The Gathering Storm (The Jacobite Chronicles Book 3)(52)

"Take it up with your lawyer, then," she said. "But leave right now, or I'll have you thrown out."

His hand moved automatically towards the hilt of his sword. It was the only thing he had in common with Alex, she thought. They both wore a sword as a practical item, not as decoration, as some men did.

"You think you're something special, don't you, just because you've got a pretty face?" he spat. "You sweet-talked father into cheating me out of my inheritance, and you've managed to charm that pathetic molly into giving you anything you want." His left hand formed into a fist. The muscle in his cheek pulsed and she backed away out of arm's reach, fetching up against a small table. She didn't want to shout for Duncan and let Richard think she was afraid of him, but if he made a move to hit her she would have to.

"Yes," she said, smiling pleasantly because she knew that would annoy him more, although her voice shook with the effort of controlling her temper. "Life is unfair sometimes, isn't it? It gave me the looks and the charm of the family. Shame there wasn't much left over for you. Still, you're learning to plead quite well. You did a reasonable job today. If I didn't know you so well I might have been fooled. I'm sure you'll be able to persuade someone else into funding you, if you practice a bit more. Murdo!" she shouted, as though calling the footman to see Richard out rather than stop him murdering her as he clearly wanted to do. The door opened almost immediately, as she had expected it to. Richard unclenched his fist, retrieved his hat from the chair and slammed it onto his head. Then he turned back to her.

You mark my words, you bitch," he snarled, eyes blazing. "You'll be sorry you refused me this. I'll make you regret it, you see if I don't."

"I already do," she said icily. "I regret letting you into the house to waste twenty minutes of my time. I won't be doing it again."

He spun round and strode from the room. Duncan followed him out, returning a few moments later. Beth was still standing in the same spot.

"I take it that was no' exactly a congenial meeting, then," Duncan commented.

She stood for a moment more, breathing heavily. Her hands were trembling. Then she turned to the table behind her, picked up the vase of flowers standing on it and threw it at the wall. It shattered, water and flowers cascading everywhere.

"The bastard!" she screamed. "I hate him! Why can't he just leave me alone?"

Duncan eyed the mess of petals and glass for a moment, then turned back to her.

"Aye," he said calmly. "Brothers can have that effect on ye sometimes."

She looked at him for a moment, her body stiff, her face twisted with rage, and then she started laughing. Her body relaxed as her anger was transformed to mirth.

"Oh God," she said between somewhat hysterical giggles, as he guided her gently back into the chair. "What would I do without you?"

"Ye'd have to cope wi' Alex and Angus on your own, which is a fate devoutly no' to be wished for, believe me," he said, laughing with her, although he was somewhat concerned about what had caused her explosion of temper.



She was just starting to calm down and was outlining Richard's purpose for visiting, when Alex returned from his meeting.

"Christ," he said as he walked into the room, pulling the eyeglasses off and stuffing them into his coat pocket. He had a green indentation on the bridge of his nose from the brass rims. "What a bloody awful day!"

"I take it it was no' exactly a congenial meeting, then?" said Duncan, sending Beth off into renewed whoops of laughter.

Alex looked at his wife with curiosity.

"Sorry," she said guiltily, gulping and fishing in her pocket for her handkerchief.                       
       
           



       

"No, it wasna," said Alex, answering Duncan's question but still looking at Beth. "The glasses didna help. They're a bonny disguise, but I canna see a damn thing when I'm wearing them. I'm thinking I should ha' got the ones for young people, instead of for old ones. I thought I'd be able tae look over the top of them, but I look too arrogant if I do that, especially as I'm supposed tae only be a merchant. It was all right when I was sitting down, but I walked into the doorpost on the way intae the salon and nearly knocked myself senseless, and had to feel my way around for the doorhandle on the way out. I'm no' surprised the English are reluctant tae join us … what the hell's the matter wi' you?" he asked as Beth gave up all attempts at seriousness and collapsed into peals of helpless laughter at the thought of her husband crashing blindly around a room while three English aristocrats looked on in amazement.

"Ah …  she's got a good imagination, I think," Duncan said, starting to laugh as well. Alex took off his wig and grinned himself, infected by the general hilarity even though he didn't fully understand the cause of it. She had already been laughing before he told her about his amusing problem with the spectacles.

"Oh God, I'm sorry," Beth tried to say, convulsed. "I've … hee hee, … had a few problems myself today." She wiped her eyes and tried to compose her face, unsuccessfully.

Alex looked around the room for clues as to the peculiar behaviour of his wife, took in the shattered vase, soaked floor and broken flowers. Understanding dawned.

"Ah," he said. "Angus. Did ye manage to actually hit him wi' the vase then, or did he get out of the way in time?"

Beth snorted, red in the face, but even so she might have been able to resist going off into another fit if Angus hadn't unfortunately chosen that moment to enter, having become aware of Alex's return.

He took in the scene of amusement before him, and opened his mouth to ask the cause of it. Alex looked up at him.

"What have ye been up to, ye wee gomerel?" he asked.

Angus's open-mouthed look of mingled confusion and outraged innocence was too much. Beth melted into helpless giggles again, joined by Duncan.

"Aye," she choked after a minute, almost unintelligibly, tears pouring down her face. "Brothers can have that effect … " she caught Duncan's eye, and they both set off again, while Angus and Alex looked on, giggling themselves even while they wondered why.



It took a full ten minutes for Beth and Duncan to calm down completely, during which time Angus, having convinced Alex of his complete ignorance as to what on earth was going on, went off to fetch tea and wine.

"How did your meeting go, then, when you'd stopped walking into walls?" Beth giggled, covering it up by taking a gulp of tea. She bit down hard on her lip.

"I'll wait until Iain and Maggie come back," Alex said. "I'd rather tell ye all together. Tell me what happened that was so amusing this afternoon. I could do wi' a laugh."

Duncan and Beth looked at each other.

"Dinna start again," Alex warned with mock severity.

"I'm not," Beth said. "It wasn't really funny at all."

She explained about Richard's visit, growing more serious as she did.

"I should have thrown the vase at him, instead of waiting until after he'd gone," she said. "I quite liked that vase. At least I'd have got some satisfaction by drenching him."

"D'ye think he'd have hit ye if ye had?" Alex said.

"Probably," she replied. "I'm surprised he didn't anyway, to be honest. He's not renowned for controlling his temper and I provoked him enough. He certainly wanted to."

"I'm glad he didna," said Alex thoughtfully. "I'd have had to call him out if he had."

"No you wouldn't," she said. "Sir Anthony would just wail and moan a lot, and maybe threaten to put in a bad word for him with his commanding officer."

"Let me rephrase it then," said Alex. "I would have called him out if he'd hit ye. But it'd be awkward, and I'd rather no' have to. I dinna think Sir Anthony could get away wi' two accidental duelling deaths, and I dinna think Richard's a man to give up if ye only wounded him."

"No he isn't," she agreed, shuddering. When she'd been arguing with her brother, she hadn't thought of the possibility of Alex calling Richard out. "No, I did call him a coward once, a long time ago, but I was wrong. He's a bully, certainly and most bullies are cowards, but I don't think Richard is. Anyway, he didn't hit me so there's no harm done. And I doubt he'll come back to be humiliated again."                       
       
           



       

"What do you think he will do?" asked Angus.

"Nothing," she said. "What can he do? He's got no hold over me any more. All my friends are independent of him now. The most he can do is find someone else to lend him the money for his commission, although he must have already asked everyone he can think of. He wouldn't have come to me except as a last resort, I'm sure of that. If he does manage to get the money though, he'll no doubt flaunt it in my face that he got his commission anyway, without my help. That won't bother me. I couldn't care less if he ends up a general, although I'd feel sorry for the soldiers under his command. Good," she said, as she heard the front door open. "That'll be Maggie and Iain. Now we can forget about Richard and have dinner, and then talk about your meeting instead."