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  Morrigan tried to think of something lighthearted to say. “If I knew we were exchanging gifts, I could have done some embroidery or drawn a portrait or written a poem in praise of your virtues. None of which I have any talent in, but I would have done them with confidence. And besides, it’s the gesture that matters. True?”

  He smiled. “I promise to give you the opportunity of doing all those things for me and more.”

  Morrigan watched him reach into his coat again, and this time he withdrew a small box. Her heart began to beat so fast that she feared it might burst out of her chest and fly away like a bird.

  “Dear Miss Drummond, I thought only of you while I was gone.” He moved to the edge of the chair and dropped to one knee. “I’m hoping that you would do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

  For a moment, Morrigan sat in stunned silence. She couldn’t breathe. But the past snaked through the air like a whip and lashed at her. She tore her hand out of his grasp and jumped to her feet, edging away from him.

  “I can’t.” Tears splashed down her cheeks. “I am sorry, Mr. Grant. I’m truly sorry, but I can’t be your wife.”

  Morrigan turned and ran for the door.

  “Wait. You can’t? That’s all?” he called after her. “Nothing more to say?”

  Her steps faltered. She leaned a hand against the doorjamb for support. She couldn’t look back.

  “Don’t I deserve to know why? Can’t you at least tell me what I’ve done wrong? Is it someone else? Why would you acknowledge our affection, return the passion I feel for you, but deny us any future?”

  She knew she should walk away, but he would come after her. Aidan was a man who was accustomed to getting answers. And what did it matter, anyway? Her past was no longer a secret when people as vile as Sir Rupert were weaving their own twisted tales about it. Wasn’t it better if he heard the truth from her instead of the lies that would no doubt spread?

  She took out a handkerchief and stabbed at her tears before slowly turning around.

  Aidan stood watching her with the expression of a tormented man. She took a few steps into the room but held her hand up, motioning him to stop as he started to approach. She had to speak quickly, before she lost her courage.

  “Wemys is dead.”

  His brow creased as he tried to understand what she was saying. “I know. I heard the news when I arrived. You are not upset about it, are you?”

  “The first day we met in Inverness, you were correct. I intended to kill him.”

  “I suspected as much. But you never felt you could explain. And whatever your reason was for going after him, I have absolute faith that it was a good one. I trust you, Morrigan.”

  Her reason, she thought. She had reason. Shame. Guilt. Mortification. Morrigan had accepted that her father’s approach was the only path. Walk away and forget. She’d never been able to do that. And when it came to Aidan, there was the fear that this man standing before her would think less of her. Her throat felt raw, constricted, but she pushed the words out while she still could.

  “Wemys was my uncle. When I was twelve years of age, he … he raped me.”

  “Morrigan.” The whisper of her name emerged as a painful sigh. He tried to come to her, but she held her hand up again, pleading with him to stay where he was. The line between the courage to speak and the cowardly urge to run away was thin. She had to say the words. The truth had to be laid bare between them.

  She told Aidan everything—from her father’s reaction to moving away to Wurzburg to that October day in Inverness when she saw Wemys again.

  Aidan listened. When she was finished, he ran a hand through his hair.

  “I’m sorry, my love. It breaks my heart to hear what happened to you. You … you had every right to go after him. To punish him for what he’s done. Your courage … who you are, who you’ve become…”

  He was pale, looking like a man who’d been run through with a sword. His voice shook and the words struggled to break free.

  “And I am the greatest villain of all. I brought your worst nightmare back into your life. I delivered him here, where you were tormented day and night. I forced you to speak to him when he didn’t deserve to be spat on.”

  “You didn’t know.”

  Morrigan saw the anger building in the tension of his shoulders, the hard expression in his eyes.

  “I wish he were still alive so I could strangle that blackguard with my own hands. I would have hung his worthless carcass—”

  “Stop, Aidan. That would not have helped anything. No one could take away my pain except me. No one could cool the rage I carried inside. No one could fix this for me. My father thought he could, but he was wrong. What Wemys did, he did to me. Only I could fix it. The battle was mine to fight.” Morrigan spoke more calmly than before. “Isabella once told me that healing is a journey. Time is needed. And patience. And luck. The way it ended, watching Wemys die, was part of my journey. I could not have healed any other way.”

  She started to leave, but he called after her again.

  “I love you, Morrigan. The past means nothing to me.”

  One last time, she faced him.

  “But it means everything to me.” Her past controlled the present, and it controlled the future for both of them. No argument Aidan could devise would ever change that. “Sir Rupert knows.”

  Morrigan told him about the letters, about the lies that would be twisted to destroy her and Aidan both. He stood in stunned silence as she went out, shutting the door behind her. It was over. She could never marry him.

  CHAPTER 29

  AIDAN

  Not everything a person did in life fell within their control.

  Fighting in the war against the French wasn’t Aidan’s choice. It was his duty, particularly since his father and brothers were going. He’d pursued a career in law because of the encouragement and support of his family. The clients he chose to represent, however—those who were oppressed, who would never be able to pay for his services, who were targeted by the government—that was something he could control. It was a choice. His choice.

  Somewhere along the way, Aidan had found a match between his ability and his passion. He knew what he could do, what he was good at. He could see a future for himself. He knew how he could be a valued member of society.

  Politics, however, was a distraction that he’d gladly do without. To stand for election wasn’t a need but more of an obligation. Serving as a member of Parliament was a position someone else could fill. There were a dozen persons more qualified than he was. He’d happily forego his place in Cinaed’s plans if that was what kept Morrigan from accepting him. He’d give up everything and start anew, so long as she was beside him.

  After she left him in the drawing room, he’d spent a great deal of time thinking about what she said. Guilt weighed heavily on him, for the truth had been looking him in the face all along. He’d never pursued the reason for Morrigan reacting in such a way to her uncle. At the same time, he accepted her belief that she had to deal with Wemys in her own way. It was her fight.

  Aidan loved her because of who she was, inside and outside. Her will, her strength of character, saw her through this trial. Now he had to convince her that the strength of their combined will, their love for each other, would destroy any threat from the likes of Sir Rupert Burney. If they were divided, then they gave up that control over their lives. Then Burney would win. Aidan was not about to let the scoundrel dictate their future.

  He loved her. He had no doubt that she cared for him as well. More than cared for him. He saw it in her face, heard it in the note of anguish in her words.

  Tonight, he would find her and finish their discussion.

  The celebration of Hogmanay was well underway. The Great Hall was brimming with the Mackintosh clan and their invited guests. The laird had been brought down, but he was pale and weak. Acting for him, Cinaed and Isabella hosted the festivities. Still, Lachlan had been keen to introduce Aidan to a number of landowners
who came to dine with the laird and the son of Scotland.

  Morrigan was nowhere to be found. He’d searched the hall, looking to see if she was sitting with Maisie and Niall. Nothing. And she wasn’t with Fiona and her daughters, who were sharing a table with Auld Jean and John Gordon. Blair and Sebastian were carousing with a table of Mackintosh fighters, but Morrigan was not with them either. It pained him to think she wouldn’t come down and enjoy the company of her family and friends on a night like this.

  Aidan had looked for her in the training yard several times today, only to be told she hadn’t been there. She wasn’t in the drawing room, nor in the library. He’d checked everywhere except her bedchamber. If she was choosing to take refuge there, he wasn’t going to intrude on her desire for solitude. Not yet, anyway.

  People were settling down for dinner, and workers were carrying food out from the kitchens on great platters. Aidan was expected to join Cinaed and his wife at their table. He’d already been warned that an announcement would be made during the meal about the seat in Parliament, and Aidan was expected to say a few words.

  “Has Miss Drummond fallen ill?” he asked Isabella privately.

  “No, she’s in perfect health.”

  “Why isn’t she coming down to dinner?”

  “She’s already here.”

  Aidan was relieved to have a fellow conspirator in Isabella. He looked in the direction that the young physician nodded.

  At the table closest to the kitchens, Morrigan sat with some people that he suspected were from the village. Her back was to him. She didn’t see him approach.

  “May I join you at this table for dinner?” he addressed everyone and not only her.

  Good-natured greetings met him. The people of Dalmigavie had come to know him over these past months. He stood behind Morrigan, but he needn’t have. Everyone knew where he wanted to sit. Men and woman cheerfully slid down to make room. A moment later, he climbed over the bench and sat beside her.

  “Miss Drummond.” He smiled at her surprised expression. The prettiest of blushes reddened her cheeks.

  She looked over her shoulder. “Mr. Grant, I believe you’re expected to dine with Cinaed and Isabella.”

  “I don’t think they’ll mind. They know where I am.” He waved across the room at Isabella, and she waved back.

  “I’m certain there are a number of guests here who were looking forward to spending time with you.”

  “That may be true, Miss Drummond, but I don’t care to spend time with them. Excuse me for a moment.” The couple seated beside him wanted to know the present whereabouts of the Chattan brothers. He answered them and turned his attention back to Morrigan.

  “You’re supposed to give a speech,” she murmured. “You can’t do it from here.”

  “I can and I shall, so long as you stand with me.”

  “I’ll do no such thing.”

  “Then there will be no speech.”

  “You’re being ridiculous, sir,” she growled. “I believe I’ll change tables. Move.”

  “Then I’ll be forced to follow you. And if you move from there, I’ll do it again. And if you decide to leave the hall, then everyone will wonder where we’re going, because I’ll not be quiet about leaving.”

  Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the candlelight from the chandeliers above. He was pleased to see that she was wearing the necklace he’d given her yesterday. The blue dress she wore accentuated the color of the gem on the hilt of the sword.

  She leaned toward him. Their lips were close, and Aidan was sorely tempted to kiss her, but he didn’t want the entire Mackintosh clan giving him a beating tonight.

  “Why are you doing this? Why are you being so difficult?”

  “I’m not being difficult. I’m trying to get back to the proposal that you never allowed me to finish in the drawing room yesterday.”

  “Mr. Grant, we’re done with that conversation.”

  “We’re not. I’m certain.”

  “I explained.”

  “I didn’t have the opportunity to present vital evidence.”

  “There’s nothing more to be said.”

  “I’d like to repeat what I said to you yesterday. I love you, Miss Drummond. I love you.” He said it loud enough that a few heads at their table turned to them.

  She took his hand and squeezed it, trying to hush him. Aidan didn’t think he’d seen this shade of red in her face before. Her dark eyes had become misty and shone like diamonds. He entwined their fingers under the table.

  “I love you. I’m asking you to be my wife,” he whispered in her ear. “We can’t let him do this to us, Morrigan. We can’t let Burney win.”

  Her chin sank to her chest. Behind them, the laird briefly welcomed everyone to this celebration. Cinaed stood to speak next.

  Aidan’s attention remained on Morrigan. He studied her profile, the tilt of her chin, her parted lips, the rise and fall of her chest as she steadied her breathing. Her grip on his hand was as strong as his. She wasn’t letting him go.

  Cheers rang out in the hall. Cinaed called out his name. This was the moment when he was supposed to stand and address the gathering.

  He remained seated, calmly ignoring everyone, and Morrigan’s gaze flew to his face.

  “I don’t want it if I can’t have you in my life,” he said quietly.

  “But his threats?”

  “I want you to trust me, as I trust you. He’ll not defeat us.”

  Everyone around them was waiting for Aidan to stand. Silence had fallen across the hall.

  “I need time to think it all through,” she said finally. “Now please, speak to the people. All of us trust you. All of us believe in you.”

  Aidan didn’t let go of her hand as he stood to the cheers of the Highlanders. The case was reopened.

  CHAPTER 30

  MORRIGAN

  Sir Rupert had risen to the bait Morrigan cast last month.

  The Mackintosh leaders were determined to beat him at his blackmail scheme. The warehouse of weapons had been the first lure. Next, she sent other information to keep him engaged. A prisoner transfer that needed to be deferred. A ship newly arrived from Hull that was carrying more cargo than had been reported to the exciseman. All the information came directly from Searc.

  A weight had been lifted from Morrigan’s shoulders, though she was not completely free of it. Still, her new attitude had come about because of Aidan. She hadn’t agreed to marry him yet, but he wasn’t giving up. Working together with him gave her a feeling she’d never experienced before. She had a true partner, and he was as determined as Morrigan to beat Burney.

  During the second week of January, Searc brought back new flyers that had been posted from Inverness.

  Maisie and Fiona had become obsessed with gleaning every bit of information they could from the caricatures. And they were quite good at it. Immediately, the three of them decided that the work was new, which was a relief. It meant Madame Laborde was still alive.

  After some time spent examining the images, they found two more things of great interest.

  Morrigan went in search of Aidan. Since returning to Dalmigavie, he’d again taken to using the small library upstairs from the Great Hall for his daily correspondence. As she passed the drawing room next door, she saw Fiona’s children and a few others playing hide-and-seek. She knocked at the library door and entered.

  He immediately rose from the writing desk. The way his gaze swept over her in greeting made Morrigan smile.

  She waved the flyers at him. “I think we now know where Sir Rupert is hiding Madame Laborde.”

  She walked to the desk and spread the caricatures out for him to see. In both of them, the artist had included the Old Bridge that crossed the River Ness at the end of High Street. Directly above and behind the center of the bridge, she’d depicted Castle Hill. Just to the left of the bridge, the spire of the Tolbooth rose above the city. Morrigan was certain it was the view from her window.

  “She knew
we’d be looking closely at these, so she’s telling us where she is. Her room is in a building across the river, north of the bridge.”

  “No doubt, you are correct.” He ran a fingertip slowly down the side of her neck. “But you’re not thinking of going there to rescue her.”

  Her stomach twisted deliciously. This was the way it had been between them since Hogmanay. When any chance presented itself, one of them pulled the other into a private space to steal a kiss, to caress, to tempt.

  “I made a promise,” she murmured. “And I shall go after her, but I’ll not go there alone.”

  He leaned down and let his lips hover a whisper from her mouth. “Good. Because I insist on coming with you.”

  She glanced toward the door. She’d shut it, unintentionally, when she entered.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to convince me to take you along.”

  He took hold of her wrist and drew her closer. Morrigan’s gaze slowly moved from his touch to his chest and lingered on his lips before looking into his eyes. He set her body on fire. She wanted him. He teased her but never took full advantage of what she offered. He’d told her straight out. His offer of marriage was part of the deal. There would be no making love until she married him.

  “With the weather being what it is, we’ll need to take Searc’s carriage to Inverness. It’ll be a very long ride with the two of us alone in a very confined space.”

  “It will be cold too.”

  “We’ll need a blanket and each other for warmth.”

  Something melted deep in her belly, and the heat sank lower. Her breasts ached for his touch. Aidan wrapped an arm around her and brought her body hard against his.

  “What do you say to that, Miss Drummond?”

  He already knew her answer. Aidan kissed her, and Morrigan threaded her fingers into his hair. Their kiss became deeper, more carnal. His hands slid downward past the small of her back and over her bottom, pressing her tightly against his groin.