Page 67

So far, so good. Three suitors gone, and neither she nor Broderick had needed to intervene much. But Davina could tell her uncle was growing impatient—and desperate. His temper had been shorter than usual, and though he hadn’t said as much, she knew he was running out of options.

Her pacing resumed, her steps quickening as frustration built anew. That might’ve been a good sign for her, save for the part where Tammus was getting desperate—and Forbes was a perfect example. He wasn’t someone who could easily be scared off or dismissed. He was exactly the kind of man her uncle would favor.

And that made him dangerous.

A scuffle on the balcony pulled her from her spiraling thoughts. She froze, turning toward the open doors just as Broderick stepped inside, his movements as smooth and silent as a cat.

“You’ve got to stop doing that,” she said, more startled than she cared to admit.

He cocked an eyebrow. “And ye’ve got tae stop pacin’. I heard ye all th’ way from the courtyard.”

“Doubtful.” She folded her arms, her brow furrowing. “How in the world did you get up here?”

He shrugged, as though scaling the side of a castle was no more difficult than opening a door. “I’ve my ways.”

“Of course you do,” she muttered, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

“Aye,” he said, his grin widening. “But ye’ve yet tae throw me out, so I must be doin’ somethin’ right.”

Despite herself, Davina felt her lips twitch. “Don’t tempt me.”

“Ye mean the way ye tempt me just by standin’ there?” He inhaled deep, his gaze sweeping over her like a velvet caress.

“You’re incorrigible, too.” She suppressed a smile, crossing theroom to avoid his intensity.

He tilted his head, expression softening. “What’s amiss, Blossom? I ken ye’re no’ pacin’ for nothin’.”

She hesitated, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her again. “It’s Arthur Forbes,” she said finally. “He’s the next suitor.”

Broderick’s smile vanished. “Forbes?”

“Aye.” She resumed pacing. “He’s exactly the kind of man my uncle would favor, especially since they’re old friends. A clan chief. Respected. Wealthy. But I’ve heard things. Things that make my stomach turn.”

Broderick stepped closer, the warmth in his gaze replaced by cold precision. “What kind o’ things?”

“From the staff at my uncle’s household during past visits,” she said, her voice tight. “At the time, I paid them no mind. Why should I? But I never liked the man, and when Uncle announced who was next, I was quick to tell him. They say he has a temper. A cruel one.” She glanced at him, her hands twisting in front of her. “I told Uncle Tammus this. Do you know what he said? ‘You could use a bit of discipline.’ Can you believe that?”

The words spilled out before she could stop them, the memory of Tammus’s dismissive tone reigniting her anger.

“As if I were some unruly child needing correction. As if I hadn’t already endured enough of that in my first marriage.”

Her voice broke on the last word, and she stopped pacing, turning to face him. Broderick’s expression darkened, jaw clenched tight. But it was his eyes that caught her breath—intense, focused, as if he saw every shadow she tried to hide.

“Ye told him this?” he growled.

“Aye,” she said, her voice trembling. “I told him everything I knew about Forbes. About the way he leered at me in the past,even when I was a younger girl. Disgusting.”

Broderick’s brow darkened. “What did he say?”

Davina gritted her teeth against the tears threatening to spill over her lashes. “That every man is going to leer at a handsome woman like me. He even said I should be lucky for the attention, and how else were we supposed to produce heirs?”

“Th’ filthy…” Broderick’s jaw flexed, the muscle twitching.

For a moment, silence yawned between them. Agitation carved into every taut line of his body as he raked a hand through his long hair, as though wrestling with the need to act. And yet, something about his barely contained rage on her behalf softened something deep within her.

“Broderick,” she said, her tone gentler now, “I may have to incite his wrath to—”

“Och!” His gaze locked with hers—fierce, unyielding, dangerous. “If that man so much as lays a finger on ye, I’ll break it. And every other bone in his bleedin’ body.”