“Ye will, in time. If I find yer answers satisfactory.”
He scoffed, looking insulted. “I didnae come here for an interrogation, McGhee. I was promised a wife, and I will have what I was promised.”
“Ye were promised nothing but an opportunity to meet with her, and as her guardian, it is me responsibility to ensure she is courted by a man of high standing,” Darragh clarified. “And the decision lies partly with me, as she also has a say in the matter.”
“Now I believe ye’re mad, McGhee,” Laird Douglas snickered. “Ye’re lettin’ the lass make such decisions for herself? When have ye ever ken a woman to make sound decisions? Ye disappoint me, McGhee.”
“So I assume that when ye marry, yer wife will have nay say in the runnin’ of yer household?”
“Aye,” he answered. “Her role is to bear me heirs, and if she fails to do that, I will find another lass who can do so.”
Talia reeled back in shock, wondering if perhaps she had heard wrong. Even Darragh looked taken aback. His lips were parted in shock, but soon, he schooled his features into calm.
To think she had assumed yesterday was the worst. The first question had revealed a dearth of sense in the man she had considered handsome.
Honestly, if this was the kind of men Darragh thought to introduce her to, he needed to reassess his acquaintances.
“And how many children do ye wish to have, Douglas?” Darragh asked calmly.
“Oh, as many sons as possible,” Laird Douglas answered. “I want at least six, so when the elder is sickly, there are at least six others to take his place. I daenae want any daughters. They are good for naught but breeding, and they’re expensive to maintain.”
Talia’s mouth fell open at the casual way with which he spoke the words. Was it that he didn’t think or that he didn’t care how his words would be interpreted?
She shifted her gaze to Darragh, whose face had turned stonier than she had ever seen it. Knowing him, he was barely holding back from throttling the man.
“How often do ye and yer men go to town for drinks, Douglas?” he asked. “I am curious to ken how ye entertain yerself when runnin’ yer clan gets overwhelming.”
“As a man of passion, surely ye understand the need for sport andsatisfaction,” Laird Douglas replied casually, uncaring that he was speaking to the guardian of the woman he was seeking.
“Indeed.” Darragh nodded. “Tell me more. I am curious to ken how ye get yer sport andsatisfaction.”
Talia grinned at the jest and turned to watch Laird Douglas lean closer, like he was about to reveal a great secret.
“I daenae need to go to the village often, but when I do, there is an inn I favor because their barmaids are by far the bonniest on me lands,” he said, keeping his voice low. But Talia heard every word. “If ye ever visit me lands, I will introduce ye to me favorite, a little buxom thing that is very good with her?—”
“What do ye think yer estate is worth now, Laird Douglas?” Darrgah cut in. “Are ye in any debt?”
“Me estate is as old as me family name. As such, we need to do some repairs to restore it to its former glory,” Laird Douglas answered with a pompous look. “I may nae have much now, but with her dowry, I will rebuild me castle and be able to employ one or two servants to help her with the work.”
Talia’s eyebrows rose in surprise. It was only because she didn’t want to draw attention to herself that she kept from scoffing.
She had met and overheard her fair share of foolish men, but never had she witnessed such blatant foolishness that she was infinitely amused.
What an entertaining morning this turned out to be.
She looked at Darragh, whose jaw was tight with probably suppressed rage. As a stickler for propriety, it must hurt himto hear this man speaking so carelessly about his title and the woman he hoped to wed.
“What about yer farmers?” Darragh asked. “Surely they pay their rent.”
“There arenae so many as to do more than put food on me table,” Laird Douglas replied with a disgusted look. “They started by complaining about the poor harvest, like I am responsible for keeping the land fertile. Then, when I increased their rents, they started to leave. But it matters nae, for when I am wed, they will be begging to return to me lands.”
Now, Talia didn’t know whether to laugh or to feel offended that someone so insensible had been considered a suitor. She turned to look at Darragh, and even he, who usually sported a blank expression, could not hide his horror and shame.
“I believe ‘tis time ye leave, Laird Douglas,” he announced, rising to his feet. “I have heard everything I need to.”
Even if he hadn’t told the man, she was more than ready to. For someone who looked so handsome, the words that had escaped his mouth were rotten. He was by far the most disappointing man she had ever had the displeasure of seeing.
She was grateful to Darragh for making sure she was not ultimately saddled with making conversation with such a man because even from a distance, she was nearly moved to violence.
