Page 35 of Forge of the Highlander’s Destiny

A New Beginning

“ N ae much longer now, lass,” the coach driver called.

The steady rock of the coach would have threatened to lure Amelia to sleep if she hadn’t been so nervous to meet her employer and all the new people she would be working with. And it was the first time she would oversee a staff of maids, which she hoped wouldn’t be too hard to do.

Amelia had watched her faither run a lucrative business as a merchant, and how he managed to run the storefront, as she spent many of her days playing in behind his desk or reading in the large chair in the small room.

He always used to tell her, Business is not about making money, but about making relationships with people .

And that had guided her long after he had passed.

She stared out of the window of the coach, wondering passively what her life would be like nowadays if that one line of ink had been changed, or if her family hadn’t been so greedy.

The truth was that Amelia shouldn’t have had to ever find work—her faither had worked himself to the bone to ensure that.

Amelia would have a great dowry to attract a wealthy suitor and could have married into an earldom or had become a Marquess with the sum her faither set aside.

But his untimely death, and the fact that she had been just shy of eighteen at the time, had meant that the entire estate had gone to other members of the family.

Amelia didn’t receive anything more than what she could get from selling personal possessions and what the store happened to bring in the day before.

So, after that, Amelia had set to work. Being unmarried and newly into adulthood, not to mention the fact that she was a woman, had limited her opportunities.

But thankfully, her status and her faither’s extended reach had saved her some trouble.

One of the men that frequented her faither’s store, and one of the wealthiest men Amelia knew, hired her to help his wife with housekeeping.

It was there that she had gotten a glimpse of what the people of the ton really got up to. And it wasn’t so much as Amelia was helping the lady of the house with the duties as much as she was doing it all herself.

And after a few months, she was getting more and more work from other families, which meant Amelia had to learn how to do things quickly and efficiently.

But the pay was decent enough, despite the step down the social ladder she had taken.

She was left with no other option, and it had allowed her to save to cover expenses should she want to travel and settle elsewhere.

It was what had made moving to Scotland possible.

“Aye, my dear, there it be,” the driver called.

Amelia poked her head out of the coach, the breeze rustling her hair. She turned her head to the direction they rode, looking in the distance for Montgomery Castle. She expected to have to squint her eyes, but it was rather the opposite. In fact, one would have to be blind not to see the castle.

Montgomery Castle was huge, sprawling over the hillside in a beautiful display of power and stone. It was magnificent as it was intimidating, and Amelia had to stifle a small spike of anxiety. She had never worked as a housekeeper in such a large place before.

How could one person possibly make sure everything is tidy?

Not to mention, at her pay rate, this seemed too much work for such meager earnings.

Maybe that was why the previous housekeeper had left…

Amelia sat back in the coach, nervousness taking residence in her stomach.

Have I been made a fool?

A desperate woman who takes whatever is handed to her and ends up getting the short end of it all.

She knew there was staff, at least based on her correspondence with the Laird of Montgomery.

But from her understanding, it was small.

It would take at least twenty people to effectively clean the entire place.

There was no going back, however. She had effectively cut all ties with England and those she knew there.

Besides, she didn’t have money to sustain herself without working.

And she’d be damned if she went crawling back to being Amelia, darling .

This was the fresh start she had been working hard for since her faither died. This is what she wanted, wasn’t it?

Amelia decided that no matter how big the castle, it was still better than being in England.

And since when did she ever back away from a challenge?

She smiled to herself as she threw her shoulders back with a self-assured pride.

Amelia may never have gotten the independence that was carefully planned for her by her faither, but she had made a new path for herself. And she wasn’t going to turn back now.

The coach moved forward, and Amelia was thankful to have something to take her mind off her thoughts. The open scenery changed to being enclosed on all sides. There was nothing more than sparse grass and well-packed dirt immediately inside the wall of Montgomery Castle.

What a greeting , she thought with a little bitterness.

Perhaps it was because it was so gloomy that she felt as downtrodden as the dirt at seeing Montgomery Castle up close.

The little town was cheerful and bright, but the castle was dark, depressing, and just downright dull.

People seemed to move as if there was always a rush to be somewhere—anywhere—else.

The pit in her stomach returned with a vengeance, and Amelia’s nerves returned.

The coach stopped, and Amelia resisted the temptation to poke her head out the window.

First impressions were everything, she knew, and she didn’t want to appear any younger or less capable than she already felt.

The door of the coach was opened, and she was accosted by a large, brooding man.

In fact, he had been the one to open the door in the first place.

He was devilishly handsome, and was tall and very muscular.

His skin had been kissed by the sun with an even tan.

He had deep brown hair that lay in tight curls, the back pulled back at the nape of his neck.

The man had the most stunning blue eyes she had ever seen—they were as bright as sapphires and as deep as the English Channel.

This must be the Laird of Montgomery , Amelia thought.

The Laird was young, not much older than herself.

But he carried himself with a certain authority that Amelia didn’t dare test. He held out his hand for her to take as she stepped out of the coach, a little impressed by his social graces.

Despite being a Laird, he was a Scot—and Amelia knew that Scotsmen were good at being one thing: trouble.

He was gowned in a kilt, the colors of which she assumed were of the Montgomery Clan.

It was a deep green mostly, with contrasting earth brown and a golden yellow for accents.

It brought out even more of his tanned skin, and it was clear he wore the colors with pride.

He stood tall, with his shoulders back, clearly a man of power.

She couldnae seem to find her voice, the feel of his skin on hers was sending her shocks up her arm that made the hair stand up.

He has the most beautiful blue eyes , she thought as she was enraptured by them.

She almost tripped and fell into him as she got out of the coach, but thankfully managed to keep her feet under her.

“Aye, ye must be Amelia Cooper,” he greeted. “Jon Nelson.”

She nodded, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

His voice was smooth like honey and rough like brandy, the Scottish brogue sending shivers down her spine.

There was a playful glint in his eyes, as if he knew how much hearing him talk had affected her.

Amelia squared her shoulders and set her chin in defiance, hoping to appear confident and in charge as much as he appeared to be, and nodded in confirmation.

He just smirked at her and dropped her hand as she turned to the castle proper.

It towered above her with a dreary force, like the power it held had been ill-gotten.

But the Laird didn’t strike her as being overly cruel or someone out for power.

Sure, he held himself pompously—but that was most men anyways.

However, Amelia didn’t feel as if he had ever struck anyone down to achieve his own success.

She heard him step behind her, the proximity to which set her skin alight, despite the fact he wasn’t touching her.

But he was close enough to have her body stiffening in anticipation, and she could practically feel his strong muscles against her back.

Amelia, however, could feel his breath, warm on her neck as he spoke softly.

“Welcome to Montgomery Castle.”