“So that night in Haddington’s garden, what happened then?”
Chapter 38
I feel I have no choice remaining but to take my one last chance.
Wish me luck!
~From the diary of Lady Fiona MacKintosh—Apr 1893
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Despite Glenrothes’contention that they needed totalk, the silence hung heavily in the drawing room for several long minutes before the earl finally spoke.“It might be a difficult thing to convince the bobbies that Ramsay is our man in this whole thing with only our unfounded speculation to substantiate it.”
Aylesbury nodded.“But then I rather doubt you and your brothers will be willing to wait for the authorities to take the lead in rounding him up.”
“Quite so.”
“I also doubt that is what you wanted to talk about,” he added without further prompting.“Why I’ll be wanting to have a hand in Ramsay’s apprehension is, though.”
“Is there something that you feel gives you the right?”
“Yes.I love your sister, Glenrothes.”
The earl’s fingers curled on the arm of the sofa, fisting before he stretched them out once more.“You can imagine being the youngest of eleven children and the only lass, that we are all very protective of our Blossom.”
“Fiona might say too protective, but I have a sister of my own, Glenrothes.I do understand.”
“It was hard enough to imagine a fellow having the nerve to ask my permission to marry her.”A finger tapped restlessly against the upholstery before the earl fisted his hand once more.“I’m finding it even more difficult to hear a man confess his love for her.”
“I understand,” Aylesbury nodded.“To you, she will always be a child.”
Glenrothes nodded curtly.“Does my sister...share this affection with you?”
He winced, repressing a sigh.“She hasn’t confessed as much in so many words, but I believe so.”
The finger was tapping again.“I want you to understand, Aylesbury, I’ve always had a good measure of respect for you.You’ve been a friend to this family for a long while now, but when I see you come in here with her like that, when she clings to you...like that...when she has long shown nothing more for you than scorn, well, it makes me wonder what more might have happened.In truth, I wonder why I’m still sitting here and not over there, beating you to a bloody pulp.”
