Page 17 of The Lady of Her Highland Clan

Intrigued, Fiona allowed herself to be guided down the stairs and away from the main body of the castle. It was only when they reached the downstairs and she led them toward the large, empty grand hall that he began to relax.

Fiona ushered them to the very edge of the great hall, where it was clear there was no one around, and sat him down.

"Well then," she said, after they had made themselves comfortable. Unsurely, Clyde glanced about. It was the morning after the feast, and vestiges of the revelries lay strewn around.

With the stench of stale wine in the air around them, Fiona felt a little wretched. Memories of her overindulgence came flooding back to her, in more than one way!

"So, how can ye help?" she asked, wishing there was a little more air.

Clyde grinned. Moving a little closer to her, he fanned her with a piece of parchment he had produced.

"Well, it's more how ye can help me," he said smoothly. He brought his face closer to her, looking thoughtful. "Ye see, I dinnae ken anything really about where to find the treasure."

"Treasure?" Fiona nearly fell off her chair. Then she burst out laughing. "Och, fairy stories!"

Now Clyde was looking at her strangely.

"Nae stories, milady," he said earnestly. Fiona's heart skipped a beat. She loved it when he called her milady. He looked so deadly serious.

"Och, come on," she said dismissively. "I mean, aye, I have heard the stories o' the Duncan ruby and gold, but no one really kens anything about it."

Clyde looked crestfallen. "Really?"

Fiona pouted. It was early, and she was not ready to think about this yet. Glancing around, she found a jug of water left from the previous night and poured two hefty cups. The cool, clear water refreshed her partly, and after a while, she turned to Clyde.

"Och, alright. Say, just say, that the treasure is there. Well, how do ye think we are going tae find it?" She raised her eyebrow at him provocatively.

"Well," said Clyde with an intake of breath, "I've been thinking about that."

Fiona looked at him in interest.

"We could start wi' yer father's auld documents," said Clyde. "That is, if ye dinnae mind?"

Fiona looked at him like he was mad. Then, she laughed. "Och, I dinnae mind, but..." She paused. "It's nae like we havenae tried finding it afore...ye ken about the fire an’ everything like that was destroyed. An' anyway, I am nae sure I even believed it was ever really real, the ruby, the rest o' it...treasure maps...no one's ever been able tae find it, an' we've been all over the castle grounds looking."

"Aye," said Clyde. "But what if it's nae in the grounds o' the castle?"

Now Fiona looked. "Do ye ken something?" she asked slowly.

Clyde shook his head. "Nay," he said, looking apologetic. "I mean, nae really. It's just hearsay, I ken. But I have heard it is in one o' the woodlands tae the east o' the clan..."

He cocked his head over to Fiona, who sat thinking.

"Aye," she said. "I heard that too, but nobody really thinks—" She stopped. Looking at his face, it was clear that Clyde really did think the treasure was real. And more than that, was really there to be found.

Clyde's hand reached toward her. Softly, he embraced her. Fiona closed her eyes. Just for a moment, she allowed herself to fall back into his touch. But then he stopped. With a cough, he placed his hand on hers and stroked her wrist softly.

"Maybe I can help ye find it," he said. "That is, we could both find it."

Fiona's eyes flashed. "An' share it, if that's what ye mean?" She wasn't stupid. As exciting as all this talk of treasure was, it was clear that Clyde's only interest was the gold.

"Aye, share it," said Clyde. Then he smiled. "But we have tae find it first. What do ye say?"

He smiled so enticingly it was hard for her to resist. But Fiona did not give in straight away. Deep inside, she was hurt.

Memories of last night came flooding. Now more than ever, it seemed as if he had used her and that his primary interest had been the treasure.

But all the same, he seemed pretty sure of himself. Somehow, despite herself, Clyde's enthusiasm and belief drew her in.

"Well," she deliberated. Bit by bit, the sun was getting up, rising from the east and pouring further into the hall. She looked at him slyly. "Half of nothing is nothing, I suppose, but it cannae do any harm tae look..."