by Jane Charles
“You will have to see for yourself, John.”
“That is exactly what I intend to do.” He turned and strode for the door.
“Not tonight,” Bentley ordered. “She will be there tomorrow.”
“How can you be so certain?” he demanded. “What if he takes off with her to somewhere else and we can’t find her?”
“They have a wedding to plan.” Bentley grinned.
“I’ll take ye with me tomorrow,” Ian assured him. “I have an appointment with MacGregor. You can see Lady Bentley for yourself at that time. Aiden isna goin’ anywhere. His family and home are here.”
John looked at each of them again and Ian still wasn’t certain he wasn’t going to leave. After a moment, he blew out a breath. “Very well,” he finally said. “But if I don’t believe she is happy, I will take her back to England myself, whether she likes it or not.”
“Do what you must,” Bentley said.
“I suppose we’d better send for our wives,” added Jordan.
“Wives?” Ian asked.
“They’d have our heads if we let Rose get married without them being in attendance,” Matthew answered.
And Alistair chastised him for not being more forceful with Davina. At least he wasn’t standing in the sitting room crying and afraid of a wife having his head.
Chapter 23
Relief mixed with apprehension flowed through Davina as she paced the corridor outside of the library. Instead of Uncle Aiden being arrested, he’d be marrying Rose, releasing much of the anxiety her family had been experiencing over the past couple of weeks. However, Ian was now meeting with Uncle Aiden, her brothers and male cousins, and they were talking too quietly for her to hear anything through the door, much to her irritation. Even though Ian said he’d do the honorable thing, he no longer wanted her. A part of her understood. She’d be livid if he’d lied and misled her as she had done to him, but she could think of no other choice for her actions. Not one that wouldn’t see her uncle hang.
What if Uncle Aiden refused him? Davina always assumed she’d have his blessing, but they’d been in the library quite some time now and worry began to gnaw at her.
The door to the sitting room opened and Mr. John Trent stepped into the corridor with Rose at his side. He paused and looked at Davina. He’d come with Ian to assure himself of Rose’s health and that she possessed all of her faculties, as he had put it.
“Are they still meeting?”
“Aye.” She blew out a breath in frustration.
“I suppose we shall visit longer, Rose, as Ian and I shared a carriage to come here.”
“That willna be necessary,” Ian said as he too stepped into the corridor.
How had she not heard the library door open?
“We are finished.”
Her heart pounded with anticipation as Ian came forward.
He paused before her. “Miss MacGregor.” Ian nodded as he passed her.
Miss MacGregor? He’d called her by her given name since she could remember.
Why did he just walk past her as if she were a mere acquaintance? Surely, Uncle Aiden hadn’t rejected Ian’s suit. It wasn’t possible. She needed to speak with him, in private, to somehow make this right. She couldn’t lose him, not now.
“Davina MacGregor, get yer arse in here now!”
“Good day, Lady Bentley,” Ian said as he and Mr. Trent left the manor.
“Davina!” Uncle Aiden yelled again and she was torn between going after Ian and doing her uncle’s bidding.
“Go to your uncle,” Rose encouraged.
Slowly she turned and marched down the corridor and entered the library where all the men sat around with a glass of whisky in their hand. Uncle Aiden rose from behind his desk, and Donovan moved to close the door behind her.
Oh, this was not good at all.
“Is it true?” her uncle demanded.
As she wasn’t certain how much her uncle had been told, Davina was not going to volunteer any information and decided to counter with her own question. “Is what true?”
“That ye and Ian have been secretly meetin’?”
“Aye,” she answered slowly as her stomach churned.
“I understand why ye sent him off to prove himself after he kissed ye.” Uncle Aiden shook his head. “He did have a dreadful reputation, but after he returned, well, I can think of no excuse for yer behavior.”
She blinked at him. Her behavior? What of Ian’s? He didn’t appear anymore bruised when he had left, and there was no yelling so why was she the only one in trouble?
“Ian explained that he wanted to speak to me, ask permission to court ye, but ye are the one who kept puttin’ him off.”
“I dinna want him near the manor and risk him seein’ Rose.”
“Somethin’ coulda been arranged.”
She simply blinked at him. “How?”
“Ye are very resourceful. If it was somethin’ ye were wantin’, ye could have seen it arranged, especially since ye ken I was wantin’ matches for ye lasses.”
They were all blaming her for this mess. Ian, her uncle, brothers and cousins, when she wasn’t the one to cause the situation to begin with. “I was too afraid. All I was thinkin’ was how to save yer neck,” she came back at him.
“That was no’ yer worry, Davina.”
“There are already enough orphans in this manor, I didn’t want there to be four more.”
Uncle Aiden narrowed his eyes on her. “I would have found an excuse to give Ian, had he seen Rose. Instead, ye lied to him.”
Had they really expected her to march Ian into the manor right after his return for an appointment with Aiden while Rose was here?
Madness!
Her uncle had not been thinking right since he met Rose, and apparently, even though he no longer needed to worry about his life, he still wasn’t thinking straight. “I asked him to wait two days, until everythin’ was settled because I dinna ken what Bentley would do when he found ye.”
“To which he told ye that he wouldna court ye after today.”
She swallowed against a lump in her throat. “Aye, but he came to see ye, so there are no more secrets. So now ye ken we are courtin’.” Davina slowly glanced about the room. Each of the MacGregor men were somber and even a tad bit angry. She’d expected her uncle to actually force a marriage when he learned, but with the way Ian had left, she wasn’t certain what to believe at this moment.
“Ye forget that it isna up to ye or Ian to decide if ye are courtin’, but me, yer guardian.”
Davina blinked at her uncle. Did he not approve of Ian? She never dreamed there’d be an objection. Did Ian tell him that he no longer wished to court her, honor be damned? She couldn’t really blame Ian if he had.
“Meetin’ him in secret, not tellin’ a soul, kissin’ him, deceivin’ him, and takin’ advantage of his affections.”
His affections?
Uncle Aiden leaned forward and planted his palms on his desk. “If a gentleman were to do that to a lady, she’d be ruined and have cause to wonder if the gentleman was only toyin’ with her heart.”
Her mouth popped open. “I wasna. I swear.”
“Well, we arena so certain.” Uncle Aiden glanced at his nephews. “Further, we arena certain Ian is the match for ye.”
She blinked at her uncle. “What?”
“I partially understand why he would’ve put up with yer silliness and go off to London but not after he returned.”
Silliness! How dare her uncle claim that her concerns for her family were silly!
“As Ian wasna able to manage ye, I’m not so certain he’s the man for ye.”
“Ma…ma…manage?” Davina sputtered.
“Aye!” Aiden confirmed. “Manage. A man must be able to manage a wife or he willna ever have control over his household.”
Davina could hardly concentrate on what her uncle was saying, still focused on being told she needed to be managed and that she’d been silly
“I�
��ve been torn on this, lass.” Uncle Aiden blew out a sigh and settled into his large leather chair. “A part of me wants to haul ye and Ian before a vicar right now, but he assured me that there was no cause to be concerned about possible ruination.”
Uncle Aiden’s eyes bore into hers, as if he wanted to make sure Ian hadn’t lied to him.
Davina’s face heated at what her uncle implied. “No cause,” she assured him.
“Kissin’s bad enough,” he growled. “But not ruinous.”
Uncle Aiden thrust his fingers through his hair as if he were frustrated when really, the situation was really quite simple, at least in her opinion.
“I told Ian that he hadna shown that he could stand up to ye, control ye, and that he has better sense than I know he possesses.”
Manage, control and sense? How dare her uncle dismiss her valid concerns for his welfare and the family!
“He said he’d give it some consideration, as until yesterday, he’d trusted ye, lass. A man must be able to trust those who are closest to him. Ye dinna come to him with yer concerns, as ye should have.”
“Because my concern was ye. I put Ian off for yer safety, so he wouldna ken ye had Lady Bentley.” How was it possible they did not understand? “Until the Trents arrived, I was afraid ye’d be swingin’ from the gallows, and I dinna want to rush yer hangin’ so Ian could ask permission to court me.” Maybe she shouldn’t yell at her uncle, but how else was she to get through his thick brain. He was the one who had put her in this position in the first place.
“When a man is considerin’ a wife, he needs to be confident that she will rely on him for guidance, someone to ease her burdens, to care for her. Ye did the exact opposite.”
Her mouth was hanging open in shock, but Davina was too stunned to close it. With everything that had occurred in the past fortnight, it was she who had done wrong?
“I understand why Ian is concerned, but he is still willin’ to do the honorable thin’ and court ye.”
Not because he loved her or desired her, or even liked her. Did she really want him courting her when he no longer wished to?
It was all rather disheartening.
Besides, just because he was willing, didn’t mean Uncle Aiden had granted permission. “Ye dinna give him permission, did ye?”
“It’s a peculiar situation, Davina. One of yer own makin’.”
She refused to take the full blame. “Did ye, or dinna ye?” she demanded.
“Ian understands that to have ye he must prove he is the man for ye and that he can control ye.”
As those were Uncle Aiden’s requirements, and as honor was apparently no longer an issue, she’d not see Ian again. As the thoughts crossed her mind, anxiety began to take root as panic welled, nearly closing her throat. Ian had treated her with indifference as he left and addressed her in a formal manner. That was not the behavior of a man who wished to court her.
“Is somethin’ amiss, Davina?” Alistair asked.
She’d believe her brother was truly concerned if the corner of his mouth hadn’t twitched.
They were enjoying this.
She lifted her chin. “Nay!” Davina wouldn’t dare give them the satisfaction of knowing her heart was breaking. This was not her fault, at least not all of it. Uncle Aiden had put her in this position and now she’d lost Ian.
“I thought perhaps ye feared Ian was going to make good on his promise and that ye’d be the one courtin’ him after today.”
Her eyes widened. “He told ye?” When Ian said she’d need to court him, it had only been in jest, hadn’t it?
“Aye,” Donovan outright grinned at her.
Oh, she was going to give Ian a piece of her mind when she did see him. How dare he tell anyone of his challenge, especially since she hadn’t believed he was serious?
“It does put me in a dilemma,” Uncle Aiden finally said. “Ian has got to prove to me that he deserves ye, lass, and not back down or let ye talk him out of his decisions. However, I do not hold to a niece of mine doin’ the courtin’ either.”
“It was in jest,” she insisted.
“Not to him,” her uncle countered. ”However, he cannot court ye if he is tryin’ to prove to me that he can manage ye.”
If she heard manage one more time she was going to scream. “As he willna court me now, and I canna, nay, willna court him, what are we to do?” she finally asked.
Uncle Aiden took a sip of his drink and studied her. “Ye doona want him enough to court him?” he finally asked with curiosity.
“It isna right!” And, her pride wouldn’t allow it. Besides, she was not going to humiliate herself by chasing after a man who no longer wanted her.
“As ye’ve rarely done what was right, especially where Ian Grant is concerned, I’m surprised it is this dictate that ye find fault in.”
Davina crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. “A lass doesna court a lad.”
“Yet this lass golfs, fishes and takes her bow and arrows out almost daily, much as a lad would do, and makes decisions that were better left to me. Ye shoulda come to me, Davina, as soon as Ian returned.”
She gaped at him. Certainly her uncle was not going to suggest that she actually court Ian. He just said he didn’t hold to her doing the courting.
Uncle Aiden let out a weary sigh. “I suspect the only way ye and Ian will court is if ye do the courtin’, not that I approve, but if ye want him, it’ll be up to ye.” He scrubbed a hand over his face before he picked up his glass and took a drink. “I doona like this, but ye’ve given me little choice. I willna force Ian to marry ye when I’m no’ so certain ye want him.”
“But I do.” At least she thought she still did, but not if he no longer wished to court her.
“I believe ye need to prove that not only to me, but to Ian as well.” Uncle Aiden shook his head. “Ye’ve already had weeks of him being agreeable. Now it is between me and Ian, and we’ll decide if the two of ye will be a match.”
How dare they decide! Well, one thing was for certain, she’d not be courtin’ Ian Grant, even if her uncle thought it best, which he didn’t. Nor would she be managed by either of them.
“It occurs to me, that perhaps forcin’ ye to behave like a lad might actually, finally teach ye how to behave like a lass.”
Davina narrowed her eyes on her uncle. She did not like where this was going.
“Since you, Arabella and Sheena came under my care, I’ve done everything in my power to get ye to enjoy feminine pursuits, such as painting, stitching and the like. Instead, you’ve ignored my orders and continued on with activities better suited for a lad.” He sat forward and leaned on the desk as if warming to an idea.
This did not bode well for her at all.
“Perhaps Ian has the right of it,” he said thoughtfully.
“Ye canna be serious?” Davina cried.
“Ye will if I say so and if ye want him, or I will find a husband who I think would be best suited at managin’ ye.”
Davina clamped her jaw tight before she said anything that would get her further into trouble. If she angered her uncle any more, she might very well be ordered to court Ian or be married to one of the toothless men on Uncle Aiden’s list. At the moment, she wasn’t so certain which would be worse.
“Leave us, Davina. I have much thought to give to yer situation. Not only do I have yer reputation to protect, but the family’s as well, and I hope that nobody learns of yer behavior or we will lose all face in this community.”
All she could do was stare at her uncle. This, coming from a man who kidnapped and held a lady for ransom.
Davina straightened her spine and as much as she’d like to give her uncle an earful, she didn’t for fear of what he might decide next. But, one thing was for certain, she would not be managed!
If his face didn’t hurt so much from the pummeling he’d received from Alistair, Ian would be grinning from ear to ear. Oh, the look on Davina’s face when he had greeted her with proper indifference w
as priceless. Those brown eyes had widened and her mouth popped open before her lovely brow creased in confusion.
Aiden’s permission to court Davina hadn’t been a surprise; however, he had made matters more difficult. How was Ian going to prove he could manage Davina? Was it even possible to manage her, and did he really wish to? However, Aiden hadn’t exactly been against the idea of Davina doing the courting, which had surprised Ian. He assumed Aiden would have dismissed the suggestion immediately. Instead, he’d sat back and had given it thoughtful consideration.
In truth, this was not at all what he had expected from his meeting. He feared that Aiden would take his turn at beating Ian and then haul him and Davina before a vicar. Had either of his sisters been secretly courting and kissing a gentleman, and if that gentleman had taken some of the same liberties Ian had, he would have shot him and then made them marry. But, Aiden rarely reacted as most, something he was learning more and more each day. Of course, Aiden only knew of their kissing, not of them lying in the hay, or on a blanket surrounded by bluebells, or that Ian had caressed Davina’s breast. That would have earned him a beating then a trip to the vicar.
After Davina met with Aiden, Ian was certain she would expect him to call, since Aiden had given him permission. In fact, despite everything, Aiden welcomed his suit but understood Ian’s concern as to trust. However, Ian could not and would not call on Davina. Not only must he prove to Aiden, but himself as well, that he would control the relationship and not Davina. He was the man and she was the lass and it was how matters were meant to be.
Furthermore, it was a matter of pride, and it was time that Davina chased after him for a change. Not that he was actually running, but he had a point to make and Aiden was right that Ian had let her manage him and not the other way around. It was going to stop or she’d always feel she had the upper hand.
They were a match, future mates, and belonged to one another. That was something Ian knew to his bones. But he’d not allow Davina to play him for a fool again. Not that he’d seen it that way, but every other man in the library had, and it stung. Ian had to prove a point, not only to himself, but Davina’s family, and more importantly, to Davina herself.