Page 71 of Rogue with a Brogue
“As long as no one falls asleep and begins snoring, we have nothing to fear, I reckon.”
In the past his family had once—or more than once—been accused of being Jacobites, of supporting James and then Bonnie Prince Charlie’s claim to the throne of England. Some of his ancestorshadbeen Jacobites. Because of that, most of the houses in the Highlands boasted so-called priest holes for hiding Scots being sought after by Sasannach soldiers. And now they were in a half-Sasannach household hiding away from the clans, including his own.
With his free right hand he reached into his coat pocket for the pistol he’d placed there. No, he didn’t want to harm her father or any other Campbell, because that would hurt her. Neither, though, was he surrendering Mary. Not to anyone—Campbell, MacLawry, or Saint Bridget and all the heavenly angels.
Chapter Sixteen
Sarah Mallister sat on the edge of her bed and waited to be surprised.
As much as she would have preferred to be dressed in her finest gown with her hair pulled up and blush on her cheeks, the sun hadn’t yet shown the merest sliver over the eastern hills. Under normal circumstances she and Sean would have remained in bed for at least another hour.
“Sean, don’t pace,” she whispered.
Her husband stopped halfway between the bed and the door. “Have you considered that perhaps we should be hiding ourselves behind that wall?”
“They’ve known for nineteen years where to find us. And frankly, I’m more looking forward to this than I’m worried about it.”
Stepping more quietly, he moved over to sit beside her. “If we can manage it, I’d like to punch Fendarrow in the nose, myself.”
She smiled, nervous anticipation running through her. “I don’t think a little suspicious hostility would be out of place. He’s never bothered to come calling before, after all.” Sarah took her husband’s hand. “Just remember that this isn’t about us. It’s about protecting our young guests.”
Of course her niece had only come calling because their coach had overturned and Lord Arran had been injured. They had literally had nowhere else to go. But theyhadcome instead of waiting about to be caught, and she’d made the acquaintance of a brave young lady she would otherwise never have met. And a MacLawry. For goodness’ sake, she wasn’t certain even she would have had the courage to fall not just for a member of clan MacLawry, but fortheMacLawry’s younger brother.
Susan’s knock came at the door, more strident than usual. “Come in,” Sarah called, and the door cracked open.
“Mrs. Mallister,” the housekeeper said a trifle unsteadily, “you have a caller.”
“At this hour?” she asked, sending the servant an encouraging smile. She wasn’t certain whether they could be overheard or not, but it was a small and quiet cottage, and so she would assume a visitor could make out every word she spoke. “Is it Mrs. Lester? I asked her to send me word when Sally went into labor.”
“No, ma’am. It’s… It’s Lord Fendarrow.”
“What?”
“That’s the name he gave me. And there are at least a dozen men with him.”
“Good heavens!”
“Fendarrow? What the devil does your brother want of us?” Sean demanded.
“I have no idea,” Sarah returned, not having to feign the trepidation in her voice. “Do you think something’s happened to my father? Why else would he come here, Sean? It’s been nineteen years!”
“We’d best go find out. Tell him we’ll be down in a moment, Susan. I’m not meeting him in my nightshirt.”
The maid curtsied. “Should Levitt offer them tea?”
“Not until I find out what he wants,” Sean said loudly, offering her a reassuring smile.
Susan shut the door again, and Sarah let out her breath. “I’d nearly forgotten that I don’t actually want to see him,” she muttered, standing and hurrying for her wardrobe.
Her husband strode over to take her arm, turning her to face him. “Just keep in mind why he’s here,” he whispered, and kissed her. “I, for one, have no intention of allowing him to do to someone else what he did to you.”
With a smile she kissed him back. “What he did to me doesn’t matter, because he couldn’t separate us. Now stomp angrily into your boots, and let’s get this over with.”
They hadn’t had a chance to warn their guests that trouble had arrived, but Sarah hadn’t heard as much as a squeak coming from down the short hallway. All she could do was presume that they knew, and that they’d closed themselves into the hidden room. The rest would be up to her and Sean.
Her hands shook a little as she shed her night rail and donned a plain green and yellow muslin, then brushed out her hair and pinned it into a simple knot. Sean dressed in his dark, conservative banker’s clothes, and then together they left the bedchamber and descended the stairs.
Levitt hovered in the front entry, looking annoyed that he’d only had time to don his trousers with his night shirt hastily tucked into the waist. If given the choice the butler would have remained dressed all night, poised to greet their visitors. That, though, would have raised far too many suspicions, at a moment when they couldn’t afford any at all.
