He could foking try. Grey slowly drew his sword, the scrape of steel sounding loud in the silent tension of the room. With widening eyes, Philip hurried after Molly.
Grey heard Nathaniel speak behind him. “I would have a private word with you, Evelyn. Perhaps in your new library.”
“Yes, of course,” she said, cutting a glance to Grey that he couldn’t read.
“I’ll help Molly come up with something from the kitchen,” Scarlet said.
“You cook now, Scar?” Nathaniel asked.
Scarlet gave a wicked grin. “We are quite self-sufficient at the Highland Roses School, dear brother.”
Nathaniel held his arm out to Evelyn, and she took it. “If this is about my clan and castle, I will come, too,” Grey said.
Nathaniel’s gaze turned slowly to meet his. “No,” he said. “Lead on, Evie.”
Dammit. Grey wanted to swing his sword but checked himself. Anger only made men react foolishly. Instead, Grey watched Nathaniel Worthington lead Evelyn away. She glanced quickly over one shoulder at him. Their gazes connected and held. Pain sat in her eyes, pain, sadness, and…fear.
“Blast,” Grey murmured. He should check with Hamish and Kerrick about the other Englishmen, but he felt rooted to the stone slabs beneath his boots. He looked toward the entryway and then back at the steps. “Bloody hell.” Grey counted to ten in his head and walked to the steps that led to the second-floor library.
…
Nathaniel grabbed Evelyn’s shoulders, bending to look into her eyes. “You are well?” he asked, some of the anger from earlier ebbing from his face.
Evelyn nodded, her lips pressed tight. How could she tell her brother about the twisting regret in her stomach? He knew she hadn’t known that the captain meant to burn people out of Finlarig. It was Grey’s reaction, the distrust flaring in his face, that threatened to make her weep worse than their mother.
“But something must be done to help these people here, Nat. As far as I can see, they’ve done nothing to deserve the king’s sanctions against them. I should have asked more questions about Captain Cross’s tactics, questions about the people here.”
Nathaniel scoffed. “The burning of this castle has nothing to do with you, Evie.”
“But Grey must think…” she said, not bothering to hide the heaviness in her voice.
His gaze moved between each of her eyes. “No questions about the banns being posted or the royal backing? Just concern for Grey Campbell?”
Evelyn’s stomach undulated with nausea. “No matter what, Nathaniel, I will not marry Philip, even if I must leave Scotland and England.”
His eyes narrowed as he regarded her. “Tell me about Greyson Campbell.”
Evelyn jerked her gaze from the carpet where she and Grey had first loved each other. Her brother stood with his arms crossed, a frown darkening his handsome face. She opened her lips and exhaled long, tipping her head. “He is…strong, a leader of his people, compassionate…” A talented and vigorous lover. Evelyn felt her cheeks start to warm, so she turned to look at the charred log in the grate. “He has no connections with anyone who would make him a danger to Charles. Captain Cross is the traitor in this mess.”
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you think that?”
Should she tell him about the letter? She’d given it to Grey to do with as he pleased. He’d interrupted her in the bailey when she’d started to mention it. Evelyn hesitated. Ever since their father died, Nathaniel had become more and more involved with the treacherous world of government. It was true that, like their father, Nathaniel despised the monarchy and argued for the reinstatement of parliament.
“Captain Cross ordered the castle burned. He is a devil. When you talk to him, it is obvious that he cares not for Scotland or its people. I just…feel he is involved with all of this, that his intentions toward Charles are treasonous.”
Nathaniel’s brows drew together. “Come, Evie,” he said. “I’ve never known you to jump to conclusions without hard evidence. The captain might well be evil in his ways against the Scottish, but what makes him a traitor to the crown?”
He stepped closer to her, and Evelyn felt the hard mantel press against her upper back. But this was Nathaniel, not someone who would harm her, no matter how his eyes hardened like their father’s when he was angry.
Evelyn pressed her palms together. Her voice came small. “There’s a letter, Nat. From someone in London to Captain Cross, telling him to get Grey’s parents out of Finlarig so it could be used as a meeting place for those plotting to kill the king.”
He stepped directly in front of her. “Who is the letter from?”
She swallowed. “We don’t know. It is signed the Surgeon of London.”
“We?” he asked. “Who else has seen the letter? Where is it now?”
Her mouth felt dry, and she rubbed her lips together. “I don’t have it, but it’s close. We should send it to Charles, so he can see that Captain Cross is a traitor and that Grey’s clan is not plotting against him.”
He leaned closer to her face. “Evie, I want to see the letter.”
Evelyn’s chin began to feel numb, like when her father stared at her intensely. But instead of looking down, she inhaled, meeting her brother’s steely eyes. She swallowed. “Nathaniel,” she whispered. “You aren’t the Surgeon of London, are you?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Evelyn’s heart thudded like a stampede behind her breast as she searched Nathaniel’s face. His hands came down on her shoulders, his eyes narrowing. “The Highlander has it, doesn’t he?”
Her heartbeat pounded in her throat. “He has been wronged,” she whispered, her words breathless. “His parents killed, his clan attacked.” She shook her head. “Are you…did you know that—”
Nathaniel made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat, cutting her off. “How could you think that I’d allow you and Scarlet to travel here to build your school if I was plotting treason at Finlarig?” Nathaniel dropped his arms, running one hand up to cup the back of his skull. “’Tis true, I have no love for Charles. He’s ridiculous in his expenditures and often makes a mockery of the crown. But no, little sister, I am not planning to assassinate him, here in Scotland or down in England.”
Evelyn released her breath. “Oh, thank God. I knew Grey’s suspicions were wrong.”
“Yet you listened to him,” Nathaniel said, studying her. “You respect the man?”
“Yes,” she said. “He is intelligent, and he thinks women are, too. That we are more than broodmares and someone merely to keep a home.” Grey was nothing like the ostentatious, soul-trapping men at court. “He is honorable and kind, one of the best of men.”
She saw Nathaniel’s gaze lower to her chest and realized that she clasped her hands together before her. Untangling her clenched fingers, she dropped them. “We need to help him regain his family’s home despite the cost.” She met her brother’s stare, letting him see the emotion that she usually hid.
Nathaniel’s lips pulled back as he sucked in air, his face hardening to stone. “He has seduced you,” he said, the words breaking through from behind his teeth. “Hasn’t he?”
“No,” Evelyn said, drawing herself up tall. She swallowed, staring directly into her brother’s eyes. “We seduced each other.” No matter what Grey thought of her, she wouldn’t let Nathaniel think Grey was the villain.
Nathaniel’s face contorted, a red flush spreading up his neck as he fisted his hands. “That bloody bastard,” he yelled, his voice booming through the library. “He’s ruined you.”
Behind him, the library door flew open, banging against the wall with battering-ram force. Grey strode in, legs braced and fists ready for battle. His gaze swung to Evelyn, and he strode directly toward her. Before he could reach her, Nathaniel stepped before him, swinging his fist at Grey’s face.
“You bastard,” Nathaniel yelled.
Grey dodged his attack and shoved her brother back with both hands against his chest.
Nathaniel stumbled backward but surged forward. It was like watching two beastly, furious bears throwing against each other.
“Stop!” Evelyn yelled. “Stop! Both of you.” Grey was armed with daggers and his sword, yet he didn’t draw any of them. Nathaniel likely concealed a few himself. Stepping back, Grey threw out one foot, catching Nathaniel’s knee, bending it backward so that he stumbled away.
“You’ve ruined her,” Nathaniel said, his voice tearing through the room.
Evelyn noticed that Scarlet, Alana, and Molly stood in the doorway, but her focus was on the battle before her and the rage shooting up within her. She threw her hands in the air. “Ruined? For someone who is ruined, I feel pretty damn good! Now stop fighting!”
Someone gasped from the doorway. Breathing hard, Nathaniel’s face swung toward her, but he kept an eye on Grey. “You’ve given him your maidenhead, Evelyn. He’s ruined you.”
The growing bubble of anger in her middle swelled. “Why is a woman ruined for choosing to whom to give herself? Is a man ruined when he first lies with a woman?”
“Evie,” Nathaniel said.
“No,” she said, walking toward him, her finger pointing in time with her words. “Did anyone chastise you, Nathaniel Worthington, for bedding a kitchen maid when you were seventeen?”
“Evie!” he yelled.
“Or have long talks with you about how you’d ruin your reputation and family’s honor if you even returned a man’s smile for more than a few seconds?” Evelyn’s arms were up and moving. “No, of course not, and it’s not fair. Women are ostracized and ruined, while a man in the same circumstance is thumped on the back for his prowess as long as he’s not spreading bastards about.”
“I was never thumped on the back,” Nathaniel murmured, his teeth set and his dark gaze on Grey, who stood with his arms crossed.
“Here, here,” Scarlet called from the door, which earned her a fierce frown from Nathaniel before he turned back to Evelyn.
“For an advantageous marriage, a woman of high rank must be a virgin when she weds,” Nathaniel said. “Father’s will—”
“And you know, brother, that I do not, nor have ever wanted an advantageous marriage, no matter what horrible dictates sit in our sire’s will.”
“Evie,” Nathaniel said. “He’s using you, seducing you to take back the castle.”
“Or,” Scarlet said. “She could be using him to get out of wedding that feathered ass.”
Nathaniel’s gaze cut to Scarlet and then back to Evelyn, his mouth tight like their father’s had been right before he exploded. “This is not the place to discuss our family business.”
For a moment, Evelyn almost stepped back, as Nathaniel’s voice sounded so much like Father’s. But the brute who used voice and strength to intimidate and punish was no longer in the world, and when he died, she swore never to cower before anyone again.
Evelyn’s hands landed on her hips. Her mind churned with a hailstorm of anger, making her words snap out. “If this business involves me, I think I can discuss it with whomever I want, wherever I want.”
Nathaniel crossed his arms over his chest. “Evelyn,” he said, his voice a rough warning. Grey uncrossed his arms, fists tightening.
“No, Nathaniel.” Evelyn shook her head. Her chin tipped up higher as she walked up close to him. “I am done being cowed by the men in my family—”
“As a woman in the family, I don’t have much luck cowing her, either,” Scarlet called out, but Evelyn just stared up into Nathaniel’s tight face.
The ridiculous social differences between the sexes always enraged her. With the added turmoil of Grey thinking that she had kept information from him, maybe even been partly responsible for the fire, she shook. The pressure built within Evelyn, her mouth opened, and her words flew with force.
“If I want to discuss throwing my skirts up for Grey to ruin me so I don’t have to wed a dandified, weak skipjack, then I can. I am a strong, independent woman.” She threw her hand toward the crowded doorway. “If I want to ask Grey to carry me up now to his huge scandalous bed to ruin me some more, I will do just that.”
Someone cleared their throat behind the onlookers at the door. All three ladies jumped, with Molly turning first. She squeaked, sucking in air, her hand to her chest as if to keep her heart inside. Evelyn’s own heart beat against her breastbone as Scarlet and Alana stepped aside. But what wrapped around Evelyn’s breath as if it were caught inside a tightening noose was the round, red face of Philip Sotheby.
He stepped through the ladies at the door, his gaze sliding from Evelyn to land on Nathaniel. “It seems your faith in your sister’s upbringing, honor, and intelligence has been misplaced,” Philip said, his voice low, his words succinct.
Evelyn’s stomach felt hollow with dread. No one said anything, the tension in the silence so thick she could hardly breathe. Had he heard everything she’d said?
Philip jerked his head around like a perturbed rooster. “She’s run wild up here unsupervised.” He scoffed. “A school? What good could she possibly impart to young, impressionable ladies?”
The question hung in the air. Maybe he was right? What type of example was she to young ladies? Every detail she presented was judged, from her accent to her convictions. And everyone in Killin seemed to find her lacking. The heaviness of the silence, from all those gathered to witness her humiliation, pushed Evelyn’s shoulders lower. She blinked.
“She’s begun to open up the minds of several ladies in this very library.” Grey’s voice broke through the room, making Evelyn raise her head. “She’s teaching them the way to form words from letters, exposing them to art, and even the proper way to serve her English drink.”
Evelyn sucked in a breath that was nearly a sob. That Grey would defend her…
Philip turned to Grey. “Your words have no merit, since you are the one rummaging around up my betrothed’s skirt.”
“Lord Philip,” Evelyn started, but he held up a hand, palm out to her.
“You, Lady Evelyn, will be dealt with later.”
She felt her face redden, her lips thinning as she tightened them. The man was arrogant and condescending. “It was not my intention of informing you so cruelly, Lord Philip, of the dissolution of our engagement, but—”
“Cease,” Philip said, the one word punctuated so that it came as a yelled curse. His gaze flashed to Evelyn. “And our engagement is still intact, despite your transgressions.” His hands rose to his ridiculous wig, which had tipped askew. He righted it, his gaze moving to Grey. He gave a tight smile. “And if the Scot in question keeps his cock to himself from now on, he…may win back his castle.”
Evelyn’s chest froze on a breath, her heart beating wildly. Her gaze snapped to Grey. Philip was bribing him? Her for his castle?
Grey narrowed his eyes. “I thought ye were going to have me hung.”
Philip ignored him and looked to Nathaniel. “I demand Finlarig as payment for a sullied bride. However, I have no intention of residing here, nor letting my wayward wife run a school.” He tipped his head back to Grey. “I would need to abandon the property to the original owners. I could convince Charles to leave this northern, backward village alone.”
Evelyn’s heart sank lower. The restoration of Grey’s clan and his pride stood just a nod away if Philip could convince Nathaniel to forfeit Finlarig for her actions. “Nathaniel—”
“We’ve heard enough from you tonight,” Philip said before she could get anything out.
Grey stared at Philip as if trying to decipher Philip’s words, judging them. Don’t trust him. Evelyn’s instincts screamed inside her, and her gaze cut to all the onlookers. Alana slid her palms to her cheeks, staring at her brother. Finlarig would be theirs again. It would belong to the Campbells, to their heirs one day.
Molly watched the horrific drama with wide eyes while Scarlet met Evelyn’s gaze, tears in her eyes.
Evelyn couldn’t look at Grey, standing there, silently deciding if he would throw
her to the wolves. She should have told him about the marriage she was desperate to escape. Could he possibly think that she would be content trapped with Philip? Did he care?
Evelyn shook her head. “I am not the woman for you, Philip,” she said.
Philip’s gaze shifted to her. “It is not up for debate. I will not be made the laughingstock of Charles’s court.” His words came out with such force that spittle flew with them. “The king himself has blessed our union, and your father decreed it in his will.”
Nathaniel cleared his throat. “We should disperse for the night and discuss this in the morning when minds are fresh and tempers aren’t ruled by such passion.”
Philip snorted and stood as tall as his paunchy frame allowed. “And Lady Evelyn will sleep with Lady Scarlet with her brother next door.” His eyes shifted to her. “Or she can sleep with me.” A wave of nausea made Evelyn’s knees wobble, her hand going to her stomach. If she were forced to sleep with Philip, she would vomit on him. The plan helped her find the strength to keep standing.
“Enough, Sotheby,” Nathaniel said.
Evelyn’s gaze slid to Grey. He met her stare, but she couldn’t read his thoughts. His entire stance was hard, his fists clenched. What terrible condemnation swirled in his mind?
“Bloody hell,” came a woman’s voice in the hallway. “What is going on?” Kirstin’s face appeared around Alana’s shoulder, her gaze snapping around the room until it rested on Grey. “Didn’t mean to interrupt, but can I have a word with ye, Grey?”
Grey looked back at Evelyn, and she held her breath. You’re falling in love with me. Her words from earlier sat between them, waiting for him to either pick them up or grind them into the ashes that seemed to surround her life.
“It’s important,” Kirstin said, and Evelyn’s eyes closed as Grey turned away from her.
She blinked them open when his voice broke the thick stillness. “We will continue this discussion in the morn,” Grey said. Without a nod to anyone, he strode toward the door where the ladies stood back for him to escape.
A Rose in the Highlands Page 27