Whence Came a Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs

Author:Liz Curtis Higgs [Higgs, Liz Curtis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-55146-7
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2011-06-14T20:00:00+00:00

Forty-Five

Hope starves without a crumb.

LEWIS J. BATES

The LORD knoweth the days of the upright.” Reverend Gordon stretched his hands over the assembled congregation. “And their inheritance shall be for ever.”

Jamie bowed his head for the benediction, even as his hopes rose. Was this the answer he’d been longing to hear? His inheritance did indeed await him at Glentrool. But upright? He was hardly that. Not with the schemes he’d concocted over the years. Not with the dilemma facing him now.

The beadle swung open the kirk doors, ushering in a freshening wind that toyed with the ribbons on Rose’s gown. McKies and McBrides moved toward the aisle. The second service had been shorter than the first, but it was still a lengthy Sabbath for Ian, who’d fussed and wriggled through most of it. Leana had reached for the child more than once during services, then quickly withdrew her hands, remembering her place. The sadness in her eyes grieved Jamie deeply.

What can I do, Leana? How shall I help you?

The parish gossips had been busy. All of Newabbey knew of Leana’s condition. When the time came, would they support her? chastise her? shun her? If he could not take Leana with him to Glentrool, then he would at least see she was in good hands, settled beneath a solid roof, and warmed by a friendly hearth. The minister oversaw such matters. Might he put his mind at ease?

As they neared the door, Jamie caught the man’s eye. “Reverend Gordon, may I speak with you on an important matter?”

The minister waved Jamie toward him, the draped sleeve of his black robe enlarging the motion. “Shall we meet in the kirkyard? Or at the manse?”

“The manse.” He would not have their conversation overheard by itching ears. Lachlan and Morna had visited Urr that morning for a proper kirkin, the bride’s first appearance at her parish church after the wedding. Jamie knew he would have no better opportunity to speak with Newabbey’s minister than this one. He sent Rose and the others on their way, promising to catch up with them. Leana’s plaintive expression and murmured thanks fueled his resolve; he would not fail her.

Swinging open the low gate to the manse, Reverend Gordon bade Jamie follow him withindoors. A maidservant brought them tea in the spence, poured two cupfuls, then disappeared with a curtsy. The minister regarded him solemnly across his steaming teacup. “This concerns Leana, I presume? And your child?”

“And my uncle.”

“I see.” As Jamie described Lachlan’s cruel plans for Leana, Reverend Gordon’s bushy eyebrows signaled his displeasure. When Jamie finished, the minister put his teacup down with a decisive clink. “The Buik tells us that if any man does not provide for his own, and in particular for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.”

Infidel. The harsh term suited Lachlan McBride. “Can anything be done, sir?”

Reverend Gordon shifted in his chair. Lachlan McBride’s tithe was no doubt a generous one; landowners were handled with care, however ill-kindit their ways.

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