Questions for a Highlander

by Angeline Fortin

  “Bad enough.”

  “Did he betray you with another woman?”

  “Let’s just leave it as ‘he betrayed me’, shall we?”

  Sensing she wouldn’t reveal more, Jack instead took inventory of the lass before him, the wheels of his mind spinning. She was a true beauty, yet very different from the graceful, cool loveliness of the countess. He, for the first time, could not imagine how any man could forsake a woman such as this. Why, if she were his…Jack shook his head at such an insane thought. Women were all the same at heart, some were just easier to talk to. Intelligence made all the difference. But still, he could not imagine being the man who had driven Kitty away. What fool would treat her so? Plus, to risk losing her fortune! The man must truly be a buffoon.

  “A divorce could take years.”

  “It could for someone who wasn’t the daughter of Lelan Preston,” she told him cockily. “I suspect it will take little time at all, and Evie agrees with me.”

  The daughter of Lelan Preston stood before him! Haddington knew his time was running out. He had been forced recently to take a loan. Not from MacKintosh, though he had offered many times, but rather from Abby’s grandmother, Lady Boughton. Family enough to ask, but not close enough to make the situation uncomfortable. He rarely saw the old girl. Nevertheless, he couldn’t hold out forever. Time was of the essence. It was one thing to know that creditors were pursuing oneself, but it was quite another to have them meet you on the front steps as you left your home. Embarrassing, really. Time was getting short. He had put off the man with the promise he would be wedding a large fortune soon. This must be done or he would surely land in prison. Bloody hell, prison for what his father and brother had done. He wouldn’t have it. He simply would not!

  However, there was an opportunity to be had here if he were bold enough to snatch it up. Perhaps if he helped Katherine Hayes while she got her divorce, befriended her and offered his steadfast support, he could snap her up himself when it was through. Assuming it would happen as quickly as she thought, he could take this time to woo her with friendship and seduction, become a champion for her cause. In turn, she would become his lover. From there it wasn’t hard to imagine that she might like for him to make an honest woman of her and offer her his name. His title. Then, when all was said and done, she and her fortune could be his!

  It was an ideal solution to surmount his financial woes, as well as the lust that pounded through his veins when he was near her.

  Plotting this new course in his mind, Jack knew he had to find more ways to see Kitty than those a normal day might offer. He needed to spend time with her, to seduce her so thoroughly that even when they were apart he would linger in her mind. He considered the events of the days to come, searching for opportunity. “My sister sent me a note inviting me to her dinner party two evenings hence,” he informed her at length.

  “That was lovely of her.”

  “Were you planning on attending?”

  “I hadn’t thought about it.”

  “I’d like it if you would,” he compelled with the intensity of his eyes. “Say you will come.”

  “Very well.” The words popped from her mouth before she might stop them and she had to wonder at her quick acquiescence.

  “And will you ride with me in the morning?”

  Kitty looked up into his hot golden eyes and felt the attraction between them tug at her like an irresistible lure. It was madness, these thoughts chasing through her mind. Not only was she a married woman but he was an inveterate womanizer and seducer. Eve and Abby had told her all about Jack and his reputation with women. He would never do naught but tease, flirt, seduce… “Yes,” she whispered softly, surprising herself.

  “I look forward to seeing you in the morning then.” Taking her hand, he pressed a warm kiss to her palm.

  “All right,” the words slid out slowly as she wondered at his behavior. Wondered at her own.

  With an elaborate bow, he left her to her day.

  Chapter 10

  “Missy, your sister would like you to join her and the Lady MacKintosh and Lady Moira for luncheon,” Sung Li informed Kitty with a tap to her door not long after Jack had left.

  “Abby and Moira are here! Oh, how wonderful!” It had been ages since she had seen either of her old school chums – since her wedding, in fact! The four of them had attended the Folkestone Ladies Academy together for almost five years, where they’d become the closest of friends. Their quartet had managed to get into more scrapes than any other group of girls, but they had loved each other so much, even spending many a holiday together at Abby’s grandparents’ estate in southern England. It was much like having more sisters.

  Now, Abby MacKintosh was officially Eve’s sister-in-law since Eve had wed the Earl of Glenrothes, the eldest brother of Abby’s husband Richard. Moira MacKenzie was yet unmarried at twenty-six years and was the sole heir of her father Jamie MacKenzie, Earl of Seaforth, and her maternal grandfather Neill Mercea, the Marquis of Landsdowne. Eve was to sponsor her for her very first Season soon, starting with the little Season in the fall. Given Moira had been in love with Vincent MacKintosh, the MacKintosh brother between the earl and Richard, for as long as she had known her, Kitty had been surprised to hear that Moira was on the hunt for a husband at last. She would be a great catch for some man one day.

  Finding the women in the small family dining room, Kitty greeted Abby and Moira with a hug and kiss. “I can’t believe Eve took so long to tell us you were here!” Abby exclaimed exuberantly. “We would have been over two days ago if we had known!”

  “We certainly would have!” Moira agreed, taking her turn in Kitty’s exuberant embrace.

  “Oh, my dears! I have missed you so!” she exclaimed to them both. “Moira, don’t you look lovely!” Moira was a true Scottish beauty with her flaming red hair, brown eyes and the temper to match. Then she turned to Abby. “And look at you! No one would ever guess that you bore twins just a few months ago!”

  Indeed, Abby looked fabulous, considering how Eve had described her as looking just a month before. “Where are the babies? Are they here?”

  “Where else would they be?” Abby laughed. “Richard just took them up to the nursery for a change before they come to meet you. Kitty, I must say you look wonderful as well. I can’t believe it’s been so long!”

  “I was thinking that very thing as I was coming down.”

  The door of the parlor burst open then and Hannah ran into the room followed by Laurie, Abby’s four year old son Tristram, and Richard MacKintosh carrying an infant in each arm. Hannah crossed the room and flung herself at her mother. It was hard to believe her daughter was four years old now as well. She was the terror of the household staff and the stable grooms, so full of talk and tales of her adventures. There was nothing better in the world than to be the mother of such a child, Kitty was sure. She looked over at Abby and her sister and knew they felt the same. Richard passed a baby to Eve and Kitty, who were soon cooing at the beautiful baby girls, and tossed his son in the air, to the toddler’s squeals of delight. His laugh was genuine as well.

  Through her friend’s letters, Kitty knew Richard truly enjoyed his children but seeing it in person, Kitty’s heart twisted in a pang of envy. She looked down at the tangle of long blond curls that was currently trying to burrow itself into her skirts. Hannah would never know such a father and she would never have such an open, affectionate love. The thought nearly brought tears to her eyes.

  She kissed the top of Hannah’s head and drew her up to see the baby better. Used to her mother’s open love, the child simply hugged her in return and kissed first her cheek then the baby’s.

  “What did you name them?” she asked, trying to rein in her regretful emotions.

  “Eve is holding Corri Louisa and you have Bryn Leslie,” Richard answered. “They are practically identical, like you and Eve, but you can see that Bryn has a little birth mark on the inside of her wrist, just there.”

  Kitty
took the little wrist and kissed the mark. “They are so precious! I would just love to have another someday.”

  “You have plenty of time for more,” Abby assured her, so far unaware of the reason she had come to be in Scotland. “I hope you’ll come shopping with us tomorrow afternoon?”

  “I probably should not,” she answered, looking askance at Eve.

  “Why don’t you go, Kat?” her sister urged. “I have enough gowns already but I know you and Moira both need new wardrobes.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Of course.”

  Abby waved a hand with a pish-posh. “Nonsense! This isn’t an ‘either or’ invitation. Certainly the four of us would have a marvelous time together. We shall all go!”

  Eve and Kitty traded a look that shared an entire conversation in itself. Naturally, Kitty would share her troubles with their two dearest friends who would be able to hold her confidence. This outing would be the perfect chance to do so, since Kitty was reluctant to confess her humiliations with Richard and the children in the room. Eve gave Abby and Moira a little smile. “No, I think just Kitty tomorrow.”

  “You will join us for my dinner party the night after though, won’t you Eve?” Abby returned, tamping down her curiosity for the time being. “You did promise!”

  “I wouldn’t dare miss it.”

  “And Kitty as well? Say you’ll come! Some more of Richard’s brothers and his sister are finally coming back to town for a bit. You’ll want to meet them,” lured Abby.

  Eve reached over and patted her hand. “Just close family, Kitty, and a good time to catch up with everyone.”

  “Very well then, I’ll be there,” she conceded.

  “Brilliant! Merrill has asked you for his dinner partner. He’ll be pleased to know he won’t be sitting alone. I’d be interested in knowing how you met,” Richard added with a laugh.

  “Kitty certainly doesn’t need to go so far to find a dinner partner,” Eve stated with clear disapproval. “She can partner James or Connor even. Don’t let that man become a nuisance, Kat. You must inform him straight away that you are unavailable for his little scheme.”

  “Actually, I already have.”

  “Really?” Eve’s brow puckered in surprise. “And he still wants to partner you?”

  Kitty pursed her lips and responded dryly. “Could be that I am simply excellent company.”

  “Cheers!” Richard murmured in approval at her dry wit.

  “Well, just don’t let him get any ideas,” Eve conceded. “His tenacity can begin to wear after a very short while.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Chapter 11

  When I think something nice is going to happen

  I seem to fly right up on the wings of anticipation;

  and then the first thing I realize I drop down to earth with a thud.

  But really, Marilla, the flying part IS glorious as long as it lasts…

  it’s like soaring through a sunset.

  I think it almost pays for the thud.

  - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

  “I was beginning to think I would have to ride alone this morning, after all,” Jack said teasingly the next morning when Kitty walked Angel through the rear gates of the townhouse and onto the park road. Though his words were casual, Kitty thought she detected a trace of testiness lingering beneath his light words.

  “My apologies,” she tossed out, determined to have a pleasant ride. “Hannah insisted I take my breakfast with her this morning and would not take no for an answer. Have you been waiting long?”

  He had been, though he refused to admit it. He had awoken this morning eager to face the day, eager to see her smile more than he cared to contemplate. But just seeing her walk toward him as if she hadn’t a care in the world, as if she didn’t share this puzzling, urgent need to see him again, had put his temper into a spin. Shaking it off, now that she was present with a breathtaking smile upon her face, he continued, “I thought we might ride over to the Queen’s Park where we might have a bit more of a run and perhaps ride through the Princess Street Garden as well.”

  “Sounds lovely,” she agreed, thinking it was odd that all the parks were named for royalty, unlike the Central Park in New York which she thought more aptly named for its location.

  “Who is Hannah?” Jack asked a few minutes later, as they rode down the Prince’s Street toward the park.

  “My daughter,” Kitty told him as they moved side by side. “She’s just four and believes that everyone’s actions should revolve around her needs and wants. I fear I quite spoil her. Would you like to meet her sometime?”

  He hadn’t known she had children, but Jack shrugged. “Why not? I like children well enough, so long as they refrain from spewing their bodily excretions on me.” Though the words were an extension of his natural playful cynicism, the look on her face told him Kitty had not taken them at all in the spirit they were given.

  Kitty scowled at him, remembering all the times Freddie would push Hannah away from him or slap her aside if she got him dirty. The previous summer at Newport had been the worst, when gentlemen would don their white linen suits against the summer heat while children naturally found their way to the nearest dirt pile. She shook the memories away but wondered if Jack would react the same way if grubby hands grabbed onto him. No, her heart denied, but her mind told her she knew better than anyone how deceiving a man’s public persona might be. “Never mind, then. I wouldn’t want you to risk your pristine appearance.”

  Not understanding what had garnered such brusque mockery, Jack pulled his mount to a halt and held out a hand to her pleadingly. “Kitty, I was merely teasing, as I tend to. ’Tis how I am, but I like children very much. All of Abby’s, and Evelyn’s little Lord Shaftesbury. I would be honored to meet your daughter.”

  “It might be better if you didn’t,” she hedged, setting Jack’s teeth on edge.

  “Let me meet her,” he insisted, wondering why such a small thing now seemed like some mountainous hurdle he had to overcome.

  Kitty shrugged as if she hadn’t a care. “Very well.” But she would be watching him nonetheless. “You can come up for a moment when we finish our ride.”

  Her tone showed a caution still prompting Jack to wonder what worries she had. But reaching the eastern end of the park, she kicked her mount into a light canter and he set his qualms aside and raced to keep up. She had an excellent seat, he noted as he followed along behind her. Her posture was erect and her hands light on the reigns. In truth, she made the challenge of the sidesaddle look effortless as she urged the Frisian into a gallop across the open stretch of lawn that extended up the center of the park. It didn’t take long for her dark looks to melt away as they rode and by the time they pulled up at the far end of the tract, her eyes were bright and excited, once more rousing his passions as easily as the sun bursting from a cloudy sky.

  “You ride well,” he complimented honestly, pushing his arousal aside with no little effort. It wouldn’t do to rush things along with a woman like Kitty.

  “I love to ride!” she beamed with a sunny smile. “I haven’t been able to ride too much in years but when Evie and I were girls we used to dash all about Newport every summer. Sometimes we would race right along the cliffs and terrorize our mother to no end.”

  “Evelyn has mentioned your home there before.” Jack recalled her vivid descriptions and the look in her eye when she spoke of the place. It had been one of the few times the light in her eyes could compare to Kitty’s. “It must be a magical place to garner such love. I would like to see it someday.”

  Feeling Jack was just being trite, Kitty merely answered, “Of course. When you are next in America you should just drop by.”

  Haddington wondered if his sincerity was such a rusty tool so long disused that one might not recognize it from him anymore. She had thought his interest in her child and home were mere platitudes while, in truth, he discovered to his own surprise that he spoke honestly w
hen he expressed his interest. For some reason he wanted to know the things that were dear to her. A thought he didn’t care to dwell upon.

  “You ride very nicely, as well,” she complimented, while taking in his bottle green riding jacket and buff pants. He looked gorgeous, of course, though he was once again hatless and his cravat was only loosely knotted, allowing his collar to be opened a button at the top. He cared not at all for an elegance of appearance, but merely dressed for comfort. More likely he knew such dishevel was more appealing to a woman than any heavily starched shirtfront might ever be. Indeed, he probably did it by design.

  He had also chosen to leave off the pomade today that had slicked back his hair the previous morning, but Kitty found the unfashionable tousle suited him better. Not only was it lighter in color without the oily paste, but it tempted Kitty to sink her fingers into the thick mass and pull him close to her. The compulsion brought her thoughts to an abrupt halt as she stared at him with budding awareness.

  Seeing the look that stole across her features, and the flare of her eyes, Jack had to wonder where her thoughts had wandered, for surely she was not thinking about their ride any longer. Instead, her eyes had taken on a glint of distinctly sensual heat. Jack shook his head ruefully, certain his wishful thinking was allowing him to see what he wanted. He was a master seducer, to be certain, but even he was man enough to admit that seduction of a married lass took time.

  Of course, she had left her husband, he reconsidered thoughtfully. Might be he should revamp his seduction to emulate what he might normally engage in to woo a widow. Surely, if her husband had brought Kitty to such a drastic step as divorce, it had been some time since she had been physically satisfied, if indeed she ever had been. Her needs might currently be more on par with those of a lonely widow, thus requiring the path of seduction to be a little bolder, more sensual. It bore consideration.