The Heiress Bride - Catherine Coulter [122]
Her eyes twinkled at him for the first time. “I understand. But Douglas, you must have seen the ghost and she told you where we’d gone.”
“No, dammit!”
“What I don’t understand,” Sophie interrupted, “is why the Virgin Bride would tell Douglas. Doesn’t she think we’re capable of dealing with the situation by ourselves?”
“Oh God,” Sinjun said. “Sophie!”
Sophie clapped her hand over her mouth, darting an agonized look at Colin.
“So,” Colin said, “there is a situation, not that I ever doubted it. It must involve MacPherson. I assume you took care of him once you’d gotten rid of me this morning. My dear wife, what have you done with him? Is he dead? Did the three of you draw lots to see who would kill him?”
“Never,” Alex said.
“I would have liked to kill him,” Sinjun said wistfully, “but I didn’t think you’d approve. You’re fond of his father. No, the bounder isn’t dead. You do understand, don’t you, Colin? I had to do something. I had to protect you. You’re my husband. He would have snuck up on you, stuck a knife in your back; he’s that sort of man. Or he would have sent some of his bullies, like he did in London when you got stabbed in the leg. He has no honor, no—”
Colin didn’t move a muscle, but Sinjun saw the tic by his right eye. He said with superb calm, “This is all quite interesting, don’t you agree, Douglas, Ryder? My wife, who is also your little sister, thinks I’m helpless as a motherless foal. She enjoys unmanning me. She believes me feeble, a fool, unable to see to the truth of things, unable to protect myself when appropriate. What do you think I should do to her?”
He didn’t sound very amused now, Sinjun thought.
“You’re her husband,” Douglas said. “You will do whatever is necessary to keep her safe.”
“I should like to know,” Ryder said thoughtfully, disregarding Colin and Douglas and still clutching his wife’s upper arms, “how you three all got together.”
“The Virgin Bride visited Alex, naturally,” Sophie said. “She normally only appears in the countess’s bedchamber, as Douglas very well knows, except for that time when I first came to Northcliffe Hall. Then she welcomed me in your bedchamber, Ryder.”
“Bosh,” said Ryder. “You were anxious for me to make love to you, and when I didn’t come to you quickly enough, your female brain decided upon something dramatic to relieve your anxiety. That or Sinjun played the Virgin Bride again. Alex’s brain has done the same thing.”
“But she does usually visit only the countess’s bedchamber,” Alex said. “As Douglas very well knows.”
“That’s not entirely true. Once—” Douglas stopped and cursed. “Listen, all of you. Enough is enough. For whatever combination of reasons, all of us are here. There is a situation. I should like to get it resolved. Now, Sinjun, what have you done with this MacPherson fellow whom we don’t yet know?”
“We manacled him and locked him in a deserted croft.”
The three men stared at Sinjun, speechless for the first time in fifteen minutes. The chamber reeked with the blessed silence.
“We weren’t overly cruel,” Sinjun continued. “He has some length on the chain so he can walk about a bit and do private things as well. But the manacle was necessary. We couldn’t risk his escaping.”
“I see,” Colin said slowly. “And is Robbie to starve to death?”
“Oh no,” Alex said, eyes firmly on Colin, not on Douglas. “We’re taking turns going to the croft to feed him. We didn’t want you to suspect anything.” She sighed. “I suppose it’s all blasted to hell now.”
Douglas’s dark eyes twinkled, he couldn’t help it. “No,” he said, patting his wife’s pale cheek, “no, it’s not at all blasted anywhere.” He rose. “Ryder, Colin, shall we handle this situation to our satisfaction now?”
Sinjun gasped. “No, we won’t let you! Why don’t all of you just go back home—”
“I am home,” Colin said.
“You know what I mean. We don’t need your interference. Everything is going splendidly. There