He said nothing, but he was listening very carefully to her words.
“And the Stone of Destiny.” Gooseflesh covered her entire body, and her teeth began to chatter.
“Indeed,” was all he said. But she noted a slight twinge along his jawline.
“Could we perhaps go inside and continue this conversation? It is rather frigid out here,” she said. No amount of wool could have stifled the chill that permeated her body, as if her very bones were cold. “Not only that, but I am concerned about your injury. We should get that cleaned and make certain you don’t need stitches.”
He nodded and led them inside and into the very room in question, his study. “Wait here,” he said. He was gone but a moment and then returned with a bowl and some torn pieces of fabric.
Once they were seated and the fire stoked so that the flames spread warmth into the small space, Vanessa continued. “While I might ordinarily think that chasing treasure is a waste of time, it is my understanding that you’ve been commissioned to do this work. At least that is what I gathered the other night.”
“I beg your pardon,” he said.
Vanessa untied the tourniquet. Graeme removed his shirt, wincing when he pulled the sleeve off his arm.
“When that gentleman came to call upon you, I could hear the conversation.” She picked at her fingernail, the one she’d snagged on the stone. “Small excerpts are truly all I heard, but I put the pieces together later that night when I read through the books and notes. I wasn’t precisely trying to invade your privacy. I’m afraid my curiosity simply got the better of me.” She smiled with a slight wince. “My mother always said it would be my downfall.”
“Reading?” he asked.
“No, my curiosity. But now that you mention it, she probably thought reading as well. She’s from the generation that believes that women are better uneducated. The fewer ideas a woman has, the fewer disagreements she can have with her husband,” she said.
“I see.”
That was all he said. Vanessa was uncertain if that meant he agreed with her mother, that if they were to stay married, he’d prefer that she sit at home and not read or think or speak her mind. But nothing in his demeanor nor words gave her a hint to what he was thinking. She ran the dampened cloth over his injury to wash off the blood. He sucked in a breath through his teeth.
“In any case,” she continued, “back to the subject at hand. I suspect my expertise could prove useful to you.” And perhaps it could, but in all honesty, all he needed was to know where the cave was, and she wanted to show him, if doing so would provide her the additional time in the caverns that she needed. Again she gripped the wrapped fossil that was tucked into her bag. She was eager to get back to her room, wash it up, and spend some time examining it beneath the light.
“Your expertise. Please enlighten me,” he said.
“I believe I’ve mentioned before that I speak and read a number of languages which can be helpful in deciphering ancient texts. I’m rather clever, so figuring out riddles comes easily to me.” She continued to clean his wound as she spoke. It was a rather deep cut that could probably warrant a stitch or two.
“You haven’t yet convinced me,” he said.
At least he was gracious enough to give her an opportunity to make her appeal. In the end, it would matter not what he said; she’d do as she chose. Exploring the caves with him would be infinitely preferable, though, considering he could offer her additional muscle. Not to mention a measure of protection if a spider should appear. Or something more nefarious.
“Do you want me to stitch this up for you?” she asked.
“Have you done that before?”
“No; in fact, I’m terrible with a needle and thread, but it didn’t seem the time to discuss one of my weaknesses,” she said.
He smiled. “I’ll get my mother to do it.”
Whether he thought he needed her help or not didn’t matter. “I didn’t want to handle things in this manner, but you leave me no choice. I will not show you the whereabouts of the new cavern I located unless you share details of your research with me.” She held up a hand to ward off his protest. “And if you think to leave me behind, you can rest assured that I will follow you or wander through those caves myself.” She shook her head and did her best to appear innocent, silly even. “And you never know what can happen when a woman is left to her own devices.”
“You think to blackmail me, woman?” Graeme asked. He released a string of curses that should have had her blushing, but for whatever reason, she found it fascinating.
The angrier he got, the thicker his accent became. He rose to his feet. A large, angry Scotsman towered over her.
She came to her feet and did her best to glare up at him. He didn’t frighten her. He wouldn’t bully her. She wouldn’t stand for it. “I will do whatever is necessary to continue my research. You,” she poked him in the chest for emphasis, “might be my husband now, but you will not prevent me from doing my work.”
He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it. He glared at her for a few seconds before saying, “You could draw me a map.”
“No, I don’t think so.” She moved to stand in front of the hearth. Slowly she rubbed her hands together in front of the flames. “I truly think it would be best if I showed you.” Heat radiated up her arms and warmed her legs through the heavy fabric of her skirt. “That is my price.”
“You think you are clever.” He stood behind her now. He’d moved there so silently, so quickly that she had not heard his approach.
A different kind of heat shimmered over her skin, one that had nothing to do with the flames from the fireplace. Vanessa closed her eyes and fought the urge to lean into the man standing behind her.
