Page 50 of Forever My Lass

“Stop being such a stubborn, proud Scotsman. It’s not an offer of charity. I proposed the idea because I want a man I trust overseeing the mill’s foreman.”

“It seems a waste of finances,” Iain said quietly.

“Not when I’ve seen what can happen when there isn’t someone I trust overseeing one of my investments.” Sebastian took a drink of wine before eyeing Iain over the rim of the glass with a determined look. “I’ve no intention of letting you say no, Iain.”

“I said I would think about it.” Iain bobbed his head slightly as he laid his napkin beside his plate.

“It sounds as if we are about to become regular visitors to Muchalls Hall, Iain. Are you sure you want that?” The laughter in Anna’s voice made him smile.

“I think Madeline would enjoy that very much.”

The moment he spoke, Anna raised her eyebrows slightly before looking at her husband. Iain wanted to groan at his response. What the devil had prompted him to mention Madeline, let alone suggest she was a permanent resident? All too aware of his daughters’ wide-eyed gazes pinned on him, he bit down on the inside of his cheek at their looks of elation. What the devil had he been thinking? He hadn’t. His cock had been doing that for him since the day Madeline had arrived. Iain met Anna’s amused gaze.

“What I mean is that Madeline will be here for quite some time as Ainslie and Grace have benefited greatly from her rather unorthodox teaching style,” Iain said as he took another drink of wine to wet his dry mouth. “I like that she is teaching my daughters how to think for themselves.”

“I confess I enjoyed myself immensely in Madeline’s company this afternoon.” Anna smiled at him. “She sounds like a remarkable governess. I think I shall need to steal her away from you in a couple of years, when Jane is older.”

“Nae, Grace and I will nae let Faither send her away.”

“You must like her very much,” Anna said with a soft smile at Ainslie.

“Aye. I wish she could—”

The moment Ainslie saw Iain’s frown, she stopped speaking and quickly returned to eating again. Anna turned to look at him with amusement, and he gritted his teeth at the calculated gleam in the viscountess’s brown eyes. Damnation, he could almost see the matchmaking wheels spinning in the woman’s head. He had no intention of marrying again.

“Obviously, Madeline has made a very strong impression on your daughters.”

“Aye, we like her verra much,” Grace said in a voice that bordered on defiance as she glanced from Anna to her father. “We will nae let Faither send her away.”

The sly smile on Lady Starling’s lips as she darted another glance in Iain’s direction made him look at Sebastian. At his silent plea for help, the viscount shook his head.

“I would rather face Gentleman Jim in the ring.”

Sebastian ate the last bit of beef on his plate and eyed Iain with sympathy. The sound of rattling dishes echoed into the dining room, and Iain released a soundless breath of relief as Mrs. McFayden entered the room carrying dessert. Iain immediately relaxed as Ainslie and Grace exclaimed with delight at the cranachan and slices of Dundee cake on the tray. The last thing he needed was his children playing matchmaker.

His gaze met Anna’s, and she lifted her goblet to her lips and eyed him with amusement over the rim of her glass. The sound of Sebastian clearing his throat made the viscountess turn her attention to the other man, and she smiled mischievously, but remained silent as Mrs. McFayden offered Anna a choice of dessert.

§ § §

“What the devil possessed you to tell the woman anything at all,” Sebastian snarled as he tugged off his jacket.

Anna flinched at the anger in her dark angel’s voice, then frowned. They never kept secrets from each other, but she had begun to regret revealing what had happened in the garden with Madeline this afternoon. Anna pulled her night robe over her shoulders as she watched her husband’s sharp movements as he undressed. She’d seen Sebastian angry before, but never like this since they were married.

Not since the argument they’d had the night she’d given herself to him for the first time, had Anna seen him so furious. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him fling his jacket over a nearby chair before he undid the thin tie at his neck and pushed his suspenders off his shoulders.

“Answer me, Anna,” he commanded as he turned to face her.

“What do you want me to say, Sebastian?”

“I want to know why you decided it was perfectly fine to tell the woman she’d drowned in the future before miraculously appearing here—in the past.”

“I didn’t decide it was fine to tell her anything at all,” she answered quietly. “I saw Madeline in the future, and I blurted it out before I even realized what I was saying.”

“One day you’re going to regret your inability to control that tongue of yours,” he snapped.

Anna eyed Sebastian with assessment. Her husband’s anger was out of proportion, even for her dark angel. Just last month, the man had praised her for biting her tongue and not insulting Lady Margaret at the opera. This argument wasn’t just about her slip of the tongue this afternoon with Madeline.

Something else was bothering him. Anna bit down on her lip as she remembered he’d been grumpy ever since they’d left London. If she didn’t know Sebastian so well, she might have been excused for thinking he’d been planning a liaison during his trip to Scotland. She knew better.