Love in the Highlands Read Online Free PDF Page A

to be sold off to a stranger, no matter how many jewels he has to give."
    "Fine principles for a fine lady," he sneered, "but how long will they last? Wait until they drape you with diamonds – diamond tiara, diamond aigrette, diamond necklace, bracelets, rings, diamond shoe buckles – "
    Suddenly he stopped. A strange, wild note had entered his voice and he was breathing hard as though tormented by some violent emotion. He seemed to become aware of his guests staring at him, for he swung away and put both his fists on the desk, leaning on them.
    After a moment he straightened up and turned back to face them. He had regained his composure but his face was dreadfully pale.
    "Forgive me," he said in a strained voice. "Sometimes I am not quite myself. This is not a good day to come asking me favours – "
    "It is the only day I have," Lavina cried. "Only help me and I promise, in fact I swear, that I will not bother you in any way. I will not demand anything from you, except to pretend we are engaged until the danger from the Russians is over. Then we can separate, as undoubtedly you will wish to do, and you never need see me again."
    When he did not answer she repeated desperately,
    "I swear to you on all I hold sacred I will leave and make no further demands on you, the moment I am safe."
    He was looking at her now with a thin, chilly smile playing about his lips.
    "Do you know what you are suggesting? We become engaged, stay that way for a while and then – what – ?"
    "Why then, we announce that we have decided that we will not suit," she said quickly. "It's easy, engagements get broken all the time and – "
    Then she saw his bitter eyes on her, and knew what she had done.
    Of course, this man had been jilted at the altar, to the derision of the world. He was the last person who would help her with a false engagement.
    She saw defeat staring her in the face, and she began to feel desperate.
    If only he would speak. His silence was becoming unnerving.
    At last the Marquis did speak, heavily, as though speech were an effort for him.
    "Lady Lavina, I am sorry to hear of your predicament, but I really don't know what I can do. What you suggest is quite impossible. Nobody would believe it. It's common knowledge that I don't live in society, so where could we have met?"
    "Surely that is no real problem, sir? It's true that you are seldom seen in society, but you go into it sometimes. Lord and Lady Bracewell, for instance, are friends of ours, and I believe you are acquainted with them."
    Now he would ask her how she knew and she would remind him that he had been in the Bracewells' London house three years ago. And he would recognise her.
    But he only shrugged.
    "I have not seen the Bracewells for some time. We could hardly have met there."
    "Not recently, but – "
    "If not recently, when? Just how long ago are we supposed to have met? And how did we renew our acquaintance? Or have we both been secretly pining for years?"
    His cool, bored tone made Lavina grind her nails into her palm. She fought hard to keep her temper, but it was slipping away from her.
    "As a matter of fact we have encountered each other at the Bracewells – "
    His brow furrowed.
    "Have we? Surely not?"
    Only the recollection that she was a lady prevented Lavina from slapping him.
    "Please don't waste time trying to remember me, Lord Elswick," she said with spirit. "I assure you I haven't wasted the ghost of a thought on you, and I most certainly haven't been pining for you."
    "I'm relieved to hear it, ma'am. Now we can have nothing further to say to each other."
    He turned his back on her, walked across the room and stood with his back to his visitors, looking out of the window into the garden.
    Everything about him was redolent of finality.
    It was over.
    Her future was unimaginably horrible.

CHAPTER THREE
    She had thrown away her chance, Lavina realised, if, indeed, there had ever been a chance.
    If only she could have contained her temper and not