“Never mind him,” Hayes growled. “I’m Heather’s guardian, so I’m the only one you have business with.”
Niall sensed evasion in Hayes’s words—did he not trust Webb? Or were the two men perhaps not in total agreement about Heather’s future? It was interesting, so he filed the thought away for later.
Niall grabbed a chair and hauled it away from the table toward the fireplace. He angled it so the others were all looking at him, and he had his back to the wall so Mr. Webb couldn’t sneak up behind him. Then he sat down, crossing his ankle over his knee in a deliberately casual pose, and took a long sip of whisky.
“Well, I’m here,” he said at last. “Speak your piece.”
“We got off on the wrong foot,” Cyril said, taking a drink of his ale. “I want to come to an arrangement.”
Niall raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t expecting that. “Go on.”
“Heather is a very excitable girl. No doubt you’ve realized by now that she’s quite pig-headed and rarely listens to anyone’s advice.”
“She is very independent,” Niall allowed. He didn’t mention that she’d actually barricaded herself in her room at the moment, which would just bolster the other man’s point.
“It’s my understanding that you were previously expected to wed another, a Miss McGlashen, and that such a union is strategic. This matter with Heather shouldn’t disrupt your plans. I appreciate a man who has a strategy.”
“While it’s true that my father wished me to marry Brenna McGlashen, the fact is that I’ve married Heather.”
“But the marriage can still be undone,” Cyril pressed. “Let’s work together to speed this annulment. Your father is an earl, whose opinion surely carries weight. And I can testify to Heather’s erratic behavior and her weak mind. Between us, we can get the marriage annulled or declared invalid very quickly. I’ll take charge of Heather once more, and you don’t have to be bothered with her.”
“Very generous of you, sir,” Niall said dryly. “But court proceedings are expensive.”
“I am happy to defray the costs,” Cyril assured him.
“Out of your income? Or Heather’s?”
The man paused, suddenly wary. “What do you mean?”
“I know how much she’s worth. First thing my father did when he heard about the marriage.”
Hate flashed across Cyril’s face, just for a moment. Then he tried to hide it behind an amiable smile. “Ah, do you. I admit I concealed some details from her. For her own sake, of course. Women are frivolous, silly creatures. If she knew the exact details of her inheritance, she’d likely fritter it away on gowns and jewels and trips to Paris, or wherever she’s taken it into her head to go.”
“She mentioned Peking and Cairo, among other cities.”
“There! You see the problem in a nutshell. What business does a young girl have in such places? She belongs at home.”
“Carregness is her home now,” Niall said softly.
Hayes didn’t like that, but he tried once more. “Nonsense, sir. So you married her. You don’t need tostaymarried to her. Let’s make a deal. I’ll see that you get half her income for three years, provided that the marriage is annulled. Then you can marry this Brenna McGlashen and get control of the lands your family so wants. Is that not the best of both worlds? Must I remind you that marriage to Heather brings you no benefits of land in Scotland, and that is where you need it. The McGlashen land borders yours. Why would you let a prize like that slip through your fingers?”
Hayes was doing his level best to get Niall to ignore the annual ten thousand pounds, wasn’t he?Niall thought. But aloud, he just said, “You must have spoken to all the right people, Mr. Hayes. You are very familiar with the situation.”
“What else can I do up here?” the man said, rather sourly. “I have plans for my girl. You disrupted them, but we can both work together and get what we want out of this fiasco. Compromise is the soul of civilized society. What do you say?”
Niall drained the last drops of his whisky. “I’d say that you’ve forgotten one thing.”
Hayes leaned forward, anticipating the beginning of a bargaining session. “Oh? What’s that?”
“We both want Heather. But I’ve got her. So I don’t need to make any compromises at all.”
He stood up and walked out. He gestured to Ian, who hastily finished the ale he’d been drinking and got up to follow Niall out.
“That didn’t take long,” he noted. “What did he want to talk about?”
“He wanted to buy Heather back, for about fifteen thousand pounds.”
Ian’s eyes narrowed. “Did he mistake us for Americans? We don’t buy and sell people around here.”
