Arran didn’t know him, but he would commit that name to memory and kill the bloody bounder one day. “Why did you allow it, then?” he demanded. “Do you love him?”

“Love?” She giggled. “No! Not for a moment.” She rolled onto her belly beside him and came up on her elbows; the scent of her perfume wafted over him. She smelled like flowers. A bouquet of flowers. “God’s truth, I don’t know why I did it,” she said low. “I’d had a bit of port that evening and I was feeling a bit morose. And vexed.”

“What had you vexed?”

“Well, you, my darling husband,” she said, as if he should have guessed as much. “I was angry that I’d been forced into marriage and suddenly had no hope of another one.”

“Thank you,” he said, and fell onto his back. He threw one arm over his eyes, not wanting to see her face.

Margot clucked her tongue. “Don’t be missish, Mackenzie. You know very well what I mean.”

“I donna know what you mean, Margot. I never know what you mean.”

“Are you really surprised? Our marriage was arranged to expand my father’s and your fortunes. It was not made for compatibility. Surely you can see it is not one I would ever have chosen for myself.”

“I donna see why no’,” he said petulantly.

“Because I’d only met you! One cannot determine compatibility for a lifetime in one or two meetings. And the marriage didn’t seem to suit either of us, did it? And there I was, come home from the disaster of it—”

“It wasna a disaster—”

“—and Sir Dalton was quite convincing in his esteem for me.”

“This is no’ easing me,” he said gruffly.

“I allowed him to kiss me in a moment of weakness. And then...” Her voice trailed off.

Arran removed his arm from his eyes and peered over at her. “And then?”

“And then I realized what I was doing. And I further realized that I didn’t want to do it. I’d been caught up in a moment, and thank heaven, I remembered myself, for I never would have forgiven myself.”

He didn’t know if he believed her. “Why no’ go on with it, then?” he scoffed. “You clearly held no regard for me.”

“Now, that is simply not true,” she said patiently, and lightly kissed his shoulder. “I hold a great deal of regard for you. I didn’t go on with it for the same reason you didn’t. Because I had taken vows before God and made them to you.”

“Aye, that you did,” he snapped.

For some reason, his irritation made her giggle. Before Arran could say that he did not find it the least bit amusing, she bent down and kissed his nipple, her teeth grazing it and igniting a fire in him. He rolled away from her, onto his side.