To Tame a Highland Earl (43 page)

Like Laura Greenwood. “The marquess’ business
must keep him very busy,” Eve said.

“
It does. My husband
employees many people, and Erroll was groomed to follow in his
footsteps.”

“
Oxford, if I recall,” Eve
said.

“
Yes. Top of his
class.”

Eve wasn’t surprised. “I suppose it isn’t
surprising that he prefers to manage his father’s affairs in
England. He did comment that the island was dull.”

The marchioness tilted her head in thought.
“I never noticed that Rush thought Mull to be tedious. Val was to
manage affairs here, but I believe the marquess had hoped Rush
would oversee his additional holdings in Scotland.”

“
Your husband owns property
on the mainland?”

“
Yes. In fact, those
properties are far more lucrative than his English
properties.”

Eve’s heart twisted. “Then perhaps his
lordship simply prefers life in England.”
Or life amongst the
ton.

Chapter Twenty Two

Lord Rushton hadn’t joined them in the pink
parlor when they’d taken tea. Eve had to admit, she’d been
relieved, and when propriety allowed, she excused herself for a
walk in the arboretum to think things over. But what was there to
think over? Lord Rushton hadn’t changed, hadn’t promised he would
change, and Laura Greenwood was proof he wouldn’t. Even here on
Mull, during their wedding party, he had sought the privacy of the
balcony with another woman.

Yet, despite all odds, despite knowing his
nature, Eve had fallen in love with him. Worse, in the last two
days she had harbored the foolish hope that he might change. That
had been her mistake, not his. The fact he bedded her as if he was
making love to her simply testified to his ability as a lover. Eve
left the cover of an elm tree and stepped into the afternoon sun.
She entered too quickly the shade of the next cluster of trees and
regretted leaving the warmth of the sunlight.

Grace had said she would allow Lord Rushton
to live his life as he pleased, but Eve simply couldn’t sit back
and watch him go from one woman’s bed to another’s, fitting her in
when he had a moment or when he wanted an heir. That would break
her heart. He’d insisted they marry. He now had to deal with her—on
her terms.

Eve strolled in silence along the grassy
terrain, then slowed at seeing her father leaning against a tree up
ahead, staring in the direction of the castle. Apparently, after
tea, he’d had the same desire for privacy.

She approached and he turned. “Good evening,
Papa,” she said as she neared.

“
How is your walk, Eve?” he
asked.

She smiled. “Very good.”

“
Will you walk back with
me?” He winged his arm.

Eve slipped her hand into the crook of his
arm. “I would be delighted.” She looked up at him. “We have had no
time together and…” A lump formed in her throat.

He patted her hand as he started forward.
“You were always a good girl, Eve.”

“
Even when I ran off with
Lord Blane?”

“
Even when you ran off with
Lord Blane.”

“
And now?”

He gave her a soft smile. “You put me out, I
admit.” He returned his gaze to the path and Eve’s heart tugged at
the tired look in his eyes.

“
Oh, papa, I am sorry.” She
stopped and nearly fell into his arms.

He stroked her hair and let her cry softly.
“Come now,” he finally said. “I doubt this is about an apology to
me. What is amiss? I don’t believe for an instant Rushton has
mistreated you.”

She drew back. “You think he is a paragon of
husbandly duty?”

“
Hardly. He is a man—a
newly married man—and those chaps make many mistakes. You must see
it for whatever it truly is, whatever the case may be. Do you want
to tell me?”

“
It is nothing in
particular,” she lied. Certainly nothing she hadn’t expected and
feared.

He nodded and they began walking again.

They were silent for a long moment and Eve
knew he was thinking of his other daughter who, despite being a
good girl too, was spoilt to the bone. “Grace will come around,”
she said. Though during tea, Grace sat like a stone, barely
acknowledging his or Lord Somerset’s existence.

“
She has no choice,” he
replied. “I regret that she isn’t more sensible, like
you.”

Eve snorted. “I have not been very sensible
lately.”

“
True, but is in your
nature to be reasonable, and you did accept the
inevitable.”

Yes, she did. “Grace will, too. Just give her
time.”

“
I fear time will not
change her,” he said. “She’s willful, even more so than your
mother.”

“
I wouldn’t say that,” Eve
said. “She is simply young.”

He looked at her. “You were not like that at
her age.”

“
No,” Eve agreed, “but I
recall my grandfather saying you had your wild moments when you
were young.”

“
All young men have wild
moments. But you and I, even your mother, we’re of a tamer breed
than Grace.”

Eve laughed. “She had to have gotten it from
somewhere.”

“
From somewhere,” he
repeated in a cold voice that caused her to look sharply at him,
but he seemed not to notice and stared straight ahead.

*****

Eve stopped short in the doorway of Lord
Rushton’s bedchamber. The letter from his attorney lay open on the
desk where he sat absorbed in work—the note from his mistress on
top. Her heart pounded.

“
Hello, Eve,” he said
without turning from his writing.

“
We missed you at tea,” she
said stupidly.

“
Forgive me, my dear. I had
some business to attend.” He continued writing.

Did the business he referred to include a
reply to his mistress to tell her he couldn’t wait to see her? Eve
felt her nerve slip. “I am interrupting,” she said. “I will return
later.”

“
No need. What did you want
to see me about?” He returned the pen to the blotter, then blew on
the paper for an instant and folded it, before picking up another
document and scanning its contents.

“
Your mother is planning a
trip to Tobermory tomorrow after lunch. She suggested a bit of
shopping. I…” She’d started the lie and had to finish it. “I wanted
to be certain you did not mind.”

“
Of course not.” He flashed
a heart-stopping smile. “The shopkeepers know me. They will extend
credit for anything you like.”

“
I don’t plan to make many
purchases,” she said. “I am going more for the pleasure of the
trip.”

“
Do not hesitate to
purchase anything you like.”

“
Thank you. I might make a
few purchases for the trip to the mainland your mother is planning
next week. Oh, my lord, I didn’t tell you, Lord Somerset offered
for her hand.”

He paused in reading and lifted his gaze to
meet hers. “I thought he might.”

“
You knew?”

“
I noticed in Belfast that
he seemed to care for her,” the earl said. “I believe she cares for
him as well.”

“
You think she cares for
him?” Eve hadn’t considered that possibility.

“
I have some experience in
dealing with women who are interested in a man.”

Did that mean he had realized her interest in
him, perhaps even before she had? But she suddenly knew the answer.
“You knew I wouldn’t marry him,” she murmured.

“
Lord Somerset?” He
shrugged. “You refused his offer of marriage long before I came
along. You made no secret that you didn’t want to marry
him.”

“
So when you told me that
you would step aside if I preferred him you knew I wouldn’t do
it.”

“
You did give me scare when
you told me you would rather marry him.”

“
A scare?” she repeated,
then said, “Ahh, you feared you would be stuck with
Grace.”

“
That was a
concern.”

And there it was. His fervor to secure her
hand was what it had been all along: a way to avoid the worse of
the evils.

“
What’s this about a trip
to the mainland?” he asked. “Next week, did you say?”

“
Yes,” Eve said absently.
“Your mother hopes it will give Grace time to reflect on Lord
Somerset’s offer before they return to England.”

“
Has her sights set on
someone higher up the chain, does she?”

Eve nodded. “In truth, she will make him a
terrible wife. He has no real love for
Society
. He wants a
real wife.”

“
A real wife?” He repeated
the words slowly. “Unlike what your husband wants, you
mean?”

“
I am not Grace, as you
know,” she said.

“
Thank God for small
mercies.”

“
You may have erred, my
lord.”

He turned in his swivel chair and crossed his
arms over his chest. “Indeed, how?”

“
You would have done better
with Grace.”

His gaze remained steady on her face for a
long moment. “She would gladly return to England with me, whereas
you are making plans that will keep you here through next week.
Have you plans beyond that, next month perhaps, or maybe even next
year?”

“
You are making plans to
resume your business in England.” She nodded toward the lawyer’s
letter—and the note from his mistress. “You are returning to life
as usual.”

He didn’t bother to glance at the papers, but
said, “I never lied to you, Eve. You knew my life was in
England.”

Eve nodded, but feared if she uttered even a
whimper she would burst into tears.

They stared at one another in silence for a
long moment before he turned his chair back to the desk and picked
up the document he’d been reading. “When you go shopping tomorrow,
buy what you need to furnish the suite here to your taste.”

Her heart began to pound. “I see.”

“
I have been away too long
and you made it clear that London was not to your liking. You have
the trip to Scotland with my mother and you said you wanted to meet
Jean’s daughter—and lest we forget, all the other MacLean relatives
who have yet to welcome you into the fold.” He looked up and added,
“It seems you’ve found your home, Eve,” then returned his attention
to his work.

*****

Erroll tightened the cinch on his horse’s
saddle, then pulled the stirrup from the saddle and lowered it to
the beast’s side. He grasped the reins and led the horse toward the
stable door. His father appeared in the doorway. So his mother had
informed the marquess Erroll was leaving. He should have simply
left her a note. But he knew he was lying to himself. He wouldn’t
have been able to bring himself to so cold a parting.

“
You are determined to
leave?” his father said when Erroll reached him.

“
You knew I would return to
England.” Erroll continued out the door and the marquess fell in
step on the moonlit path. Though, if he were honest, he hadn’t
planned on leaving tonight—or tomorrow, for that matter.

“
I assumed you would take
your wife with you.”

“
She prefers to stay here.”
Without me
.

“
The harvest isn’t for some
time yet. Why go so soon—or so suddenly?”

So soon? After his conversation with Eve an
hour ago, he had wanted to jump into the saddle and ride until he
couldn’t think. He should have done just that.

“
Riding at night is not
wise,” the marquess said.

“
I know every rock on the
road to Tobermory,” Erroll answered. “What is there to keep me
here?”

“
Your wife.”

“
I believe a wife is
obligated to follow her husband.”

“
Can I expect a grandchild
next January?” his father demanded.

Erroll gave a mirthless laugh. “You have a
great deal of faith in my abilities, sir.”

“
I have faith in your
inability to stay out of your wife’s bed.”

His father had a point, and it was going to
be hell not having her in his bed. “I consummated the marriage.”
Several times over.
“As to a grandchild, that is in Fate’s
hands.”

“
Fate is for
fools.”

Erroll released a sigh. “I understand duty.
You taught me well.”

“
Do you plan to live the
rest of your life for duty alone?”

“
What else is there?” A
wife, love…children?

“
Children,” his father
said, as if reading his mind.

“
You certainly had your
share.” Four children with Erroll’s mother alone. “Lust is a
powerful motivation.” Little had he realized just how powerful a
motivation.

“
Lust?” His father grunted
in disgust. “A fleeting passion.”

Erroll raised his brows. “You seem to have
maintained that passion with my mother.”

His father scowled. “I am not so old. Why
should you be surprised?”

Why was he surprised? “Most husbands grow
tired of their wives after so many years of marriage.”

“
Most men have good
reason.”

Erroll looked sharply at his father. “But you
do not?”

“
Did you think I don’t know
your mother is a remarkable woman?”

Something niggled in the back of Erroll’s
brain. “But that doesn’t change the fact that she is not Moira
MacLean.”