herself. She clamped her lips together and hardened her heart against him. A man like Lord Sin would only bring her grief.
“Why are you here? You would have never known who I was had you remained in London.”
“I’ve come because I heard that my virgin wife was expecting a child,” he spat. “I should have questioned you more closely in London. What a fool I was to accept that cock-and-bull story about a husband unable to produce an heir. I should have known it was all a pack of lies, no husband would give his wife leave to cuckold him. And to think my conscience bothered me after you left.”
Christy reeled in the face of his rage. “Do you think we Highlanders are ignorant of what goes on in London? Lord Sin’s reputation reached me even in far-flung Glenmoor. Visitors to London delighted in regaling me with your exploits. When I learned the kind of man you’d become I had no regrets about lying to you. Would you have made love to me had you known I was your wife?”
“That isn’t a fair question!”
“You have never been fair to me, Sinjun,” Christy defended. “Why should I care about Lord Sin when he was having the time of his life, wallowing in debauchery and flitting from mistress to mistress while I tried to keep the clan from open rebellion? You cared nothing about Glenmoor or our problems. You’ve raised the levies to unconscionable levels in order to support your vices.”
“If the levies were increased, I had nothing to do with the decision. Julian takes care of those things for me.”
Christy swung her legs off the bed and lurched to her feet. “Do you always shirk responsibility?”
“Damn you!” Sinjun railed. “Until you walked into my life things were relatively peaceful. Julian handled all aspects of family business and legal matters.”
Christy faced him squarely, hands on hips. “Which left you more time to indulge your excesses, I’m sure. Unlike you, I have responsibilities and own up to them. There were times I needed a husband’s counsel, but where were you? Either gambling away Glenmoor’s hard-earned money or squiring your current mistress about. Not once since our unfortunate marriage did you think about me. You’re a rake with all the instincts of a rutting stallion.”
Sinjun’s eyes glinted dangerously. “I let you rule Glenmoor as you pleased.”
“And I would have continued to do so had you not decided to arrive at a most inopportune time.”
He stared pointedly at her stomach. “My bailiff heard rumors that Christy Macdonald was carrying a child, and I hied myself up here to learn the truth for myself. I even brought a writ of annulment in case I needed to rid myself of a faithless wife should the rumor prove true.”
She gave a mirthless laugh. “Did it hurt to think that your wife was following in your footsteps? What a hypocrite you are.”
“It’s different for a man,” Sinjun maintained. Abruptly he changed the subject before Christy could ridicule his faulty logic. “Tell me the truth, Christy. Is it my child you carry? Or is some other man’s babe growing in your belly?”
“English swine!” Christy blasted. “Of course the bairn is yours. How can you doubt it? Oh, how I rue the day I became your wife.”
“No more than I,” Sinjun muttered darkly.
“Unfortunately an annulment is no longer feasible,” Christy advised. “Our marriage has been consummated, and I’m carrying the future Macdonald.”
“You’re carrying a Thornton. He’ll bear one of my lesser titles until he inherits mine.”
Christy bit her lip to keep from screaming her frustration at Sinjun. Her bairn would remain in Scotland with her no matter what he decided about their marriage. The future Macdonald belonged in the Highlands, among his own people.
“Fine,” Christy bit out. “Now you can turn around and leave. I don’t need you.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Appalled at Sinjun’s arrogance, Christy couldn’t wait for him to leave. Or so
“Why are you here? You would have never known who I was had you remained in London.”
“I’ve come because I heard that my virgin wife was expecting a child,” he spat. “I should have questioned you more closely in London. What a fool I was to accept that cock-and-bull story about a husband unable to produce an heir. I should have known it was all a pack of lies, no husband would give his wife leave to cuckold him. And to think my conscience bothered me after you left.”
Christy reeled in the face of his rage. “Do you think we Highlanders are ignorant of what goes on in London? Lord Sin’s reputation reached me even in far-flung Glenmoor. Visitors to London delighted in regaling me with your exploits. When I learned the kind of man you’d become I had no regrets about lying to you. Would you have made love to me had you known I was your wife?”
“That isn’t a fair question!”
“You have never been fair to me, Sinjun,” Christy defended. “Why should I care about Lord Sin when he was having the time of his life, wallowing in debauchery and flitting from mistress to mistress while I tried to keep the clan from open rebellion? You cared nothing about Glenmoor or our problems. You’ve raised the levies to unconscionable levels in order to support your vices.”
“If the levies were increased, I had nothing to do with the decision. Julian takes care of those things for me.”
Christy swung her legs off the bed and lurched to her feet. “Do you always shirk responsibility?”
“Damn you!” Sinjun railed. “Until you walked into my life things were relatively peaceful. Julian handled all aspects of family business and legal matters.”
Christy faced him squarely, hands on hips. “Which left you more time to indulge your excesses, I’m sure. Unlike you, I have responsibilities and own up to them. There were times I needed a husband’s counsel, but where were you? Either gambling away Glenmoor’s hard-earned money or squiring your current mistress about. Not once since our unfortunate marriage did you think about me. You’re a rake with all the instincts of a rutting stallion.”
Sinjun’s eyes glinted dangerously. “I let you rule Glenmoor as you pleased.”
“And I would have continued to do so had you not decided to arrive at a most inopportune time.”
He stared pointedly at her stomach. “My bailiff heard rumors that Christy Macdonald was carrying a child, and I hied myself up here to learn the truth for myself. I even brought a writ of annulment in case I needed to rid myself of a faithless wife should the rumor prove true.”
She gave a mirthless laugh. “Did it hurt to think that your wife was following in your footsteps? What a hypocrite you are.”
“It’s different for a man,” Sinjun maintained. Abruptly he changed the subject before Christy could ridicule his faulty logic. “Tell me the truth, Christy. Is it my child you carry? Or is some other man’s babe growing in your belly?”
“English swine!” Christy blasted. “Of course the bairn is yours. How can you doubt it? Oh, how I rue the day I became your wife.”
“No more than I,” Sinjun muttered darkly.
“Unfortunately an annulment is no longer feasible,” Christy advised. “Our marriage has been consummated, and I’m carrying the future Macdonald.”
“You’re carrying a Thornton. He’ll bear one of my lesser titles until he inherits mine.”
Christy bit her lip to keep from screaming her frustration at Sinjun. Her bairn would remain in Scotland with her no matter what he decided about their marriage. The future Macdonald belonged in the Highlands, among his own people.
“Fine,” Christy bit out. “Now you can turn around and leave. I don’t need you.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Appalled at Sinjun’s arrogance, Christy couldn’t wait for him to leave. Or so
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