Just Beyond Tomorrow by Bertrice Small

wi’ her, there has been no one to direct the servants. They hae grown lax wi’out a strong guiding hand. Ye must provide that hand.”
    â€œWho was A . . . Adali?” she asked him, and sat in one of the two chairs by the blazing fire.
    He sat opposite her. “Adali has been my mother’s servant since her birth. When she came to Glenkirk as my father’s wife, Adali became the castle’s majordomo. When she left Glenkirk after my father’s death, Adali, and the two other servants who hae been wi’ Mother her whole life, departed with her. They hae been together so long they cannot be separated. It was Adali who managed the household, seeing that the servants did what they should, making certain we had what we needed to survive, purchasing what we dinna grow, make, barter, or hunt. Now ’tis yer task, Flanna. There is more to being a duchess than fetes and beautiful clothing,” he finished.
    She stared at him, astounded. “I hae nae been to a fete in my entire life, my lord, nor do I hae beautiful clothing. As for yer household, I will do my best, but I dinna hae the faintest idea of how to manage so large an establishment. I will learn, of course, but ye must be patient wi’ me. This is nae Killiecairn. This is a great house Even yer own mam had servants to do her bidding. I am nae a servant, my lord. I am yer wife.”
    â€œLass, I dinna mean . . . Ye will hae all the servants ye want to help ye. If I hae offended ye, I apologize,” Patrick Leslie said.
    â€œMy lord, ye wed me for the land,” Flanna replied in matter-of-fact tones. “We both understand that. I know my duty. ’Tis to make yer home a place of comfort and to gie ye an heir as quickly as possible. Fortunately, I hae my servant Angus to help me wi’ the first. Angus came to Killiecairn wi’ my mother from Brae. He remembers how a fine establishment should be kept and will help me. As for my second task, ’tis up to ye and I to manage.”
    â€œI hae nae considered—” he began, but Flanna interrupted him.
    â€œWhat month were ye born in, my lord?” she demanded of him.
    â€œMarch,” he answered her.
    â€œAnd how old will ye be on yer next birthday?” she pressed.
    He thought a moment, then replied, “Thirty-five, lass.”
    â€œI was born in August and was twenty-two this year, my lord. How old was yer mam when her first child was born?” Flanna asked.
    Again he thought for a long moment. That had, after all, been before his time. His half sister, India, was the oldest of his siblings. “I think she was seventeen,” he said. “Aye! She was seventeen.”
    â€œAnd how many bairns did she hae by the time she was my age?” Flanna queried him.
    â€œFour,” he said, seeing where her line of questioning was leading him, but still not at all certain he was ready for fatherhood. He wasn’t even certain he was ready for marriage, though married he now was.
    â€œFour,” Flanna repeated. “Yer mam had four bairns by the time she was my age! I think, my lord, we hae much work ahead of us. How many bairns did she hae in all?”
    Patrick Leslie swallowed hard. “Nine,” he murmured, “but one of my sisters died before she was even a year old. Ye must understand, Flanna, that my mother had several husbands, and a lover, to father her great brood.”
    â€œA lover?” Flanna didn’t know whether to be shocked or not.
    â€œPrince Henry Stuart—he should hae been king after James—was the sire of my half brother, Charlie,” the duke told his wife. “It was before she wed wi’ my father, of course.”
    â€œWhat happened to him?” Flanna wanted to know.
    â€œWho?” Patrick said.
    â€œThe bastard. Yer mam’s bastard,” Flanna responded.
    Patrick Leslie burst out laughing. He had never considered Charlie in that manner. To his knowledge, no one