Island of the Swans by Ciji Ware

Anglicized fop!” Thomas retorted, pacing before the fire. “I hope to claim a dance… ” he said, mimicking the duke mincingly. Then, changing his tone, he declared, “I swear I’ll claim some Gordon land in return for that blackguard’s treachery.”
    Jane rested her hand on Thomas’s arm and said soothingly, “You must not blame the duke for the shortcomings of his da. ’Tis true, the Third duke played spaniel to the Crown,” she added gently, “but the uncle, Lewis Gordon, came out in the Forty-five as everyone knows. You’ve told me yourself of his brave deeds at Culloden!”
    Thomas remained silent, staring moodily into the embers smoldering on the hearth. Then in a low voice, laden with the bitterness of the life he had known as an orphan, he said, “If all the Gordons had been as loyal as Lewis, the tables would be turned, and I, a Fraser , would have the wealth and honors due my name. Instead, many of my clan face starvation or extinction. This arrogant young duke feels he is entitled to anything he chooses, by virtue of his position. ’Twas plain by the way he spoke to you.”
    “Thomas… dear Thomas,” Jane said quietly, bidding him to sit next to her by the fire. She sensed his sudden melancholy, as she had on several occasions since his return to Edinburgh. “We have our whole future before us. The good fortune of the Duke of Gordon matters little to us, darling.”
    The tightness in Thomas’s jaw relaxed a bit and he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Jane immediately threw her arms around his chest, tucking her head under his chin. For several moments, they did not speak. The only sound was the fire crackling on the hearth.
    Finally, Thomas drew back and took her hands in his, looking somberly into her dark eyes.
    “Jenny—” he said hesitantly. “Simon has had word that my Commission has come through.”
    Jane stared at him wordlessly, her lips parted, as if to cry “No!”
    “In fact, he spoke tonight with your uncle James about it. There’s a company of Black Watch being formed as replacements for patrols at Fort Pitt in the Colonies. Pennsylvania, he said. ’Tis a two-year tour of duty.” Jane looked stunned. “Jenny darling… this is why we must talk. I wanted you to know what lies ahead.”
    She rose from the settle and walked slowly toward the window. The world outside suddenly looked bleak and cold. Thomas was leaving.
    “Don’t you think you’ve done your duty to Simon?” she said finally, her voice a mere whisper. “You’ve tended his sheep… you’ve followed his orders. Don’t you see? ’Tis time to do what you want to do and be what you want to be!”
    “Jenny…” Thomas interrupted, shaking his head. “You know as well as I that your da canna be counted on for a farthing where you lasses are concerned, and besides, look at you!” Jane turned to face him. Thomas’s features were etched with worry. “The life of a poor crofter’s wife isn’t what you’ve been groomed for… nor me, either, if the truth be told,” he said candidly. “We’re creatures of the city, and when we go to the country, we want to warm ourselves beside a drawing room fire and live in relative comfort, not in a hovel with a thatched roof and dirt floor! A soldier’s life and an officer’s pay can earn us the place we both want, pet… in only a few years.”
    Jane looked at him searchingly. She saw the determination smoldering in his eyes. He wants to go , she acknowledged to herself, he wants so badly to recover what was once his by right. Jane’s heart sank. She realized Thomas was a man obsessed. He wanted her, to be sure, but he wanted his patrimony with equal fervor.
    “I’ll do anything I must, to have you in my life,” she said finally. “I’ve always loved you, Thomas, and now I love you as a wife does.”
    He crushed her in his embrace and held her tightly, but disappointment so deep seemed to be tearing at her insides.
    “Jenny…” Thomas murmured,