The Last Heiress by Bertrice Small

Author:Bertrice Small
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Chapter 11

It was madness. They both knew it. What had encouraged her to speak so openly to him this evening? But she knew. Baen MacColl was a man of honor. He would love her to his death, but he would have never said a word to her, so she had no choice but to speak her own heart. She wondered about his father, this man known as the master of Grayhaven. Did he really demand such fealty from his bastard son? Or was Baen’s sense of duty to his sire overstrong? She had to learn the truth. Of course, she had already made up her mind about their situation. And she had a plan.

Thomas Bolton had teased her about seducing the Scot, but that was exactly what Elizabeth had in mind. She would entice him into her web. They would become lovers, and then he would never leave her. She felt not the slightest modicum of guilt over her design. The master of Grayhaven did not really need Baen MacColl. But Elizabeth Meredith did. And when the die had been cast, she would cajole him into a handfast union, which was good for a year and a day but no more. But at the end of that year, or even sooner, she would have convinced him that she, and not his father, was the fate for which he was destined. They would then wed under the auspices of the church. Elizabeth smiled to herself, well pleased. Her scheme was flawless.

They remained in the hall that evening. She played a game of chess with Will, and then declared herself fatigued. “I must see to Maybel and Edmund before I sleep.”

Baen watched her leave the hall. His head was filled with confusing thoughts. She was not nobility, but she was the heiress to much land. His father was minor nobility, but his mother had been nothing more than a cotter’s daughter. Her father had been a knight. Yet her mother was a country woman, even as Elizabeth was. Perhaps in blood they were evenly matched. Perhaps? Her mother seemed to like him. Lord Cambridge had not opposed the friendship Elizabeth Meredith had for Baen MacColl. Indeed, all at Friarsgate appeared welcoming of him. Did he dare to hope he might gain her as a wife? Become of man of means?

But what would Colin Hay say to such a match? Would he even consider allowing his eldest son to marry Elizabeth Meredith? His father was not overly fond of the English. Yet Baen could see little difference between his family and Elizabeth’s. Both were people of the land, with a love of country and a respect of Holy Mother Church. But if this miracle were to happen he should have to relinquish his loyalties to his homeland, to his family. He would no longer be a Scot. But could he be English? It was a difficult conundrum, and he was probably better off the way he was. Baen MacColl, the master of Grayhaven’s bastard.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.