“Miss Lockhart, doona open—”
Ready to be done with this mystery once and for all, Mena hurried for the wardrobe and flung the doors open. She gave a startled cry as a familiar form lunged for her.
And began to enthusiastically lick her face.
Utterly relieved, she stroked and cuddled the wriggling puppy in her arms as everything suddenly began to make sense. “So lovely to see you again, darling!” She laughed, enjoying the silky black and brown fur against her cheek, much as she had the day she’d pulled the poor thing off the rocks. “You wicked thing,” she scolded. “Look at that face, not one bit of guilt over the absolute chaos you’ve wrought.” Tucking the cheerful puppy into her bosom, she turned. “You never told me that—”
The tears streaming down Andrew’s crumpled face astonished her into stillness.
“Everything’s a disaster,” he sobbed, the scrub brush clattering to the floor. “It’s all ruined. He’ll take Rune from me. The only thing I love. The only one that loves me back. And then he’ll leave again, and ye’ll go, too, because I’ve been beastly to ye. Rhianna will be off getting a husband. I’ll be alone!”
Recovering from her initial speechless incredulity, Mena rushed to Andrew and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, handing him little Rune, who instantly went to work on lapping up his tears.
“I don’t see why your father should take her,” she cajoled. “What’s a few ruined pillows? We can clean up the mess in no time. Don’t worry if she wee’d on the stones, at least it wasn’t the carpets. I can’t even smell it.”
“You doona understand!” he wailed, his newly deepening voice cracking with emotion. “He will take her from me. He told me nay when I asked if I could have her. But I told Uncle Thorne that Father said I could.”
“I see.” Troubled, Mena led Andrew to the bed, clearing away some unruly down feathers so they could sit, though she kept her arm around his slim shoulders. He collapsed against her side, his cheek buried into her shoulder, as he cried and clutched the squirming pup.
Fighting against a quiver in her own chin, Mena stroked his thick dark hair, so much like his father’s. “Darling, first of all, let me promise you that I’m going nowhere, and neither is your father. He retired his commission to stay here with you because he loves you. Very much. You should have seen him today when a barrel fell and he thought you were in danger. He couldn’t find you and he was so worried. Frantic.”
“Worried my work wouldna get done.” The bitterness in his tone was at once too adult for one so young, and yet completely adolescent.
“That’s not fair,” Mena said gently. “The things he is trying to impart to you are so important. In fact, your father and I might be teaching you very different things, but it’s all for an identical reason. Do you know what that is?”
Andrew shook his head, though he didn’t lift his eyes from where he stroked Rune, who kept trying to gnaw on his hand.
“Because the more information you have, the better, easier, your life will be. I don’t know if you know this, but things are changing out there in the world, Andrew. Engines and steam power and factories are making the world a much smaller place. Land isn’t the most precious commodity anymore, and the life of the idle lord, living off his tenants and properties, is going to be obsolete before too long. Your father is trying to secure you a legacy, a living, and teach you to do the same for the generations that come after you. That means learning how to work hard to keep it. He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t love you a great deal.” Mena imagined it surprised her more than poor Andrew that she defended the marquess.
Fresh tears leaked from Andrew’s eyes, and he sat up from her shoulder. “Doona tell him about Rune,” he begged.
“I really don’t feel comfortable lying to your father.” It was hard enough keeping her own secrets from the laird. “He’s going to find out eventually,” she pointed out.
“She’s been here for two weeks already and he hasna found her,” he argued desperately. “I take her out back at night, and while he’s in the fields. But I couldna while I was down at the distillery. She only went on the floor the once. Well, there was today, but it was just wet. And it was on the stones, so it isna hard to clean. He said that I need to learn to take care of something other than myself. And so I am.” The earnest love in his eyes for the little creature in his arms broke Mena’s heart. She was glad he had the pet, that he could show it love and veneration. She’d begun to worry that his darkness was more than just sullen. That it was, indeed, the beginnings of a cruel man. That he could have such tender feelings for the small animal gave her hope.
“It’s not as though you can hide poor Rune in this room for the entirety of her life,” she said, taking a different approach. “She’ll go mad. She needs to romp about outdoors.”
Andrew’s shoulders sagged, but she could see the moment he accepted the truth of her words. “I’ll tell him,” he consented. “But give me a few days. Until he isna angry about today anymore. He told me not to leave, but I had to check on her.”
Mena considered it. What if the laird discovered their secret before then? What if she was dismissed?
Andrew took her hand. “Please, Miss Lockhart. I’ll do anything. I’ll rework my figures, read any book you want, even the ridiculously boring ones.”