“It is,” she said quietly as she set out mugs and poured tea into them. “Now come and have your tea.”
He settled in one of the chairs and skimmed his fingertips over the curving side of the teapot. “I love this redware and look forward to visiting the Jansen pottery.”
Signy had a swift, hot image of him caressing her bare skin the same way he was touching the teapot. Ramsay glanced up, and their gazes met for an unnervingly intense moment. She forgot to breathe as she wondered if he was thinking something similar....
He swallowed hard, then helped himself to a square of shortbread. “I need to start my traveling over the islands. I’m thinking of leaving day after tomorrow for a first journey of a week or so. Will you be able to come with me?”
She nodded casually, not wanting to show how much she liked the idea of being his traveling companion and guide over the next weeks. “Yes, I think it’s wise to be away for only a few days at a time. You’ll have work coming at you from all directions.”
“I’m sure you’re right. Our first call will be on Cousin Roald’s kelp works. I’d like to get to know him better in a less formal setting than a funeral.” He consumed a piece of gingerbread. “This is as good as your shortbread. Hard to choose, so I’ll have one more of each.” After he’d consumed a second piece of shortbread, he asked, “What do you think of Roald?”
“He’s a good businessman and a hard worker.” Signy stirred honey into her tea as she considered her answer. “Thorsay is not an easy land, and most islanders look out for their neighbors because we need one another. But Roald is interested only in himself and how to increase his wealth and power. He’s not evil, but if he has to choose between his own interests and those of his neighbors, he’ll choose himself every time.”
“I thought that about him when I was young, and it sounds like he hasn’t changed much,” Ramsay commented. “What about his children?”
“From what I’ve seen, they’re both restless here and would prefer to go to Edinburgh. Annabel wants to cut a dash in society and catch a rich husband and live in Edinburgh or even London. I think Axel feels much the same. He’d like the money and freedom to be a young man about town, but Roald keeps them here on Thorsay. They’re at the top of local society, but Thorsay isn’t grand enough for them. Expect Annabel to flirt with you madly and Axel to try to prove his superiority,” Signy said dryly.
“Blunt and true, I suspect,” Ramsay said thoughtfully. “So I need to keep my distance when possible and handle with care when I can’t avoid them.”
“That’s much how your grandfather handled Roald and his family. If you leave him alone, he’ll leave you alone.”
“But what if his interests conflict with my plans for Thorsay?” he asked, thinking out loud. “What happens then?”
“Then you and Roald fight,” Signy said calmly.
“Who would win?”
She studied his face. “Roald would cheat, but even so, I think you’d win. Either way, conflict between the two of you would probably be bad for Thorsay.”
“So better to keep the peace if possible,” Ramsay said. “I will if I can.” He drained the mug of tea and stood. “I’d best be getting back to Skellig House. As you said, work will be coming from all directions.”
She also rose.
“After visiting the kelp works, we can spend the night at an inn in Skillness, which is the largest Mainland town after Clanwick. The fishing fleet has grown, and a fair number of trading ships call there as well. On the way back here, there are several farmers you might want to call on. I’ll make a list of suggestions.”
“I should have thought of this before,” Ramsay said hesitantly as he donned his hat. “Will it be considered scandalous that I’m traveling with an attractive young woman? I don’t want to ruin your reputation.”
She laughed. “After all my journeys on behalf of the old laird, I think I’m considered an honorary man. I’m not the kind of marriageable young female who needs protecting.”
“Anyone who thinks of you as an honorary man isn’t paying attention,” he said as he opened the door. “Thank you for the tea, cakes, and insights. They’ll help sustain me this afternoon as I dig into my grandfather’s financial records.”
“Imagine me taking a long and lazy walk on the beach,” she said cheerfully. “I’ll leave the accounts to you. I’ll come to Skellig House tomorrow and we can work out the details of your first journey.”
She and Fiona followed him outside and said their good-byes to Thor. As Ramsay removed the horse blanket and swung into the saddle, he remarked, “It hasn’t escaped my attention that it’s Thor who holds your heart.”
“Well, he’s very fine looking,” she pointed out.
“And he has five gaits. I admit his superiority.” With a smile, he rode up the path to the bluff and disappeared to the south.
She folded the horse blanket and went into the cottage. It was going to be interesting traveling with Ramsay. The key question was whether shewantedtheir time together to become scandalous.
* * *
The sky clouded up on the ride back to Skellig House, and it was mizzling by the time he returned Thor to the stables. He remembered the searing heat and thirst of traveling the desert and decided that he much preferred the rain.
As he took Thor to the stallion’s loosebox, he was greeted by Jamie Donovan, the robust head groom whose wife was the housekeeper. “What do you think of Thor the Fifth, lad?”
Still another old retainer who called him lad. “He’s magnificent,” Ramsay said good-humoredly as he removed the tack and began to groom the horse. “He has all the Thorsayian gaits and performs them perfectly. He’s also very well behaved for a stallion.”
