Talia played her part, stepping back for his inspection.
Darragh clenched his fists. How could she let another man ogle her so brazenly?
“Ye act as though ye’ve nae seen me since I was a wee bairn,” she laughed.
“It feels that long.” Mr. Turnbull’s voice took on a different edge as he watched her settle into her chair.
She indicated the cot, as there was no other available seat. Darragh was forced to linger by the door and watch them.
“Why are ye here? How did ye find me?”
“I heard about Jonathan, then I heard about his cousin, and I put two and two together.”
Mr. Turnbull sat too close to her. If she leaned in, his knee would touch her cheek. The way he looked at her did not mirror her innocence.
“I am so sorry about what happened. I ken he was like a faither to ye.” He reached out a wrinkled hand and stroked her cheek, and when she did not flinch away, he gave a sinister smile. “How are ye?”
16
Talia ignored him the entire time he stood by the door. She led Mr. Turnbull out of the room with a smile that wavered when she looked at him.
He could have either made way for the man or forced them to squeeze past him through the doorframe. He considered the latter when Mr. Turnbull had his back to him, hoping the man would trip.
He considered the casualness of showing him his back an insult, and to add salt to his wounds, Talia seemed to want more of his company even after spending an hour with him. She had sent for tea at some point, and a maid had returned with a teapot and only two cups, one for her and one for her ‘guest.’
Then, looking abashed, before she had lifted her cup to her lips, she had turned to her guard and asked if he wanted tea too. Of course, he had declined the offer. He had enough common sense to understand the weight of the question and its implications.Then she had dismissed him, saying she was alright being alone with her ‘guest.’
Alone?Alone? Darragh was right there with her.
If anything, he was glad of her slights.
She was aware of him. He wasn’t some ghost that could not quit her presence. He was a living, breathing being that bothered her. In her disregard, she regarded him. It was better than being ignored. He liked to be noticed by her, even if it came from hate.
Mr. Turnbull watched the door with a fond look, which Darragh considered a disgusting expression in the presence of another. His eyes skimmed over the words written in a perfect, bold hand on a rectangular piece of white cardboard pinned to the door.Miss Collins,it read, and under it,Healer’s Chambers.
When Mr. Turnbull was ready to move along, he seemed a different man. He had the gait of a businessman who had just closed an advantageous deal. “The air is fresh here,” he noted.
Indeed, the air was cooler in the servants’ passage, which they traveled. It seemed as though the constant coming and going did not heat the blocks, instead creating a whirlwind of starch and cold.
Darragh understood the man was merely making conversation, but now he had no scruple against ignoring him.
“Would ye like a tour of the estate?”
He cringed; he had taken it too far. He had intended to only agree with the man and then send him on his merry way. He wanted to be rid of him quickly. Mr. Turnbull had had Talia in his arms. He had touched the warmth of her cheek and pressed a kiss to her slender fingers, but now his gait mocked him.
Darragh watched his face for any sign of agreement. When Mr. Turnbull sighed ruefully, he felt the knot in his chest loosen.
“I would have to decline. Me journey was long, and I am nae so young again. I would like to return to me lodge.”
Darragh was tempted to ask if he would be lodging in Mrs. Marwick’s inn in the village, or if he would find somewhere else, preferably in town.
Then again, if Mr. Turnbull was staying in the inn, Darragh risked another unpleasant visit soon. But he also risked a request to rest in the keep if the man was lodging in some far-off town.
He could not let the man stay in his keep. Absolutely not.
They stepped into the courtyard in silence.
“The inn I’m staying at is so far away, I dread the journey.” Mr. Turnbull’s pace slowed.
