Broc smiled as they shook hands. “I think I benefited most from our meeting. London! Let me know when you have your ship arranged.”
Ramsay wasn’t sure how well any of his plans would work out, but at least he now had plans. That always made him feel better.
* * *
Signy behaved and spent the day in the laird’s room, not even going downstairs to the kitchen. She hoped Ramsay had found more drawing paper for her, since she’d used a number of pages in the tablet he’d found for her. She did several general sketches of Fiona Brae but would have to return to the site for more detailed work.
Just for fun, she did a couple of sketches of the real Fiona and Odin, who were spending most of the day with her. Her favorite was of Odin lying on his back on the bed with his paws in the air as he snored gently.
She also made another attempt to draw Ramsay, but was again dissatisfied. His features were too regular, and the picture ended up showing him as blandly handsome without the intelligence and mischief in his eyes that made him interesting.
There was a knock at the door. “Tea service!” Ramsay called.
She hastily hid the drawing of him and called, “Enter, please!”
As he obeyed, she glanced out at the angle of the sun. “It’s later than I realized,” she said. “Are you just getting back from Clanwick?”
He nodded as he set the tea tray on the table. “I’ve had a very full day. I’ll tell you about it over tea.” He placed a package on the desk. “These are about all the materials the bookshop had. Greta apologized for not having much in stock, but more is on order.”
Signy used her cane to walk to the desk and look at the materials he’d brought. “This will keep me busy for a while. Many thanks.” She returned to the table and checked to see if the tea had steeped properly. Not quite yet. She sat down, realizing that she was more than ready for tea and conversation.
“You’re walking more easily,” Ramsay observed. “Your ankle is well on its way to healing?”
“Yes, in another day or two I’ll be able to return to my normal routine.” Thinking Ramsay looked tired, she asked, “Tell me more about your full day.”
He grimaced. “The worst of it was calling on Roald and learning about the money the laird borrowed from him.” Tersely he described the vast size of the loan and the terms.
Signy’s eyes widened as she listened. When Ramsay finished, she said, “This is not good. I’d like to think that Roald will give you the full twelve months’ extension, but he could easily change his mind and call the loan in at any time.”
Ramsay nodded. “I’d have much preferred that he’d made the changes in writing, but I had a strong suspicion that if I insisted, he’d become insulted that I didn’t trust his word and would stick to the original repayment date. This way there is at least hope that I’ll have extra time.”
“Do you have any ideas about how you might repay the loan?”
“Several.” Ramsay took the chair opposite her. “I ran into Broc and we lunched by the harbor. I’m going to send him to London to talk to a friend of mine about finding a better bank. Broc will also be able to buy more materials for you. Make a list of what you’d like.”
Visions of paint pots danced in Signy’s head, but she’d make her list later. “Well done. What else did you accomplish?”
“I called on Fergus Maclean. The legal papers for transferring ownership of Sea Cottage will be finished and official by the end of the week, so your title to the property is secure no matter what Roald does.”
“Thank you,” Signy said quietly. “That makes me feel better even though the place is a wreck now.”
“But not for long! I just engaged Peter Swenson and his sons to fix the cottage, and they can start right away. From the description I gave Peter, he thought that the roof could be repaired fairly quickly, though the interior and detail work will take longer.”
“That’s splendid!” Signy exclaimed. “How long does he think it will take to do the whole job?”
“He’ll give you an estimate once he’s been out there to evaluate the amount of work required,” Ramsay replied. “Once the exterior repairs are done, one of his sons will bring in some laborers and they’ll start cleaning up Fiona Brae.”
“Good. I’ll be able to do better drawings then.” She poured more steaming tea and then helped herself to one of the ginger biscuits. “When will we return to your journeys around the islands?”
He eyed her a little warily. “I think you won’t much like this. I know that I don’t. But I’m going to visit the outer islands on my own. I think you should stay here and supervise the repairs on the cottage, and then the work on Fiona Brae. There isn’t going to be any golden treasure there, but I don’t want any of the workers to casually take home interesting bits and pieces like bones and bowls.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Would you explain your reasons for traveling alone?”
“I greatly enjoyed traveling with you, and it was very helpful to have your background information and introductions,” he said. “But more will be accomplished if we work separately, and there is much to be done.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said reluctantly. “But I’ve become accustomed to having you underfoot all the time. I’ll miss your company.”
“And I’ll miss yours,” he said bluntly. “But the more time we’re together, the harder it is to keep my hands off you.”
