Page 41 of Edinburgh Escape
“Touch me again, and I’ll knock your lights out,” the belligerent man said.
Ewan waved a hand. “It’s okay, Gregory. I’ll take care of him.”
“Damn right, he will. My cousin doesn’t throw family out like the trash, do ya?”
Gregory, the butler, backed away, a frown settling across his brow. He didn’t leave the room but stood his ground, ready to interfere if the newcomer got out of hand.
“Rory,” Ewan waved a hand toward the table. “We’re in the middle of dinner. Would you care to join us?”
Rory’s gaze swept across the plates of half-eaten food, and he wrinkled his nose. “You’re having haggis? Why? You have enough money now that you don’t have to eat that rubbish.”
Ewan gave his cousin a half-smile. “We happen to like it. You’re welcome to join us. I’m sure Cook can provide an alternative you’ll like better.”
“I don’t need your food,” Rory said. “I came to talk with you, the new Lord Drummond, about that business opportunity I mentioned a few days ago.”
Ewan cocked an eyebrow. “As you can see, we’re at dinner. If you want to talk about business, you’ll have to wait until we’ve finished. Better yet, you can schedule an appointment with me during the day.”
Rory’s frown deepened into a scowl. “I need an answer now.”
Ewan’s chin rose, and his eyes narrowed. “I told you that I had to think about it. I want to have our solicitor look into the details and run a background check on the other people involved. That takes time. Now, if you aren’t joining us for dinner, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“If I say the business is legit, it’s legit. You don’t need to waste money you could be investing in it on a bloody solicitor or anything else. I’m family. You should trust me.”
Ewan cast a glance at the people seated at the table. “Please excuse me while I take care of this.” He advanced on Rory, hooked his arm and started to usher him out of the dining room. “Let’s take this matter to my office.”
* * *
Maggie felt bad for Ewan. This man, Rory, cousin or not, had been rude in front of Ewan’s guests. Ewan was trying to handle it without upsetting the people at the table.
Callum tensed beside her. Maggie had no doubt he was ready to back Ewan if the intruder got more violent.
Rory jerked his arm free. “We’ll talk here. You have the money now that you’re the high-and-mighty Lord Drummond. You might not need it, but I do. You can afford to help a cousin out.”
“I’m not in the habit of throwing away money on a blind investment,” Ewan said.
“I should’ve known you wouldn’t help any more than your father. You’re a stingy old bastard, just like him. The only way anyone got money out of your old man was to sleep with him.”
“Let’s take this discussion into another room.” Ewan reached for Rory’s arm again.
Rory swatted Ewan’s arm and stalked toward Maggie.
Her heart in her throat, Maggie got halfway out of her chair, ready to stand her ground or move in the opposite direction.
Suddenly, Callum stood, blocking Rory’s path to Maggie.
Chapter 9
Rory glared at Callum. “Now that Lord Drummond is dead, all his bastard children are coming out of the woodwork for a piece of his estate.” He tipped his chin toward Maggie. “She’s a case in point.” He turned toward his cousin. “You’ve known me all my life. How long have you known that bitch? An hour. Maybe two. She could’ve lied about her lineage. How do you know she wasn’t lying about having the same father as you?”
“DNA doesn’t lie,” Callum said. “Call her a bitch again, and you and I will have a problem.”
Ewan nodded. “She’s my sister, and this discussion is over.”
“The hell it is. You’d give an equal share of your father’s fortune to her, a product of your father’s affairs? He cheated on your mother! You’re a fool. And all I ask is enough to invest in a legitimate business. She’ll take the money back with her to wherever the hell she’s from. What happens if more illegitimate spawn show up with their hands out? Will you squander your entire fortune on all of them? Because, believe me, your father was a randy bastard who cheated on your mother every chance he got. She was a fool to stay with him. His second wife is equally foolish. What did he leave her? Not a damn thing. She might as well have been his whore instead of his wife.”
Ewan punched his cousin in the face.
Rory staggered backward, blood dripping from his nose.
