Page 69 of Heather and the Highlander
It took him to a narrow but well-kept building on a side street. The ground floor hosted a seamstress’s shop, but he saw lights above and took the rickety side-stairs to the upper door. He knocked, impatient for any response.
He had raised his fist to knock again when the door opened. A huge man stood there, his dull eyes giving Niall a once-over. “What do you want?”
“Is Mr. Halperin in?”
“’S’verra late,” the man growled. “I’ll see.”
The door slammed shut, leaving Niall out in the cold.
A few moments later, the huge man was back. “Follow me,” he ordered Niall.
So Niall followed the man through the front room down a short hall, to a small office, where a man stood beside a desk.
“This is him, sir,” Niall’s guide reported (rather unnecessarily, Niall thought.)
“Mr. Halperin?” he said. “I am Niall MacNair. How do you do.”
The gentleman was younger than Niall thought he’d be. Much younger, with a full head of dark hair and the broad frame of a sportsman or an athlete. He did not look like he spent his life in a counting house.
“Actually, it’s Lord MacNair now,” Niall said, correcting himself. “My father very recently passed away.”
“Did he, my lord? May his memory be a blessing.”
Niall couldn’t stop a grimace. “Hardly, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
Halperin’s lip quirked, but he just turned to the other man and said, “That will be all, Redford. You should go home now. It’s quite late.”
“Sure, sir?” the man asked, with a suspicious glance at Niall.
“His lordship will be the soul of courtesy, no doubt.”
“Aye, sir.” The man lumbered out.
After the door closed, Halperin said, “He was hired to prevent physical threats to me as well as any attempts to steal from the premises. He takes his job very seriously. Please take a seat and tell me why you’ve come.”
“I think it’s obvious why I’ve come. I need money.”
Halperin gave him a half-smile. “A common affliction.”
Niall offered the basic details of how much he owed and what interest had been paid so far. The other man raised one eyebrow at the amount but otherwise made no comment.
“I was not able to raise a loan from the London bankers I went to. And I refuse to get drawn into any arrangement with the less…reputable lenders.”
“Wise, if you enjoy breathing air instead of getting drowned in a river.”
“Precisely. And since I will not sell any land, my options are limited. The fact is that another lender—Ogilvy, do you know him?”
Halperin nodded shortly.
“He’s recalling a previous loan he made to me, very suddenly.”
“You’re not the first to tell me so,” said Halperin.
Niall paused, taking that news in. “Really?”
“Three others have come to me with a similar tale. For whatever reason, Mr. Ogilvy wants a vast amount of funds available to him. If it’s any consolation to you—though I expect it’s not—Ogilvy’s demand isn’t personal.”
“Just damned inconvenient. The harvest is still coming in and I need those profits to reinvest. One more year…”
