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“Donella, what do you imagine Alec was up to all those years he was away? Do you think he was faithful to his vows to you?”
“Uh . . .”
“I’d bet my fortune he was not.”
She cut him a sideways glance. “Doesn’t it bother you that I gave myself to another man first?”
When he hesitated, her throat constricted. But then he took her hand and gave her a rueful smile.
“Perhaps a wee bit.” He shook his head. “And with Roddy Murray, no less.”
She grimaced. “Sorry.”
“I’m hardly a saint, so no apologies are necessary, love. But you should have trusted me enough to tell me all this when I asked you—which I did, several times.”
She pulled her hand away. “I told you, Uncle Riddick swore me to secrecy. He said it was better for all concerned.”
“I know how seriously you take vows and such, but your uncle was wrong.” He blew out a deep breath. “I’ll deal with the Murrays, naturally, but I wish you’d told me when you accepted my proposal. I could have managed it better, before the gossip spun out of control.”
Donella couldn’t help but bristle at his tone. “Gossip spread byyourfriend, Mrs. MacArthur.”
“Jeannie is simply repeating what apparently has already been circulating. This is Mungo Murray’s fault. When his ridiculous kidnapping scheme fell apart, he decided to ruin your reputation.” He snorted. “And he’s done a good job of it, too.”
Donella had to struggle to hold on to her temper. It had been horribly embarrassing to tell him everything in the first place, and now she had to endure a lecture.
She stared blindly at the flickering carriage lamp, struggling with an unholy mixture of anger and guilt. The worst part was, he was probably right. But that didn’t make it easier to bear.
“Lass, I promise I’ll take care of it,” Logan said. “I just need to know if there are any other secrets you’ve kept from me.”
His unfortunate word choice triggered a small explosion in her brain. She twisted in her seat to face him. “Like the fact that you’re negotiating a business arrangement with my uncle that will be facilitated by our marriage?”
“Who thehelltold you that?”
“Is it true?”
When he hesitated, her heart plunged through the floor of the carriage.
She faced forward, avoiding his gaze. “It doesn’t matter.” “It’s not like that,” he tersely bit out.
“Really? What is it like, then?”
“Iamconducting business negotiations with your uncle, but it’s got nothing to do with you. We started before I even met you.”
Understanding dawned with an unwelcome light. “So that’s why you agreed to escort me home. You were hoping to curry favor with my uncle. How clever of you.”
“Donella, you’ve got it all wrong,” he ground out.
“Apparently I have a habit of doing that. It would certainly seem I was wrong about why you wanted to marry me.”
“Christ Almighty. I wanted to marry you because you’re a bonny lass, and because Joseph loves you.”
“How splendid for you. You get a complacent wife, a mother for your son, and a business partnership with my uncle. I wonder, however, what I get out of it.”
“A family, for one thing, and a rich husband,” he retorted. “And that’s a hell of a lot better than spending the rest of your life with a bunch of pious spinsters in brown robes and silly hats.”
Donella slowly turned and fixed him with her frostiest glare.
“Oh, hell.” He rammed a frustrated hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean—”
