Page 38 of Married for a Highland Debt
“I am real,” he laughed, then he put her away a little to study her. “Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head before stepping back into his embrace. “Not at all, apart from only giving me porridge for my first two meals. After I complained, he made me more comfortable. I am well, Ninian, apart from worrying about you.”
“No need,” he assured her, kissing her soft lips.
“Let us go home,” she begged. “I hate this place.” Then she cast a scathing glance at Kevin. “And I hate you.”
“The feeling, milady, is entirely mutual,” he replied with a sneer. “Now, as for the other matter...” He raised his eyebrows and began to walk back the way they had come.
Bettina looked at him questioningly, but he gave her an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
When they came to the door of Kevin’s study, he gave her a push toward the front door. “Go, Bettie. I will only be a moment.”
She gave him a puzzled look but obeyed him.
The two men entered the study, then Ninian took up the quill his uncle had put in his hand, read the document quickly, and signed it, making sure that the signature looked nothing like his own. He had deliberately rushed the whole proceedings to make sure that there were no witnesses, which made the document null and void, so he needed to escape before Kevin became aware of his oversight. He signed a copy with the same scrawl as before, then gave it to his uncle, who blotted them and held out his hand to his nephew with a smile. Ninian batted it away scornfully and strode out to help Bettina onto his horse before leaping on behind her.
“By the way,” Kevin said, with a smug smile at Bettina, “the estate is mine now, so you are not ‘milady’ anymore. You may call me ‘M’Laird.’”
“What?” Bettina stared at him in disbelief, then at Ninian. “What is going on?” she asked.
“I had to relinquish control of the estate to him in exchange for your freedom,” Ninian said bitterly. “He would have killed you, Bettie.”
“The exchange of keys will take place in three days,” Kevin stated. “So you have three days to pack your belongings.”
“Well, I suppose there is nothing more to say,” his nephew said flatly. “Goodbye, Uncle.”
“M’Laird,” Kevin reminded him, waving the parchment in the air.
“Goodbye,Uncle,” Ninian growled.
As soon as they were outside, Ninian gathered her into his arms and kissed Bettina so sweetly and for so long that she thought he would never stop.
“Oh, God, Bettie. I thought I had lost you,” he whispered, hugging her as tightly as he could without hurting her.
Pressed against the solid hardness of his body, she sighed. “You have found me, but you have lost your castle,” she pointed out. “Surely you cannot be happy about that?”
“No, but there are a few things that Kevin, in his haste to get his hands on my estate, overlooked,” he answered. He helped her to mount his stallion, then got up behind her before turning the horse away toward Bettina’s old home.
“He forgot to provide a witness, and he did not realize that the mangled scrawl that I wrote on the document is not my real signature. I have signed many documents, so I have plenty of evidence that this one is not mine.”
“But your uncle could have one of his servants or his doctor or anyone else sign it,” she pointed out. “And pretend they are a witness.”
“But they cannot do it on my copy,” he replied triumphantly, tightening his arms around her and burying her face in his hair. “I am going to make love to you tonight ’til you are senseless with pleasure,” he whispered.
“I cannot wait,” she sighed, smiling as she savored the pressure of his strong thighs against hers. “There will be a baby soon. I can feel it.”
Ninian took his hands away from the reins and cupped them over her breasts, squeezing a little.
She giggled. “Stop that,” she ordered. “You will make me fall off.”
“I will catch you,” he promised. “You have no idea how much I love you, Bettie.”
“I think I do,” she murmured. “As much as I love you.”
20
“Bettie! Ninian!” Kairstine came running out of the house as soon as she saw his horse, her face a mask of relief. “We have been frantic with worry. What happened? Where were you? Thank God you are safe!” She threw her arms around her sister and burst into tears. “I thought you were dead!”
