The Marquis Is Trapped (7 page)

He kept telling himself that he would not dwell on Isobel, but at the same time in the darkness, he could not help wondering what she was thinking and feeling.

He had no wish to make her unhappy, but he could not sacrifice himself merely to give a woman the pleasure of being his wife and sharing his title.

‘When I am getting on for the ripe old age of forty,’ he reflected, ‘I will begin to think seriously of getting married.  That would give me ten more years of sheer enjoyment – untroubled, un-nagged and un-bored!’

The words seemed almost to roll off his tongue.

Then he chuckled.

He was being far too serious about what was really just a minor episode in his life.

There would undoubtedly be a great many more of his
affairs-de-coeur
yet to come.

‘The only thing I have to avoid,’ he mused before he fell asleep, ‘is a trap.  By now I should be quite sensible enough to recognise one on sight!’

*

The next day the sun was shining and
The Neptune
was moving swiftly and the Marquis spent most of the day on the bridge with Captain Gordon.

He listened to many stories about the sea and Scotland that he had never heard before.

When the Captain wished to go below, the Marquis took charge and he found controlling the yacht himself was as exhilarating as riding a spirited stallion.

By the time the day was over, they had progressed a long way up the coast.

Tomorrow they would be in Scottish waters.

The Marquis debated whether he would stop off in Edinburgh, as it was a City he really wanted to visit again.

He had read with much interest a new book which had described how much George IV had enjoyed a Royal visit to Edinburgh soon after he became King, when he had been welcomed with open arms.

‘Perhaps I will go there on my way back South,’ the Marquis pondered.

The Earl of Darendell would have by now received the letter he had told Mr. Foster to write and he would be expecting him shortly and it would be somewhat rude if he lingered too long on the journey.

He tried to remember what his father had told him about the Earl.

All he really knew was that Darendell Castle was of great historical interest and that the Earl himself came from an ancient family, the McDarens being one of the oldest and most respected Clans in the North of Scotland.

The Marquis had enjoyed fishing ever since he had been a small boy – he had fished in the lake at home and been thrilled when he caught even a small trout.

He could remember his first one and he had carried it excitedly back to his mother.

Later he had fished on the best rivers in England.

He had also fished abroad and there he had caught a variety of different fish and had difficulty in discovering the names of some of them.

Now he recalled that his father had told him that the Daren River was one of the very best salmon rivers in the whole of Scotland.

The Marquis thought with satisfaction that at least he had brought the strongest rods and the finest collection of new flies that could be purchased in London.

It was far too early for grouse shooting and yet, if he made himself pleasant, he would doubtless be invited again for the twelfth of August.

‘In point of fact,’ he pondered, ‘I am not going to miss London even for a second.  It will be a change to be fighting for a silver salmon rather than for a pretty woman, who would doubtless not seem to be so attractive once I had caught her!’

Then he laughed at himself for being such a cynic.

At the same time he could not help rejoicing again and again that he was free.

And that was more important than anything else.

CHAPTER THREE

The next day was very rough again and when the yacht reached Holy Island, the Marquis decided he would definitely call in at Edinburgh.

They passed by the mouth of the River Tweed and although a strong head wind was still blowing, the Marquis went on deck to watch
The Neptune
move slowly past St. Abb’s Head.

From there they steamed along steadily up to North Berwick and then altered course to enter the Firth of Forth.

It was a little time before the skyline of Edinburgh came into view and the Marquis could see ahead of him the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle.

On the outskirts of the City they put into a harbour where there were a number of small boats sheltering from the bad weather.

The Marquis remembered distinctly that the house where he had stayed with his father was not far from the Palace.

As it was not yet late in the afternoon, he thought he would call on them immediately.

He sent a sailor on shore to find him a carriage and a few minutes later he was moving through the streets of Edinburgh.

He wondered if it might be interesting to call in at Edinburgh Castle, as there could be Officers there he had known in the past.

But then he decided it would be better to call first on his father’s great friend, Lord McTranar.

The house was large and impressive exactly as he had remembered it.

He asked if Lord McTranar was at home and was shown into a room where there were a number of people.

When his name was announced, two men rose and the Marquis recognised them as old friends he had known as a boy.

“Oliver,” one of them exclaimed, “this is indeed a big surprise!”

“I thought it would be, Neil, I am on my way to the North of Scotland in my yacht, but, as the sea was so rough, I put in here for shelter.”

“And you remembered to come to us,” Neil said in a tone of satisfaction.

He turned to the younger man next to him.

“I expect you remember my brother, Brian.  He was not so large when you last saw him.”

The Marquis held out his hand.

As he did so, it suddenly struck him that the Lord McTranar he remembered must now be dead and Neil must now be the Chieftain of the Clan.

This was confirmed when Neil added,

“I don’t think you have met my stepmother.”

A woman rose from the sofa who the Marquis saw at once was most attractive.

“I have heard the boys talk about you,” she began, “but I never thought I would meet you.”

“Well, fate or a rough sea has brought me now,” the Marquis replied.

“And you must stay with us,” insisted Neil.  “We are giving a dinner party tonight and it will be delightful for our friends to meet you.”

“I am sure I shall enjoy meeting your friends.  Are you sure you want me to stay?  I can easily go back to my yacht.”

“I insist you stay with us, Oliver.”

He rang a bell and told the butler that the Marquis would be staying the night and a carriage was to be sent to the yacht to fetch his clothes and his valet.

“It is very exciting for us having you here,” Lady McTranar said to the Marquis.  “Whenever we have news from London, you always seem to be mentioned.  The boys have told me so many stories of what fun you had when you stayed here when you were younger.”

“I am glad I have not been forgotten – ”

“I am sure it would be difficult for anyone to forget
you
,” Lady McTranar replied.

There was a note in her voice that sounded familiar.

When he looked at her, he recognised the expression in her eyes that he had seen so often.

It seemed most extraordinary that Neil’s stepmother should be so young!  The Marquis guessed she was about the same age as him or perhaps just a few years older.

Yet she had been married to Lord McTranar whom he remembered as being the same age as his father.

The Marquis learnt that the party this evening was being given in honour of the Duke of Hamilton and several Scottish aristocrats from Edinburgh had also been invited.

After having no one to talk to for the last few days, the Marquis enjoyed the conversation that followed over a number of cups of tea.

Then Lady McTranar took him up the stairs and the Marquis realised immediately he was being put in one of the State bedrooms.

Waiting for him in the room was Gilbert with his evening clothes already laid out on a chair.

“I do hope you have everything you require,” Lady McTranar said.  “And your valet can ask for anything he requires from the servants.”

“You are very kind,” replied the Marquis.  “And I am looking forward to a dinner I did not expect.”

“Then let’s hope you will not be disappointed.”

She smiled at him beguilingly before she left him in the room to change.

Gilbert was delighted that he was staying on shore.

“You are very wise, my Lord, to turn in here.  The Captain was saying before I left the yacht that it looked as though it’d be even rougher tonight than it were during the day.”

“That is what I rather suspected and I am sure that we shall sleep very much better here than we would on
The
Neptune
.”

He realised when he had bathed and dressed that he was looking extremely smart as he walked downstairs.

The Duke of Hamilton had already arrived and he reminded the Marquis that the last time they had met was at Windsor Castle.

“I don’t go South very often,” he said, “and when I do, I usually get told off by Her Majesty for having done something wrong!”

The Marquis chuckled.

“I well remember my father wondering before he had an audience with Her Majesty what he had done and invariably it was something of which Her Majesty did not approve!”

They both laughed and then dinner was announced.

There were twenty people in all to sit down in the huge dining room with a minstrels’ gallery at one end.

The Marquis found that he was on the left of Lady McTranar while the Duke of Hamilton was on her right.

Because she was looking extremely attractive, they both vied with each other in making her laugh.

She managed to flirt with them just as skilfully, the Marquis considered, as if she was one of the acknowledged beauties of the
Beau Monde
.

The Highland Games were scheduled to take place the following week and there was much conversation at the table about the athletic skills that would be on display.

The Marquis expressed his regrets that he could not stay and enjoy the Games.

“We would just love you to stay on if you possibly could,” Lady McTranar murmured in an almost caressing tone.

“It is an event that I would really enjoy, but having accepted an invitation from the Earl of Darendell, I don’t think it would be very polite to change my arrangements at the last moment.”

“I can see you are very considerate and kind,” Lady McTranar remarked.

“I try to be and it would not be difficult to be kind to someone as beautiful as yourself.”

“Now you are flattering me,” she smiled, “but it is something I do enjoy.  The Scots are rather slow at paying compliments.”

“I cannot believe it where you are concerned.”

Again she gave the Marquis that special look he was so familiar with.

Dinner finished with a speech from Neil McTranar, saying how much he appreciated being able to welcome the Marquis as his guest at the family home.

“He came here,” he said, “when he was a boy and since then he has become very influential and I understand has travelled a great deal.  But we are delighted to think he has not forgotten Scotland and I want him to know that he is always welcome here whenever he finds time to cross the border.”

To the Marquis’s surprise there was applause at this remark from all the other guests.

When the ladies retired two distinguished Scotsmen told him that they fondly remembered his father and that they had always invited him to visit them whenever he had the time.

One of them owned an excellent grouse moor and the Marquis thought it very likely that by August he would be able to accept such an invitation himself.

They joined the ladies in the drawing room, which as usual in Scotland was on the first floor.

Lady McTranar came over at once to the Marquis.

“I thought we might play bridge and I would be so delighted if you would agree to partner me.”

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure – ”

They sat at the bridge table with another interesting gentleman and a very elegant lady.

To Lady McTranar’s delight she and the Marquis won easily.

When their opponents said goodnight, they begged the Marquis to dine with them one day, so that they could have their revenge.

The rest of the guests did not stay long and it was not yet midnight when they all retired upstairs to bed.