“From there all I have is rumors and conjecture,” the clerk went on. “Business deals refused then agreed to with worse terms, things burning mysteriously, a lad here or there gone missing without explanation. But it’s the Highlands, so…” He shrugged.
“A great many things seem to burn in the Highlands, even with all the rain,” Callum observed. As his brotherhadn’t gone missing, he could only speculate how many other lads had met with unfortunate “accidents” if they attempted to defy the Maxwell, with no one ever thinking anything suspicious. One thing became ever clearer, though—someone needed to stop him. Permanently.
Down the hall Rebecca’s voice answered Pogue’s, and he brushed at his wet trousers again. “Ye have a list of his other investments?”
Kimes handed a paper across the desk. “Some of them. I also took the liberty of looking into purchases made by His Grace over the past few years. They’re in the second column.”
“Ye’re a good lad, Dennis.”
The clerk smiled. “Ye’re a large client, m’laird.” He began stacking papers and ledgers again. “Incidentally, Mr. Bartholomew Harvey, Esquire, came about the office yesterday, seeking employment.”
Callum scowled. “I dunnae want him anywhere near my business. As far as I ken, he gave every bit of information he knew about my brother to Dunncraigh.”
“It seemed suspicious, him coming to Crosby and Hallifax after ye let him go right in front of us. Mr. Crosby told him nae. I thought ye should be aware, though.”
“Thank ye again. The—”
A knock sounded at the office door, and it inched open. “Callum?”
“Come in, Rebecca,” he returned, standing. “Ye’ve met Mr. Kimes, aye?”
“I have,” she said, inclining her head as Dennis stood and sketched an impressive bow. She turned back to Callum. “Do you have a moment?”
“Aye. We’re finished here. Have some tea if ye like, Dennis. And I’ll meet ye tomorrow morning at the warehouse.”
“Thank ye, m’laird.”
The hem of Rebecca’s gown had darkened with wet, a strand or two of grass sticking to the soft-looking green muslin. He gestured her to the library, opposite, hoping she paid less attention to his trousers and boots than he did to her dress. Perhaps not wanting to tell her that he’d followed her was silly; perhaps she would realize that he had been there to protect her, and not because he didn’t trust her or because he was jealous.
“How did ye find Stapp?” he asked, shutting the door and leaning back against it.
“Much as we expected,” she returned, perching on the back of the couch, one hand draped behind her. Coy, almost. Not what he expected from someone who’d just spent luncheon with a killer.
“Aye?”
“Mm-hm. Full of reasons why I should put as much distance between myself and you as possible, and why marrying him immediately would be to everyone’s benefit.” She tilted her head down, gazing up at him through her thick eyelashes. “But you know that, don’t you?”
“It’s nae a surprise,” he returned, mentally scrambling. Was she simply flirting? Or did she suspect he’d been close by? “Did he say someaught we could use against him?”
“Well, given how determined my father was to keep Sanderson’s manageable from one office—you know how much he enjoyed overseeing every aspect of his business—hearing Donnach’s plans to add additional offices and more ships could certainly indicate that he and his father didn’t approve of my father’s decisions.”
Perhaps he’d been overthinking. He could track a bear to its den with it being none the wiser, after all. Callum relaxed his shoulders a little. “We’re getting closer to the proof ye wanted, I reckon.”
“The proofIwanted. Yes. Because you wanted to walk up and shoot them, and damn the consequences to yourself and those who rely on you.”
“I do recall that conversation, Becca.”
“Then why were you following me?”
Damnation.Time for a change of tactics, then, because he wasn’t about to lie. “Because I didnae want to see ye grabbed by Stapp and dragged off to the altar before ye could call for help.”
Her shoulders lifted. “Do you think for a moment that I would allow such a thing?”
“Did ye see all those men strolling about the park? They werenae there for the scenery, lass. And I ken ye’re a strong-willed woman. He’s a killer. And his lads likely are, as well. I reckon he could do someaught to convince ye.”
While the mantel clock ticked away, she stared at him. “I would have to give my consent for a marriage to be valid.”
“Ye’d have to consent, aye. Ye’d nae have to be happy about it.” Pushing away from the door, he walked up to sit below her on the couch, twisting half around to face her. “Ye went with him because ye wanted to come to yer own conclusions. I went because I wanted ye to return here safely with all of those conclusions.”
