The Heiress Bride - Catherine Coulter [39]
Angus relaxed a mite, for curses were a wise man’s way to relieve his spleen.
Colin strolled to Douglas and handed him a brandy. “How long do the two of you plan to stay? Don’t get me wrong. You’re welcome as my brothers-in-law to remain as long as you wish, but there are few furnishings here and thus it wouldn’t be very comfortable for you.”
“Who are the MacPhersons?” Douglas asked.
Colin said calmly enough, “They are a clan who have feuded with my clan for several generations. Indeed it all started around 1748, after the Battle of Culloden. There was bad blood there because the laird of the MacPhersons stole my grandfather’s favorite stallion. The feuding finally stopped when I married the current laird’s daughter, Fiona Dahling MacPherson. When she died so mysteriously some six months ago, her father seemed not to blame me. However, the eldest brother, Robert, is vicious, unreasonable, greedy, and utterly unscrupulous. When my cousin visited me in London, he told me the MacPhersons, led by that bastard Robert MacPherson, had already raided my lands and killed two of my people. Joan is correct. It is very likely one of them penned that letter. The only thing is, I can’t imagine how they knew where I was or how any of the sniveling cowards had the cunning to come up with such a plot.”
“Why the hell do you call her Joan?” Ryder said.
Colin blinked. “It’s her name.”
“Hasn’t been for years. Her name is Sinjun.”
“It’s a man’s nickname. I don’t like it. She is Joan.”
“Dear God, Douglas, he sounds just like Mother.”
“True,” Douglas said. “Sinjun will bring him around. Back to the MacPhersons. I don’t want my sister in any danger. I won’t allow it.”
“She may be your sister,” Colin said very quietly, “but she is my wife. She will go where I go and she will do as I bid her. I will keep her from harm, you needn’t worry.” He turned to Sinjun. His eyes glinted in the soft afternoon light but his expression remained utterly impassive, as did his voice. “Isn’t that right, my dear?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “Shortly, we will travel northward to Vere Castle. I will take very good care of Colin, neither of you need worry.”
“It isn’t that poaching bastard I’m worried about,” Douglas yelled at her. “I’m worried about you, dammit.”
“That’s very nice of you, Douglas, and understandable, since you’re fond of me.”
“I’d like to take a strap to your bottom.”
“Only I will take straps to her in the future,” Colin said firmly. “She doesn’t believe that now, but she will learn.”
“Sounds to me,” Ryder said very slowly, looking back and forth between the two of them, “yes, it does seem that you just might have met your match, Sinjun.”
“Oh yes,” she said, purposefully misunderstanding her brother. “He is my match, my mate for life. I was waiting for him and at last he found me.” She walked over to her soon-to-be-husband, who was standing by the mantel holding a brandy snifter. She put her arms around his chest, leaned up, and kissed his mouth. Douglas growled and Ryder, dear blessed Ryder, laughed.
“All right, you’re no longer a brat,” Ryder said. “I would like another brandy, Colin, if you please. Sinjun, do remove your arms from him, it might save him from further pummeling by Douglas.”
“This isn’t settled yet,” Douglas said. “I’m very upset with you, Sinjun. You could have trusted me, you could have spoken to me. Instead you just stole out of the house like a damned thief.”
“But Douglas, I understood your position, truly, and I respected it. But the fact was and is that Colin is innocent of any wrongdoing, and what’s more, he had instant need of my money and simply couldn’t wait for some sort of resolution that probably would never come. I was rather concerned about that, since both you and my money would still be in London. But that’s not the case now, thank God. I am glad you came—albeit you weren’t happy when you arrived—so that you and Colin can work it all out.”
“Joan,” Colin said very quietly, “one doesn’t speak about settlements in such a way. Certainly not in front of ladies, and not in the drawing