Hero of a Highland Wolf
Page 46
She considered the ramifications, surprised Archibald had been associated with her father for so long. She had thought it was only more recent, upon her father’s inheriting the castle. A more devious reason for the friendship might exist.
“I’m surprised my grandmother would have allowed Haldane Borthwick to visit if she had any notion he might be as dangerous as Uilleam had been.”
Grant finished his hot mug of tea and set it down on the tray. “Neda was away both times. I’m sure they planned it that way. The first time, she was visiting a dying aunt. She was grief-stricken to learn our mother had died and immediately took us under her wing. My father was heartbroken. From what older members of the pack told us later, they thought he’d forsake all food and join his mate. The only thing that brought him out of his anguish was the daily reminder that he had triplet sons who needed his guidance and love, and our pack members did everything to ensure he remained focused on the job until he could work through his grief.”
“I’m so sorry about your parents, Grant.”
“I thank you, lass. Your grandmother was like a mother to us. My father never took another mate. We dearly loved Neda.”
Colleen was certain that had she ever met her grandmother, she would have, too. “My father wasn’t here when Neda died, was he?” Colleen asked, fearing the worst.
“Nay. Once I took over and worried that Theodore and Haldane had caused my father’s death, whenever your father returned for a visit, I had guards posted to watch him day and night. Not that he ever knew it. But we were concerned for Neda’s safety.”
To her way of thinking, Grant and his brothers would have been as much at risk. “What about you and your brothers’ welfare?”
“We really weren’t concerned about our own safety, but later we learned our pack members watched out for us. They were really proud of having been so sneaky that we didn’t even know it.” He smiled.
She smiled back and thought how wonderful it was to have an extended family that watched the boys’ backs. “I can imagine it wasn’t easy trying to keep track of all three of you without one of you having a clue. So what of Haldane? Is he still alive?”
“Another wolf killed him years later. No one knew who killed him for certain, but we suspected one of my father’s friends resented Haldane, believing he had murdered Robert and gotten away with it, and so sought revenge.”
She pondered that, wondering if that man was still in the pack. “Is the wolf who you suspected of killing him still alive?”
“Aye.”
She waited expectantly. When Grant looked at the fire, she suspected he didn’t want to give away the identity of the man. “Who?” she asked softly.
“We believe it was Darby.” Grant’s unfathomable gaze swung back to her, and she felt as though he was watching her reaction, ready to defend the man’s honor.
“Your faithful valet,” she said, seeing the man in a new light—but only in a good way.
“Aye. I think he only applied for the position eons ago to be my bodyguard, just in case.”
She sighed. “I think he was afraid I was going to have him fired. He didn’t like that I was in your chamber,” Colleen said, recalling her confrontation with him—mainly because she had only been wearing a towel, and she thought his brusqueness had been an effort to hide his embarrassment.
Grant chuckled. “Aye. I think that’s the most worried I’ve seen him in a long time. He said he’d ask Ian if he’d take him into his pack, but truth is, Darby and Ian’s ghostly cousin, Flynn, don’t see eye to eye.”
“Flynn’s a ghost.”
“Aye.”
She shook her head. She did not believe in ghosts. “What about Archibald? You said he is like his father and grandfather. How?”
“He wanted to manage the property just like they did. At first, we believed he was trying to work a deal with your father when he visited. Maybe help to get rid of Neda, which was one of the reasons we guarded her at all times. If she had died, Theodore would have owned the castle, and since he had no knowledge of how to run the estates, he might have installed Archibald as the manager.
“Not that he would have known how to take care of the estates. And my pack would have given him a difficult time of it. Maybe Archibald was blackmailing your father. Maybe he knew just what Theodore and his father had done with regard to my father’s death. The two of them were drinking buddies. Not that Archibald drinks overly much, but he was always picking your father up and taking him to pubs.”
She nodded. “So they weren’t just fishing buddies. When my father took over, why didn’t he install Archibald?”
“Theodore was deep in his cups more often than not. Some of that was Archibald’s fault because he took your father to the same pub where you were to plot.”
No wonder Grant had been upset to hear she had been there with Archibald. If only she’d known.
“A couple of my men followed them and listened in on their conversations. Archibald told Theodore what he’d do and Theodore agreed, all while drinking. But thankfully it was all talk and nothing more. Then he returned to Maryland. We thought that was the end of your father’s interference here.”
She smiled a little ruefully. “Until I showed up. My father’s daughter. A week after he returned home, my father drove himself off a bridge and drowned,” Colleen said. She sighed deeply, remembering the call from the police and wondering why it hadn’t happened earlier the way he drank and drove.
“I’m surprised my grandmother would have allowed Haldane Borthwick to visit if she had any notion he might be as dangerous as Uilleam had been.”
Grant finished his hot mug of tea and set it down on the tray. “Neda was away both times. I’m sure they planned it that way. The first time, she was visiting a dying aunt. She was grief-stricken to learn our mother had died and immediately took us under her wing. My father was heartbroken. From what older members of the pack told us later, they thought he’d forsake all food and join his mate. The only thing that brought him out of his anguish was the daily reminder that he had triplet sons who needed his guidance and love, and our pack members did everything to ensure he remained focused on the job until he could work through his grief.”
“I’m so sorry about your parents, Grant.”
“I thank you, lass. Your grandmother was like a mother to us. My father never took another mate. We dearly loved Neda.”
Colleen was certain that had she ever met her grandmother, she would have, too. “My father wasn’t here when Neda died, was he?” Colleen asked, fearing the worst.
“Nay. Once I took over and worried that Theodore and Haldane had caused my father’s death, whenever your father returned for a visit, I had guards posted to watch him day and night. Not that he ever knew it. But we were concerned for Neda’s safety.”
To her way of thinking, Grant and his brothers would have been as much at risk. “What about you and your brothers’ welfare?”
“We really weren’t concerned about our own safety, but later we learned our pack members watched out for us. They were really proud of having been so sneaky that we didn’t even know it.” He smiled.
She smiled back and thought how wonderful it was to have an extended family that watched the boys’ backs. “I can imagine it wasn’t easy trying to keep track of all three of you without one of you having a clue. So what of Haldane? Is he still alive?”
“Another wolf killed him years later. No one knew who killed him for certain, but we suspected one of my father’s friends resented Haldane, believing he had murdered Robert and gotten away with it, and so sought revenge.”
She pondered that, wondering if that man was still in the pack. “Is the wolf who you suspected of killing him still alive?”
“Aye.”
She waited expectantly. When Grant looked at the fire, she suspected he didn’t want to give away the identity of the man. “Who?” she asked softly.
“We believe it was Darby.” Grant’s unfathomable gaze swung back to her, and she felt as though he was watching her reaction, ready to defend the man’s honor.
“Your faithful valet,” she said, seeing the man in a new light—but only in a good way.
“Aye. I think he only applied for the position eons ago to be my bodyguard, just in case.”
She sighed. “I think he was afraid I was going to have him fired. He didn’t like that I was in your chamber,” Colleen said, recalling her confrontation with him—mainly because she had only been wearing a towel, and she thought his brusqueness had been an effort to hide his embarrassment.
Grant chuckled. “Aye. I think that’s the most worried I’ve seen him in a long time. He said he’d ask Ian if he’d take him into his pack, but truth is, Darby and Ian’s ghostly cousin, Flynn, don’t see eye to eye.”
“Flynn’s a ghost.”
“Aye.”
She shook her head. She did not believe in ghosts. “What about Archibald? You said he is like his father and grandfather. How?”
“He wanted to manage the property just like they did. At first, we believed he was trying to work a deal with your father when he visited. Maybe help to get rid of Neda, which was one of the reasons we guarded her at all times. If she had died, Theodore would have owned the castle, and since he had no knowledge of how to run the estates, he might have installed Archibald as the manager.
“Not that he would have known how to take care of the estates. And my pack would have given him a difficult time of it. Maybe Archibald was blackmailing your father. Maybe he knew just what Theodore and his father had done with regard to my father’s death. The two of them were drinking buddies. Not that Archibald drinks overly much, but he was always picking your father up and taking him to pubs.”
She nodded. “So they weren’t just fishing buddies. When my father took over, why didn’t he install Archibald?”
“Theodore was deep in his cups more often than not. Some of that was Archibald’s fault because he took your father to the same pub where you were to plot.”
No wonder Grant had been upset to hear she had been there with Archibald. If only she’d known.
“A couple of my men followed them and listened in on their conversations. Archibald told Theodore what he’d do and Theodore agreed, all while drinking. But thankfully it was all talk and nothing more. Then he returned to Maryland. We thought that was the end of your father’s interference here.”
She smiled a little ruefully. “Until I showed up. My father’s daughter. A week after he returned home, my father drove himself off a bridge and drowned,” Colleen said. She sighed deeply, remembering the call from the police and wondering why it hadn’t happened earlier the way he drank and drove.
