The Lover

“Go away, lass,” Angus said wearily. “Go away and let me die in peace.”

Sabrina was toying listlessly with her oat porridge the following morning, when Niall McLaren was shown into the chamber which doubled as a parlor and breakfast room.

He was garbed casually in tartan trews, but a broadsword gleamed from the scabbard at

his waist, and his ruggedly beautiful features were as grim as she’d ever seen them.

“What in hellfire is this I hear about you arranging a truce with the bloody Buchanans?” he demanded without ceremony.

Abruptly Sabrina rose to her feet so she would be less at a disadvantage with the towering Highlander. Facing Niall McLaren again, she experienced a sharp resurgence of the hurt she’d felt at their last encounter.

“And a good morn to you, as well, my lord,” she remarked, infusing her tone with wry mockery.

“Blast it, answer me! What mischief have you been up to?”

Sabrina winced at the scathing tone so much like her grandfather’s. She hadn’t expected praise for helping her clan’s cause, but neither had she envisioned such universal condemnation.

“I would hardly call it mischief to try and forge a peace between warring factions,” she retorted stiffly.

A muscle flexed in his jaw, and she could see the effort he was making at control. “You’re dealing with a devil you know nothing about, meddling in affairs beyond your ken.”

“I know enough to seize an opportunity when I see it. No one else here has tried to make peace among the clans. I merely offered the Buchanan a simple business proposition.”

“The Highlands are a far cry from your stepfather’s mercantile trade in Edinburgh. If you think otherwise, mayhap you should hie yourself back there soonest. You’re daft if you expect a Buchanan to honor his word.”

“Perhaps, but you’re daft if you expect me to turn tail and run back to Edinburgh when my clan needs me.”

Niall drew a deep breath. “’Tis naive to think you can change the patterns of a lifetime, mistress.”

“I only wished to help,” she replied stubbornly.

The harshness of his handsome features seemed to relent a degree. “A generous, unselfish gesture—but misguided. Might is the only deterrence the Buchanans understand.”

“I think you’re mistaken. Owen Buchanan seemed to understand the value of coin well enough when I offered it to him.”

“Owen would as soon slit a Duncan’s throat as look at one.”

Just then Rab rose from the floor and padded over to the man, pressing his cold nose into Niall’s hand, whining softly as he begged for a caress.

Traitor, Sabrina thought resentfully as the Highlander absently stroked the dog’s huge head. She pressed her lips together, frowning at the animal. “I own myself astonished at his fondness for you. Rab generally is more discriminating in his choice of allies.”

A hard smile touched Niall’s lips. “Pray don’t change the subject. We were discussing your foolish interference.”

Abruptly her chin rose. She’d lost their last battle of wills. She’d not lose this one. “You were discussing my interference, sir. I was attempting to explain why I felt compelled to intervene. As for slitting my throat, that was far from the case. The Buchanan even spoke of the advantages of my becoming his bride.”

Niall went rigid. “The bloody bastard’s old enough to be your father.”

“But he has need of a wife,” Sabrina replied sweetly, refusing to set his mind at ease. “I understand he lost his some years past. And he has a son of marriageable age. I confess I considered marrying into their clan.”

“The devil you will!”

“Why not? What do you care whom I marry?”

What, indeed? Niall asked himself silently. He couldn’t bear the thought of her marrying a Buchanan, yet his opposition stemmed from more than just his blind hatred of the clan that had caused him so much grief. More, even, than the obligation he felt toward Sabrina after managing to escape a forced marriage to her.

“You’ve made it abundantly clear that you have no desire to wed me,” Sabrina continued through gritted teeth. “Thus you have no right to object if I decide to look for another husband, especially if it would benefit my clan.”

“I told you I would find you another suitor.”