Her Master's Servant (Lord and Master Book 2) by Jagger Kait

Author:Jagger, Kait [Jagger, Kait]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Kait Jagger
Published: 2016-01-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The Wellstone family’s estate on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, which had the rather grand Gaelic name Maisterbel, but which the family referred to simply as ‘the Lodge’, had indeed started life in the mid-nineteenth century as a simple hunting lodge. Inspired by the holiday travels of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to the Scottish Highlands and their subsequent purchase of Balmoral, the Wellstone family decided to follow the monarch’s lead and buy land in Scotland. Photos from the time show a rather simple but charming granite house on the site where the current house sat.

In 1872, however, the then Marquess of Lionsbridge, who fancied himself an architect in addition to being a fanatical hunter, undertook a massive building project, essentially obliterating the old structure and replacing it with a much larger mock-Tudor edifice. A fifteen-year labour of love that obsessed the Marquess to the point that he ended up virtually relocating to Scotland, spending little or no time at Arborage, to his wife and family’s dismay.

Surrounded, as it was, by 4,500 acres of forest with views over the loch and Aughengavin Burn beyond, it was an idyllic spot, but Luna’s memories of her sole visit to it the previous winter were tainted. She had been compelled to come here by Florian Wellstone, ostensibly to support him administratively during the Marchioness’s leave of absence. In reality, Florian had ground her under his heel, forcing her to perform ever more humiliating duties and portraying her as his concubine to his Russian lender, Viktor Putinov, and his entourage.

Florian’s voice came back to haunt her as her driver pulled off onto the three-mile gravel approach to the lodge – ‘Please try your best to be charming, Luna.’ She could picture him, leering at her as they drove down this same track in January. ‘I’m sure a human heart beats somewhere underneath all that ice.’

At least the weather was better now, she thought to herself, with only a few scattered clouds scuttling across the wide open Highland sky. The track drew level with a small river that intersected the estate and Luna’s eye was drawn by what appeared to be threads of gold sailing through the air. She looked closer, then said, ‘Can you drop me off here, please?’

Exiting the Bentley, she hefted her backpack onto her shoulders and walked down to the river, where two men stood surrounded by rapidly flowing water up to their thighs, fly fishing rods in hand.

‘Hey! Luna!’ shouted Gus Walsh, Arborage’s diminutive, balding Scottish estate manager, who promptly waded in her direction. His companion stayed put, lowering his rod and reeling in his line.

Luna leant as far as she dared out over the water, exchanging a precarious hug and kiss with Gus. ‘Salmon?’ she asked, nodding toward his rod.

‘Aye. No luck yet, though,’ Gus laughed. They continued talking for a few minutes, her briefly filling him in on her sojourn in Shetland, Gus pointing out some improvements that had recently been made to the fishing course.

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