Page 101 of Claimed Highland Brides

CAST UP ACCOUNTS

Three days after he left Braenaird Keep, Delwyn rode into Edinburgh. He had made good time due to his fast horse and the minimal time he took to rest. Even when he closed his eyes, he had difficulty sleeping due to the various worries that plagued him. He worried constantly for Jamesina; what she was doing, what she might be thinking. He wondered what she’d told her family about his absence. It pained him that she might be embarrassed by him or that her sisters would despise him for his actions.

I deserve it. All of it.

His heart fell as he folded in on himself with misery.

He rode to the inn at World’s End, situating himself with the wall at his back and keeping an eye on everyone in the room. For all he knew, the entire bar might be in league with Maegan’s kidnappers.

A serving girl came up to him and smiled. “What will ye have good sir?” she asked.

“A tankard of ale please.”

“Right away sir.” She gave him a coy glance before twirling around and swaying away, making sure that her assets were on display. Delwyn sighed, wanting to tell her that he was married and that she should stop wasting her time. That reminded him of Jamesina and what she’d said to him. Not that it was ever far from his mind.

Go and rescue yer sister. But dinnae come back here. There is nothing left here for ye.

“She didn’t mean it. She couldn’t have meant it,” he murmured to himself.

“Wha’ did ye say?”

He jumped, looking up to see the serving girl staring quizzically down at him. “Oh! I wasn’t speaking to you.” He pointed at the tankard on her tray. “Is that my ale?”

She looked down at it as if she’d forgotten what she was carrying. “Aye, it is. There ye go.”

She picked it up and put it down in front of him with a wide smile.

“Thank you.”

She gave him another smile and waited as he dug out a coin. Still maintaining eye contact, she tucked the coin into her cleavage. “Is there anything else ye need?” She fluttered her lashes at him.

“No thank you. I’ve a wife at home.”

The serving girl snorted, rolled her eyes, and flounced off. Delwyn gave a deep sigh, eyes on his drink. He was surprised when he felt someone take a seat opposite him. He lifted his eyes to see the solicitor, the one he’d spoken to when he first landed in Edinburgh, sitting across from him.

He cocked an eyebrow, waiting for the other man to speak.

“Ye have a package for me?”

Delwyn’s eyebrow rose higher. “Well, at least this time you are not pretending not to know Neacel Hunter.”

The solicitor shrugged. “I do some legal work for the Hunter Clan. Neacel is a Hunter.”

“Oh, and you think collecting the bounty for abducted young women is part of your ‘legal work’?”

Angus shrugged. “As far as I ken, the lass came here of her own free will. Naebody made her leave her father’s hoose and come awa’ wi’ Neacel.”

Delwyn’s face twisted. “You bastard!”

Angus shook his head, “D’ye want tae trade insults, or do ye want yer sister?”

Delwyn sighed. “I have the gold you asked for.” He reached for his bag, putting it on the table. Angus barely looked at it.

“I’m afraid ye’ve misunderstood us. We dinnae want yer gold. We want the deed tae the mine.”

Delwyn’s heart dropped. “That was not the agreement.”

“According to my brief, it is. Ye get us the mine, we gi’ ye yer sister back.”