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

to the door. “Lady Ayr and I are to bemarried. Today, in fact. Wish us well.”

“My lady!” the maid exclaimed as Ianleft.

“Terrible,” Hero muttered as the door closedbehind him and Ian returned to his own room with a softchuckle.

“Is that it, then? She’s the reason?”

Ian turned at the strident voice to findDaphne at the door to the Round Drawing Room. Looking back to theState Room, Ian knew that Daphne would have had a clear view ofwhich room he had come out of. Still, he was in no mood for anexplanation or an argument. He meant to have words with herregarding his suspicions but not yet. Not while he was stillsavoring his night and morning. “Not now, Daphne.”

Ian opened his chamber door and entered,swinging the door shut behind him. To his surprise, Daphne caughtit and entered behind him, shutting the door firmly.

“What are you thinking, lass? You cannae comein here.” Ian waved her away imperiously, before snatching hisdressing gown from a chair and slipping it on. “Now go.”

“Bah!” she swept his command away with asimilar wave of her hand. “It’s her, isn’t it? She’s the reason youdon’t want to marry me!”

There was no acknowledgement of hisattraction to or relationship with Hero that Ian was willing tobestow on this invidious woman, so he denied, “You are mistaken inwhat you saw.”

“It’s her fault,” Daphne insisted. “If sheweren’t here you wouldn’t have denied me. I knew the moment I heardshe was in Glasgow that she was going to cause me problems.”

Her words caught his attention and Ian’s eyesnarrowed on her. “You knew she was in Glasgow?”

But Daphne wasn’t paying him equal mind. Hereyes were glued to his bed, the covers rumpled and most hangingover the side. “You fucked her already?” she screechedincredulously.

The fury building in her was palpable, butIan’s was no less at her crude language. Rage boiled in his bloodand not only at the thought of her using that word to describe whathad occurred between him and Hero. “Were you responsible for Hero’saccident in Glasgow?” he grated out. His hands were fisted tightly,the urge to strangle her barely restrained.

“You fucked her!” Daphne shot back as shewent to the bed, yanking the covers away furiously. “Damn her! Iknew it. I knew it, that bitch! That whore!”

“Cease!” Ian grabbed her by the arms andglared down at her as he shook her. “I won’t tolerate you speakingof her that way.”

“Why not?” she spat out. “Because Hero issuch a lady? There isn’t a man in Glasgow that hasn’t wanted tofuck her. That’s why I didn’t want her here. She shouldn’t be heretaking what’s mine!”

“Is that why you tried to have her killed?”The question emerged softly, with stone cold fury.

“I didn’t try to have her killed,” Daphnedenied with a sneer. “Injured. Severely maimed, perhaps. A fewscratches to roughen up her pretty face. Didn’t stop her, did it?It took me a couple days to get my brother over here and that’s allit took, isn’t it? She drew you in like a dozen before you. What abunch of saps you men are.”

She had admitted to it; Ian could hardlybelieve it as he stared down into her resentful green eyes. Wasthere more? Had she taken that envious hatred of Hero a stepfurther? Ian reined in the urge to shake the answers out ofher.

Unaware of his thoughts, Daphne’s gaze becamecalculating as she continued in a more conciliatory tone. “Fine, soyou’ve had her. I don’t mind if you have a fling or two. You canhave all you want, but we can still marry. You can even keep her asa mistress on the side, if you like. I can’t imagine you would wantto if Hero is as cold as they say. Given the number of mistressesRobert had, she must be. Was she?”

“Do you really believe that I would wed youafter what you just told me?” Ian asked in amazement. “You tried tokill the woman … And the rest of it? Eliminating the competition orme? Either option would work out as well?”

Again, Daphne seemed to hear only part ofwhat he was saying. “The woman you what?” she taunted. “So it’slike that, is it? You think you love her? She’s good at that, isn’tshe? I think Cam is half in love with her, too. Why? Why her? God,I hate her!”

Blood boiling, Ian shook her again. “I havenever hit a woman but you might be the first if you don’t hold yourvile tongue,” he threatened, and Daphne stilled at his menacingtone. “I want you gone from here. You and your brother will leaveCuilean within the hour, do you understand?”

“Leave? Why?”

“I think you know very well the answer tothat,” he answered, waiting for some measure of the truth to berevealed in her gaze. Daphne did not look away, nor did she evenblink. “And you can call off your henchmen as well; they will be ofno more use to you. You will leave this place knowing that I ammarrying Hero. There will be no stopping it. No more accidents, doyou understand?”

A huff of disbelieving laughter escaped her.“My God, you bloody well think you’re in love with her, don’tyou?”

Ian wasn’t about to answer that question. Hewent to the door and opened it, gesturing that she should go.“Within the hour, Miss Kennedy.”

Daphne parted her lips to say more, butseemed to think better of it. Instead she shrugged as if it wereall of little matter. “As you wish, my lord, but when your bedturns cold—and it will—remember, I will be waiting for you.”

Ian shut the door firmly on the heels of herretreat, hoping that Daphne would leave peaceably now that she knewhe was on to her. Surely she would accept that her cause was a lostone and cease with her campaign to have Cuilean at any cost.

It would be easier to just have her arrested,and for that reason, his purpose in Ayr the previous day had beenthreefold. Not only had he gone to arrange for his marriage toHero, he had also gone to deliver his would-be assassin to themagistrate and speak with him regarding the attacks. His assailant,named Jim Cravet, had given