“Let’s eat, then.”
Niall requested some food be brought up to his room, guessing that Heather wasn’t quite ready for the great hall. The kitchen must have been waiting for the moment, because the meal that arrived was enough for six people, not just two. Dish after dish was set on the table near the window, and Susan carried in several plates of sweets and a large tea service.
Heather thanked each and every servant who entered, and they all beamed at her. It was as if she’d been gone on a year-long journey, not just hiding in her room.
Once they were alone again, Niall brought up the most important subject. “I spoke to your uncle.”
Her eyes widened. “When?”
“Earlier today. He tried to get me to work with him to annul the marriage through any means possible. He even suggested that he would have you declared insane.”
“He wouldn’t!”
“I’m sure he’d try. Unfortunately, if he finds a sympathetic audience, he might not have to do much work to convince them. The story of you escaping out a window barely dressed would be enough for some.”
“That was a perfectly sound action taken as a result of being in an intolerable situation!”
“Or, it’s an act of an unstable girl who won’t listen to her guardian.”
Heather frowned. “What did you say to him?”
“I told him I wasn’t interested in any deal. But he’s up to something.”
“He always is.”
“He offered a large portion of your income as a bribe. Half for three years.”
“Just to get me back? And after my birthday, so I wouldn’t need a guardian any longer.”
“If you’re declared unfit, he’d likely continue as your guardian. Which means he’d have access to your income at that point.”
She banged her fork against the table. “Oooh, that makes me mad. Angry mad! Notmadmad!”
“I understood,” he said with a smile. “But Heather, there’s also the other issue. Although I refused to go along with the plan of having you declared insane, he’s got another angle he can take.”
“What’s that?”
He looked at her in exasperation. “The fact that the marriage has never been consummated.”
Heather swallowed, blushing furiously. “But he doesn’t know that for sure! After finding that letter, he can guess. But we could have…you know…since then.”
“If he pursues this course, he’ll ask for a doctor’s examination. Youarea virgin, Heather.”
She looked trapped, and furious about it. “But… what can we do?”
“We can out-wait him. He probably has to go to London to work with the various attorneys to get all the specifics in place. The law works slowly, so he’ll try to expedite things.”
“Using my own money, no doubt.”
“If he can access it. Oh, by the way, yesterday I sent word to your bank, informing them of your marriage to me, and requesting that only you or I can access your funds. I hope that will help, or at least muddy the waters long enough to get you to your birthday.”
“So that’s my last hope? That I reach my twenty-first birthday virginal and sane?”
“You’re doing well so far.”
She shot him a skeptical look. “Am I?”
“Aye. Just a little while more, Heather.” He smiled at her, hoping it looked reassuring. But in his heart, he had just one wild notion.
