Page 110 of My Highland Rogue
“Have you come to announce some impediment to this marriage, McBain? I assure you there is none. Nor will I tolerate any interference in my life.”
The older man sat back in the chair and studied him.
“They tell me you’re quite a success, McDonnell. I have to admit that I’m surprised, but pleasantly so. Evidently, you take after your father.”
Gordon held himself still, watching McBain. He didn’t trust the man, based on his past deeds, but sometimes such an attitude was unwise.
“Alex was a good friend of mine. I always thought you were his by-blow,” McBain said.
He stared at the other man. “You thought I was the earl’s bastard?”
“Actually, I did.”
“And that Betty was my mother?”
“As impossible as it is to consider,” McBain said, smiling slightly. “Yes. I’ve seen stranger pairings. You look like your father. What else was I to think? The only reason more people didn’t remark on the resemblance was because the countess had become a recluse after the fire.”
Gordon kept silent.
“I thought the countess left you a bequest because you were the illegitimate son of her dead husband. Frankly, I saw the gesture as an indication of her kindness. The countess had a great heart.”
Gordon remained silent.
“Evidently, you’ve taken that bequest and done something good with it.”
“So, this visit isn’t to dispute my wedding?”
“Indeed, it isn’t.”
“Why?”
McBain smiled again. “If you’re asking what I think you are, I knew about Jennifer. As I said, I was a good friend of your father’s. He shared that information with me.”
To his surprise, McBain stood and extended his hand. “I wish you the very best of luck in your challenge to Harrison. I believe that you would be a better earl than he has been.”
“How did you know about the challenge?” Gordon asked.
“Alex’s friends are also mine. When I heardthe story, I knew that I’d been in the wrong five years ago. I wanted to come and tell you that.”
“I’m not sorry you did what you did,” Gordon said. “If you hadn’t sent me away, I would never have made my fortune.”
“Oh,” McBain said, “I think you would’ve found a way to make your mark on the world, one way or another.”
He watched as the man stood and headed for the door. Before McBain left the room, Gordon said, “Stay for the wedding. There’s a party afterward.”
McBain’s look of surprise was justification enough for the impromptu invitation.
“It’s unseemly,” Abigail said as she made the finishing touches to Ellen’s hair. “They’re marrying barely after the banns were read. The world will think they’re trittle-trattle.”
Abigail handed Ellen a mirror so that she could see the back of her hair. Once again, she’d performed miracles. Ellen decided that she looked quite nice, barely old enough to be the mother of the bride.
“They love each other, Abigail.”
“Still, it doesn’t look right. People are going to wonder at the haste.”
She smiled absently, blocked out Abigail’s comments, and moved to the window. The day was beautiful for a wedding. Cold, wintry, but with a clear blue sky.
Everyone knew not to marry in May, but January was also considered unfortunate. However,both Gordon and Jennifer had refused to settle for a date further out than January. Therefore, she’d been pressed to arrange everything in four weeks. The only nagging detail—which was a formality only—was the marriage contract. That should have been done last night, but due to inclement weather, the legal parties couldn’t get here. Therefore, the final details were taking place now.
