Treasure Me

by Robyn DeHart

  Oh how she wished Mr. McElroy were still alive so that she could find out precisely which caves he’d explored to find that bone. Of course, she had the man’s crude drawing amidst Jeremy’s notes, but it was just of the actual cave. But even without a guide to the correct spot, she now knew where to start.

  The journal was the most interesting item, though. It detailed several years of research for the legendary Stone of Destiny. If she wasn’t mistaken, the penmanship looked similar to that on the maps, but it was hard to tell due to the limited words on the maps. There was mention of a group of men called Solomon’s, The Magi’s Book of Wisdom, and many other resources.

  Vanessa’s heart beat quickly with her excitement. Was this Graeme’s journal? Vanessa read on, fascinated by the detailed research. Although the subject wasn’t one grounded in science, the reasoning was purely logical.

  Her breath caught as, page after page, she was entranced by the quest. To this researcher’s mind, the Stone of Destiny stolen by King Edward I and placed in Westminster Abbey was a fraud. So this was the counterfeit bit she’d heard the men discussing. Evidently the Scots had known the English were coming, and they’d taken measures to hide the true stone. But now no one knew where it had been hidden.

  Vanessa was not one to spend much time reading fiction, but she admitted that on more than one occasion she’d been swept up in an adventure novel. These notes certainly had the making of a brilliant adventure. And the person who had written this journal, perhaps Graeme, had been searching for nearly eleven years. Whoever this person was, they could lead her into the caves and guide her so that she might find the spot where Mr. McElroy had been working.

  She had been nearly ravished tonight, then almost married to a Scot who appeared to live quite a secretive life. Lost treasures, legendary quests, and maps of caves—it would seem that she’d stumbled upon a man who could provide her invaluable assistance with her own journey. And she intended to utilize that circumstance to the fullest.

  Chapter Four

  The following morning, Vanessa awakened and dressed herself. She’d stayed up far too late reading the night before. As she glanced around the room, she realized her dress had been laid out on a chair in the corner, but her trunk appeared to be missing. Perhaps someone had moved it to another room.

  She stepped out of the bedchamber and retraced the steps they’d taken the night before. It did not take her long to locate the kitchen. Inside the room, she found two women. One was bent over in front of the oven, the other was searching for something in a cupboard.

  “Pardon me,” Vanessa said. She took a step further into the room.

  “Good gracious,” the woman at the oven said with a start. She stood upright and turned to face Vanessa, her hand resting over her heart. “You startled me.”

  “Who is that?” the older one asked, her voice aged. She still stood in front of the cupboard, but she’d angled her body in Vanessa’s direction. She had sun-weathered skin and white hair that hung down her back in one fat braid. Wrinkles masquerading as dimples warmed her smile. Her blue eyes were cloudy as if she’d spilled cream in them.

  “I’m sorry,” Vanessa said. “Evidently Graeme did not notify you of his hospitality. I’m afraid he rescued me last night. At the pub. I inadvertently got myself in a tangle with some of the local men, and they did not want to allow me to go on my way.”

  The younger woman stepped away from the oven carrying a steaming loaf of bread. Her hair was a riot of bright red curls tied back in a scarf. Her bright blue eyes and rosy cheeks all came together in a picture of pure loveliness. The yeasty aroma of the fresh bread hit Vanessa and instantly her stomach growled in response. She put a hand to her abdomen to hide the noise.

  “The men around here can be like that,” the younger one said with a smile. “And my son did tell me last night you were here. How fortunate that he was able to rescue you, my dear.” This petite woman with her cloud of copper hair and cheerful disposition was Graeme’s mother? They seemed so different in both appearance and temperament. Not to mention her brogue was thicker than Graeme’s. Vanessa had to concentrate to catch every word.

  Graeme’s mother pulled a chair out from the small table. “Please sit. The bread is ready, and I’ve no doubt you’re hungry. You’re thin as a rail.”

  Vanessa released an unladylike snort. “I don’t know that anyone has ever considered me thin. But thank you.” She sat and waited patiently while the women busied themselves about the small kitchen, then returned to the table with a jar of fruit preserves, butter, and the hot bread. “Where is Graeme?” Vanessa asked.

  “Can’t say that I’ve seen him this morning,” his mother said. “I’m Moira, and this is my mother. Everyone calls her Old Mazie.”

  “I’m Vanessa. Very nice to meet both of you,” she said. “And kind of you to allow me to spend the night. I’m certain I’ll find more suitable lodgings today and be on my way.”

  “You had a room at the pub?” Old Mazie asked.

  “I did,” Vanessa said.

  “You’d have better luck in Inverness,” Moira interjected.

  “I have no doubt that Inverness, being a larger village, has better options,” Vanessa said. “But I’m here for research, so I need to be close to the loch.”

  “Research?” Moira asked. She placed a plate piled with warm bread smothered in butter and fruit in front of Vanessa. “Eat, then you can tell me about your work.”

  Vanessa smiled and took a bite of the food. She was alarmingly hungry. Obviously not eating dinner last night had done that to her.

  “What is there to study around here?” Old Mazie asked.

  “There is so much. Much of your land is undeveloped, unlike England. But I study fossils.”

  “Fossils?”

  “Yes, imprints in the rocks from plants and animals that once lived in these areas. And, of course, bones. It’s all utterly fascinating,” Vanessa said.

  “Well, I suppose it could be,” Moira said. “And we do have a bunch of bones around here. Why, a few months ago, someone found something buried down in those caves. Said it proves there’s a kelpie in our waters. ’Course we’ve all known that for years.”

  “Seen him with my own eyes,” Old Mazie said with an affirmative nod.

  Before Vanessa could comment, Graeme stepped into the room. He’d clearly taken the time to bathe, because he came in the room with his long hair wet and dripping onto his white shirt. Not only that, but this morning he’d donned a kilt. Vanessa’s mouth went completely dry at the sight of his long, bare legs. Of course his entire legs weren’t bare, only from his knees down, but it was enough to hint at the pure masculine strength in them. He padded into the room on bare feet, and carried a pair of boots and long woolen socks.

  He was a fine specimen. But that was all this was, admiration and appreciation for a body well sculpted. The way she might admire Michelangelo’s David. Graeme sat on the bench beside her and bent to put on his boots. She watched him methodically roll up one sock, then the other, and then he laced his worn leather boots. His long fingers, dusted with dark hair, made quick work of his task.

  As a scientist, she was, of course, familiar with the work of Charles Darwin. She may not agree with all of his ideas, but seeing Graeme, she could certainly imagine that the sheer perfection of this… um, physical specimen would provide a decided advantage when it came to wooing women.

  “Are you ready?” Graeme asked.

  “Ready for what?” Vanessa asked in return, her voice sounding slightly breathy to her own ears.

  “I was going to take you into town.”

  “Oh.” She came to her feet, embarrassed to be caught woolgathering. Especially since the wool she was gathering was of such a decidedly personal nature.

  “Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious. And it was lovely to meet you both.” Vanessa was unsure if she should say that she would see them again. It seemed unlikely. She’d find a new room, and then she’d get to work.

>   But she wanted to discuss the conversation she’d overheard last night, not to mention all the notes that she’d read. She needed to find a way to do so in a way that didn’t reveal she’d been eavesdropping and sneaking through his house.

  Vanessa followed Graeme out the door and down the rocky hillside to the path below. Her height had always enabled her to keep up with the pace of an Englishman, but matching Graeme’s pace was another matter entirely. He stood at least a head taller than she and was rather broad. Standing before him in that ceremony last night was the first moment she ever remembered feeling feminine and dainty.

  Vanessa’s height had been one of the things her mother had fretted about, wringing her hands and chewing her lips, so concerned about the wedding. Vanessa had stood the slightest amount above Jeremy, and Vanessa’s mother had worried herself into the vapors one afternoon deciding which shoes Vanessa would wear.

  What a shame that Graeme was not a real candidate for her groom. His sheer masculinity and undeniable good looks would have made her mother swoon—until he opened his mouth and revealed his uncivilized Scottish brogue. The second her mother realized he was a simple Scotsman, the vapors would return.

  “I trust you slept well,” Graeme said, though he did not turn to look at her.

  “I did. Thank you.” She thought about inquiring where he’d slept, but thought better of it. Why did it matter where he’d lain his oversized body for the night? “Why are we going into town?”

  “To put you on a train back to London.”

  She stopped walking; he did not. “I have no intention of returning to London,” she said loudly so he could hear her down the path. “At least not now. I have much work to do.”

  He halted and turned to face her. So she caught up with him. “This is no place for an unmarried woman,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Yes, you made that quite clear last night when you tricked me into marrying you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and met his gaze straight on.

  “I told you, our marriage,” he said loudly, then took a steadying breath and continued speaking in a much lower tone, “is no more legal than had we found a drunk sailor on the street and asked him to marry us. It’s a foolish old ceremony that no one recognizes anymore.”

  She realized then that Graeme’s hands gestured more when he was angry. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was an interesting specimen to study. And the fact that she was so bloody curious about him was vastly annoying, especially since he was behaving like an overbearing brute.

  He dropped his arms to his sides. “And I can’t offer you protection. I have work to do.”

  “Work? And what sort of work do you have to do?” Perhaps if he told her about the hidden treasure and the quest for the Stone of Destiny, she could offer her assistance. She was excellent with research, not to mention that she could read and write in seven different languages.

  “Certainly I don’t have anything worthwhile to do,” he said, his brogue growing stronger with every word. “You believe me to be nothing but a lazy Scotsman who spends his days swigging ale and reaching beneath the nearest skirt.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, then promptly shut it. She had not thought anything of the sort. He’d completely misread her question. Of course, she certainly had thought such things about the other men last night, but not Graeme. He was more educated; anyone could see that. Still, he was a Scot.

  “My work is none of your concern,” Graeme continued. “Now stop being so damned stubborn and let us get you to the train station.” He tugged on her arm, but she held firmly to her place.

  “I’m sorry, but since you are not my husband, you cannot tell me what to do.” And because she simply couldn’t help it, she smiled smugly.

  “I suspect that even if I were your husband, you would not obey my wishes.”

  “That is probably true.”

  “Then you have left me with no other option.” And with that he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a child.

  Once the shock wore off, Vanessa realized how very intimate their current position was. She lay across Graeme’s shoulder, her bottom directly in the air for anyone to see. Granted it was covered, but still that did not erase the fact that his arm nestled directly under her curves.

  “This is unacceptable,” she said. “I demand that you put me down straightaway.”

  Graeme not only ignored her, he moved his arm so that he was able to put his hand atop her bottom. He gave her a pat, and she heard him chuckle.

  Vanessa ran through her mind, searching for the appropriate thing to say. A sharp insult, a pithy retort, something—anything—that would make him put her down and stop manhandling her. It occurred to her that while she had found the touches from the men the previous night utterly revolting, Graeme’s hand on her created no such feelings. Quite the contrary, his hand felt intimate and inappropriate and, though she would never admit it, not entirely unappealing.

  Graeme carried her in that fashion the entire way to the train station. They passed a few people who did stare, but not one of them stopped to inquire if she needed assistance. When he finally placed her upright, Vanessa landed with a thud on the wood-planked floor. Beside her, she found her own trunk.

  “But how did this get here?” she asked. She scrambled to her feet.

  “I brought it by this morning when I purchased your return ticket to London. I have no doubt that your fiancé and family will be thankful to have you safely back,” he said.

  “Whether or not my fiancé or anyone else is concerned is… well, none of your concern. You are not my father or husband, nor do you have the authority to tell me when I have to leave this country.” She stood close to him, standing as tall as she could, and jabbed her finger into his solid chest. “I will leave when I am ready to leave and not a moment sooner.”

  His lips quirked in what could have been the start of a smile, but it never quite made it to fruition. “Have safe travels. It was interesting to make your acquaintance, Vanessa.” Then Graeme turned and walked away.

  Vanessa’s first thought was to chase after him and continue to give him a thorough tongue-lashing. But she stopped herself. It would solve nothing, and none of it mattered. She could remain here, find somewhere else to stay, and keep away from Graeme. She had research to do, and she could find another means to get into those caves. This was why she’d come to this frigid country. She exhaled and her breath fogged in front of her. She would not leave until she’d accomplished her work.

  Vanessa watched Graeme continue to walk away. His kilt kept close to the back of his legs, and she found herself hoping for a gust of wind to blow it upward. Then she stopped herself and turned away from him. Gracious, she’d never ever had the desire to see a man’s backside. Infuriating man!

  Vanessa flopped onto a bench and stared at the train tracks before her. Perhaps she should leave. Come back when she had more protection. She could hire someone to be a travel companion. Women were always safer in numbers. But whom would she hire? And what would her parents say when she returned? They’d force her to marry Jeremy, which she had no intention of doing. Not now or ever.

  No. She came to her feet. She would find a way to stay here and get her research done. Certainly not everyone was as rough as those men in the pub. Clearly she needed to steer clear of that establishment, but there must be somewhere else for her to find suitable lodging while she continued her research.

  When the attendant tried to stop her, she quickly learned that Graeme had plied the man with money. Well, as the saying went, if the sauce was good for the goose. Only in this case it was the gander. Vanessa dug money out of her bag.

  Vanessa hoisted her trunk by the side handle and dragged it down the grassy hill that led back to the village. The frost that covered the blades made them crunch lightly beneath her boots. She was resourceful. Simply because some brute of a man told her she couldn’t survive here didn’t mean anything. She would prove
him wrong. The trunk wobbled and rocked as she dragged it behind her. Her belongings shifted within, knocking the trunk off balance and twisting her wrist.

  Living in London where one could hire a carriage on every street made life so much easier. Here in the village, people walked or rode horses. She certainly had no aversion to walking, but doing so while dragging a large trunk created a struggle.

  And so her journey began. She’d pull the trunk for a while until it became unstable, then she’d stop and sit upon it and catch her breath. She supposed that she had one thing to be happy about: the exertion from lugging the trunk was preventing her from becoming too cold. The brisk winter wind swept around her, whipping her hair about and making her eyes water.

  On one such break, she opted to crack open her volume of Grayson’s Exploration of Scientific Discoveries and read through some of the text. She had tried once to correspond with Mr. Grayson about some of the information in said text, but he made it perfectly clear that he would not entertain letters from a lady. Still, she found his book helpful, so she used it often as a resource, but it didn’t make her think kindly about the man.

  She folded the book onto her finger to mark her spot and looked down on the village below. There was still a ways for her to travel with her trunk in order to make it to the main street. There was the Cow and the Dog Tavern & Inn, where she’d been the previous night, but she obviously couldn’t return there.

  Perhaps she could approach Graeme’s mother and offer a boarding situation. He wouldn’t be able to say no if she offered his family money. No man would ignore financial gain if it took care of his relations. She eyed the path that led from the inn, then went directly over the hill to their cottage.

  He’d said her family would understand why she’d left. That once everyone knew about Jeremy and Violet, no one would blame Vanessa. That only proved he didn’t know her family. Oh, she doubted they’d expect her to still marry the man, but somehow they would twist the situation and blame her. And frankly she wasn’t ready to face her sister. She hadn’t yet decided what she wanted to say to her, and when the moment came, she wanted to be prepared.