Absent in the Spring (The Shakespeare Sisters 3)

‘Surely your father must have had some experience of that. Do you remember him ever getting involved in clan issues?’

‘No. But that doesn’t mean anything. As I told you, we had a very fractious relationship. I didn’t see a whole lot of him growing up.’ He shook his head, still looking incredulous. ‘Is that really a thing? It sounds like something from a movie.’

‘It really is. The internet has changed everything. Some clans have Facebook groups or Twitter accounts. It might sound like an anachronism but a lot of Scots, particularly ex-pats, like it.’

She made a note to herself to find more out about the MacLeish clan. Anything that could lend credence to Lachlan’s claim on the estate would be a help.

‘So what do I need to do to shut this all down?’

Lucy put down her pen and looked up at him. ‘The main problem is another party has asserted their right to the land and the title. Duncan MacLeish Jr. – that’s your brother, right?’

‘Half-brother.’

‘And he’s five months younger than you?’ Her voice was matter-of-fact.

‘That’s correct.’

She lifted up the letter at the front of his file, scanning it quickly. ‘Your half-brother – Duncan – is asserting himself to be the rightful heir. His solicitor has written to you, asking for you to settle the claim. Otherwise he’s threatening court action.’ She looked up from the paper. ‘Were you expecting that?’

‘It doesn’t surprise me that h

e’d do something like this.’

‘The two of you don’t get on?’ she asked. Her eyes had softened, but her tone was still businesslike.

‘Duncan isn’t my biggest fan,’ he told her. ‘He’d contest anything our father left me, even if it was worthless.’

‘He would? Why?’ She tipped her head to the side.

‘Because I’m his illegitimate half-brother. Does that make a difference?’

‘No, it shouldn’t.’ She kept her gaze firmly on his. ‘Scottish history is full of illegitimate children becoming heirs. It would depend on the terms of the will and if there are any caveats on the lairdship. And so far I’ve found nothing. As far as I’m concerned the terms of the will are clear, and Scottish law supports it.’

‘So will Duncan’s claim stand up in court?’

Lucy shook her head slowly. ‘No, I don’t believe so. But I should warn you, the wheels of our judicial system are slow. The claim could be caught up in court for a while, and this could end up very expensive for you.’

‘I don’t care how much it costs,’ he said, leaning forward with a serious expression. ‘I’ll pay whatever it takes. I want to win.’

3

There is a tide in the affairs of men, which,

taken on the flood, leads on to fortune

– Julius Caesar

The waiter cleared away their plates, leaving the table empty save for their glasses and Lucy’s notepad. Lachlan watched as she moved her pen across the blank page, black ink staining white, her handwriting as perfectly formed as the rest of her. If he’d thought she was attractive when he first saw her, right now she was so much more, with her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed in concentration.

She finished writing and looked up, popping the lid back on her pen. Two lines appearing above her nose as she gave him a questioning look. ‘Why do you think your father left you the estate?’ she asked him.

He’d been thinking about that himself, ever since he’d sat in the attorney’s office and heard his father’s bequest. It was hard not to wince at that memory, as he recalled his half-brother’s angry surprise. Duncan had thought he was going to inherit everything – and Lachlan had thought the same. Why would an illegitimate, unwanted son be left a single thing, let alone a castle in the Highlands of Scotland? He closed his eyes, thinking about that sandstone building in the middle of another country, about the mirror-like loch and the green forest that led up to the craggy mountains. How long was it since he’d visited? It had to be more than twenty years. And yet the thought of it made his heart beat a little faster, bringing back memories he’d long since buried.

‘I don’t know,’ he said truthfully. The waiter slid their coffee cups in front of them, both Lachlan and Lucy having declined a dessert. ‘The only thing I can think of was that the times I visited I was happy there. He must have seen that.’

‘Did he ever talk about leaving it to you before he died?’ she asked.

‘No. I didn’t speak with my father very much, not after I came of age. He wasn’t that interested in me.’