“Not Aden,” Matthew put in, frowning. “She and Robert are well suited.”
She forced a chuckle, even though hearing Vale’sname said aloud made her want to vomit. “Come now, Papa. A Highlander practically invited himself to your favorite club, in your company. That is not something that happens every day. I’m perishing of curiosity.”
And it happened to be supremely important to her possible escape from that awful hawk-faced man who also frequented the club, at least according to Matthew’s ramblings. Because although Aden had done more kissing than talking last night, she gathered that she—and Vale—were the reason for his sudden interest in being admitted to a gentlemen’s club. She hoped that was so, anyway.
“Very well. I take your point.” Her father grinned. “If you must know, it went quite swimmingly. That Aden has his wits about him. I’d forgotten that Eldridge has holdings in Scotland, but the earl began spouting his poor opinion of cotters and Scottish whisky before we’d even managed to take our seats.”
“Oh, dear,” their mother intoned, shaking her head. “Lord Eldridge is too old to be stomping on the pride of young men. However did Mr. MacTaggert react to being insulted?”
“He lifted one eyebrow and said—in that accent of his—that Eldridge’s land must be in the bad part of Scotland, and what a shame that was. The next thing you know, Eldridge is defending his property and the entire countryside.” Albert Harris laughed. “If there’s one thing a landowner can’t tolerate, it’s having people think his holdings are no good.”
“Hm,” Miranda offered, realizing she wasn’t at all surprised that Aden had managed to turn the conversation on its head, “no punching at all? The wags must be terribly disappointed.”
“More than likely,” her father said with a chuckle. “ButEldridge must have been relieved to see Aden brush off the insult like a dog not bothering with a flea. That is to say, you’ve all met Eldridge. Aden MacTaggert could likely break him in half with one hand while he kept hold of a mug of beer in the other. And still not spill a drop.”
“Oh, please, Albert,” Elizabeth countered, her own expression amused. “Mr. MacTaggert looks far too poetical to break people in half. It’s more likely Lord Eldridge would trip over one of the numerous young ladies swooning over this Aden and bloody his own nose.”
Well. Other women might swoon over Aden and his stormy green eyes and his overgrown wavy black hair and that straight, cynical mouth and that strong chin and hard, lean, imposing figure, but they would be risking their virtues if they did so. He was far too clever by half for most of them, anyway.
Miranda took a quick breath, surprised at the dark, squawking raven of her thoughts. She sounded jealous even to herself, and she certainly knew better than that. He might kiss with a heat and intimacy that curled her toes, but she had no idea if she was the only one he was kissing. He’d said he wanted her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going about bedding every female who caught his eye.
It wasn’t any of her affair, really, except that he’d promised to help her and that he was nothing like the stereotypical heartless, soulless gambler she’d expected. No one would approve of the idea that her partner’s attentions were divided. Miranda nodded to herself. That had some logic to it. She wanted his undivided attention because it would take at least that to extricate her from this mess.
“I’m going to ask Captain Vale to join us for dinner on Sunday,” her father announced.
She swallowed down the bile rising in her throat.“That’s not… Please, Papa. Don’t look for things—or encourage things—that aren’t even there. We’ve only just met, you know.”
“And what sort of father would I be if I waited until you completely lost your heart before I bothered to meet your beau and decide whether he was worthy of your hand in marriage?”
“Marriage?” she repeated, her voice squeaking. “That is precisely what I mean. Mama, please tell Papa that he’s being silly. Don’t force an outcome that we have no idea might otherwise be in the offing. For goodness’ sake.”
Elizabeth Harris narrowed her eyes. “I’m afraid I have to agree with your father in this, Miranda. I want to meet this man and learn his character before hearts are entwined—or broken. We’ve met Aden MacTaggert, whether you’ll admit to liking him or not, so it’s only fair we take a gander at your other possible beau.”
She would have to do it. She would have to invite Captain Robert Vale to her home, to meet her parents. He would no doubt charm them, much as Aden had charmed her father, and they would be a bit baffled that she, who’d remained single despite numerous offers of marriage, had ultimately chosen such an… unspectacular man. Not just his peculiar looks, but he would more than likely work very hard at seeming ordinary. Or as close to that as he could imagine, anyway.
“I’ll ask him, if you like,” Matthew piped up. “He was my friend first, after all.”
If you like him so much, you can have him, Miranda thought, but kept her mouth firmly shut. Nothing positive she said would be believed, because her tongue would blacken and fall out of her mouth if she tried to say anything nice or flirtatious or complimentary about Robert Vale. “Ask him, then,” she managed. At least it would be fewer words she needed to speak to the man.
Aden had advised that she be more… worldly in her outlook, and it made sense that she couldn’t fight Vale’s underhanded ways by fluttering her fan at him. But Aden had also said that she might enjoy certain things about living her private life as she chose. That should have appalled her; she’d been raised to be a lady, and was well known to be such. The idea that she could be as cunning and bold as she pleased while the face she showed in public would be the same one she’d always presented, however, had an appeal to it that she’d never expected. Aden had an appeal to him that she’d never expected. Was it as simple as saying that he wasn’t like those men who had ruined her uncle and driven her brother into debt—twice, now? Was that logic speaking up, or her heart demanding another excuse to kiss him?
How did one go about being cunning and bold, anyway? She hadn’t the faintest idea. If it would aid her in escaping from Captain Vale without publicly ruining herself and her family, she meant to figure it out. “Did you ever learn if Eloise and her family will be attending tonight, Matthew?” she asked, attempting to sound unconcerned.
“She’s attending. I didn’t think to ask about the rest of them.”
“Lady Aldriss told me that she means to at least make an appearance,” her mother took up. “She said so after dinner last night. Do none of you listen to polite conversation any longer?”
That must have been during one of the times she’d been lost in thoughts of heated kisses and Aden. “They are a rather raucous group,” she put in. “I couldn’t hear every bit of every conversation.”
“They are a very handsome family as well,” Elizabeth countered with a grin. “I’m certain that had nothing to do with your being distracted, though.”
Miranda’s cheeks heated. “Of course not.”
“Then you heard the exchange between myself and Francesca where I invited her and Eloise to join you and me for luncheon in the garden tomorrow?”
“But I have a b—”
“Ladies only,” Mrs. Harris broke in, before Matthew could finish. “So go to your boxing match.”
