Page 102 of The Highlander's Kilted Bride
“He tried to help Johnny up, but Johnny yelled at him. Then the footmen ran up, and so did Lady Kinloch and Charlie. Mamma went to look for you and Grandda.”
Kade gave her a little squeeze before letting go. “That is an excellent report, Tira. Thank you.”
She grinned at him. “I think I would make a good spy someday, don’t you?”
“An excellent spy, but don’t tell your mother I said that. And speaking of which, did you tell either of your parents about this?”
“I didn’t get a chance.”
“We’ll tell them together later. But I don’t want you talking to anyone else about this, all right? Not even Grandda, for now.”
“I thought you’d say that, so I didn’t.”
“That’s my grand lassie.”
“There’s something else, Uncle Kade.” Tira hesitated. “While we were waiting to get into the boats, Sir Leslie talked to me.”
Kade went hard and still inside.
“What did he say?” he asked, keeping his voice calm.
“He asked if I saw or heard anything when Johnny fell. He tried to be nice about it, but I could tell he was . . .” She scrunched up her nose. “Mad, I guess, although he pretended he wasn’t. I didn’t like it.”
I’ll throttle the bastard.
Kade forced himself to remain calm in front of his niece. “What did you tell him?”
“I just said I heard Johnny yell, and then saw him tumble down to the beach.”
“Do you think he believed you?”
“Yes. I don’t think he’s very smart, Uncle Kade.”
He blew out a relieved breath. “You, however, are incredibly smart. You kept your wits about you. Well done, lassie.”
She beamed at him. “I’m much smarter than my brothers, aren’t I? They probably would have blabbed their mouths off.”
“You’re the smartest Kendrick of them all, but I’ll take this matter up from here, all right?”
Tira nodded.
“Good girl,” Kade said, smiling at her. “Now, did you have the chance to find any good shells before all this unpleasantness occurred? What else did you do on your adventures?”
“Grandda and I found the gravestone of the chief of Glencoe. It was quite dirty, so Grandda got fashed. Mamma had to calm him down.”
“That sounds like Grandda.”
While Tira chattered on about her explorations, Kade studied the other boat. Morgan was seated with the remaining guests, holding forth with what looked like great bonhomie. He seemed entirely at his ease, not like a man who’d pushed another man off a cliff, or one who’d tried to intimidate a little girl.
Not that Kade had any proof of Morgan’s guilt at this point. He’d find it, though. The search for the brooch was no longer a foolish lark or even an unfortunate inconvenience. Matters had suddenly become very serious, and that meant it was time for him to get serious, too.
CHAPTER15
Charlie opened the door to Johnny’s bedroom and stuck her head in. “Knock, knock. Mind a visit?”
She slipped in before he could answer. Given Kade’s brief, whispered warning as they were leaving the drawing room for dinner, she wasn’t about to give her brother a chance to refuse. Clearly, matters between Sir Leslie and Johnny were worse than she’d thought, and even dangerous.
Johnny warily eyed her from his canopy bed. “I suppose not. As long as you don’t pester me.”
