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Calum had been awake since the crack of dawn, seeing to the estate business. He rose early to complete his duties so he could spend the afternoon with his family. It had been a couple of weeks since they had received their final threatening letter, and each day, he tried to carve out time to enjoy with his family. Those letters had given him a fresh perspective, making him realize how precious and fortunate his life was and to never take it for granted.
He closed the estate ledger and heard a loud noise coming from the hallway. A clatter of footsteps clambering down the staircase soon followed. He rose and peeked out the study door to appease his curiosity. It would not have surprised him if his siblings had resumed with their shenanigans now that the drama with Grace had subsided.
He caught the tail end of his wife’s skirts as she followed his siblings outdoors. He started to follow her when a trunk came skidding down the staircase. Calum jumped out of the way before it collided with him, but he wasn’t swift enough to avoid a wooden cane flying in his direction. It hit him on the side and clattered to the floor.
“Douglas!” Calum roared.
Silence met his demand. But not for long. Soon the children’s tutor came stumbling downstairs in a flustered, agitated state. Calum closed his eyes with a deep sigh. He now understood the cause of the commotion. Grace had made her stance on the tutor clear. Not only her but his siblings had grumbled their opinion at every opportunity.
However, he never considered they would go to the extremes of chasing the tutor from their home. But from the open trunk at his feet, that was exactly the case. The tutor’s expression showed it wouldn’t be possible to convince the man to stay for any reason.
“Mr. Holland, please allow me to apologize for any mishap my siblings might have caused.”
Mr. Holland glared at Calum, his eyes seething with rage. “If it were only your siblings that I must contend with, I might reconsider. Because they need the guidance the elders in their life fail to offer them. They need a firmer hand than what I am allowed.”
Calum was more than aware of the nature of his siblings’ behavior. However, the tutor expressed his opinion of them too freely, especially by suggesting they needed discipline of a physical nature. While they were a rambunctious lot, taming them with violence was something he would never allow.
Before he could state so, two footmen gathered the trunk and cane to carry them outside. “Are you leaving? You have yet to fulfill your term.”
Mr. Holland shook his head with disgust and followed the footmen to the carriage. “I will not stay another minute under this roof, living amongst barbarians.” He turned to face Calum, ready to deliver a lecture on his siblings’ behavior, when a mud ball flew past him and splattered against Mr. Holland’s trunk.
Soon, multiple mud balls flew through the air, striking the carriage and poor Mr. Holland. The man wasn’t prepared for the attack and flung up his hands to protect himself. Calum fought to hold back his laughter. He swung around to see who the culprits were when he spotted his wife with the children packing mud into their hands, preparing for the next attack.
To add to the mischief, his mother stood near a hill of dirt with a bucket of water. The gardeners were in the process of creating the landscape his wife had planned. Hence the reason for the abundance of dirt made available. Even Cameron joined the chaos by helping Effie with her mud balls.
Calum bit back a bark of laughter. If his family didn’t favor a visitor to their estate, they would make their stay uncomfortable. And obviously, none of them favored the stickler of a tutor he had hired to replace Grace.
“As I was saying, the children’s actions are explainable because of their youth. However, ‘tis your wife who encourages such behavior. It is no wonder she holds the reputation she does,” Mr. Holland snarled.
Calum swung around in fury. How dare this imbecile degrade his wife? He advanced on the tutor, causing the man to cower in his attempt to board the carriage. Calum motioned for the footmen to step away from the carriage and glared down at the weasel. “You will never speak of my wife in that regard ever again. I will make it impossible for you to gain another position. Because of my wife, my family is able to express their true selves without the concern of life’s stipulations. You should be so lucky to have ever stood in her presence. Because of your criticisms, I will never offer you a recommendation.”
Calum stepped away, motioning with his hands while he blew out a whistle for his family to resume their attack. All at once, everyone released a mud ball aimed at Mr. Holland. It was then that Calum released his laughter that he had refrained from earlier.
Mr. Holland squealed like a lady as mud splattered his pristine clothing. His family was not kind in unleashing their fun at the tutor’s expense. It served the man right for the opinion he held of his family. While Calum enjoyed the man’s torment, a mud ball smacked him in the chest.
He swung his gaze around to find his wife wearing a mischievous smile and giggling with abandonment. He ran after her, and she tried to get away by hiding behind his siblings, but they were no match in keeping him from catching her. Calum swung Grace around in circles, their laughter filling the air.
He stopped and leaned against the tree. “You, my dear, are an incorrigibly bad influence.”
Grace snickered. “I will not apologize. He needed to go, and you would not listen to my compromise.”
He slid Grace along his front while setting her on her feet. “I guess you leave me no choice but to agree with your plans.”
She slid her muddy palm against his cheek. “Calum.”
He smiled down at her. “What, my dear?”
“Nothing.” She smiled back at him. “I only wished to say your name.”
His eyes shined with love and laughter as he kissed her with the happiness in his soul. Each day married to Grace blessed him with the unexpected, making his days never dull.
Life with her was an adventure of the heart.
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THE END
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Check out the next book in the False Rumors series in Spring 2024
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