Read The Laird Who Loved Me for Free Online

b’God, and he’d enjoy every second. He’d show her how a
real
seduction was played—and once he’d had her in hisbed, he’d walk away and leave her wanting … just as he was sure she had planned to leave him.
    Revenge would be sweet. Very sweet, indeed. While it would be simple to plan one large fait accompli, it wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying. No, he would first toy with this little mouse, savoring the chase. What happened to her after he’d taken his pleasure wasn’t his concern. He’d have made his point.
    He turned from the mirror and pinned his valet with a hard look. “From now on, I want to know any speck of information, any tidbit of gossip that you hear regarding Miss Hurst.”
    “What if it’s nothing of significance?”
    “That’s for me to decide.”
    The valet pursed his lips. “Let us say, just for the sake of argument—”
    “Of course,” Alexander said grimly.
    “—that I heard one of the lower maids mention that Miss Hurst prefers her towels dried by the fire and not on a line near a window, which can cause the material to be less soft. Surely you don’t wish me to report things as insignificant as that?”
    “I don’t care if you hear that she sneezed twice or prefers her toast plain and not buttered—I want to know.”
    MacCready sighed. “Very well, my lord.”
    “From what you’ve said, she is already a topic of conversation in the kitchen. What else did you hear?”
    “Just that Dervishton’s valet said his master thought Miss Hurst an angel on earth.”
    An angel on earth.
    Alexander slipped a hand into his pocket and withdrew a heavy silver watch. He flipped it over and traced the engraving on the back.
To Alexander. From Eton to beyond! Charles.
    Alexander’s heart hardened. “I’ve heard such language before, and it was applied to just such a woman—young, beautiful, and given to flirting with any man who’d have her. It led to naught but ruin.”
    “I take it you are referring to Viscount Humbolt,” the valet said quietly. “We all miss him, my lord.”
    Alexander tucked the watch back into his pocket, wishing he could do the same with the sadness that weighted his heart. “Anything else?”
    MacCready cleared his throat. “Dervishton has taken to calling her The Incomparable. Furthermore, his lordship seemed to think the lady would be easily won over.”
    “Oh? Why would he think that?”
    “I believe it stemmed from something the lady did or said earlier today.” The valet sniffed. “Should I take it that the lady in question is a bit … common?”
    “No, she’s not. Impetuous, yes. Foolish, absolutely. But not at all common; she’s too complex for that. Just the way she moves is—” Alexander shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. She’s trouble.”
    “That’s good to hear,” MacCready said primly.
    Alexander quirked a brow. “Worried I might lose my innocence?”
    “As far as I’m aware, my lord, you’ve never had any.”
    Alexander grinned.
    “It just seems a troublesome situation … so many cocks and just one hen.”
    Alexander choked on a laugh. “It could be. Fortunately, I have no interest in this woman other than securing retribution for what she’s done to my family.”
    MacCready stiffened. “She’s harmed the MacLeans?”
    “Yes. It is
her
fault that my brother was forced to marry.”
    MacCready frowned. “But … my lord, your brother seems happy in his new marriage.”
    “Hugh’s merely making the best of the situation, as he always does. Besides, that isn’t the point.” The point was that Caitlyn had tried to make a fool of
him
. “Miss Hurst must pay for her impertinence,” he snapped.
    “Absolutely, my lord. If what you say is true, then I shall of course do whatever you require.”
    “Miss Hurst is not your average opponent. To those who just meet her, she is quite sweet and projects an air of sensuality and innocence.”
    MacCready’s thin brows rose. “Sensuality
and
innocence?”
    “It’s a