was almost too much for Jessie to witness. She swallowed and looked away, awkwardness prickling along her skin. Even though the countess certainly deserved to be brought down a peg or two, Jessie felt conspicuous. Like an intruder.

Still seemingly oblivious to Jessie's presence, the earl continued, "Yes, you had better bite your viper's tongue, dear wife, or you'll soon find yourself mucking in with the horses in nothing but a burlap sack." Finished, with his scolding, he crossed over to Jessie and offered her his arm to escort her from the room.

When Jessie chanced a fleeting glance back at Lady Strathburn, the undisguised look of hatred the woman shot her filled her heart with foreboding. She feared that when the viper struck again, it would be far worse than a barbed comment.

It didn't take long for Lady Strathburn to retaliate. Not long after Jessie retired to her bedchamber to rest a little before the appointment at Parliament Hall with the Lord Advocate, the countess entered her room without knocking, taking Jessie completely by surprise.

She rose from her shepherdess chair hurriedly and curtsied. "Milady?" she enquired. Apprehension trickled like ice water down her spine.

Lady Strathburn raked her with a disdainful gaze, looking at Jessie as if she were something repulsive which had become stuck on the sole of her well-heeled shoe. "I have no idea what Lord Strathburn sees in you. Or how you have bewitched him," she began coldly.

Calm, Jessie . She bit her tongue, certain that if she said anything, it would contain more than a few choice expletives. Lady Strathburn was clearly determined to belittle her and put her back in what she considered to be her rightful place—that of the hired help. Even though she knew it would provoke the countess, Jessie couldn't resist the urge to raise her chin defiantly.

Lady Strathburn didn't miss the silent insult. She narrowed her eyes, her stare positively poisonous. "I can understand to a degree why my own son wishes to…dally with you," she continued. "You obviously possess certain attributes—quite tawdry and obvious in my opinion—that men find alluring. But the thought of you as my daughter-in-law, the wife of Viscount Lochrose, is quite laughable."

Even though heat scorched Jessie's cheeks, she was determined this woman would not intimidate her. She had nothing to be ashamed of. "Well, yer husband and my Lord Lochrose obviously disagree with you, milady," she replied tightly.

Lady Strathburn smirked. "Oh, you think you have made quite a catch, don't you? If my stepson escapes the executioner's axe, that is. But what do you really know about your betrothed, Miss Jessie Munroe?" She took a few swift steps closer and grasped Jessie's upper arm, her fingers cruelly digging into the soft flesh right where Jessie's bullet wound lay.

Jessie gasped and tried, without success, to pull away. Tears of pain welled.

Lady Strathburn's face was an ugly leering mask. "Did you know your beloved Robert was quite the rakehell, just like his brother Simon? Before the Rebellion, I couldn't count the number of young women my stepson bedded then discarded. What makes you think it will be any different for you? From what I hear, my husband forced Robert into this ludicrous betrothal in a vain attempt to curb his tomcat tendencies. Robert may think you a comely lass, but once he's had you—if he hasn't already—he'll soon grow tired of you. Just like my Simon will."

The countess abruptly released Jessie's arm then sashayed to the door, jade silk skirts practically hissing as they swept across the floor. She paused on the threshold and flicked one last barb Jessie's way. "It's my hope that you won't even be wed to begin with. Either Robert will be executed, or he'll come to his senses and end this farce of an engagement. In any event, I won't have to suffer your presence in my household any longer."

Only when the door slammed shut did Jessie give in to the quaking in her legs. Sinking back onto her chair, she pressed her trembling fingers to her lips. The strength of Lady Strathburn's animosity terrified her right down to her very bones. Indeed, what lengths would this woman go to, to remove her and perhaps even Robert, from her life?

One thing was certain: Jessie did not want to find out. But she feared that very soon, she just might.

By the time the mantel clock in her bedchamber struck half-past one, Jessie's nerves were stretched as tautly as a bowstring. As she waited beside the earl for the carriage to be brought round to the front of the townhouse, she was grateful Lord Strathburn was happy for her to accompany him to his meeting with the Lord Advocate. Action of any kind felt better than sitting around on tenterhooks, waiting to find out what Robert's fate would be. Action would keep her from dwelling on when Lady Strathburn's axe might fall. And whether Simon might return unexpectedly to Strathburn House too…

Although there was nothing substantial she could do or say to influence the Lord Advocate's decision to grant Robert clemency, the earl had been quick to assure her that her presence would make a difference.

"I happen to know that Lord Arniston would find it difficult to resist the request of one so fair," he said with a reassuring smile once they were both installed in the carriage. "And as long as Robert expresses a suitable amount of contrition and the intent to settle down, a pardon will be granted. I'm certain of it."

The trip to Parliament Hall, located directly across from St Giles Cathedral and the Tolbooth Prison, flew by. The carriage drew to a halt on the cobbled square before an equestrian statue of the mounted form of King Charles II.

It was with no small degree of apprehension that Jessie stared up at the Parliament's grim gray brick fa?ade. The dour-faced, black-robed and white-wigged court officials bustling in and out of the main entrance did not instill a feeling of confidence within Jessie either. She consciously tried to slow her breathing and relax her fingers as she gripped the handle of the carriage door.

Lord Strathburn leaned forward and squeezed her other hand. "Courage, dear child. All will be well."

On alighting from the carriage, Lord Strathburn and Jessie were immediately greeted by a bewigged and elegantly robed gentleman who introduced himself as the secretary of the Lord Advocate. He was to escort them both to Lord Arniston's chambers.

If Jessie had been less nervous, she would have been able to admire the high vaulted ceiling of oak beams and magnificent stained-glass windows as they traversed the main hall of the Parliament building. As it was, it took some effort—given the earl's tendency to become short of breath and Jessie's still considerably sore ankle—for them to keep apace with the secretary as he led them through a series of corridors and up a flight of grand stairs to another hall. Eventually, they halted before a set of grand oak doors guarded by a pair of scarlet-coated Scots Guards. At a silent nod from the secretary, one of the soldiers swung the doors wide to permit their entry into the room beyond.

It appeared to be a waiting room or antechamber of sorts, elegantly appointed with leather and heavy oak furniture. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined two of the walls. A small fireplace, flanked by two tall windows, permitted a narrow view of the spire of St Giles silhouetted against a bleak gray sky.

The secretary indicated that they should take a seat by the fire before he disappeared behind another door at the far end of the chamber. Heart slamming against her ribs, Jessie lowered herself onto one of the leather wingchairs, hoping they wouldn't have to wait too long for Lord Arniston to make an appearance. The suspense was playing havoc with her exhausted nerves.

Lord Strathburn mopped his brow with a silk kerchief. "A cup of tea right about now wouldn't go astray would it, my dear?"

Jessie nodded absently but seriously doubted if her stomach was in any fit state to partake of anything. Aside from being a wee bit puffed, Lord Strathburn showed no other sign of being ill at ease. She was more than a little envious of his self-possession.

Jessie had begun to count the Scottish thistle motifs in the molded plaster ceiling above her head when the sudden click of a latch made her jump. Her mouth dry, her palms damp, she rose in a rush of skirts just as a distinguished looking gentleman attired in an elegantly coiffed wig and robes of office entered the room.

It was undoubtedly the Lord Advocate himself, Robert Dundas, Lord Arniston.

Although her legs shook, she swept into a low curtsy. This man was King George's representative in Scotland. And he held Robert's life in his hands.

"William Grant," Lord Arniston intoned in a resonating baritone as he strode toward them. "It's been far too long since we've seen each other." He grasped Lord Strathburn's hand firmly and pumped it in a hearty shake before turning his penetrating gaze to Jessie. "Ah, and if I'm not mistaken, you must be Lord Strathburn's soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Miss Munroe."

"Aye… Aye, I am, milord." Astonished that Lord Arniston clearly knew who she was, and that she was betrothed to Robert, Jessie somehow managed to gather her composure enough to smile as Lord Arniston bowed over her hand. But how on earth did the Lord Advocate know such particular things about her when they'd never met before. Perhaps the earl had mentioned her name when trading messages with the Lord Advocate to arrange this appointment…

But the earl looked equally confused by Lord Arniston's uncanny intelligence. "Yes, this is indeed Miss Jessie Munroe. But if you don't mind my asking, how did you know?"

The Advocate turned to look at his friend, keen amusement lighting his eyes. "Believe me, there is very little that occurs around here that escapes my attention, Strathburn." Jessie's heart leapt at the wily Lord Advocate's next comment. "Now, my friend, I suppose we had better release your wayward son into your custody, so he can settle down and wed this bonnie lass."

Lord Strathburn looked even more dumbfounded. "But—but I was expecting?—"

"To plead Robert's case for his past transgressions against King and country?" Lord Arniston patted his friend on the shoulder while continuing to smile, his manner jovial. "When I heard Robert Grant, Viscount Lochrose and the Master of Strathburn, the eldest son of one of my oldest friends had been installed in the Tolbooth, I arranged to have an interview with him. I'd already sighted your hand-written appeal for clemency, and I must say, Lord Lochrose pled his own case very well. I was very impressed by his honesty when confessing his part in the Rebellion. It was obvious he deeply regrets his involvement. And of course, now he's made a pledge to be a loyal subject to His Majesty the King, I see no reason to hold him to account for the rash misdeeds of a decade ago when he was barely a man."

Jessie could hardly believe what the Lord Advocate was saying. Robert was to be released. The decision had already been made to grant him clemency.

His life was to be spared.

A heady combination of relief and nervous excitement bubbled through Jessie as swiftly as the swirling torrent of a Highland burn. This meant she and Robert were undoubtedly going to be married. Her gaze darted to Lord Strathburn, seeking his reaction to this astounding good news.

There were tears in the earl's dark blue eyes as he grasped Lord Arniston's hand. "I cannot thank you enough for your tolerance and understanding, my friend. You have made an old man, who'd given up hope of ever seeing his son again, so very happy."

Lord Arniston beamed his pleasure and summoned his secretary to bring the required custody documents for Lord Strathburn to sign immediately. They all sat in the leather chairs before the fire while the earl perused the papers.

"Now, Strathburn, you will see when you read this document that your son is being released into your custody. He is, in fact, on probation for the next year and a day." Lord Arniston's tone was now all business. Despite his previously affable manner, Jessie could now see the authority that befit his former position of Solicitor General of Scotland and current position of Advocate.

"You must ensure Lord Lochrose remains a loyal subject to His Majesty, King George, and law-abiding at all times forthwith," he continued. "After the required probationary time has passed, he will be granted a full pardon by His Majesty. And I must say, the fact Lord Lochrose will soon wed this delightful young lady goes a long way to helping his bid for freedom." Lord Arniston threw Jessie a benevolent smile. "There's nothing like the love of a good woman to make a man settle down and reform his wild ways. I trust you find the terms satisfactory, Strathburn?"

"Indeed, I do." Lord Strathburn smiled warmly at his friend then signed the documents with a flourish. "Rest assured, my son will not put a foot wrong from now on."

And as easy as that, Robert's release was secured.

Jessie could hardly believe it. It had all been so quick, so simple. Whilst overwhelming relief and joy that Robert was to be set free still washed through her, an underlying current of uncertainty tugged at her like an undertow. Try as she might, she couldn't suppress the doubts Lady Strathburn had stirred up. If she were truly honest with herself, the same doubts had been on her mind from the very start: that Robert did not really wish to be married and was being forced into this handfasting—first by his father and now, perhaps, even the Lord Advocate.

More than anything, she wanted to learn how Robert really felt about her. Were there any feelings beyond physical attraction and a degree of protectiveness? Did he love her as she loved him? How would it feel to have gained your liberty, only to be trapped in an unwanted marriage?

She didn't want Robert to feel that way. Trapped.

After counter-signing the release papers and stamping them with his personal seal in red wax, Lord Arniston rose from his seat and rubbed his hands together in obvious anticipation of what was to come next. "Now we've reached the part of the afternoon that I've been looking forward to the most," he declared and nodded at his secretary who promptly disappeared into the adjoining chamber.

Moments later, the door swung open to reveal Robert.

Jessie's breath caught. For one long moment, her beloved fiancé simply stood in the doorway, his expression inscrutable until his deep blue eyes locked with hers. All at once, his features were transformed by a heart-stopping grin and Jessie's pulse took flight. She rose shakily from her seat, wanting with all her heart to rush over and throw her arms about Robert, but conscious of the presence of others, in this most formal of places, she restrained herself.

Instead, she smoothed her skirts and waited, trying in vain to prevent Lady Strathburn's poisonous observations from infecting her thoughts again.

Even so, she couldn't entirely push away the troubling question: did Robert really want her for his wife?

For if he didn't want her, as much as it would disappoint Lord Strathburn and perhaps even her own father—as much as it would pain her—she would walk away. Rather that, than stay and watch Robert tire of her just as Lady Strathburn had predicted.

Jessie resolved that as soon as the opportunity arose for her and Robert to be alone, she would ask him how he really felt.

I'm free .

A wave of pure elation hit Robert when he laid eyes on his father and Jessie. The life he'd missed so much, the future he'd always longed for, was back in his grasp. Swallowing back a surge of joyful tears, he strode across the room toward his father and hugged him warmly before turning to Jessie.

My betrothed . He swept his gaze over her, taking every beloved detail of her in. For a moment he considered throwing caution to the wind—his desire to take Jessie in his arms and kiss her soundly was incredibly strong. But propriety won out. He hardly wanted to create a scene in front of the Lord Advocate and cause Jessie any embarrassment. So he simply caught her hand and placed a soft kiss on her fingertips. There would be plenty of time, indeed all the time in the world, to kiss and take pleasure with his soon-to-be wife.

When he lifted his head and met Jessie's eyes again, he noted a fleeting look—was it diffidence or apprehension?—cross her features, before she smiled uncertainly back at him.

God, he hoped she wasn't having second thoughts about their betrothal—especially now he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in love with her.

Love?

Yes, he was in love with Jessie Munroe. The realization struck him like a lightning bolt from above. Grinning like an idiot, he shook hands with Lord Arniston then conversed with his father. All the while he was secretly reveling in the potent joy flowing through his veins, swelling his heart.

Jessie may be a little subdued right now, perhaps even a wee bit unsure of him, but it wouldn't be long before they were alone. Then he would chase all her doubts away. He had to. Gaining Jessie's love in return was one campaign Robert definitely wanted to win.