Page 115 of The Texan Duke
To his surprise, Rhona didn’t answer.
“Well, what stands for the law around here?”
“The magistrate,” Elsbeth said. “Shall I send word to him?”
Connor looked at his cousin, then at Sam. He wouldn’t have to worry about Lara. He’d be safely back in Texas.
Did Sam really know what he was asking?
He should have expected that his cousin would start crying. Women in the family way were often tearful. Heaven knows his sisters had been. At least Felix moved from his chair to embrace his wife, pulling her into his arms and patting her back, all the while glaring at Connor.
“There won’t be any more accidents,” Felix said.
He was torn between ignoring the lot of them and calling the magistrate or leaving the problem to Sam. He met the older man’s gaze again, considered the matter for a moment, and finally reluctantly nodded.
“I told you that I was set to sell Bealadair,” he said, speaking to the whole of the family.
Every eye in the room turned to him.
“I’ve come to know you all and understand that it would be a major change in your lives to have to move somewhere else. Therefore, I thought long and hard about my decision.”
Their smiles were tentative. He’d bet that they all thought he was going to say that he’d changed his mind, but that wasn’t what he was going to say.
“I wanted the person who purchased Bealadair to continue on with the advances my uncle made, especially the school and the new farming techniques. I wanted him to be able to promise that he would revere Bealadair’s history as it should be. I’ve received an agreement on those points. The sale of Bealadair will be final as soon as Glassey has reviewed the documents.”
“You’ve done it, then,” Elsbeth said, surprise tingeing her voice.
He looked at her. “Yes. I’ve done it.”
“You’ve sold the estate?” Rhona asked.
He nodded.
“Then what’s all this about being concerned about our lives changing, Connor?” she asked.
He nodded to Sam. Let him be the one who told her.
“Because I’m the new owner, darlin’,” Sam said. “And I don’t want any of you to move.”
“You?” The duchess’s eyes went wide. Her face was suddenly flushed and she was fanning herself as if it had become as hot as Texas in here. Evidently, she hadn’t been aware of how wealthy Sam had been—at least before buying Bealadair.
Connor turned to Elsbeth and said, “Well, since we have to do this Welcoming of the Laird thing, will you accompany me?”
She looked at him, her eyes wide. Slowly, she nodded.
“I like your gown.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s purple,” he said.
She smiled. “It’s called plum.”
“I like your hair, too.”
“Thank you.”
Her eyes were sparkling and he was tempted to kiss her right there in front of everyone.
