The Heiress Bride (Sherbrooke Brides 3)

“No, Joan, I don’t wish to tire you. Hush, that’s right. Just relax now. I’ll hold you, that’s all. Was Philip right? Did Aunt Arleth really try to kill you?”

Sinjun was nearly stuttering with lust. She was trembling against him, trying to control herself, but it wasn’t easy. She had very little experience in turning off the spigot, so to speak. She wanted to kiss him until she couldn’t breathe. She wanted her hands all over his body. She wanted to kiss his belly, his sex, take him into her mouth again. Ah, but it was difficult to simply stop, to simply forget that he was against her, his body hot and hard and fitted against hers so perfectly. She strained against him, unable to help herself. Her hand fisted over his belly. Slowly, very slowly, she flattened her hand over his stomach and felt the heat and hardness of him, and the crispy hair lower on his groin.

Colin closed his eyes and bit his lip. “No, Joan. Hold still, you must really, sweetheart. Move your hand before you make me very uncomfortable. Please, answer my question.”

She realized then, vaguely, that he was also trying to control himself, and she supposed she appreciated his concern with her illness, but she would rather take her chances with another fever. Her fingers moved lower, just touching him now. He jerked away from her. He was bent on nobility. She sighed, then said, “She didn’t come right out and force poison down my throat, but she wanted me to die, no doubt about that. She even opened the windows to assist me to my eternal reward. After you came, she found me alone once and spoke to me about how she would use a pillow to smother me. She then decided it wasn’t the way to do it, it was too obvious. She said that I had ruined everything, that I would make her life even more miserable. There were so many things she said on that day, Colin, so many things she’s said at other times, and things I’ve found out about during your absence.” She told him about the kelpie ramblings, how she’d forced Mrs. Seton to keep the castle filthy, how Colin’s father wasn’t really his father, rather it was the kelpie demon, and the laird had loved her, Arleth, not her sister, who was a fool and evil. Colin asked many questions, but it was confusing. Finally, though, when she was too exhausted to speak another word, he said, kissing her left temple, “I will see to it that she is removed from Vere Castle. She is a danger to herself and to us. Lord knows what she could do to the children were her mind to snap in another direction. Odd that I’ve never before noticed her strangeness, just her dislike of me—obvious enough, of course—and I paid no heed to that.

“Sleep now. Please, move your hand upward. Yes,

that’s right. My chest is not such a dangerous place.”

She smiled against his shoulder. Nothing could happen to her with him here. As to something happening to him, she would do what she had to do. He could rant and be as lordly and autocratic as he pleased, but it would make no difference. He had no chance against the three sisters-in-law.

No chance at all.

CHAPTER

16

DOUGLAS AND RYDER didn’t appear at Vere Castle at the crack of dawn, much to the wives’ combined relief and chagrin. At eight o’clock that morning, in the laird’s bedchamber, Sophie finally voiced her worry. “But where are they? Do you think they’ve been hurt, Alex?”

“Oh, no, I don’t believe so,” Alex said, her brow lowering. “I’m beginning to think they’re angry and not coming. It’s a lesson. Douglas is tired of trying to have his way and only succeeding half the time, and thus he’s punishing me with his absence.”

Sinjun looked from one to the other and started to laugh. There were two identical expressions of outrage but she couldn’t stop laughing. “I can’t believe the two of you—you sound as if you want them to come this very instant.”

“Oh no!”

“How absurd!”

Sinjun looked from one glum face to the other. “Did either of you brilliant sweetings bother to leave a note as to where you were bound?”

Alex looked at Sinjun as if she were a half-wit and gave her a disdainful shrug that would have done Douglas proud. “Why, naturally I told him where I was going! What kind of a person do you think I am? I would never want to worry Douglas.”

“And what did you write to Douglas?”

“Ah . . . that I was off to see Sophie. Oh damn.”

Sinjun turned a twinkling eye to Sophie, who was now frowning ferociously down at her pale green slippers. “And you? Did you tell Ryder where you and Alex were bound?”

Very slowly, eyes still firmly on her feet, Sophie shook her head. “I just wrote to him that we were going to do a bit of sightseeing in the Cotswolds and that I would write him to tell him when we would return.”

“Oh, Sophie, you didn’t!” Alex threw a pillow at her. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell him the truth. What were you thinking, for God’s sake?”

“Well, Alex, you did no better!” Sophie rounded on her and threw the pillow back, striking her magnificent bosom. “You only told part of the truth because you were the first leg of the deception, so to speak. You didn’t have to lie like I did.”

“You should have realized that there was no need for a lie! You should have thought, but you didn’t think, you—”

“Don’t you dare call me stupid!”

“I didn’t call you stupid, but if the glove fits—”

“That’s enough from both of you,” Sinjun said, trying desperately not to laugh. Alex’s splendid bosom was heaving; Sophie was red in the face, her hands fisted at her sides.

It was Alex who said finally, her voice reeking of catastrophe, “What are we going to do?”

Sinjun didn’t crack that smile; the laughter was no longer bubbling up in her throat. She said very firmly, “Ryder and Douglas will figure it out quickly enough. I know they will. If it makes you feel better, then both of you write letters to them right this instant and I will have one of our stable lads go to Edinburgh with them. I don’t believe it’s necessary, though.”

“That will take forever!”