Page 31 of Taming the Heiress
"Evan Mackenzie of Glencarron," Dougal said. "Allow me to introduce our visitors—Miss Margaret MacNeill and her grandfather, Norman MacNeill of Camus nan Fraoch on Caransay."
"Mr. Mackenzie," Meg replied. He looked familiar, though she could not place him. As his quick smile transformed his serious countenance, he looked so astutely at Meg that she wondered if he knew her as Lady Strathlin.
Both divers were divested of their wide brass collars, weighted belts, and leaden boots, and then Dougal and Mackenzie stood to extend their arms in their dripping, oversized suits. Men worked around them like valets assisting knights in armor, opening buckles and hooks and then peeling away the upper part of the suits to their waists. They wore several layers of thick woolen underclothing beneath the suits, but even through those layers Meg could see their strong torsos contoured with muscle. Evan Mackenzie was even taller than Dougal, and he was an equally beautiful man. Meg caught her breath to see both of them.
Looking at Dougal, she felt a deep ripple, something indefinable and exhilarating, some secret chemistry that she could not deny to herself, though she could pretend she felt nothing whatsoever for him. She remembered, unwillingly, how he had first appeared to her on the rock years ago, when he had sat shivering and nude and she had given him her plaid.
"Forgive me," Dougal said, bowing to her, "for being improperly dressed."
Flustered—sometimes he seemed to know her thoughts unfailingly—she shook her head. "It's hardly improper here, where it's part of this world."
He smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Being 'doon the deep,' as Alan calls it, does create unusual circumstances."
Norrie lifted a sleeve of the diving suit to examine it. "That's a hot and heavy thing to wear, isn't it? Needs a strong man to stand up in that gear. What keeps out the water when you're in the sea?"
"The suit is rubber sandwiched between layers of treated canvas," Dougal explained. "And very heavy. With lead boots and belt and the helmet and breast piece, it's a sorry thing to carry about on land. Underwater it's not so bad, given the natural buoyancy of the water. The weight helps sink us and keep us down. Otherwise we'd float back to the surface too quickly, and suffer for it."
"When a man goes doon the deep, he must come up slowly or he could die," Alan Clarke explained.
"It sounds quite dangerous," Meg said.
Dougal shrugged. "Somewhat."
Alan snorted. "'Tis a very dangerous thing, miss. 'Tis why Dougal Stewart likes it so well—he's known for recklessness, though when he's diving, even he must go slow and careful. So this dangerous work keeps the lad in line. He canna misbehave as he might do elsewhere." He grinned at Dougal.
"Reckless, are you, sir?" Norrie asked.
"No more than some," Dougal answered. His gaze went directly to Meg, a flash of green fire. She returned it boldly.
"How deep can you go in that gear?" Norrie asked.
"A hundred and eighty feet without difficulty. I've been down nearly two hundred, though it's not generally done."
"A man shouldna go deeper than that and expect to live," Alan Clarke said.
Meg looked at him. "Do you dive, too, Mr. Clarke?"
"I leave that to the likes of Mr. Stewart and Mr. Mackenzie, who enjoy a bit of risk."
She glanced at Mackenzie. "You like it as well, then?"
He paused toweling his hair and smiled. "I suppose I do."
"Mackenzie has been doon the deep and has climbed mountains as high as he can go, too," Alan said. "He claims to prefer the heights."
"It's drier," Mackenzie admitted. Dougal laughed.
Norrie looked closely at the helmet, with its sealed window-glass openings and valves. "The air comes in here?"
"Aye. Pumped through the hoses," Dougal said. "Clean air flows in here, and foul air escapes here." He pointed to the valves. "The third valve is attached to a speaking tube, so we can communicate with the men on the surface."
"It takes a team for one man to go doon safely," Alan said.
"And the men on the pumps are the most important of all," Dougal said. "Our lives are quite literally in their hands."
"That's very true," Mackenzie said. He stood. "Dougal, I'll be in the office. I want to record what we saw down there. A few drawings will help us assess the condition of the rock."
Dougal nodded. "I'll show our guests around the site." He took Meg's elbow to guide her with him, speaking to Norrie and Alan while resting his hand on her arm. The subtle thrill of that slight touch made her catch her breath.
