Page 21 of Married for a Highland Debt
“Do ye think they are in love?” Moira asked, as she beat down some bread dough with a hefty fist.
“I hope so,” Ina put in. “I have never seen our laird sae angry! But those two had it comin’!” She shook her head. “I was listenin’ tae Angus Watson talkin’ this mornin’, an’ he says that he saw him kissin’ her just outside the stables yesterday. She is a bonnie lassie. How can he stay away fae her?”
Lizzie harrumphed and raised her eyebrows. “Aye, but ye know what that Angus is like!” she remarked dryly. “Loves the sound o’ his own voice!Just because he has a pretty face doesnae mean every word that comes out o’ his mouth is true!”
They all laughed, then Moira said: “I believe there is somethin’ between them. Bettie has no’ been tae see us since she got married. Maybe she is embarrassed tae face us now that she isnae a virgin anymore.”
“Aye,” Ina remarked. “Sometimes it’s the things a person doesnae say that gives them away. I think there is somethin’ between them.”
“Do ye think we will be seein’ anysigns soon?” Lizzie asked mischievously. “Pukin’ in the mornin’? Wantin’ tae eat coal? Sore breasts? I have had six bairns an’ I was sick as a dog wi’ every one o’ them.”
“Let us wait an’ see,” Moira suggested. “She might no get wi’ child at a’ if the fault lies wi’ him.”
“Aye, but ye cannae say that, hen,” Ina said sadly. “It’s always the woman’s fault even when it isnae. Let us wait an’ see. Moira! That bread isnae goin’ tae bake itself!”
Ninian could not focus on any work that day. The conversation with his aunt had thoroughly unsettled him, and his mood was not improved by the arrival of a stranger just as he had finally applied himself to the tiresome business of attending to the estate accounts for that month.
The man was tall and redheaded, with coarse features and the kind of arrogant manner that antagonized Ninian as soon as he looked at him.
“Fergus McDade,” he said, bowing politely. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, M’Laird.”
Ninian did not return the bow. “Related to Campbell McDade, I presume?”
“I am,” he replied, smiling. “His cousin. May I sit?”
“Of course,” he replied, his gaze boring into McDade’s.
Fergus McDade looked pointedly at the whiskey decanter on the shelf behind Ninian’s head, but Ninian ignored him. “I am a busy man, Mr. McDade, so please be quick.”
“Of course.” The other man cleared his throat. “It is about the matter of William Hamilton’s debts.”
“I have cleared his debts,” Ninian said grimly.
Fergus McDade shook his head. “Not so,” he said, his voice deceptively calm. “My cousin was not his only creditor, but he bought the debts of all the others. You bought his house, but the interest on that debt, and the rest of what he owes, is still outstanding.”
“This is not legal.” Ninian’s voice was grim and determined, even though he was unsure of whether McDade was right or not. Was it Campbell McDade’s right to demand interest on his debt? Ninian would have paid it had he known it existed, but he was in uncharted territory. He bought the house, and he had paid a few other debts for William Hamilton, but he had no idea of any other amounts he owed. Had Campbell McDade indeed bought all William’s other debts? That seemed highly unlikely.
“But it is, M’Laird,” McDade answered smugly. “And you know it is. Anyway, in a court, ignorance of the law is no excuse. My cousin has been very patient, but like you, he has a business to run, and if he is not paid, he will have to resort to other means to recover what is owed to him.”
“Are you threatening me?” Ninian gritted his teeth and had the satisfaction of watching the other man back away in fear. “What other means?” he growled.
“You have other properties,” McDade replied. “Much more vulnerable than this one. Your tenant farmers’ cottages, for instance.” As soon as he said it, he knew that it had been the wrong thing to say, as he saw Ninian rise to his feet, his big hands clenched into club-like fists.
“If any one of my tenants is harmed,” he growled, “if a stone from one of their cottages is broken, I will hunt you down and kill you. Tell your coward of a cousin to come and see me face-to-face. I will not tolerate your presence any longer. Get out of my sight.” Scowling, he advanced on Fergus McDade, then grabbed the collar of his tunic and dragged him across the room toward the door. When he got to it, he stopped and looked down into the other man’s terrified eyes.
“Tell McDade what I said. If he so much as touches one of my properties or harms a hair on one of my tenants’ heads, then I will send my entire garrison of eighty men to his home and smash it into powder. Do you understand?”
Fergus nodded frantically, and Ninian threw him into the arms of a waiting guard. “Please fetch my wife,” he said, trying to keep his tone calm. He was shaking with rage.
Bettina did not know what to expect when she was summoned to Ninian’s study, but she hoped for an apology or at least an end to their conflict. However, as soon as she entered the room, she saw by the look on Ninian’s face that it was not going to happen.
He was standing by the window that faced the loch, and she could see that his whole body was as tense as a bowstring. As he turned at the sound of the door opening, Bettina felt her heart begin to pound with fear, for the look on his face was one of thunderous rage. He strode across the room and stood in front of her, no more than a yard away.
“You told me that I had paid all your father’s debts,” he growled.
“I thought you had.” She was mystified.
“What about the interest?” he demanded.
