Hannish leaned against the wall in the kitchen and smiled. Most of his loyal Scottish servants were there now, plus two orphans and the Americans. What's more, Sassy was talking a mile a minute again, delighting everyone with her interpretation of life in the mansion. She still had not let go of her sister's hand. "You shall sleep in a bed all your own, and you can have a bath everyday if you like, in a tub with clean water and no one else in it."
"No," Cathleen gasped. Her hair was a lighter auburn than Sassy's with more red showing through, but her eyes were the same color of blue.
At last, Hannish took pity on a wide-eyed Cathleen and interrupted, "Alistair, did you manage to get my wife on the ship?"
"Aye, Sir." He raised an eyebrow and looked at Sarah. "She could not find her brush, and demanded I get off the train to buy her a new one in Kansas City. You'd not know what happened to it, would you?"
"We need it for firewood this winter," Sarah proudly announced. "I intend to burn it myself." She grinned at him and watched Alistair's frown turn to a smile. It was good to have him back, very good indeed.
"We saw her," said Egan.
"Saw who?" Hannish asked.
"The duchess. Her ship was sailing just as we were coming to port."
"They came a day early," Alistair explained. "'Twas a good thing I checked before we left the dock."
"Did Olivia see you, Egan?" Hannish asked.
Egan nodded. "It began to snow and Cathleen wanted to be out in it, so we stood along the railing. The duchess saw me through a window in her ship and she looked none too happy about it."
"I don't suppose she did." Hannish thought for a moment. "It matters not, she'll be a little forewarned, perhaps, but she'll not guess what is to come."
"Forewarned of what?" McKenna asked.
His smile was wide when he answered, "I have abdicated."
Alistair's mouth dropped. "You are no longer a duke?"
"Indeed not, I passed it to my brother."
"Then the duchess is not…" Alistair began to grin.
"Not any longer."
Alistair deeply bowed. "You have my greatest admiration, Sir."
Cathleen had no idea what they were talking about and leaned a little closer to Sassy. "The constable come and took Old Mrs. Forthright away for stealin'. And after that, people brought food and they vowed not to let us be hungry ever again. I seen clean clothin' comin' too, though I left afore I could get any."
"What's this?" Hannish asked.