Free Jennie About to Be by Elisabeth Ogilvie Page A

thinking she’d been at least half-right. “Tell me about it.”
    â€œThe Mater wrote them about the wedding, thinking Christabel would leap at any excuse to come back to London, and in return I got this rather confused letter written in old Archie’s inimitable style, just the way he talks, telling me there’d been a clash with the old factor and he’d left. Grant’s not that old in years, mind you, but he’s always been there. Took over from his father. Decent chaps, both of them. ”
    â€œWhat was the clash about?” Jennie asked.
    â€œI don’t know. It was with Christabel, I swear, not Archie. She wanted to raise the rents, perhaps. She has the fortune, so things must go her way ... I don’t care!” He was jubilant. “There’s a house for us, and the fishing and the stalking are superb. You’ll have your own horse to ride. It will make up to you for Pippin Grange.”
    â€œOh, love,” she whispered. “I can’t believe it. Scotland! I never wanted to be a colonel’s lady, and I’m so happy!” They embraced and kissed. Each time it was harder to separate; now there were voices in the hall, and they parted reluctantly, still holding hands.
    In an attempt to be cool she said, “But do you know how to be a factor?”
    â€œI know enough to do what they want me to do.”
    â€œAre they coming to the wedding?”
    â€œArchie says the stramash with Grant has put Christabel under the weather. Her delicate nerves, you know.” He grinned. “She’s healthy as a horse, though not as good-looking as the worst of ’em. If anything’s upset her, it’s this wedding. She knows she’s past foaling, but I’d swear she was hoping I’d die a bachelor.”
    â€œShe’s not going to like me then,” said Jennie. “But there’s no law that says everyone has to love Eugenia Hawthorne.”
    â€œOld Archie will. He’ll be bowled over. He likes pretty girls, and you’ll ornament the ancient pile. By heaven, it’s been grim at Linnmore! Christabel has the servants call her Madame instead of Mistress. She’s English in everything. She brought her own staff because she won’t have Gaelic spoken in the house, and she pays them the earth to suffer the isolation.”
    He slapped his thigh. “That reminds me. I’m losing my man along with the commission. There aren’t many good ones who want to leave the splendors and the females of London for the Scottish wilderness. I’ll pick out a chap there and train him. What about a maid for you?”
    â€œI’ve never had my own maid, darling. Tell me more about Christabel. She sounds dreadful.”
    â€œWell, if old Archie drops into the Gaelic when he’s talking with a groom or a tenant who doesn’t speak English, she’s on him as if he’d uttered an obscenity or blasphemed the Holy Ghost.”
    â€œI detest her already,” said Jennie. “Do you speak Gaelic?”
    â€œI remember a bit from my early childhood, and later I was taken there on some long holidays, to keep me in touch with my heritage, don’t you know? But some of the people have a little English.”
    â€œHow will you get on with them as factor?”
    â€œSwimmingly! I always did.”
    She could believe it. “I want to learn Gaelic,” she said ardently. “I want to be able to talk to the people in their own tongue.”
    â€œJust don’t let Christabel know you’re doing it,” he said. “She’ll have fits. She’d have changed the name of the place if she could, but it looks English enough to suit her. Only she will call it Linn more, not Linn more . I doubt Archie told her that it’s the Gaelic linn for ‘pool, ’ and mor for ‘big. ’ You’ll see where it comes from.”
    â€œLinn more ,” she repeated as if it were a mystical