Amanda Scott Read Online Free PDF Page B

roared, smacking the desktop with his hands as he rose to his feet “I’ve got half a mind to let Sir Renfrew have you, after all. Seek your room now, and do not let me see your face again before I leave in the morning.”
    She hesitated, as if she meant to argue; then, muttering furiously to herself, she turned on her heel and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind her.
    Michael looked at the dog, which had curled up on the hearthstones again. “Sometimes I wish I were a more violent man, Cailean,” he said quietly.
    The dog’s tail thumped the floor, as if in agreement.
    Fortunately for the earl’s continued calm, his sister did not show her face again before he and Cailean left Mingary for Appin Country the following morning. The sun was shining brightly; the breeze blew from the southwest and was strong enough to send his hired sailboat skimming across Loch Linnhe in good time. The landlord at Kentallen Inn was able to provide him with a good-looking black gelding at small cost, but that was the end of his good fortune for the day.
    He saw Balcardane Castle’s famous square tower some time before he got near enough to see the whole castle, and his pulse quickened at the sight of it. He knew enough about the MacCrichton’s parentage to think the lad or his guardian might welcome the simplicity of an arranged marriage, and that thought sustained his optimism until sight of the massive castle planted solidly on the hillside above the rippling waters of Loch Leven reminded him in no uncertain terms of the power of its master. He realized that that power could mitigate the qualms that any noble father might have about allying a daughter with the questionable MacCrichton line.
    Michael was glad he had brought along a miniature of his sister. Her beauty must count as a considerable asset, and any guilt he felt at not bringing her in person, he suppressed. His mission was difficult enough, for he knew that his pride might hinder his good intentions. One hint of Bridget’s temper, though, and all would fail.
    His heart was pounding by the time he reached the tall double gate. One side opened enough to allow a lackey to emerge even as he drew rein.
    “What will ye, sir?” the man asked, touching his cap politely.
    “Pray, inform your master that the Earl of Kintyre seeks an audience with him on a matter of some import,” Michael said.
    Seeing the lackey’s eyes widen, he realized that coming alone had been counterproductive, and wished he had been able to provide himself with a proper tale. On the other hand, he would then have had to hire horses for the others, as well, and he could not afford that. He held the lackey’s gaze with his own.
    The man said ruefully, “’Tis a pity, me lord, but the master’s awa’. Ye’re welcome to Balcardane’s hospitality, but I canna give yer message to his lordship.”
    “When will he return?”
    The lackey seemed to measure him for a long moment. Then he gestured toward the inner courtyard. “Will ye enter, me lord? I’ll fetch our captain straightaway.”
    Understanding that the man was reluctant to give information about his master’s plans to a stranger, Michael nodded and urged his mount through the open gateway.
    Shutting the gate behind him, and dropping the iron bar into place, the lackey waited politely for Michael to dismount and precede him across the vast stone courtyard toward the stables.
    Glancing around, Michael decided that an enemy hoping to take Balcardane during its master’s absence would be sorry to have made the attempt. Men at arms stood everywhere. Swords clashed in one corner of the yard, where a group sat watching two men practice their skill. He counted at least twenty others in plain sight on the walls and in the courtyard, which told him there were undoubtedly at least three times that many on the premises. The ones he saw were well equipped and looked well fed. The earl was clearly a man of extreme wealth and power.
    “Good