One Night with the Laird by Nicola Cornick

Author:Nicola Cornick [Cornick, Nicola]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Fiction, Historical romance, Regency
ISBN: 9781460320921
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-28T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

THEY FOUND NO trace of Wilfred Cardross on Jack’s patrol. Later in the day he went out with the Methven men again, quartering the hillsides above the castle, searching the glens as far eastward as Kinlochewe and to Sheildaig in the west. They found nothing but a confusion of hoofprints and a burned-out fire within the shelter of an old shieling, no doubt from the previous night when the outlaws had lain in wait. Jack suspected that they had weakened Wilfred’s attack sufficiently that he would lie low for a while, but men could melt into these wild mountains as easily as ghosts. Robert had sent word to Edinburgh and soon there would be soldiers combing the countryside for their fugitive. But Cardross was wily and he had a grievance. Jack knew that they had not seen the last of him yet.

He felt frustrated as he rode back into Methven Keep. Anger with Cardross still burned fiercely in him. He wanted to string the bastard up for the way that he had treated Mairi. And one day he would hunt Cardross down and do precisely that. Mairi was under his protection now and it was a point of honor for him that he should keep her safe. He was the only one who could.

Dinner was a subdued affair that night, the grandeur of the great hall at Methven adding a somber cast to the proceedings. Dulcibella MacMorlan did not attend, much to everyone’s relief, and Mairi had pleaded tiredness to take a tray in her room. Lady Methven was also absent. Robert had told Jack that she was still weak after a recent bout of fever but that news of his engagement had lifted her spirits enormously. Jack tried not to feel too guilty. He doubted his grandmother would be as happy when she discovered that once the false betrothal had served its purpose Mairi would jilt him, thoroughly, so she had said, and with considerable satisfaction.

His mouth curved into a reminiscent smile. He was enjoying crossing swords with Mairi. She was quite a woman, brave, fierce at times, sharp-witted and with a sense of humor after all. That had surprised him. But he liked it. He liked the challenge she represented. He knew he was going to have to work hard if he wanted to persuade her back to his bed. He had respect for her now and he was going to have to show it. This betrothal was proving a great deal more interesting than he had ever anticipated.

A question from Robert on the latest consignment of Baltic timber he had imported through Leith drew him back into the conversation. Angus MacMorlan, Mairi’s elder brother and heir to the dukedom of Forres, was interested in investing and waffled on about government policy and profit and loss ratios through the removal of the roast beef and the arrival of the pudding. Eventually Lucy withdrew with her sister Christina and sister-in-law Gertrude to the drawing room while the gentlemen took port and a little while later they all took a dish of tea together.

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