“I don’t take kindly to these types of games.” His deep brogue was soft, close to her ear. His hot breath slid over her exposed neck.
Her nipples hardened, and she inhaled a shaky breath. She waited for his touch, but it never came. Instead, she felt a draft behind her as Graeme moved to the door.
“Two hours,” he said. “Eat something, rest or whatever it is that ladies need to do, then meet me outside.”
Graeme stepped outside the cottage, the cold winter wind biting into his cheeks. He needed to clear his thoughts. How the devil was he supposed to focus on his bloody work when he had to deal with that woman? She infuriated him. And damned if all he could think about was making love to her, slow and sweet.
He was quickly learning that his duchess would not be controlled no matter what his reasons. She would do as she pleased. So far, she’d managed to keep herself out of too much trouble. Still, he knew he’d have to keep an eye on her.
Hadn’t she just admitted that she’d sneaked into his study and read through not only his notes, but all of the notes that Jensen had given him regarding Niall’s research? Which meant she knew about everything.
Hell, maybe she would prove useful. But he’d been so bloody distracted by her… hell, her hair distracted him, the way the fiery curls hovered around her face begging to be brushed behind her ears. And the way her nose wrinkled when she thought.
Yet she’d faced the sight of a dead body today. Most women would have fainted at the sight of such a thing and needed smelling salts to be awakened. Then they would have had to take to their bed to recover. But Vanessa not only managed to survive the incident on her own, she intended to return. She was not an ordinary lady.
CHAPTER 10
Two hours later Graeme walked beside Vanessa, trying to keep his focus on the task at hand. His immediate purpose was to investigate his cousin, but he couldn’t ignore his own interests. Graeme had searched through these caves looking for possible hiding places for the Stone of Destiny. If Vanessa had truly located a new cavern, then he wanted to look around. He was not without his own curiosities.
Vanessa walked next to him. He liked that she was tall. His mind flashed to this morning in the cave when he’d pressed her against the wall and how close her sex had been to his. He’d almost lost control and taken her up against that cavern wall. Certainly not the way to treat a lady. Lust stirred in his loins.
That direction of thinking would not prove useful for this task. He concentrated on the frigid temperatures as they descended the hillside to get to the next. The frost-covered grass and leafless trees formed a barren landscape.
“You read all of my notes?” he asked.
“I did,” Vanessa answered without hesitation. “I heard you speaking with that gentleman outside my door.”
“We weren’t precisely outside your door. We were in the next room.”
She shrugged and smiled broadly. “I might have pressed my ear to the door a few times to amplify the sound.”
“That conversation was really none of your concern,” Graeme said.
“Perhaps not, but you did leave the notes out on the desk for anyone who was walking by to see.” She smiled. “Not only that, but I could make the argument that whether or not I dig around in those caves is none of your business,” she said.
“I am your husband, and it is my duty to protect your welfare.”
“Indeed. And I am your wife, and it is my duty to oversee what happens in my household. Granted that was your mother’s home, but you had a visitor, and his comfort could have fallen to me.” She carefully skirted some slippery stones; the ice atop them shone. “I was listening so intently to ensure he didn’t need anything.”
He hid a smile. He could find no fault with her line of reasoning, even though he knew her argument was weak. “You read the notes on the Loch Ness Treasure,” he said.
“And the research on the Stone of Destiny, which I can only assume is your vocation.”
Her tone revealed nothing about what she thought on the matter. Some people thought treasure hunting was a waste of time, nothing more than chasing a fantasy, but he’d seen evidence to the contrary. A friend found Pandora’s box, and Solomon’s was full of other men who’d discovered hidden treasures. “I have a friend who located the last library of Alexandria,” he said abruptly. Then felt foolish for trying to impress her.
“Truly?” Vanessa asked with interest, her eyes widened. “Now, that is a treasure I would find worthwhile and most interesting. Could you introduce me to him?”
“He’s married,” Graeme said dryly.
“I wasn’t asking you to find me a paramour, Graeme. My only interest would be his scholarly work.”
At that Graeme snorted. “Fielding would never consider himself a scholar. I suspect you might get along famously with his wife, though.” Fielding had always said that Esme had a special knack for finding trouble. He suspected that the two women would get along quite well. Of course, he wasn’t certain that either he or Fielding would benefit from the women’s combined propensity for mischief.
Suddenly Graeme realized that in his mind he was building a life for them. Fitting Vanessa into his world in England.
“So why the interest in the Stone of Destiny?” she asked, bringing his focus back to the present. Her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink with exertion, and her breath was coming more rapidly than normal.
He noted that Vanessa never complained about the rough terrain as they ascended the hill above the loch and approached the castle ruins. Most English women, in their dainty shoes, would not make it across the narrow shoreline, given the large stones edging the water, let alone the rocky cliffs above the loch. But Vanessa said nothing and continued to climb beside him.
