Page 83 of Highland Renegade
“I hope Alasdair made it back without having his ears blistered by my sisters.”
“Well,” Ian said, “he had the option of riding atop with the coachman, although I suspect he dinna take it.”
Emily gave him a quizzical glance. “Why not? The air was not chilly outside and the company probably much better. I suspect Juliana’s temper hadn’t cooled off much nor Lorelei’s wailing over having to miss the ball.”
“Knowing Alasdair, he agreed with Juliana—Neal Cameron is an arse—and he more than likely promised Lorelei he would dance with her when they got home.”
“That would be a thoughtful gesture, but notquitethe same as actually attending the ball,” Emily said.
“My brother can be quite persuasive when he puts his mind to it.” Ian grinned again. “And I suspect he wouldna complain about having the lass to himself. He fancies her.”
“Then he’s a fool,” Fiona said. “Lorelei canna wait to get to London next spring for her Season.”
“Besides, he should marry a Scottish lass,” Glenda said, looking at Emily with narrowed eyes, before smiling brightly at Ian. “All the MacGregors should.”
He frowned, but before he could speak, Fiona intervened.
“’Tis a good thing Alasdair is leaving for Ireland soon.”
“Oh?” Emily thought it best to steer away from both Glenda’s sly remark and the topic of marriage. “How long will he be gone?”
“It could be months,” Ian replied. “Many of our clan moved to Ireland when the proscriptions were nae lifted after Culloden, so MacGregors are scattered throughout the land.”
“He is going to contact all of them?”
“He will try.” Ian hesitated. “With Lord Mount Stuart proposing the bill in Parliament next month, Alasdair needs to let them know they will be free to return.”
“AsMacGregors,” Glenda said.
“I see.” And Emily also heard what hadn’t been said. Once they returned, they would want their lands back.Herlands.
Or maybe not hers for long.
…
Ian was hoping to catch a few winks before tackling the day, but as soon as he entered the castle, he saw his uncles waiting for him, along with his brothers. They’d all gotten home hours ago, since they’d brought their horses and weren’t slowed down with a carriage. They’d probably had somesleep.
From the serious expressions on all their faces, any thought of sleep vanished, along with his musings of holding Emily again. The scent from her hair lingered on his clothing and he had a very vivid recollection of how perfectly she had fit against him while she slept…althoughsleepingwasn’t what his cock wanted to do at all. With a sigh, he pushed those lusty thoughts aside.
“What is wrong now?”
“The library,” Donovan said as he turned down the hall. “We need privacy.”
Ian doubted this matter was about Devon. First of all, his brother didn’t look angry or even irritated. Secondly, he doubted either of his uncles cared that much if Devon had taken advantage of the lass, as long as he hadn’t gotten caught.
He closed the door behind him. “Well?”
“Ye should ken that while ye were having your talk with Devon, the Sassenach was in deep conversation with Lord Bute,” Donovan said.
So his uncles did know about Devon. Not that it mattered now. “What do ye mean?”
“They were all English-like,” Broderick said. “She curtsied and he bowed. Then they laughed and talked as though they were friends—”
“Lady Woodhaven said they’d met before,” Ian interrupted.
“—good friends.Verragood,” Broderick continued.
“And when they finished talking, the earl took her hand and nodded,” Donovan added.
