Read Heather Song for Free Online Page A

Gwendolyn, then beginning to stand up against Olivia and in his reconciliation with Iain, and finally in his more active and benevolent relations with the community as a whole, nearly everyone was eager to give him the benefit of the doubt. While many people thrive on believing the worst about their fellows, and enjoy nothing more than spreading low gossip, I think there are an equal number who are eager to find the good and believe in it.
    As we began being more a part of the community, he became all the more beloved by the people. He went to church occasionally, maybe once every month or two. I didn’t mind going by myself, and he felt no stigma about not being regular. I think Reverend Gillihan wondered why I came alone. But for all the townspeople to see Alasdair even once a month was a blessing. He was so liberated, in fact, and so free in his newfound self-confidence, that to any potential criticism—such as his not going to church more often—he always replied with a laugh and, “Let them eat cake!”
    When I went to church alone, I continued to sit up in the duke’s box, or the laird’s loft , instead of down in the regular pews. Actually, when Alasdair didn’t accompany me I asked Alicia and our cook, Jean Campbell, if they would like to go with me, which they often did. But then we split up when we entered the church, them to the pews, me up to the loft. I didn’t like it at first, afraid it would appear that I felt entitled to a more exalted position. But since Alasdair and I sat there when he joined me, I thought it might reflect badly on him if I behaved differently when I was alone. I tried my best to accustom myself to it.
    We had not once seen Alasdair’s sister, Olivia, since our return, nor had she been in church. Everyone knew there was bad blood between them, so we didn’t want to be too forward in making inquiries. Eventually we learned that she and her husband, Max, had bought a house in Aberdeen, ostensibly to make his work on the offshore oil rigs more convenient. It was a relief to know she wouldn’t be in Port Scarnose spreading her subtle poison about Alasdair and me.
    Alasdair had already begun some changes and renovations before the wedding; we now continued and expanded them. Together we set about personally visiting every tenant whose rent was directly payable to the estate to determine whether the rent was fair, and to learn whether there were hardships or grievances we should know about.
    In many cases, rents were lowered. In some cases back payments were made to tenants to correct what Alasdair now considered excessive rent from past years. Alasdair also made available the purchase of property from the estate to those who might desire it, and set up favorable terms allowing them to do so.
    Whatever grievances anyone might have had against him, or the estate, for any reason, Alasdair sought to learn the facts so as to remedy the matter justly. Though he still professed little overt religious belief, he reminded me of Zacchaeus, trying to make amends and restoration for his oversights and even sins of the past.
    For all he was doing, whatever they might have once thought, the people revered him.
    We also set about making improvements to the three villages that had once been in the feu of the former dukes of Buchan—​Findectifeld, Port Scarnose, and Crannoch—refurbishing walking paths, dredging out and upgrading the three harbors, improving and making necessary repairs to churches and public buildings. Alasdair made money available to borrow at low interest to any who desired to make improvements to their own homes. Lanes and parks were spruced up, buildings cleaned, flowers and trees planted in public places.
    We found more places to open the estate lands with gates and styles so that the villagers would be free to come and go in keeping with the right to roam and the public footpath system of Britain. The gate between the castle and the church was undertaken almost immediately.