Free Borrowed Dreams (Scottish Dream Trilogy) by May McGoldrick, Jan Coffey, Nicole Cody, Nikoo McGoldrick, James McGoldrick

his
chest made Jasper Hyde refrain from hammering on the desk again. His hand
clutched a spot just below his heart, where he felt a dagger burn and twist its
way in. There were never any bruises. No symptoms that anyone could see. The
few doctors he had spoken to about his ailment had told him, in so many words,
that there was nothing wrong with him. The heart appeared strong, they said. He
knew better. As always the pain came on sharply, then gradually eased.
    “Are you unwell, Mr. Hyde?”
    “Did you offer to take…?” He was
gradually recovering his breath. “To take the black woman as part of the
settlement?”
    “I did. But Sir Oliver would not
consider it.”
    “Then you did not have to take the
money.”
    “It was all done legally, you
understand. I could not reject the payment.”
    “And since when do you stick to
legalities, Platt?” Hyde planted both hands on the desk and glowered menacingly
at the lawyer. “You seem to be having a hard time understanding me. You told me
that she has no credit at all available. That she would not be able to pay for
the woman.”
    “Mr. Hyde, there was no way of
knowing that she would marry the Earl of Aytoun that very day.”
    Hyde cursed his damnable luck.
Yesterday, hearing all the rumors about the fallen earl, he’d not once imagined
the crippled bastard would be ruining his plans.
    “We are not going to let
anyone stop us. Do you understand me?”
    Hyde’s fist landed hard on the desk
again, scattering a pile of papers and making the lawyer jump as the candle
wobbled in its holder. Platt tried to straighten the documents before him.
    “What is done we cannot und—”
    With a sweep of his hand, Hyde
cleared the lawyer’s desk of all the papers, scattering them across the
chamber. “I want the old slave, Platt. Now .”
    Sweat beaded on the lawyer’s brow
and ran down his temple. Hyde knew Platt did not want to face his fury. Many
words were left unsaid between them, but the intimation was clear. Hyde was
certain the black witch had cursed him. The pains in his chest. The change in
his luck. He did not need more proof than this. 
    “In a fortnight or so, sir, we may
still be successful in making another offer for the slave.”
    “You said yourself that she doesn’t
need the blasted money. Besides, she’ll never sell the woman to me.”
    “Perhaps you might present yourself
in a different light. Perhaps you can tell her you have seen the error in your
ways. That you wish to employ the woman to help with the health of the slaves
in Jamaica. She did have the benefit of assisting Dr. Dombey, I understand.”
    “You are a fool!” Jasper exploded.
“There is not a chance in the world that she’d fall for such a ruse. She’d see
through it in a moment.”
    “I am simply suggesting, sir, that
money is not the only method we have to persuade her. She is just a woman and
therefore weak. In addition she now has a crippled husband added to her
burden.”
    “And no debts with which to crush
her.”
    “True, and her money might not run
out in the near future, so we shall need a new weapon to use against her.”
    “What?”
    Platt’s bony fingers formed a
steeple. “We need to continue keeping a close eye on her.”
    “We need to find a way to pry her
fingers off the old woman.” Hyde straightened up, remembering the last meeting
he’d had with Dr. Dombey. With what was practically his last breath, the old
fool had spoken of honor, of how he would not sell Ohenewaa to someone like him
for any price. Fearing Dombey might do something as stupid as actually freeing
the woman before he died, Hyde had then simply helped the good doctor toward
his eternal reward.    
    But his damnable luck had been
against him that day too, as the slave was not there. A bailiff, representing a
number of Dombey’s creditors, stood outside, though, as well as several others
who were attending to the dying man. Hyde knew there was no way that he would
get his hands on her. He