Simon was friendly and kind. I liked him very much.
He poured both of us a cup of the fresh-brewed coffee.
“There is cream and sugar, as well as honey on the side table. Sir McQuarrie is particularly fond of honey.”
I sat across from him at the desk as we shared our coffee.
“I am sorry about the encounter ye had at the Grassmarket,” he tentatively said. “Mr. Munro spoke of it, and that ye were injured.”
Injured, an interesting choice of words, I thought. I did not consider being struck on the cheek the same as...other things I had experienced.
“He said that ye have a quick mind fer things and a good memory. I know well enough that helps with the enormous amount of reading I do for Sir McQuarrie’s court cases. Ye saw the shelves of books at the library.”
I had.
“He’s written two of them,” he added.
“Some of the others are in Latin,” I observed.
“Ye know Latin?” His eyes widened with more than a little surprise. “I would not have thought...” He didn’t say the rest.
“For a woman?” I finished the thought.
“I didna mean any disrespect, Miss Montgomery. It’s just that it’s not a common thing, particularly since women are not allowed to read the law.”
“They read the law,” I replied. “And study at the universities. It’s just that they are not allowed to it in the courtroom. That will change.”
He grinned. “Ye would make a fine lawyer. Mr. Munro has said that ye would argue the sky is blue when it’s pouring rain over the city. And everyone would believe ye.”
And that particular person, a Scot, never argued just to argue?
“If you should ever wish to assist my search for past legal cases, I would greatly appreciate it. I studied Latin as well at University, however...” He shook his head.
“I was not the head of my class when it came to my Latin studies. It was more an exercise, like wrestling an elephant in a room.”
I burst out laughing at the image that brought.
“Is it something I said, miss?”
When I was finally able to draw a deep breath again, I shook my head.
“I have seen elephants in the wild. You could not have won that contest.”
He laughed, then became quite serious.
“I am sorry about yer friend.”
“You didn’t know her,” I replied, somewhat surprised. Most people had little regard for a whore.
“No, I did not. However, if she was a friend of yers...it speaks well of her and yer friendship.” He blushed slightly. “Well, I must continue or Sir McQuarrie will be put off if I have not completed my work.”
I had considerable work yet to do as well. I thanked him for the coffee, and the compliment. Then returned to the library to continue reading those letters.
It was sad, and yet there were brief comments, and even a curse, that made me smile as I read those letters from Dory once more.
“The people who come into our lives, with exceptions, of course, are the gifts we’re given,”Lady Antonia had once told me.
“As difficult as it has been at times, I cannot imagine my life without Mikaela and Lenore, and now yourself. I shall be able to sail off in my longboat when the time comes, knowing that I was the most fortunate person. What an adventure it has been.”
