Page 122 of The Lady Needs a Rogue
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Jon pinned Finn with a glare. “I trusted you to watch over my sister.”
“Aye, I did.” Finn’s tone was measured.
“For that, you have my gratitude,” Jon said. “But she should not have been gallivanting around London with dead men in her path and scandal brewing. You were supposed be protecting her.”
“Scandal brewing, eh, my friend?” Finn’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not thedead menthat worry you, is it, Jon?”
“You should have sent her home, to the country.” Jon seemed to evade his question. “She would’ve been safer there.”
“I wished to stay in London,” Macie spoke up. “If I’d expressed any desire to leave, Finn would have seen me safely home.”
Jon’s mouth pulled tight as he considered her words. “It was blasted poor judgement.”
“Macie is not a child,” Finn’s tone was hard as flint. “Ye’ve no right to treat her as one.”
Jon gave his head a rueful shake. “You had your own reasons to keep her here in London. Didn’t you, Finn?”
Finn regarded him coolly. “As a matter of fact, I did.”
“Your job was to protect Macie from her own schemes.” Jon rubbed the back of his neck, seeming to knead out a sudden tension. “I should not have trusted you to watch over her.”
“I’ve no intention of playing by yer blasted rules.” A muscle in Finn’s jaw tensed. “Macie is a woman... a beautiful woman who deserves a man who would move heaven and earth to have her.” He slanted her a glance that sent a little thrill coursing through her body.
Macie curled her fingers over her brother’s forearm, hoping to calm the storm in his expression. “Jon, there is no need for you to be upset.”
“You think not?” Jon slowly shook his head. “There is a sense of honor among men, Macie. Even among rogues. An unspoken code.”
“How very preposterous,” she scoffed, stepping back to glare at him.
He frowned. “Are you truly set on turning my hair gray?”
“Your hair is none of my concern, dear brother. And frankly, whatever happened between Finn and me is none ofyourconcern. I amnota problem you need to solve. I am not a crisis you need to manage.” Macie gulped against the sudden burningemotion in her throat. “And above all, I am not a possession to be bartered to the dullard with the most impressive title.”
“Surely you understand I’m looking out for you.” Jon’s expression softened. “For your future.”
She pinned her brother with a cool stare. “I’ll ask you to leave. I’ve heard all I wish to hear.”
“I will. Soon enough.” Jon rubbed his neck again. “But first, a matter of consequence remains to be discussed. If talk of your relationship, for lack of a better word, with Finn reaches Father, I can guarantee he will see little reason to do business with the Caldwell distillery.”
“The blasted contracts, eh?” Finn was calm, but anger flickered in his eyes.
“If you think the deal is set in stone, you’re wrong. Those contracts can be terminated.”
Finn’s expression revealed little of his thoughts. “So, that’s the way it’s to be, eh?”
“But cancelling the contracts will create a storm of its own,” Jon said, ever pragmatic. “People will ask questions.”
Macie held back the first ugly words that came to mind. She pinned him with a cold gaze. “And Father wouldn’t want that now, would he?”
“There is no way to predict the full repercussions,” Jon said, his tone infuriatingly even. “Therefore, I am suggesting a solution.”
“What in hellfire are ye talking about?” Finn demanded.
“It’s not complicated.” Jon drummed his fingers against the console table, his rhythm infuriatingly precise. “You’d intended to return to Scotland within the week. Stick to your plan. Go home to the Highlands.” Jon slanted Macie a glance. “And stay away from my sister.”
“How dare you interfere in my life!” Macie shot him a scowl. “I am so utterly disappointed in you.”
“I am looking at this realistically, Macie. A little discretion about whatever went on between the two of you will blunt the impact of any random tales that make their way back to Father.” He turned to Finn. “If you follow what I’ve suggested, I will do everything in my power to preserve the deal. Do we have an understanding?”
