Page 63 of The Highlander's Princess Bride
“Kade, you neglected to tell me how pretty your new governess is,” he said. “No wonder you’re enjoying your studies so much. I might even ask Miss Knight to give me a few lessons too.”
Victoria blinked. Was he attempting to flirt with her in front of most of the family and half the servants?
The twins exchanged a disconcerted glance and even Angus looked nonplussed.
“Now, don’t ye be teasin’ the lassie,” the old man hastily said. “Miss Knight takes her duties verra seriously.”
“Yes, you mustn’t tease,” said Kade earnestly. “She’s a splendid teacherandan accomplished pianist. I’m very lucky to have her as my tutor.”
“Even better, since I love music. Will you play something special for me if I ask you very nicely?” he asked her.
When he punctuated that comment by giving Victoria a roguish wink, all she could do was gape at him. How could the man behave in so outrageous a fashion and under such fraught circumstances? She could only hope the earl wouldn’t expect her to try teaching Logan Kendrick how to behave with propriety. She already had her hands full with the rest of the family, and this new addition seemed like a particularly hard case.
Then again, it was possible that the earl would shoot his errant brother rather than attempt to reform his manners.
Suddenly the dogs stopped barking. At the same moment, Logan glanced beyond her, the rakish, charming smile fading from his features. She spun around to see the earl standing at the back of the hall, with Royal standing at his shoulder.
Her heart sank as she absorbed the cold fury that shimmered in the atmosphere around Arnprior.
“Ah, Nick,” Logan said in a quiet voice. “There you are.”
The earl finally moved, prowling forward into the center of the hall with Royal a protective shadow behind him. Angus and the twins retreated a few steps, and even the dogs had the sense to slink away.
Victoria took Kade’s hand in a comforting grip. His fingers wrapped around hers, his gaze steady on the earl.
“Look, Nick,” the boy said in a bright voice, as if his good cheer could chase away the approaching tempest, “Logan’s finally come home.”
“So I see.” The earl’s voice was a soft but terrifying growl.
He and his brother sized each other up. The silence in the room was so fraught that the back of Victoria’s neck started to prickle.
“My lord,” Logan finally said, giving his brother a correct bow. His casual manner was now considerably more wary. “It’s good to see you again.”
Arnprior’s flat gaze clearly indicated he felt the opposite. Though Logan was indeed the bigger man, the earl’s imperious, almost menacing presence made everyone else in the room seem small by comparison.
“Is it?” the earl replied. “Because I find myself most displeased to see you again.”
When Arnprior finally smiled, Victoria almost fainted. It was the sort of smile a cold-blooded killer might give a man just before he stuck a knife between his ribs.
“In fact,” the earl added, “I suggest you leave my house while you still have the chance to do so in one piece.”
Chapter Thirteen
Nick had spent years clawing his way out of a black hole of despair, a brutal climb through paths of heartache, bloodshed, and discipline. Now he could feel himself slipping back again.
Logan.
His brother’s appearance was the final insult coming on the heels of the ugly scenes of yesterday. It felt like an awful, cosmic joke, one that said he had no control over his life.
Logan stared at him with a wary gaze. “Nick, just let me talk to you,” he said gruffly. “Let me explain why I’m here.”
“There’s nothing to explain. My son is dead because of you. There is no forgiving that.”
In the silence that gripped the hall, Nick heard Victoria gasp. He’d been so focused on Logan that he’d almost forgotten her presence. She stood beside Kade, holding his hand. She looked shocked, of course. Likely she hadn’t even known about his son.
When their gazes met, she pointedly raised her eyebrows in a clear warning. He told himself he didn’t care about her opinion, or anyone else’s. Not with Logan inside Kinglas, where Nick had forbidden him ever to step foot again.
“I’d do anything to change what happened,” Logan said. “You know I would.”
