"I ... a.s.sumed you wouldn't want to be bothered."

"You a.s.sume wrong. I intend to be at Glenmoor for the birth of my child. Then perhaps I'll take him to London, where he'll be raised among civilized people. I daresay Julian will stop carping at me if I become a family man."

Christy gasped and flung herself at him, her eyes wild, fierce, her small hands beating against his chest. "No! You can't do that! I won't let you."

"Cease!" Sinjun said, grasping Christy's flailing wrists. "We'll discuss this when you've calmed down. I'm probably stuck here for the winter anyway. Come spring, I should have a better understanding of the unrest I've witnessed at Glenmoor."

"I warn you, Sinjun," Christy hissed, "take my bairn and you'll live to regret it."

An elegant brow shot upward. "You should have considered the consequences before you hatched your scatterbrained plan to become pregnant."

"You were never supposed to know! Or care," she added.

Still holding her wrists firmly within his grasp, Sinjun pulled her against him. He felt her heat, inhaled her tantalizing scent, and his shaft jerked in response. The hard little swelling below her waist intrigued him. He wanted to see her naked, to touch the place where his child grew. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were larger than he remembered, and the need to explore them was so urgent that he released her wrists and cupped them. He felt her nipples pebble beneath his palms, and his eyes darkened with desire.

No matter how angry he was at her for deceiving him, he couldn't stop his body's response to her soft, fecund curves. As swiftly as it had come, his anger dissipated. He ached to push himself into her tight sheath, to taste her sweet pa.s.sion, and to give them both what they so obviously needed.

Christy must have read his mind, for moments before he would have swept her into his arms, she pulled away, her face set in stubborn lines.

"No! I won't let you do this! I'm nothing to you but a warm body. You've never wanted a wife or family. What kind of man are you? If you recall, you agreed to my terms to end the affair when the time came for me to leave. Whether or not I became pregnant during that time was a problem I would handle alone.

"I cannot count the times you told me how well your marriage suited you because your wife made no demands upon you. All I wanted from you was an heir for Glenmoor, and someone of my own to love." She touched her stomach. "Through your bairn, a Macdonald heir will regain ownership of Glenmoor."

"d.a.m.n you!" Sinjun snarled.

"No! d.a.m.n you! You lied to me."

Sinjun could find no fault with Christy's logic. He had indeed agreed to her terms. He'd wanted her so badly he would have agreed to anything. It was a devil's pact he'd made. He remembered thinking that her husband had even less morals than he did. His conscience had p.r.i.c.ked him, but l.u.s.t had won out. He realized too late his thinking had been faulty.

Sinjun's introspection was interrupted when Christy fled through the door. Muttering to himself about the failings of women, he followed her down to the main hall, where he found Rory waiting for him.

"When do ye want the workmen to begin the repairs?" Rory asked.

"As soon as possible," Sinjun replied. "I understand winters in the Highlands can be harsh."

Rory nodded and left the hall. "What repairs?" Christy wanted to know.

"I'm paying for repairs to be made to the cottages in the Macdonald stronghold. There is much to be done and the need seemed urgent. I haven't visited the Camerons, Ra.n.a.lds, or Mackenzies yet, but I'll get to them as soon as I can."

"There is no coin for building materials," Christy demurred.

"Let me worry about that." He sniffed appreciatively of the tempting aroma coming from the kitchen. "I'm hungry. What time do we dine? Will I have time to bathe?"

"We eat early, but there's sufficient time for a bath. I'll send the kitchen boys up with the hip tub and hot water. Excuse me, I'll see to it now."

Sinjun caught her wrist. "I'll need help bathing. I left my valet behind."

"Everyone at Glenmoor helps themselves," Christy informed him.

"Will you scrub my back? Tis no more than any husband would expect of his wife."

He watched her face turn red and hoped she wouldn't refuse. Her answer, when it came, was grudgingly given. "Aye. I'll ask Mary for the stiff wire brush she uses to scrub pots."

Her parting shot brought a shout of laughter. No matter how angry he was at Christy he knew she would never bore him. More to the point, he didn't know how long he could keep his hands off her. After experiencing Flora's uninhibited pa.s.sion, he couldn't wait to discover if a difference existed between Flora the mistress and Christy the wife.

After his initial anger had dissipated and calmness prevailed, he saw no reason why he and Christy shouldn't enjoy one another in the same way they had in London.

He wondered how long it would take him to persuade Christy to let him share her bed. He chuckled to himself. It wasn't going to be easy, but nothing worth having was ever easy.

Chapter 7.

Sinjun's mind drifted as he leaned his head back against the rim of the tub and waited for Christy. He wasn't certain she would come, but the thrill of antic.i.p.ation was worth the wait. Pregnancy hadn't dimmed her beauty. If anything, it had enhanced it. And to think he had avoided Christy all these years because he'd remembered her as a nasty, red-haired hoyden with little to commend her. No, that wasn't entirely true. He hadn't wanted a wife intruding upon his lifestyle. He'd wanted freedom.

It was hard to imagine himself as a father. The idea was going to take some getting used to. But the longer he thought about it the more it grew on him. A son and heir or a daughter who looked like Christy. He hadn't mentioned in his letter to Julian that Lady Flora and Christy Macdonald were the same woman. He thought he'd save that for when he could tell Julian in person. Wouldn't his brother be surprised? And Emma. She'd be ecstatic to learn she was going to be an aunt.

A knock on the door brought a smile to Sinjun's sensuous lips. Christy. She'd come. His shaft gave an involuntary jerk, and he wondered how long it would take him to coax Christy into his bed.

"Come," he called.

His smile faltered when Rory entered the chamber. "Where is Christy?"

"Entertaining Camerons. She sent me to tell ye they await ye in the hall."

"Did they say what they wanted?"

"Nay. With Camerons ye can never tell. Christy invited them to share our meal."

Sinjun spit out an oath. "Tell them I'll be right down."

Disgruntled at the untimely interruption, Sinjun entered the hall a short time later. Christy, Margot, and Rory were seated at the table with Calum, Donald, and an a.s.sortment of Camerons.

"I understand you wanted to speak with me," Sinjun said, seating himself beside Christy.

"Aye," Calum said. "We understand ye were nosing around Glenmoor village today."

"If you call inspecting my property nosing around, then, aye, I was doing just that. I intend to visit the Cameron, Ra.n.a.ld, and Mackenzie strongholds in the coming weeks."

Calum's furious gaze rested on Christy a moment before returning to Sinjun. "'Tis true, then. We heard ye were settling in at Glenmoor for the winter."

Knowing it would annoy Calum, he placed his hand over Christy's. "Aye, 'tis my intention to remain for the birth of my child."

Calum's ruddy features grew mottled, and Sinjun tensed, waiting for the expected outburst. Mary and her helpers chose that moment to carry in trays of food. Calum dismissed Sinjun with an angry glare and fell upon the food with gusto.

Ravenous, Sinjun devoted the next hour to his stomach. He sampled oyster soup, roasted mutton, poached trout, hare, boiled root vegetables drenched in b.u.t.ter, and the inevitable bannocks. Dessert consisted of pudding made from apples. Sinjun ate generous portions of everything set before him, amazed at his appet.i.te. At this rate he'd lose the slim figure the ton so admired.

Replete at last, he sat back and waited for the Cameron chieftain to air his grievances. He didn't have long to wait. Calum pushed to his feet and said, "Shall we continue our conversation in private, yer lordship?"

"Fine with me," Sinjun replied, sc.r.a.ping his chair back.

Christy rose. "We can converse right here." Immediately the hall cleared.

Calum sent Christy a disgruntled look. "What I have to say is for his lordship's ears. 'Tis no concern of yers."

Christy squared her shoulders. "As laird of the clan, 'tis my right to hear whatever it is you have to say to Lord Derby."

"Christy, I'm going to speak to Calum alone," Sinjun said, brooking no argument. "Let me handle this."

He could tell from her expression that his words upset her, but it couldn't be helped. She was pregnant; she didn't need the aggravation of Calum's anger. He was better equipped to handle Calum than a woman carrying a child.

"Don't tell me what to do, my lord," Christy hissed. "I have handled problems without your help before and will continue to do so after you're gone. My condition makes me no less capable."

"I'm here now, wife," Sinjun said, putting starch into his words. " Tis my understanding that our marriage gives me authority to handle clan matters."

"I am still laird!" Christy charged. "You are here but one day and already you are trying to take over."

"Nevertheless, I will speak to Calum privately," he said, determined to persevere. "'Tis been a long day. Go to bed."

He felt the scorching heat of her anger and tried to control his own. Didn't she know he was trying to help? He had shirked his duty to her for years, and while he was here he intended to make himself useful. After he returned to London she could do what she d.a.m.n well pleased.

Sinjun remembered the study from his visit to Glenmoor for his wedding and thought it a good place for privacy. "The study will do," Sinjun said, motioning for Calum to follow.

Once inside, he lit a brace of candles and turned to face Calum. Though nearly of the same height, Calum was broader and more muscular.

"What is it that cannot be said in front of others?" Sinjun challenged.

"We want ye to leave the Highlands."

"Do you speak for the Ra.n.a.lds, Mackenzies, and Macdonalds?"

"I believe they'll fall in line with the Camerons."

"I'm not going anywhere, Cameron. Not yet, anyway. This is my land. I've decided to take a hand in its management for as long as I'm here. I've already undertaken repairs in the Macdonald stronghold. What can I do to improve the Camerons' lot?"

"We want nothing from English dogs."

Sinjun's eyes narrowed. "What else have you come to say? Spit it out, man."

"Yer not wanted here. Christy should have wed a Highlander."

"A man like you?" Sinjun scoffed.

"Aye, a man like me. Ye care nothing for Glenmoor, ye never have. Ye collected yer dues and lived like a king on our sweat. Things were different when old Angus was laird. Then he died and Christy became his heir. Many of us wanted Christy to annul her marriage and wed me. The marriage was unconsummated, it would not have been difficult to end it. She told us she was going to London for that purpose. Instead she returned with a bairn in her belly. She says the bairn is the answer to our future."

"Perhaps she's right," Sinjun allowed. "One day my child will become the new laird."

"Och! The bairn is a Thornton, not a true Scotsman."

"Christy is a Macdonald," Sinjun reminded him. "She carries my child; there can be no annulment."

Calum's cold smile and threatening words gave ominous warning of his intent. "There are other ways to get what I want."

"You don't frighten me, Cameron. Christy is mine, you'll never have her."

"Yer staying then?"

"Aye, for the time being."

Calum's eyes narrowed. "Dinna say ye weren't warned, yer lordship. Highlanders havena forgotten their losses at Culloden. Tis a dangerous place for Englishmen. I'm giving ye fair warning. Protect yer back."

"Are you threatening me, Cameron?"

"Take it any way ye like," Calum growled. "Good night to ye, Lord Derby." He stormed from the chamber.

Sinjun remained in the study, mulling over Calum's threats, long after Calum collected his kinsmen and left Glenmoor. Calum was a dangerous man, one who bore watching.

"Sinjun, are you still in there? Calum left a long time ago."

Sinjun started at the sound of Christy's voice. "Aye."

She walked into the chamber. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking."

"What did Calum want?"

Sinjun chose his words carefully, so as not to upset Christy. "Nothing that would interest you."

He could almost see the wheels in her brain working as she came to the correct conclusion. "He threatened you, didn't he?"

"He doesn't frighten me."

"He should. Calum is a vindictive man. He's never gotten over the fact that Grandfather chose a woman as his heir."

Sinjun pulled Christy into his arms, gratified when she didn't resist. "Don't worry about it, Christy. I can take care of myself. I've not wasted my entire life in useless pursuits. I took fencing lessons and boxing lessons and know how to protect myself."

"Not against the Camerons. They don't fight in gentlemanly ways. You're not to go anywhere without Rory. He'll protect your back."

"You worry too much," Sinjun said lightly as he grasped Christy's hand and led her back to the hall. Rory and Margot were sitting beside the hearth, talking quietly, when they entered.

"What's amiss?" Rory asked, glancing from Sinjun to Christy. "What did Calum want?"

"Nothing important," Sinjun said.