Page 56 of Heirs and Graces at Highland Hall
‘The thing is, she didn’t say she was your grandfather’s sister, Duncan. She said she wasAngus’ssister.’ She softened her voice. ‘Moira, you can tell them. You can tell us all now. Nothing bad’s going to happen.’
Moira’s eyes pressed shut, her lips tight. ‘We didn’t like to gossip. We didn’t,’ she murmured. ‘He was a good man?—’
‘But it’s not gossip. This isn’t gossip, Moira. This is justice. Surely you see that. If you don’t tell the truth now… Moira, this is for Fergus. This is what he wanted. His will. His will says to his rightful heir. That’s the word he used, Moira.Rightful.He wants his title to go to the person it belongs to.’
‘What? What is all this nonsense about? I’m his heir. I’m his only nephew.’ Kieron, who had remained so silent while Bex was talking to Moira that she’d almost forgotten he was there, strode towards her. ‘Whatever this is, it stops now. So what if he worded it oddly? He was a doddery old man, with only dogs for company.’
A sound remarkably like a growl emanated from Gordon and Duncan simultaneously, though it was Gordon who spoke.
‘Your uncle was the most rational man I ever met, all the way to his death. And he was certainly in sound mind when he wrote that. I should know. I was there.’
Kieron’s jaw was locked, and there was no sign of a twinkle in his eye. Nothing but pure fury.
‘This is ridiculous. You are not doing this. This is my house. My inheritance. I’m the rightful heir.’
Maybe it was the drink; maybe it was hearing Kieron sound so petulant. But whatever the reason, the restraint Bexhad managed to maintain for the majority of the conversation snapped.
‘No, you’re not!’ she shouted. ‘Duncan is. Duncan is the rightful heir.’
‘What?’ Kieron’s eyes locked on her, before a high-pitched laugh rattled from his lungs. ‘What are you on about?’
‘Look at this photo.’ She grabbed the photo Duncan had handed her in the ballroom. ‘What do you notice about it?’
Kieron huffed, sounding more like a toddler than a future laird. ‘What is this? Another photo of Iona, I assume?’
‘Sure as hell looks like it, doesn’t it?’ Bex couldn’t help but let the smile twist at the corner of her lips. ‘But it’s not. It’s Duncan’s mother. There’s a reason that she and Iona look so alike, though.’ Bex swallowed, needing a breath before she could continue. ‘The thing is, the man Duncan believes is his grandfather never had any children. Not one. But his sister did. Didn’t she, Moira?’ Bex looked solely at the old woman as she spoke. ‘Iona had one child. Fergus’s child.Duncan’s mother.’
45
The music from the ballroom seemed to have faded. As if it was happening in a different time and space from where they stood. Or maybe that was just how it was for Bex. She could barely hear over the drumming of her own heartbeat.
All eyes were on Moira, waiting for her response. As they stood there, fearing she’d made a horrific mistake, Bex thought the silence might last forever, until Kieron let out a loud scoff.
‘This is ridiculous,’ he said. ‘This is absolute nonsense. You’re just trying to swindle me out of my inheritance!’
‘Will you pipe down?’ Gordon snapped. ‘Yourinheritance? Like you’ve done anything to deserve it. Even if it weren’t true, Duncan was more of a son to Fergus than you ever were.’
‘But itistrue, isn’t it?’ Bex urged, looking to Moira. She pulled the notebook from the desk.
‘I thought this was strange when I went through it. All these hospital names, scribbled out and crossed through. But now I realise what he was doing. They’re all maternity wards. Not random hospitals. Maternity hospitals. Fergus knew the truth. He was looking for her. Iona didn’t get sick. She was pregnant, and she died in childbirth.’
‘What?’ Duncan’s voice broke the stunned silence. It was the first time he’d spoken since Bex had revealed the truth. His look of disbelief was even greater than Kieron’s.
‘No… but my grandfather…’
Bex turned to face him, only now understanding the hurt that this would cause him. His grandfather had been his role model, his best friend, and now, their entire relationship had been built on a lie. This wasn’t just about the inheritance. It was about so much more than that.
‘The man you thought was your grandfather, Angus, was yourgreat-uncle,’ Bex said. ‘You told me yourself how it was this big village scandal. How he disappeared and came back with this woman no one knew, and a baby. But she didn’t stick around, did she? Apparently, she didn’t bond with the baby – your mother. Not surprising really, given that she wasn’t her child. It was never her child. It was never Angus’s either. The baby was Iona’s. Fergus and Iona’s.’
‘Nonsense!’ Kieron spat. ‘If that was the case, they would have said something. Laid claim to it straight away!’
‘Not everything is about claiming money and castles, Kieron,’ Bex said, her voice trembling. She wasn’t sure why she felt tears trickling down her cheeks, but they were there. ‘Angus was furious at what Fergus had done. He’d gotten his little sister pregnant, and she died because of it. He wasn’t going to let him raise the child. But Angus needed the job. He needed the money. And he couldn’t leave here. Fergus was heartbroken, and he needed to believe that Iona had got sick and died, because if it had been the pregnancy… if he had been the reason…’ A deep throb burned through Bex’s heart and she tried to contemplate all the pain the family had suffered. ‘It was never about the money. It was about honour, family and love. I’m right, aren’t I, Moira? I’m right about all of it.’
The old woman’s lips were pressed tightly together, her chin dipped into her chest. Bex wasn’t the only one crying, she saw. Tears streaked Moira’s face.
Finally, she spoke, her voice wavering.
‘There were aye gossips, of course. Folk reckoned he was taking advantage of her, wi’ his position and all, but whenever I saw them… well, you know. You can tell, can’t you? When two folk look at each other, you can tell when it’s real.’ She lifted her head and glanced at Bex, before shifting her gaze to Duncan and offering a slight smile, before she sniffed and continued. ‘There were rumours, right enough. Apparently, he wanted tae marry her, but his folk wouldnae hear o’ it. Him weddin’ a groundskeeper’s daughter and all that carry on. Still, he planned to do it anyway. She was an incredible woman. She really was.’
