Outside, the air was crisp but pleasant. Jocelyn had her hand tucked into the crook of his elbow. As they strolled down the street, he kenned what they looked like to passersby—a couple. And he liked that very much.
Clearing his throat, he spoke. “I must confess, I had an ulterior motive for this walk.”
“Oh?” A flash of worry crossed Jocelyn’s face before she quickly masked it.
“Dinna fash, lass. ’Tis naught bad. When I was speaking with Theodore earlier, he was trying to get me to use my estate finances to pay for inventory for the pub. Something that, as ye ken, I couldna do e’en if I wanted to. But he doesna ken that. It got me thinking that since he’s emptied the Thistle & Pig’s coffers that he needed me to get money from other sources that he could syphon.”
“That makes sense.”
He nodded. “Aye, but one thing that I canna wrap my head around is the patrons. Why they stopped coming? I understand him stealing the money. He’s obviously using it for something. What? I have no idea. But wouldn’t he want the pub to be filled with customers so he could continue stealing?
“But then it occurred to me that he may have had a hand in ensuring the townsfolk went elsewhere. I think he believed that I wouldna uncover his deception if they stopped coming. No one coming in, the money dries up.”
“That’s dastardly. Do you really think he’d go to such measures?”
“I no longer ken what to believe. I ne’er thought he would steal from me, but he has.”
“So, what does this walk have to do with all that?”
The wind picked up and she cinched her cloak tighter.
“Are ye cold? We can return to the inn to get ye inside by the fire.”
She smiled. “Your concern is endearing, but I’m fine.” She patted his arm. “Go on. Tell me this plan of yours.”
“I want to talk to the people in town. Ask why they’ve stopped coming in.”
“Do you think they will speak so candidly to you?”
He shrugged. “I dinna ken. But I must try. I need to learn the reason so I can reverse it. Whate’er Theodore’s plan is, I plan to thwart it.”
They spent the next hour interviewing people around town. Folks that used to frequent the pub and inn often and one thing was for certain.
Theodore had done a thorough job making them believe that the pub, the inn, and everything contained within were a hazard in one way or another and both were on the brink of closing.
The bastard.
Another common answer was that they had been referred to another establishment on the other side of town. When asking who owned it, they couldn’t answer. They’d never met the man.
Gunn had the sinking feeling that the owner was Theodore and the money he’d stolen from the Thistle & Pig had gone into making that pub successful.
Gunn wasn’t much of a charmer, but he soon realized Jocelyn was. With her insistence that the Thistle & Pig was better than ever, and her encouragement for them to return, many of his former patrons promised to be back.
“Ye were brilliant,” Gunn complimented Jocelyn as they entered the inn. “Everyone loved ye, but how could they no’?” he added with a wink.
“I don’t know about that, but I am glad to help. Your place is lovely and deserves to be as successful as it was before.”
“Willna Theodore be surprised to see a full bar when people start to return? I look forward to seeing his expression.”
“What are you going to do about his place?”
“Now that we ken the name of it, when everyone is here, we will pay it a visit. Until then, I will remain mum.”
Inside, Gunn helped Jocelyn out of her cloak. Laughter from down the hall greeted them.
“It sounds like Malcolm has returned. Which reminds me. There’s something I want to ask ye.” Dropping his hands on her waist, he pulled her close.
With her hands on his shoulders, she tipped up her face to meet his eyes. “Yes?” she said, her voice husky, and he kenned she was waiting for him to kiss her. Which he gladly would. He just had one question first.
