She winced. “You know about the new rumors?”
“I know that Eddie is being a stupid ass. You are not a Scottish witch. At least not the way he means it. Or any of the other things he has said about you.”
She dropped her hands on her hips in that very forthright way that he adored. “I’m not a witch at all!”
“You seemed to have bewitched me.” Then he—slowly—caught her mouth with his.
How he loved the way she melted into him. One touch was all it took. She could be spitting mad at him, but if he reached for her slowly, waiting for her nod, she would give in. And once they kissed, everything locked in place.
She fitted him like a glove. And he needed her in the way a man needs air. It made no sense. He was a fool to take a notorious Scotswoman into his life. She would likely cause him all sorts of problems. But he didn’t care. She was in his arms, and he wanted her there.
Still, he was not a man to do things the wrong way. Seducing a virgin in her guardian’s house was not the way a gentleman acted. So—after a very delightful interlude—he forced himself to pull back. She didn’t want him to, gripping him with the kind of strength a man loves in bed, but then let him go.
“Sadie,” he said, his voice gruff.
“Aye,” she purred.
“We must talk about Lord Liddican.”
She winced, and he did the same. He did not want to bring that bastard into this moment, but he had to.
“Did he vote the way you wanted?” she asked.
“Yes. But he didn’t conveniently disappear into the countryside.”
“His mother-in-law said as much.”
His attention abruptly sharpened. “Is she all right? Her daughter and grandchild?”
“Safe for the moment, but it won’t last.”
He nodded. “I know.”
“What should we do about it?”
He smiled, a realization dawning slowly inside his heart. “You are asking for help? Lady Vengeance admits that she needs me?”
“Lady Vengeance has never been an idiot. She can beat the blighter up—”
“You will not!”
“But it would only be a temporary solution. He would come back harder and uglier.”
“And you would be in danger every moment that the bastard is alive.”
She sighed. “So what can we do?”
“The only thing that can be done short of killing him.”
“Yes?”
“He must go to a place where violence is required to survive. If the man will not give up his evil ways, then he must go someplace where everyone is just like him.” At her frown, he explained. “He must be transported.”
She gaped at him. “He would have to be convicted of a crime. Not just calling in his debts but caught in the act. And not against his wife, but someone important.”
“Yes,” he agreed as he straightened away from her. It was hard. He was hard. But they had more important things to discuss. “I wouldn’t suggest this except that I know you. When things become desperate for Lady Liddican and her daughter, you will do something rash to help. Likely at great personal risk.”
She shrugged, her expression delightfully coy. “I resolved to speak with you first.”
