Free Lessons in Loving a Laird by Michelle Marcos Page A

world.”
    Stewart reacted as if he’d been slapped. He ground his teeth and gripped the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white. Although Conall reluctantly shared the duchess’s opinion, he felt sorry for his brother. The duchess seemed to possess the cruel skill of exploiting people’s insecurities. But Conall was surprised to notice the pained expression on Violet’s face. Once the duchess’s ammunition turned upon Stewart, Lady Violet seemed prepared to jump out of her seat to protect him.
    “Your Grace,” said Conall, “as reasons for the liaison between these two, you’ve cited the moral decline in our society, the laxness of your maternal guidance, and the recklessness of my brother. There is one reason that you did not mention. Had you stopped to consider that Lady Violet and Stewart might be in love?”
    Without a moment’s hesitation, the duchess answered. “Does that matter?”
    Conall searched her face. He had never seen a countenance so beautiful, yet so cold.
    The duchess continued. “People of noble birth do not have the luxury of love, Ballencrieff. Matches must be made to the advantage of both families. This is as it has been for hundreds of years, and how it always shall be done. Empires rise and fall on alliances made at the altar. And for peers of the realm, a good alliance makes the bloodline stronger, while a bad one ends in disgrace.”
    “An alliance to the bloodline of MacEwan is the same whether your daughter is wed to my brother or to myself.”
    “Let us not quibble, Ballencrieff. I think you understand precisely the point upon which I stand.”
    He cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, I believe I do.” He’d say one thing for her. She was venomously direct. “Nevertheless, I do not believe that a woman should be dragged to the altar. What, may I ask, does the young lady opine about all this?”
    The duchess turned gracefully toward her daughter. Not a single perceptible change in the duchess’s expression had occurred, but Violet seemed able to read her mother’s face a great deal better than Conall.
    “I … am receptive to becoming better acquainted with Dr. MacEwan, er, Ballencrieff, if he’ll do me the very great honor of paying court.”
    The duchess returned a triumphant look at Conall. “Are we then in agreement?”
    He glanced at Stewart. His brother’s face dissolved from offended pride to sullen rejection to … jealousy?
    Conall cleared his throat. “I would consider it a very great privilege to become better acquainted with Lady Violet. I find her delightful and charming, and I am certain that her heart is as pure as you claim. But I am a recent widower, as you know, and it has been a challenge to overcome the feeling of loss I had when my wife departed this world. I would like an opportunity to get to know Lady Violet at leisure, and allow her equal time to consider me. Perhaps then, in due course, she may choose—”
    “There is no due course, sir. The banns must be published immediately.”
    “Your Grace, this is beyond tolerable. I will not be marched down the aisle at the point of a rifle—”
    “There is a child.”
    The last word seemed to echo in their ears.
    The silence stretched tight. Conall’s eyes darted from the duchess to Violet. Violet’s gaze was riveted upon Stewart.
    “Lady Violet, are you quite certain?” asked Conall.
    The younger woman’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I missed my monthly courses, sir.”
    “A fact she confessed to me only last week,” the duchess added with a clip of irritation. “So you see, we also do not possess the luxury of time. My grandchild may have been conceived a bastard, but I will not have it born as one. We can have the wedding at Basinghall within the month. On the wedding day, I will bestow upon you a dowry of fifty thousand guineas, plus her goods and a house in St. James Square. You should also know that Violet is the sole heiress to the estate of Basinghall, and upon my death, it too