Read Online Scotsmen Prefer Blondes by Sara Ramsey - Free Book Online
Authors: Sara Ramsey
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Salford raised his fist. Malcolm stood his ground. He deserved one blow from her brother, but would protect himself from the second.
The blow never came. Salford lowered his fist. He didn’t stop scowling, though. “I’ll spare you for now, Carnach. The ladies shouldn’t see this.”
“Don’t stop on my account,” Prudence said, shutting the door. “If you can handle Carnach, I shall take on Amelia.”
As she advanced, Malcolm finally saw the spark that made Amelia and Prudence such fierce friends. That spark was suddenly something dangerous, an incendiary in a powderkeg.
“Prue, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Amelia said.
“Neither of us want excuses, Amelia,” Salford snapped.
Malcolm knew what he had to say. He perhaps even wanted to say it — but to her, not to her brother. The words felt odd in his mouth, like they were emerging into an ocean, cold and indistinct, ripped apart by the waves. “I will do my duty, Salford. Lady Amelia and I will wed as soon as the arrangements are made.”
Amelia laughed, but the sound broke in the same ocean that threatened to drown him. “Nothing happened, Alex. Certainly nothing requiring marriage. If you and Prudence stay silent, no one in London need ever know.”
Her voice was pleading. Malcolm didn’t like it. “I wouldn’t want anyone to take me for a seducer of innocents,” he said.
“Have you seduced other innocents?” she asked.
“Of course not.”
“Then Carnach only seduced you, Amelia?” Salford interjected. “That isn’t a satisfactory answer.”
“He didn’t seduce me,” Amelia said. Even from three feet away, Malcolm could hear her teeth grinding.
“And yet you’re shoeless, in the dark, alone with him, and when we entered, he was kissing you.”
“You and Prudence would have been alone in here if we weren’t here,” Amelia pointed out. “Would you have seduced her?”
“Prudence? Don’t be absurd.”
“Thank you, Salford,” Prudence said.
Malcolm detected sarcasm in Prudence’s voice, but Salford inclined his head, accepting her thanks as though she meant them.
“Still, nothing happened that merits marriage,” Amelia insisted. “And to have you force it, when you were with Prudence quite late yourself...”
Alex held up a book, cutting her off. “Prudence said she had an errand in the library, and as we had been discussing architecture until five minutes ago, very properly chaperoned by our mothers, I offered to escort her. If you had been here alone, no one would have thought a thing of it.”
“No one needs to think a thing of it if you will keep this quiet, Alex!” Amelia said.
Malcolm held up his hands. “Might we discuss this in the morning, when our tempers have cooled?”
Amelia whirled on him. “We won’t discuss this in the morning because there is nothing to discuss. This may look suspicious, but it won’t happen again.”
“You’ve promised that before, Amelia,” Salford reminded her.
“What the devil does that mean?” Malcolm asked, watching as Amelia turned red.
Prudence snickered. “Amelia will make such a wonderful political wife for you, Lord Carnach. So obedient, so proper...”
Amelia silenced her. “We all make mistakes, Alex. Don’t hang me for mine just because you haven’t gotten around to making your own.”
There was dead silence. Salford stared at Amelia, assessing. Prudence looked at her feet, her thoughts seeming miles away. Malcolm wanted to know what Amelia’s previous offenses were — but now that they’d been caught, he would have a lifetime to learn about them.
Salford was the first to blink. “I’ve made mistakes too, Mellie. After that business with Madeleine and Ferguson this spring...”
He paused. Really, the man was driving Malcolm mad by hinting at impropriety, then changing the subject. Malcolm knew Ferguson’s marriage to Salford and Amelia’s cousin was swift, but what was Salford’s role in it?
Salford spoke again. “I
Salford raised his fist. Malcolm stood his ground. He deserved one blow from her brother, but would protect himself from the second.
The blow never came. Salford lowered his fist. He didn’t stop scowling, though. “I’ll spare you for now, Carnach. The ladies shouldn’t see this.”
“Don’t stop on my account,” Prudence said, shutting the door. “If you can handle Carnach, I shall take on Amelia.”
As she advanced, Malcolm finally saw the spark that made Amelia and Prudence such fierce friends. That spark was suddenly something dangerous, an incendiary in a powderkeg.
“Prue, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Amelia said.
“Neither of us want excuses, Amelia,” Salford snapped.
Malcolm knew what he had to say. He perhaps even wanted to say it — but to her, not to her brother. The words felt odd in his mouth, like they were emerging into an ocean, cold and indistinct, ripped apart by the waves. “I will do my duty, Salford. Lady Amelia and I will wed as soon as the arrangements are made.”
Amelia laughed, but the sound broke in the same ocean that threatened to drown him. “Nothing happened, Alex. Certainly nothing requiring marriage. If you and Prudence stay silent, no one in London need ever know.”
Her voice was pleading. Malcolm didn’t like it. “I wouldn’t want anyone to take me for a seducer of innocents,” he said.
“Have you seduced other innocents?” she asked.
“Of course not.”
“Then Carnach only seduced you, Amelia?” Salford interjected. “That isn’t a satisfactory answer.”
“He didn’t seduce me,” Amelia said. Even from three feet away, Malcolm could hear her teeth grinding.
“And yet you’re shoeless, in the dark, alone with him, and when we entered, he was kissing you.”
“You and Prudence would have been alone in here if we weren’t here,” Amelia pointed out. “Would you have seduced her?”
“Prudence? Don’t be absurd.”
“Thank you, Salford,” Prudence said.
Malcolm detected sarcasm in Prudence’s voice, but Salford inclined his head, accepting her thanks as though she meant them.
“Still, nothing happened that merits marriage,” Amelia insisted. “And to have you force it, when you were with Prudence quite late yourself...”
Alex held up a book, cutting her off. “Prudence said she had an errand in the library, and as we had been discussing architecture until five minutes ago, very properly chaperoned by our mothers, I offered to escort her. If you had been here alone, no one would have thought a thing of it.”
“No one needs to think a thing of it if you will keep this quiet, Alex!” Amelia said.
Malcolm held up his hands. “Might we discuss this in the morning, when our tempers have cooled?”
Amelia whirled on him. “We won’t discuss this in the morning because there is nothing to discuss. This may look suspicious, but it won’t happen again.”
“You’ve promised that before, Amelia,” Salford reminded her.
“What the devil does that mean?” Malcolm asked, watching as Amelia turned red.
Prudence snickered. “Amelia will make such a wonderful political wife for you, Lord Carnach. So obedient, so proper...”
Amelia silenced her. “We all make mistakes, Alex. Don’t hang me for mine just because you haven’t gotten around to making your own.”
There was dead silence. Salford stared at Amelia, assessing. Prudence looked at her feet, her thoughts seeming miles away. Malcolm wanted to know what Amelia’s previous offenses were — but now that they’d been caught, he would have a lifetime to learn about them.
Salford was the first to blink. “I’ve made mistakes too, Mellie. After that business with Madeleine and Ferguson this spring...”
He paused. Really, the man was driving Malcolm mad by hinting at impropriety, then changing the subject. Malcolm knew Ferguson’s marriage to Salford and Amelia’s cousin was swift, but what was Salford’s role in it?
Salford spoke again. “I
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