Lady Kinloch tapped the card table. “Melissa, I have the mostdreadfulhand. I cannot do a thing with these cards.”
Properly distracted, Melissa looked to her mother. “Oh, dear. Give them to me, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“I say, that’s cheating,” Colin said in a humorous tone. “Melissa, you’re the very devil with cards. You’ll slaughter poor Morgan and me.”
As his remark set off a good-natured round of jesting, Kade took the opportunity to slip out of the room. He was fairly convinced that it wouldn’t take long for Morgan to find an excuse to leave the table and follow him.
Strolling down to the music room, he paused to scribble a few notes in his work journal. He’d finally cracked a small problem in the final movement, thanks to a casual observation Charlie had made earlier in the day. His sweet lass had both an excellent ear and a quicksilver mind. He looked forward to working with her on future compositions.
In fact, he looked forward to doing everything with Charlie—starting with a proper wedding night, which he hoped would come sooner rather than later.
He stowed his journal and went outside. The lights from the upstairs drawing room cast a gentle glow over the terrace, and the murmur of voices drifted through the open windows. He couldn’t hear Morgan’s voice, however, so he took the path straight to the gazebo. Given that Morgan was obviously rattled, he might make a quick exit from the card game.
The skies were clear tonight, and the moon, almost full, illuminated the path through the silent gardens. It was a beautiful night in the Highlands, the soft breeze scented with heather and pine and the pond up ahead shimmering with reflected starlight.
Kade paused on the steps of the gazebo to listen before going inside. He then began to circle the interior, lifting cushions, tapping panels, and generally making a show of it. Finally, he crouched down in front of the panel where Johnny had previously hidden the brooch, prying it off to retrieve a leather pouch.
As Kade straightened up, he heard a heavy footfall and a click he recognized all too well. He turned to find Morgan on the bottom step of the gazebo, holding a cocked pistol.
“I’ll take that pouch, Kendrick,” he drawled.
“This is a bit of a surprise, Morgan. I thought you were out of the hunt. In any event, holding a weapon on me hardly seems like fair play.”
Moonlight and shadow exaggerated the man’s ugly sneer. “Don’t play coy with me, old man. You know exactly what this is about.”
“Actually, I’m at something of a loss. Why in God’s name would you want to take the brooch from me at gunpoint? Do you really expect me to keep quiet about this when you hand it over to Lord Kinloch?”
“I’m not going to hand it over. You know that, so no more games.” He waved the pistol. “Now, hand it over.”
Kade nodded. “Now we come to it. Very well, but I have a few questions first.”
“Why the bloody hell should I answer your questions?”
“Mind if I sit?” He didn’t wait for a reply before settling onto the padded bench.
“What game are you playing, man?” Morgan blustered.
Kade extended a hand over the gazebo railing, dangling his precious cargo over the pond. Morgan sucked in a breath and started to move.
“One more step and I’ll drop it,” Kade sharply said. “Refuse to answer my questions, and I’ll drop it. The brooch is quite heavy, so I imagine it’ll sink to the bottom immediately.”
Morgan hissed out a foul curse but remained on the top step. Fury permeated the air around him, almost visible in the moonlight.
“I suppose Johnny blabbed all,” he spat out. “The little weasel.”
“As young and naive as he is, Johnny is more a man than you’ll ever be,” Kade replied, his voice icy with contempt. “He stood up to you, despite your attempts to kill him.”
“I never tried to kill him,” Morgan retorted. “I was just trying to scare him into doing the right thing. Johnny owes me quite a lot of money, and he needed to know the consequences of reneging on his word. It’s a matter of honor.”
“You have a bizarre notion of honor, Morgan, one that apparently includes drugging unsuspecting victims with laudanum. You could have killed Johnny if you’d miscalculated the dose.”
“I never miscalculate, and he was never in real danger. Now, if we’re done with the questions, hand that bloody pouch over.”
“Just one more. Why didn’t you simply go to Lord Kinloch and ask him to settle Johnny’s debts? I’m sure he would have paid you off.”
Morgan snorted in derision. “Kinloch is an oaf and regrettably old-fashioned. Johnny made it clear that his father wouldn’t pay me a farthing. That’s why the brooch belongs to me. No one stiffs me and gets away with it, I assure you.”
Kade gently swung the pouch by its cords. “So, what about me, then? What happens when I hand this over?”
