As if that wasn’t exactly what he’d expected to happen when he’d set up Lachlan. And that was exactly whathadhappened.
Through it all, though, Devlin had contained his emotions quite admirably. But in order to do so, he had to revert to the duke of old, the stuffy, unflappable one who never lost his control, when Megan knew he’d wanted to tear into Canston just as he had the Scot, if not more so.
The viscount, after all, had arranged a situation that allowed Devlin to release his fury on the Highlander, something he’d wanted to do but couldn’t—without a good reason. And now he was faced with making amends to a man he could barely tolerate, and that stuck in his craw but good.
But now that he was finally alone in his study, or almost alone—he wouldn’t count her—he wasn’t containing any of those emotions any longer. And Megan knew well enough that he’d be working himself into the dark side of a rage if he weren’t distracted very quickly. But that wouldn’t do at all, since Lachlan had been sent for and he would be arriving shortly for some of that amends making.
So she cleared her throat to get his attention. “Did you mean it, what you said earlier, that you were finished with this matter, that Canston and Ables could fight it out in the courts themselves?”
He didn’t bother to stop, just nodded curtly. “I have the animals back. I don’t intend to waste my time further. And besides, Canston has got some powerful relatives. I don’t doubt his uncle will endeavor to sweep this under the rug. But his family will know they now have an enemy in me that they’ll regret. They won’t let him off withoutsomepunishment because of that.”
“And that’s enough for you?”
“I made a bloody fool of myself, Megan. I would just as soon not be reminded of it further.”
“Well, perhaps this will make that crow you’re going to eat taste a little better.”
“What will?”
“The news that MacGregor seduced Kimberly.”
Devlin stopped his pacing so abruptly, he almost tripped. “He didwhat?”
She nodded now, and quickly clarified, “Seduced our Lady Kimberly, spent the night with her as well, and was found in her bed this morning.”
“Bloody hell!”
“Oh, come now, I thought that would make you feel a little less foolish.”
“What it means is I’ll have to explain to her father how I let it happen!”
“Nonsense,” she scoffed. “There wasn’t a thing you could have done. Something like that, if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. It can’t be prevented.”
It could, of course, by simply separating the two lovers, as in kicking that Highlander out of his house as he’d wanted to do to begin with. But he didn’t say that. There was no point. His lovely wife would somehow counter whatever he said with some romantic drivel.
So he narrowed his eyes at her and demanded, “I suppose you’re delighted?”
“Well…I’m not disappointed. It would have been nice if they had gone about getting married in the acceptable fashion, but—I’m no hypocrite, Dev. We—ah, sort of did the same thing, if you’ll recall.”
A bit of color in his cheeks said she’d made her point. “He’s going to marry her then?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Seems rather happy about it, if you ask me. She doesn’t, poor girl. At the moment, she’s quite embarrassed.”
“As well she should be.”
Megan gasped. “Don’t youeven—” she began to rail at him, until she saw the slight turning of his lips. She finished with, “Wretch. We are the last two people who can cast stones. As for her father—”
“Yes, her father, who’s going to be in a fine rage and rightly so.” Devlin sighed.
“Ah—I think his rage might not be so fine, but a bit on the ugly side,” Megan confessed uneasily.
He raised a brow at her. “How so? Whatelsedo you know that I haven’t been informed about?”
“Just that the earl doesn’t like Scotsmen, any and all Scotsmen.”
“He’s prejudiced?”
She made a disgusted face. “Yes, very. In fact, he hates them so much, he’d probably disown his daughter if she married one.”
