“Such as joy and laughter.”
Gilleonan rolled his eyes. “Not every lass appreciates those things. And ye dinna even ken if she’ll suit yer purpose for being here.”
“As tae that, I’d find another way tae obtain the silvers afore I’d give up my Megan.”
“We had no luck coming up wi’ any other way, Lachlan, or has that, tae, slipped yer mind?”
It was the sarcasm that earned Gilleonan another glower. “Iwillwin her, Gill,” Lachlan asserted, “and I’ll have the bonniest lass in the kingdom tae call my own when I do. So leave me be on this.”
Gilleonan shook his head. “I canna do that. I’d no’ be doing me duty if I didna point out tae ye the folly o’ this decision ye’ve made. And furthermore, a bonny-lookin’ lass doesna always make an agreeable wife, Lachlan. Aye, this one be bonnier than most, as I recollect. No one can deny that. But she be worse’n Nessa in her blatherin’, as I also recollect. Yet there’ll be other lassies out there who’ll be just as fine tae look upon, but no’ so irritatin’ on the ears. But ye willna even search them out.”
“Because it would be a waste of my time tae do so, now that I’ve found Megan again. And the circumstances under which we met her, Gill, is no’ an indication of the woman’s true temperament. She was understandably upset at that time, wi’ my carrying her off as I did. That doesna mean she has a high temper all the time.”
“Or it means just that.”
Lachlan narrowed his eyes on his cousin. “Then we’d be well suited in that, I’m thinking,” he said in a dark tone. “And ye’ll be givin’ it a rest now, Gill, afore I do something I’ll have tae apologize tae you for as well, come the morn.”
Gilleonan smiled innocently, “Och, now, ’tis time I found me bed. And I’ll see tae our cousin here for ye.” To that he hefted the now snoring Ranald over his shoulder and headed for the door. But there he turned to add one parting shot. “I’ve every faith ye’ll come tae yer senses in the morn, Lachlan me lad. ’Tis a fine quality ye have, yer ability tae avoid mistakes afore ye make them.”
Lachlan snorted as the door closed on his cousins. The mistake would be if he didn’t pursue Megan, and that would be a mistake he’d never outlive the regret of.
9
When Lachlan strolled boldly into the breakfast room the next morning, a room quite larger than most formal dining rooms, though much smaller than the formal dining hall at Sherring Cross, it was with the assurance of a welcomed guest. Devlin, at the head of the table, mumbled beneath his breath as he eyed the man with a degree of vexation and resignation, because the fact was, the Highlanderwaswelcome now—at least by the ladies in his family
Megan had convinced Devlin to her way of thinking, of course. He didn’t know how she managed it, but she did. And obviously, she’d wasted no time in informing the Scot of that change this morning. But Devlin wasn’t going to pretend to be happy about it, and the cold look he gave MacGregor left little doubt of his true feelings.
Lachlan didn’t miss that look or misinterpret it. He assumed it was his Aunt Margaret who had changed St. James’s mind. He would never have guessed that only Megan had that ability, and he would have been appalled if he knew her reason for wanting him to stick around. The same reason had prompted her to have the servants remove half the chairs at the long table, so that when Lachlan arrived, the only seat available was next to Lady Kimberly.
Kimberly and Lachlan noticed the shortage of chairs at about the same time. She blushed profusely at what she considered rotten luck. If she had been the one who had just come in to find the only chair empty would force her to sit next to the Scot, she would have made an excuse not to stay, no matter how hungry she might be.
But it would be too rude of her to make an excuse to leave now, too obvious that her exodus was a result of the Scot’s arrival, no matter how good an excuse she could have mustered. Not that she wouldn’t have hesitated to do so if only she and the Scot had been present. But Their Graces were both there, as well as the rest of their family, and she wasn’t about to embarrass them just because she found one of their other guests so odious.
Lachlan could have spared them both, but he gave no thought to doing so, not with Megan in the room. Instead, he flashed their hostess a brilliant smile, kissed his aunt on her cheek as he passed her, then plopped down in the only empty chair. There was an uncomfortable moment when Margaret, unaware that they’d already had bad feelings and words between them, introduced them to each other.
Kimberly survived that, but as soon as protocol allowed, she proceeded to ignore the man next to her and started up a discourse with the nice Lord Wright, whom she’d met the night before and who now sat across from her. That didn’t last long, however, since some remark by the duchess drew Lord Wright’s attention to her.
Before Kimberly could follow that conversation enough to join it, she sensed MacGregor leaning toward her just before he whispered, “I owe you an apology, for disturbing your sleep last night.”
She was surprised, surprised enough to glance toward him. Considering that he’d frightened her back to her room and threatened further rudeness of that kind, an apology had been unexpected. And considering that she had paid him back in kind—at least she hoped she had and that he wasn’t such a sound sleeper that she’d stayed up the rest of the night for nothing—his apology was unwanted too.
He sounded sincere, yet she had to wonder about that, as badly as he and his friends had behaved. And he seemed to be waiting for a like apology from her. Not bloody likely, she thought to herself.
To him, all she said as she looked back at her plate was, “Yes, you do,” in an equally hushed tone.
She didn’t have to glance at him again to know she’d caused his cheeks to flush with color. Whether in anger or embarrassment, though, was undetermined, nor did she particularly care. His apology, after the fact, did not erase the sleepless night she’d suffered through. And she sincerely hoped that he was just as exhausted as she was this morning, though to look at him, that couldn’t be determined either.
“I had my kinsmen on my back, lass,” he said by way of explanation, “due tae a decision I’ve made that they dinna like. What was your excuse?”
It was Kimberly’s turn to flush with heat again. Of course, he was referring to the noise she’d made as soon as his side of the wall had quieted down. And she had no excuse for making that noise, other than pure retaliation. Yet she still wouldn’t apologize.
He and his kinsmencouldhave taken their arguments elsewhere, after they had become aware that they were disturbing her peace. But no, they hadn’t done that, they’d continued to keep her awake…and she didnothave to justify her own behavior. She was the one who was still sick and could barely keep her eyes open to finish the meal set before her, while he had come in seemingly in great good spirits and in perfect health.
“Trying to justify your behavior last night does you no credit, MacGregor. I have had very little sleep in the last three days, two of those days due to your own lack of consideration for others.”
“Och now, so that’s your excuse, is it?”
“I amnotapologizing to you,” she hissed, “I am merely pointing out that your behavior was even worse than you supposed it to be.”
