“I…think so. Abby wants to be an actress and Emma seems concerned about her mother,” Lorelei answered.
“Then MacGregor and I will see to it that they are enrolled,” Gavin said. “Consider it done.”
“Aye. Consider it done.”
Lorelei turned hopeful eyes on Alasdair. “You would do that for them?”
I am doing it for ye.He wanted to say the words, but instead, he just nodded.
…
Erik closed the door to his private cabin on theSea Masterand cursed roundly. He’d thought hiring thugs from St. Giles to abduct the damn bitches would be expedient and he wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of keeping them prisoner on a ship sailing to the Med or the Colonies. If he’d sent his own men in—men who would not have failed for fear of reprisal—both the MacGregor and Caldwell chits would be out to sea now and headed for the Barbary Coast. But his men would have been recognized by the locals as not belonging in the area and he wanted no evidence to be traced back to him.
It brought only a modicum of satisfaction that the men named Jack and Billy had been thrown into a watery grave after they’d informed him that both hoydens had gotten away. They’d soon be washed out to sea with the tide. He’d have liked to have taken care of the other two inept idiots as well, but it wasn’t worth risking a brawl in St. Giles where the odds would not be good.
He banged a fist on the teak table. How could two slight females have out-maneuvered four ruffians used to the streets? He’d admit, to himself at least, that he’d made a serious miscalculation with Fiona. He should have remembered that Highland women knew how to fight and almost all of them carried asgian dubhand knew how to use it. But how had Lorelei escaped? She was as English as they came. Debutantes did not learn self-defense at finishing schools and she’d had no brothers, according to his cousin Neal. Yet Jack had told him that when he’d returned to Lorelei he’d found his man out cold on the floor and the chit gone.
And now, he was back to the original plan—luring both bitches to the ship at a time of day that wouldn’t attract attention. That would take a bit of calculating, especially after what had just happened. He would also have to wait for the tide to be at its ebb to set sail quickly once they were on board.
He was certain of one thing. He would not make the same mistakes the second time around.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alasdair walked into White’s several evenings later to meet with Mount Stuart. Not that they didn’t see each other at the office, but Mount Stuart had suggested he start frequenting the club more often now that not only was Argyll back in town, but so was almost every other lord of import. It would, Mount Stuart had said, be a good time to recruit a few more nobles to the MacGregor cause and also to ferret out those who would side with Argyll.
Alasdair had never liked—or really understood—intrigues at Court where courtiers were sly spies and everyone seemed to be willing to put a dagger in someone’s back. He decided he liked parlaying to conciliate the aristocrats even less. In Scotland, a man knew who his friends and enemies were.
He sighed. It was the English Parliament that would ultimately determine which lands were returned to his clan, so for that, he needed every vote he could get.
Therefore, he wasn’t particularly surprised to see that Mount Stuart had managed to seat himself at the Duke of Oakley’s table. The Earl of Bentley was there as well. No doubt it was a strategic move that would subtly relay to the others in the room whose side the duke—and an earl—were on, once Alasdair joined them. He managed a smile and a nod as he joined them.
Melissa’s father was not a person he wanted to see just now. Lorelei’s near miss with disaster was still fresh in his mind—as was her kiss. He hadn’t had a chance to talk with her privately, but it was going to be a priority of his. First, because he wanted to know why in hellshethoughthethought of her as a sister. Asister? At least, he’d dispelled that notion. He hoped. Secondly, they needed to have a talk about the future. He needed for her to understand he was courting Melissa’s father’s vote and not the girl. Lorelei was who he wanted. And, lastly, he needed to know how she felt about him. After what had happened, he needed to clear the air between them. No more subterfuge. No more playing games and pretending he didn’t care.
“Dratted mess, these rebellious Colonists,” the earl said. “They are making us waste our time with their taxation-without-representation protests. They ought to look to see how we’re handling India.”
“Are you proposing that England establish a seat of government in the Colonies like Governor Hastings did in Calcutta two years ago?” His Grace asked.
“It might squelch the uprising.”
“I suspect it might be too late for that,” Mount Stuart said. “After all, we’ve got Hugh over there right now and the news is not good.”
Hughwould be Lieutenant General Percy, Mount Stuart’s brother-by-marriage and the second Duke of Northumberland, Alasdair thought to himself. Oakley had just returned from there a few weeks ago as well.
The duke nodded. “From all reports, the battles at Lexington and Concord were a disaster.”
The earl snorted. “And now we will be squandering hours and hours discussing what to do.”
“My wife will not be pleased,” Oakley said. “She has just returned from Bath.”
Alasdair kept his expression impassive, but he wondered how long it would be before Melissa maneuvered him into meeting her mother. Hopefully, he would have a reprieve, since she was probably still recuperating.
Mount Stuart glanced at Alasdair. “Unfortunately, once the talks start, we are all going to be having late nights.”
If the skirmishes had already begun, this did not bode well for discussion of MacGregor lands. If real war were declared, who knew how long it would take to get the lands and titles settled. “Will the agenda be cleared of all other items?”
Oakley gave him a thoughtful look. “Since I know how important it is to you, I suppose I could petition to have the land settlement placed as a second priority after His Majesty is through.”
Alasdair breathed a small sigh of relief. “Thank ye. ’Twould be good to get this settled.”
