Chapter Nine
Will woke early. Tomorrow, he’d go see the couple who’d offered to adopt Fiona and Ewan. But today? Today he’d finish seeding Mary’s plot.
He didn’t tell Gemma this but it had been within his right to just evict Mary. Part of the agreement was that the fields be planted by a certain date. Mary couldn’t fulfill the obligation. He’d done the work himself, needing the money from the plot. He planned to hire Mary in the house as soon as he could afford it and move the family into a cottage nearby. Then he’d rent the property to an able farmer.
Another detail he hadn’t shared was that while the lease might revert to Gemma through the fall, because she was Sean’s wife, he was under no obligation to renew it after that. He was free to rent the property to the person of his choosing.
But his plan had just become so much more complicated. First, because he and Gemma had crossed a line. Not that he regretted it. In fact, he had every intention of doing it again in the very near future.
But he didn’t think Gemma could live with Mary underfoot all the time. A fact he could sympathize with because Mary would be a constant reminder of Sean and neither of them wanted that.
He got out of bed. He’d been feeling inadequate compared to his older brothers but it was time to ask them for help. He didn’t know that he could care for Mary and Gemma and he wouldn’t allow either of them to be lost.
After he finished dressing, he headed down for breakfast.
He was at the McLaren croft as the sun was coming up. He’d brought a basket Mrs. Hammond had prepared and he set it on the porch of the house on his way by. He’d make sure that Mary received it later.
It was an easier day since he was seeding that day. The crofter on the plot next to Mary’s came up from the south. “Need some help, my lord?”
“That’s kind of ye, Greg,” he replied. “I’d appreciate the help.”
“I’m not being kind. I want ye to be a success. The last laird was fat and lazy, and we’re barely scraping by.” Greg thumped his open hand on his large chest. “I’ll work hard fer ye if yer gonna do the same.
Will straightened. It was a sentiment he appreciated and it honestly made him feel successful for the first time since he’d arrived.
It was then that Mary came out onto her porch. She pulled a shawl about her thin shoulders. “Hello,” she called.
Greg waved and so did he. “I’ll be right back,” he said to Greg as he headed toward Mary.
After grabbing the basket, he handed it to the other woman. The dark circles under her eyes were accentuated by her long, dark hair. Her shoulders hunched as she wiped her hands on her apron.
“Thank you,” she murmured as a little one toddled out onto the porch. Mary reached down and swept the lad into her arms.
Will smiled. “Ye’re welcome.” Then he turned to go back.
“My lord,” she called out to him.
He turned back. “Aye?”
“I ken ye’ve already been sowing the fields for us, but what do you intend to do with us this winter?” she asked. “The lease is up in a month.”
He stepped closer, crossing his arms about his chest. He had a memory of his brother Stone giving money to widows. Their husbands had been lost in the same mining accident as his parents. “Mary, you’ll have a home and food, I swear it. I’ll not turn you or your little ones out.”
She gave a quick nod and her eyes shined with what will assumed were unshed tears.
He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think the croft is the best place fer ye, honestly. But we’ll find ye a cottage and work.”
“Thank ye,” she said as she sat down on the porch in front of him. Her hands trembled as she clasped them together. “I’ve been so worried I’d have to give the boys away. Sean was a lousy husband and it turns out he was no husband at all.”
Will didn’t need an explanation for any of those statements. He understood them better than Mary could possibly know. “I swear to ye, ye’ll keep yer boys with ye.”
She flashed him a smile of appreciation. “Nothing else matters.”
Will headed back to the field. He meant his promise and he’d keep it, but he wondered how Gemma was going to feel about it. Letting out a slow breath, he thought of his fiery lass. She wasn’t going to react well, and despite his feelings for her, he couldn’t back down now.
* * *
Gemma woke with a brick of worry weighing heavy in her stomach. She hadn’t handled last night very well. Once again she faced the knowledge that her actions were ruining the best thing that had ever happened to her.