“My betrothed.”
Something vile and nasty slithered through him, nesting in his chest. “Your what?”
“My betrothed. The man Callum sold me to.”
“He wants to marry you?” Fuck. He hadn’t known that. If he had, he never would have—well hell. Yes he would have.
She glared at him. “Why do you say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like no one would ever want to marry me?”
“I didn’t mean it that way. You said he had sold you to a brigand. I assumed—”
“What?”
“That he sold you to a brothel.”
Her mouth formed a charming little “O”. Unfortunately, she was not in that kind of mood. And they had visitors. “Edward Wyeth. For shame.”
“Why do you presume this betrothed would have Violet?” And God it rankled that Kaitlin had one. That someone, somewhere, was waiting to marry her. He didn’t want to work out why.
She huffed out a breath. “Callum isn’t stupid. He knows our home is the first place Ned would look.”
Ned nodded. “We went there, of course. He laughed at us. Said she was somewhere we’d never find her.”
“So he gave her to the McCloud.”
Edward froze. “The McCloud? Ewan McCloud? That’s the man you’re supposed to marry?”
She nodded. The little hairs on his nape rose. Edward knew Ewan McCloud. They’d had…dealings. Years ago. When they’d both been quite young. McCloud was deeper and darker than Kaitlin could ever imagine.
“You’re not marrying him.”
She sighed. “That’s why I left. But now he has Violet. I have to go back.”
“I will handle this.”
“Honestly, Edward. You can’t fix this.”
The hell he couldn’t.
He could. He would.
* * * * *
They left for Scotland immediately—he and Ned and Transom—and because she insisted on coming, Kaitlin came as well.
But he wasn’t happy about it.
They didn’t stop much, during their headlong flight to Scotland, just the occasional pause to change horses and pick up food or use the facilities. He and Transom took turns driving the coach, sleeping when they were not on the box. Kaitlin slept in his arms, nestled against him as though she had the right. As though he had the right to hold her. Edward ignored Ned’s dark looks across the cab.
But the boy said nothing. Until they found themselves alone in the courtyard of a dingy Scottish inn just on the border. Transom was dealing with the innkeeper, arranging for lunch baskets, and Kaitlin was inside washing up.
Ned’s impudent question came at him from the blue. “What are your intentions toward her?”
Edward winced. He should have been annoyed, insulted to be interrogated by someone so much younger, but he wasn’t. It was clear Ned truly cared for Kaitlin.
Still, it galled him.
Because he wasn’t sure of his intentions.
As he hesitated, Ned’s fists opened and closed, as though preparing for an assault.
Edward decided to dissemble. “Why do you ask?”
“I see the way you look at her. The way she looks at you. She’s a good girl, despite what happened with Dougal. A decent woman. She doesn’t deserve to be debauched by a—” His ears turned pink.
“A degenerate? It’s all right, Ned. You can say it. I’ve heard it before.”
“Your Grace…”
Edward sighed. “Please. Call me Edward. We are cousins after all.”
Ned tugged down his waistcoat. “I cannot be familiar with a man who takes advantage of helpless women.”
“She’s hardly helpless.”
“You know what I mean. What would happen to her, should unfortunate consequences arise?”
Edward looked down at the ground. Kicked a tuft of scraggly Scottish grass. He meant if there should be a child. Why that prospect snagged his attention, sent a little shard of pleasure through him, he didn’t know. “She will be taken care of. No matter the consequences. I assure you.”
“She deserves better.”
“She’ll never have anything but the best.”
“As what? Your mistress?” Odd how that word seemed to hiss from his lips.
“There are worse fates.” Kaitlin would make a fine mistress. She was already almost trained. He certainly wasn’t letting Ewan have her.
“There is no worse fate. Not for a well-born girl.”
Edward stilled. “She’s a companion.”
“A well-born girl. Who became a companion.”
His heart thudded. Once. “How well-born?”
“Her father was an earl.”
Holy Hell.
The snake was back, slithering around in his belly, spitting venom.