Page 30 of The Thief
Chapter Eight
Scarlett smiled stiffly and replied, “Uncle.”
Alastair motioned for her to sit and she followed, settling on the couch and waiting for someone to say something.
Alastair cleared his throat and asked, “What can we do for you, Art?”
Art sighed and then looked at Scarlett, then back at Alastair.
“You know why I am here,” he said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at them.
“I want to know what you have discovered about the abduction. I know that you have found something.”
Alastair sighed and looked directly at Art.
“We have nothing. We do, however, have a man who is helping us with trying to gain any information. I know that he will find who is behind this. His associate Ragan has been here helping us as well. If you would like, you are welcome to speak with him.”
Alastair’s gaze never wavered from Art’s as he waited for a reply.
“I would like to speak to him. Alone. Then I need an audience with my niece, also alone.”
Alastair looked at Scarlett and she gave a small nod.
“That is fine. I will ask Ragan to join us.”
Art inclined his head as a sign of his agreement and Alastair headed to the door of the parlor, calling for Bard.
When Bard arrived, Alastair asked him to go get Ragan and have him come to the parlor.
“Anything else you need, sir?” Bard asked.
Alastair shook his head. “That will be all. Just make sure to ask Ragan to keep the sitting room business to himself. If Art found out about that, he would remove Scarlett from the castle and she would be locked away,” he whispered.
“I will make sure the implications are known, My Lord,” he whispered back.
“Thank you, Bard; that will be all,” Alastair said, back to his normal tone.
Bard bowed at the waist and then went to do as he was asked while Alastair waited outside the drawing room so Art could speak privately with Scarlett. He did make sure to listen at the door, however, in case Scarlett got into trouble and needed him.
Scarlett watched as Alastair spoke to Bard and then left the room, turning her head to look back at her uncle, her eyes regarding him warily.
Clearing her throat, her voice was hoarse when she asked, “What did you need to speak with me about?”
He coolly regarded her and said, “I wanted to warn you about the threat against your life I have been receiving.”
Scarlett could almost feel her face pale at his words.
“Threats against me? Why?”
“You are the queen now. It is obvious that since there is a new ruler, they would need to get rid of you as well. And as you have no siblings, and Catriona has no siblings, there would be no one to take over should something happen to you.”
She shook her head, standing up to pace across the floor. Scarlett knew she was letting him get to her, but that was not what she was worried about.
“I am not the queen. I don’t even act like the queen. I am not a threat, and anyone who would think so is clearly misguided.”
“You are considered the queen because Catriona has disappeared. You are investigating her abduction, which adds another target to your back since the people who made her disappear do not want her to be found.” He scowled at her. “There are some rocks better left unturned.”
“I will not leave any stone unturned if it means finding Catriona, alive, and bringing her back.” Her face turned a deep red, her anger rising in her chest. “How could you not want your daughter back? Isn’t Aunt Olivia worried about her? Doesn’t she care what happened to her daughter?”
