Page 66 of Romancing the Scot
“I wasn’t aware,” Grace replied.
“Pugilism also happens to be a favorite hobby of a certain honorable judge,” Jo continued, “who will remain nameless, but is sitting at this very table. In fact, that judge has been known to participate in bouts with those same miners.”
“With notable success, I might add,” Truscott threw in proudly.
Grace looked at Hugh. Now she knew the cause of the scars on his face. It was so much like him to pursue the sport among the working men of Scotland, rather than in private clubs.
“No longer a favorite hobby,” he corrected, looking at no one but Grace. “That pastime has dropped quite far down on the list.”
His gaze never wavered from her face, only slipping to her lips. For a few heartbeats, the conversation came to an abrupt halt. Five of them were sitting at the dinner table, but it may as well have been just Hugh and Grace in that room. Feeling a blush rising to the roots of her hair, Grace tried to divert attention away from herself.
She turned to Mr. Truscott. “Did I hear you correctly? You’ve identified the attackers.”
“Not quite. But we know where they might have come from,” he told her. “Tomorrow I’ll take a few men from Baronsford and the bailiff from Melrose Village. We’ll go down to Jedburgh. We should know more once we get there.”
Grace had never been to any kind of mine, but she’d read about them. Rough men who worked under hard and dangerous conditions, and for very little pay. It was easy to imagine such men might be persuaded to commit a crime if it meant putting that miserable life behind.
The faces of those men remained in her mind. Despite the shock of the attack and the mist, Grace was certain she would recognize them.
“I’d like to ride to Jedburgh with you tomorrow,” she told him. “You have no way of identifying these men. But I can, and I’d like to be of help.”
Jo almost choked on her wine. Hugh’s scowl grew so dark that Grace knew exactly how Mrs. Douglas must have felt earlier today.
“I fear each of these three is about to suffer a stroke, my young friend.” Violet smiled and took Grace’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “The mines and quarries around Jedburgh are not the most suitable places for young ladies.”
Grace didn’t know if she should be pleased by their protectiveness or insulted because they thought her too soft. The battlefields she’d been to would surely make these mines pale by comparison. She’d witnessed more death and destruction than most men.
What she offered was not unreasonable. She was not riding into the belly of the beast alone and unprotected. Grace wondered if her entire time at Baronsford would be overshadowed by memories of what Amelia had done. But she was not Hugh’s former wife. They were different women.
Anger bubbled beneath the surface of her skin and threatened to burst through at any moment.
“Truscott and the bailiff are planning to bring back any men who were absent from the mines over the past few days,” Hugh said, directing his attention only to Grace. His look was serious, but his quiet voice held no hint of scolding.
Grace decided she’d not been very successful in hiding her irritation. “You don’t intend to drag working men from their employment based on a vague suspicion, do you?”
Truscott looked at Hugh.
“And exactlyhow manymen you intend to bring back?” she asked. “And when can I see them? With Mr. Darby injured, I’m the only person who can positively identify them.”
Words burned on her tongue. She wanted to say more. Her blistering temper. She was about to continue when Hugh cut in.
“We’ll get as clear a description of them as you and Darby can provide. No more than five men will be brought back,” Hugh told her. “And I will personally take you into Melrose when they arrive. You can identify them with the bailiff present.”
“And what if none of them are the assailants?”
“First, I’ll give each of them two days’ wages and a letter to their employers.” He looked into her eyes. “Then you and I will accompany Truscott and the men to Jedburgh the following day. Does that suit you?”
It did, and she smiled in appreciation of his understanding.
Chapter 23
After dinner, as the women left the men and went into the drawing room, Grace made her excuses and headed up to her rooms. It had been an exhausting day and an emotional one. And her mind was finally yielding to the weariness of her body.
The sprained ankle performed far better than she’d expected as she climbed the stairs. The hours of keeping it elevated in Hugh’s study had clearly helped. She hoped by tomorrow she could put aside the cane and end everyone’s worry.
Anna helped her undress and prepare to retire. Before getting into bed, however, Grace went into the sitting room and picked out a novel. Leaving the candles lit beside the bed, she settled in comfortably.
As the maid left, Grace tried to go over in her mind all that had happened today, but she couldn’t focus. Voices drifted in through the open windows. Baronsford hummed with the sounds of early evening, lulling her into a deep and dreamless sleep.
