Page 21 of The Highlander's Alluring Spy
Ten days were already gone from her promised four weeks, and she was no closer to the truth. Plus, she’d made a promise to Elaine. So she gathered herself together, inclined her head as though nothing was wrong, and said, “It’s a pleasure to see you, My Laird.”
Nathair nodded back courteously, though he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Why are ye here, Dadaidh? I usually dinnae see ye ‘til it’s bedtime!” Elaine asked him, her little arms wrapped around his neck.
A dark look crossed Nathair’s face at that. “I ken that, chook. But I’m needin’ to work this eve, which means I’m nae gonnae be able tae tuck ye in. I needed to see ye, though. I need me daily sight o’ yer wee face.”
Elaine’s face was an instant picture of disappointment. “Och, that’s nay nice,” she said. Then she patted her father’s cheek and added, “but dinnae ye worry. Maggie’ll put me tae bed just fine.”
He kissed her hair again, but though he smiled, Magnolia could sense that something was off.
He’s…tired. His eyes are heavy, and his hair flat. He simply looks… defeated, not in any way like I’ve seen him before now.
She waited silently while Elaine and Nathair talked. Eventually, Nathair placed the little girl on the ground and told her to go pick him a lovely flower to take to his meeting tonight. As she ran off excitedly, he turned to Magnolia.
“Miss Magnolia, I’d like tae give ye me apologies for—” he started.
She waved a hand, realizing the feeling in her stomach was not revulsion, but concern. “We both behaved in an untoward manner, My Laird. Forget it ever happened.”
In the silence that followed, she understood now what her father had meant after the meeting. The others were too old, he’d said. Too conspicuous. Not smart enough, frankly. They would not be able to take advantage of a situation when it appeared, not like she could.
Here was one such situation delivered to her on a plate. The Laird was clearly vulnerable. She could ask him anything she liked.
Yet, it was her pity that drove her. Pity, and her promise to Elaine. She hesitated before saying, “Are you…are you quite all right?”
His lips twitched with an expression that wasn’t quite a smile. He looked out to where Elaine was attacking the nearby flower bed and went so long without speaking that Magnolia thought he might never answer.
When he did speak, it seemed entirely unrelated to her question. “Dae ye ken, Magnolia, that I’ve been at this lairding lark for most of me life, and nothin’–nothin’–will e’er make me understand man’s obsessive, pointless need to go to war.”
Fear shot through her instantly as he turned his back on her and went to join Elaine at the flowers.
War? Why would he talk to me of war? He was expressing disdain–is it a lie? Is he trying to cover something up?
Magnolia stared after him, thinking hard.
Are the Duke and the Marquess correct after all, then? Is this reserved, wild Laird, who seemed to want nothing more than to be a Father, secretly plotting against the Crown and Country I love?
But no. No, that made no sense. What reason would Nathair have to lie to her? As far as he was aware, she was nothing but a nanny, a lost little Leighmoore who had left England to start a new life in the Highlands. She had given nobody in the castle any reason to suspect otherwise, least of all him. She prided herself on her discretion.
Stop it, Magnolia. It does no good to be paranoid.
Paranoia would only lead her to see threats where there were none and blind her to the real concerns. As Elaine hurried back to her with a bunch of flowers in her hands, Nathair strolling behind, she shook herself firmly and placed back on her best nannying smile.
I just need to apply myself more. That’s all.
Tonight, after Elaine was asleep, she would go to the library and start her search anew. It was time to get her mind away from faeries and games and handsome men and back into the reason she was here in the first place.
* * *
Nathair leaned over the table, his reading glasses pushed up on his face as he tried to decipher the old-fashioned language in the letters. His meeting with the local Lairds had run blessedly short–still too long to put Elaine to bed, but with the bonus of giving him enough time to return to his studies.
This collection of letters had been languishing, half-forgotten, in a corner in the library even he rarely visited. The letters were old, from when his grandfather’s grandfather was a boy, but they spoke of battles fought and won, and Nathair was sure he could glean some knowledge from their yellowed pages.
Aye, but that’s only if I can work out what these old lads were tryin’ to say.
He was so absorbed in his work that he did not even hear the usual tell-tale sign of the old wooden doors creaking open. He didn’t realize he had company at all until Magnolia cleared her throat.
He started, almost knocking over the candle in his surprise. Magnolia was standing uncertainly a few feet from where he sat, as though unsure if she should interrupt or not.
