Page 35 of The Thief
Chapter Nine
Alastair looked up when he heard a knock on his study door.
“Come in!” he called.
“My Lord,” Bard said, coming through the door, “Master Ronald is here with the box and a message for yourself and Lady Scarlett. Would you like me to send him in and let Lady Scarlett know so she can come down?”
Alastair smiled and then said, “Yes, send him in and let Lady Scarlett know. I am sure she will be very anxious to read Everett’s message, as we haven’t heard from him in a long while. Even Art visited last month, anxious to know something.”
Bard bowed and left the office, Alastair growing more nervous and he waited for Ronald.
He was so nervous he jumped when someone knocked on the door.
“Come in!” he called.
Ragan walked through the door, holding it open as Ronald carried the box in and set it down on Alastair’s desk.
“Your Grace,” Ronald said, bowing slightly.
“Welcome back to Ashaven, Ronald,” he said, shaking his hand.
Ronald returned the shake and took a step back, standing next to Ragan.
“Bard told me that Ronald had arrived so I came to see him,” Ragan said, just letting Alastair know why he was there.
“I was actually going to remind Bard to let you know but I see he has beaten me to it,” he said with a chuckle.
Ronald and Ragan both smiled, looking at the door with him as someone rapped softly on the door.
“My Lord, Bard let me know that Ronald had arrived with a letter. Did you open it yet?” Scarlett asked as she entered the study, looking at the box and then at Alastair expectantly.
Alastair shook his head.
“I wanted to wait for you. Ronald actually arrived just a moment before you did.”
“Oh. All right,” she said, sitting down in a chair across from the desk.
“Shall we?” Alastair asked.
Ronald motioned for him to go ahead and Alastair reached for the drawer in the desk and opened it, pulling out the key and handing it to Ronald, who took the key and opened the box, taking out the letter addressed to Alastair and Scarlett. He shut the box and locked it again, handing the key back to Alastair so that he could put it away.
Alastair did just that and handed the letter to Scarlett afterward, wanting her to read it. Scarlett opened the letter and read it, her face paling as she got to the end. Alastair walked over to the chair, kneeling in front of her and resting his hands on her knees.
He looked at her and could see the fear in her eyes clearly displayed there.
“Scarlett, what did Everett say? Anything about Catriona?” he asked, watching her.
She shook her head and handed him the letter, her hand shaking lightly.
He scanned the paper and scowled, hissing a curse underneath his breath.
“It seems that Scarlett is not as safe here as we once thought. Art was right about the threats against Scarlett. Everett’s letter confirms this.”
“Is there any knowledge of who it is? Or why?” Ronald asked.
Alastair shook his head.
“He is not able to tell us anything else but that.”
