Page 10 of Saved by the Cruel Highlander (Lairds of the Loch Alliance #1)
CHAPTER NINE
F elix Grant dressed carefully. He hadn’t seen his betrothed, Holly Taylor, for a couple of days now, and he knew he had to keep up the pretenses of being a dutiful and smitten fiancé. He hated playing the simpering, love-struck fool, but it was necessary to his plans.
When he’d come to this village, he had every intention of staying just long enough to drain the wealth from the foolish before moving on to the next village. But then he’d heard about Holly Taylor, a young woman without parents or siblings to guard her sizeable inheritance, and he had known fortune was smiling down on him.
“Come to bed, love.”
Felix glanced back at the bed where his lover, and partner in this latest scheme, was propped up against the pillows. Her blonde hair, mussed from an earlier bout of love play, was spread around her head and shoulders.
She had pulled the blankets up to her waist, leaving the top half of her body bare. Except for strategically placed strands of hair that played hide and seek with her luscious breasts.
Felix smiled and walked over to her. “Ye ken I dinnae have time for this. I have to pay a visit to me intended, or else she might think me feelings for her have changed.”
Her mouth drew into a pretty pout. Reaching out a pale hand, she patted the spot next to her. “Miss Taylor can wait for a few more minutes,” she purred.
Felix was tempted. Very tempted. But the wedding was in less than a week, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it. This was his chance to get the wealth he’d been seeking his entire life. He would not die poor and alone like his mother had.
Holly Taylor was his golden opportunity. Her inheritance would set him up for life. No more slinking from town to town, leaving just before people figured out that he was a charlatan. With her money, he could set up a permanent residence and attend the grand functions he’d always been denied.
He shook his head even as he reached out a hand and squeezed his lover’s pale breast. “In a few weeks, I willnae let ye leave me bed.”
She laughed, then moaned when he pinched her nipple between his thumb and finger. He instantly grew hard, hearing a deep moan escape her throat, but he forced himself to ignore it and strolled back to the dressing table to put the final touches on his appearance.
His lover had been very helpful in his endeavor to win the hand of Miss Taylor, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep her around once he had the inheritance. She was a bit too needy and clingy for his tastes. Besides, she was a commoner, like him. Once he was wealthy, he could choose any woman, and having a lady alongside him would further his goals. But, for now, she suited his needs just fine.
A loud knock drew his attention to the door. He scowled, then glanced back at his lover. She was already scrambling out of bed, a sheet wrapped around her body. It wouldn’t do for them to be caught together. Not just for Felix, but for her as well.
Unfortunately, he could only afford to live in a room above the tavern, which didn’t allow for much privacy. He didn’t usually get visitors other than her, either.
Felix waited until she’d hidden in the closet at the far corner, then walked across the room and opened the door.
A messenger dressed in the McAllister blue, green, and yellow plaid stood there.
Felix frowned. What was a messenger from the Laird doing at his door? His heart skipped a beat. Had he somehow cheated the Laird? He’d always been very careful about who his targets were to draw the least amount of attention to him. That was something his father had taught him when he’d introduced him to the trade at the tender age of nine. But he could have inadvertently cheated the Laird by tricking one of his friends or advisors.
“Felix Grant?” the messenger asked.
Felix nodded. “Aye.”
The messenger withdrew a missive and handed it to Felix, who took it curiously.
“What is this?” he asked.
The messenger pointed to the parchment. “Ye’ll find yer answers in there.” He paused and frowned. “Ye ken how to read?”
Felix bristled. Just because he wasn’t a noble didn’t mean he didn’t know his letters.
“I do,” he snapped.
The messenger didn’t seem apologetic for making such an assumption. He nodded, pointed at the parchment again, then said, “Then read it.”
Felix closed the door while looking down at the missive. He walked further into the room and went over to the dressing table. The woman came out from the closet, her hair a tangled mess and her expression full of concern.
“What is it, Felix?”
He broke the McAllister seal and opened the missive, his eyes going wider with every word he read.
“Nay,” he said in a horrified whisper. “Nay! He cannae do this!”
“What?” the woman asked, moving to stand next to him. She tried to peer around him to read the missive, but he was shaking it in the air angrily. “Who are ye talkin’ about? Who cannae do what?”
Felix finally turned to her. His face was flushed a bright red, and his eyes were narrowed into angry brown slits.
“Laird McAllister!” he seethed.
The woman’s face paled, and she sucked in a breath.
Felix waved the missive in front of her face. “He’s cancelin’ me betrothal to Holly!”
“Nay!” she exclaimed. They had worked so hard to make this happen, and now the Laird was ruining all their plans. “He cannae do this!”
“He is the Laird, and apparently, he can. And did!” Felix growled.
He reread the missive, then threw it atop the dressing table. His gaze fell to a tankard he’d left on the table. He snatched it up and threw it against the wall, the sound loud in the small room.
“She cannae escape me so easily.” His voice was low, and a calculating gleam entered his eyes.
The woman shivered slightly, but Felix wasn’t certain if it was caused by fear or excitement.