My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📗

scowled. “’Tis not a day Iwant to seize, lass. I thought ye understood that.”

No, Hero didn’t understand that at all. Shedidn’t understand anything of what he was saying. Surely, he wantedher? Even if she had mistaken the intensity of their mutualattraction, even if his affections did not run as deeply as hers,Ian had still given every indication of desiring her person. “Ithought you were seducing me.”

Ian laughed at that, running his hands up herbody until he cradled her face gently between them. “Aye, lass, Iwas seducing ye but moreover I was trying to court ye as a womanshould be courted.”

“Court me?” Hero repeated with a frown.

He looked as surprised as she did by hisconfession, but still he carried on determinedly. “Aye, yethick-headed lass,” he said. “Didn’t yer other beaux ever ask ye todance before?”

“No and I am not at all dressed for aball.”

Leaping away from Ian, Hero started andturned to stare at her father, who stood in the dark doorway.“Papa, what are you doing out of bed? Where is Cooper?”

The duke looked down at himself, and Herocouldn’t help but do the same. He was wearing his stripednightshirt and cap but no robe. Instead he had on a red huntingjacket and satin shoes with silver buckles. “My shoes are quite allright, I think.”

“Papa!” Hero turned to Ian almostdesperately. This interruption was the most ill-timed yet. Shewanted to hear what he was going to say. She needed some sort ofvalidation that when Ian said courting that he truly meantcourting.

“Harry, old chap,” Ian said with forced cheerto catch the duke’s wandering attention. “What brings you down solate?”

“Did I miss my invitation?” Beaumont askedbefore shaking his head. “No, no. That isn’t it at all. I came downto greet our guests.”

“Oh, Papa,” Hero sighed mournfully. Herfather was incredibly absentminded but rarely was he delusional.“We haven’t any guests.”

“But they are arriving,” he insisted. “I sawthem out my window.”

Hero shared a pained look with Ian. Anothermoment was lost to them. There were other problems much greater atthat moment than Ian’s intentions. “Come, Papa, let’s find Cooperand get you back to bed.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Excuse me, my lord,” Boyle said from thedoorway, looking not at the marquis nor at the curiously attiredduke but at the ceiling, though not with the studious expression ofone enraptured by the view but rather the detachment of one whodoesn’t wish to acknowledge what he is actually seeing.

“What is it, Boyle?” Ian asked inexasperation, not at all appreciative of another interruption. Theturn of events just moments ago required some discussion, or atleast reflection. Courting? He wondered at the word. At the truthof it.

The butler hesitated uncertainly as Beaumontfrowned mightily and went to wind up the music box. “It seems youhave guests.”

“So I said,” the duke boomed out. “Didn’t Ijust say so?”

Ian raised his brows, sharing a surprisedlook with Hero, who initially felt only relief that her fatherhadn’t drifted into true madness after all. “At this late hour?That’s … unusual. Isn’t it?”

“Very unusual,” Hero confirmed. “Who is it,Boyle?”

The butler’s lips pursed in the manner of aman who’s just bitten into a lemon. “It is Miss Kennedy, my lord.And her brother, Mr. Camron Kennedy.”

“Oh,” Hero said, pursing her lips similarly.She darted a look at Ian, who seemed neither puzzled nor disturbedby the names. “Have you met?”

“We have,” Ian said with a nod. “Miss Kennedywas … er, in residence when I arrived a month ago.”

“In residence?” Hero asked, darting a lookfrom the marquis to the butler, who had the look of a man whowanted badly to speak his mind but was putting tremendous effortinto not doing so. She looked back at Ian expectantly.

“Miss Kennedy had assumed the title a bitprematurely when Robert’s solicitor, Mr. Nash, had troubleslocating me,” Ian finally said diplomatically but Hero understoodwhat he was saying.

Scottish law did allow for a woman to inherita title, and Daphne Kennedy, as the oldest child of Robert’s onlysibling, his deceased sister Lucille, might have thought that shedid have a valid claim to the marquisate when Nash failed topromptly produce a direct male heir. Ian had told her that it hadtaken them almost a year to locate him in Greece, and Hero imaginedthat Daphne had been eager to assume the worst, arriving at DùnCuilean and settling in during the interim.

Hero would be willing to wager her entirewidow’s jointure that Daphne had been extremely disgruntled byIan’s appearance. Frowning at Boyle, Hero said, “You didn’t writeme of this.”

“In truth, I dared not, my lady,” Boyle said.“Miss Kennedy had threatened to let the staff go if Mrs. Potts or Idid anything to defy her authority. Without Mr. Jennings’s supportagainst her, there was little I could do.”

“Mr. Jennings stood in support of her claim?”she said in surprise.

Ian finally spoke. “I gather she had givenhim some reason to believe that I would never be found.”

Hero snorted, crossing her arms over herchest. “I can imagine the ‘reason.’”

“Where did you put them, Boyle?” Ianasked.

“I was uncertain, so I left them in thelibrary,” Boyle said, only to have his words followed by a burst ofbright laughter.

“Oh, Boyle, you should have known youcouldn’t leave me there for long!”

Hero and Ian both turned to see DaphneKennedy poised in the doorway with her younger brother lingeringjust behind her. Daphne continued into the room, pulling off hergloves as she came. Her gaze locked firmly on Ian as sheapproached, holding out her hand. “I don’t know what he wasthinking, my lord, coming to ask if I’d be welcomed. Of course, I’mwelcome, aren’t I?”

“Miss Kennedy. In truth, I thought after ourlast encounter, it would be some time before you gracedCuilean with your presence once more.”

Hero looked at him curiously from across themusic room, wondering what the encounter entailed when emphasizedin such a fashion.

“Oh, that! It’s in the past. No hardfeelings, of course,” Daphne continued, withdrawing her hand whenIan made no move to take it. “I wanted to speak with you once morenow that I have a plan that might suit both of us.” Daphne turnedin a circle, spotting Hero next to