Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Have ye managed to find anythin’?” Callum asked, walking into the study.
Eleanor looked up from the stack of papers on the desk in front of her, blinking as if she had been in another world. The stack of ledgers beside her looked impressive. She had been busy for a day, and it seemed as if she had already covered quite some ground.
Her fine nose wrinkled as she frowned. “Aye, and nay. None of it seems to make any sense.” She massaged the sides of her temples with the tips of her fingers. “There are so many deeds that changed hands with nay reason at all. I ken why Andrew became suspicious.”
He strode toward her, looking down at the ledger she had been scrutinizing. Neat notes had been made in the margins, denoting each transfer and signature that did not seem to make sense. “Have ye made a note on the map where all of the properties are?”
Placing her hands on either side of the ledger, Eleanor pushed herself up and nodded before walking past him to the map.
“I hope ye daenae mind, but since we used the pins for all of the locations where Andrew was seen, I used small ink stars to mark the deeds of transfer.” She leaned over the map, pointing to the little black marks.
A frown creased his brow when he drew back and began to see a pattern from afar. Almost all of the stars, save a few empty patches, were surrounding his lands.
“Ye can see why I have been concerned?” Her voice beckoned his gaze toward her.
“Aye, with me gone, mostly all of the north would have changed hands somewhere in the last five years.” He searched her face, seeing his confusion echoed in her eyes.
“But why?” he asked out loud, not expecting a reply.
He watched carefully as she reached up and cupped the back of her neck with her hands, tilting her head back until her neck was exposed.
“That is what I daenae understand.” She let go of her neck, looking back down as she gestured with one hand over the map.
“They were nae all given to the same man. None of the names signed and deeds transferred match.”
“Aye, ye can say that again, none of it makes sense…” Callum began to brood as he glared at the map.
How was it possible that so many land deeds had been given over without rhyme or reason? It would have made sense if it had all gone to one person; at least then, they would have had a motive.
“Ye think the men inheritin’ the lands are all connected?” Eleanor suddenly asked, regaining a bit of her energy.
“It is a good question, but we would have to investigate further to ken for certain.” He turned back to the desk behind them. “Have ye compiled a list of the names?”
Eleanor nodded quite enthusiastically as she hurried back to her desk and drew a list of names from beneath the ledger. “Donald Steward seemed to be the land agent who dealt with most of the deeds. His name comes up at least seven times, while the others were different.”
“I have never heard of the man,” Callum frowned as he watched her run her index finger down the list.
“Neither did I until I looked closer at all of these letters. It seems as if me brother also wondered, he was nae someone whom we were familiar with. The name Duncan Fraser was in our books a few times, but I only saw it twice here.” She sighed heavily and began to rub the back of her neck again, exposing the gentle curve of her shoulder.
She is bonnie.
He thought for the millionth time since first meeting her in the cabin. “I daenae ken if there is a Duncan Fraser in our clan. I shall have to look into that.”
He thought of what Fiona had said about Eleanor finding him on the road and dragging him all the way to her cabin.
If that information was in fact true, then Eleanor had saved his life.
He would have been left for dead if she had not helped him, or even worse, one of his enemies would have found him.
“Have ye had yer tea?” Callum suddenly asked, making her look at him with a frown.
“I have sent for some; it should be here soon.” The corner of her mouth twitched into an uncertain smile.
Callum nodded. “Ye should take more breaks. I cannae use ye as a bride if ye are worn down to the bone.”
Eleanor suddenly began to laugh, shaking her head as she glanced at him.
“Why are ye cacklin’?” He grew slightly annoyed, not understanding the amusement she was seeing.
She let out a heavy sigh as if the moment of respite had relieved some of her strain. “Ye are a wonder, Callum Fraser.”
He cocked his head to the side and faced her, leaning one hand on the map beside the pins and neatly aligned ink stars. “Why do I think ye didnae mean that as a compliment?”
Her laughter echoed through the study this time, making something stir beneath his ribs. “I am nae a monster, ye can stop for tea.” He tried to explain, still not understanding why she was laughing.
Finally catching her breath, she turned to him with a rare smile. “I didnae say ye were a monster, Callum. I just daenae ken what to expect from ye all the time. Ye blow colder than the wind in a storm, then ye ask me if I had tea.” She continued to shake her head in agreement.
Callum bristled a little as he came up straight. “I am nae cold, lass, I can keep ye quite warm if ye ask.”
Her face fell instantly as she opened her mouth, her cheeks filling with color.
That is more like it.
He smirked at her as he took a step toward her and trailed his hand along the map until he stopped. “Are ye nae scared of me, lass?” He began to enjoy the look of uncertainty in her eyes.
“I…” she stammered as he drew closer to her, towering above her like a pillar.
His hand itched to touch her, but he kept it placed firmly on the map. “I told ye before, lass, and I will tell ye again, if ye ever need anythin’ from me, ye need only ask.” His eyes dropped to her lips again, but swooped lower this time as he took in the swelling of her perfect breasts.
The milky flesh drew him in, beckoning him to act upon his desire to draw his tongue over the mounds and explore the clefts.
But instead, he tore his gaze away and drew his eyes up her slender neck until he was looking into her eyes again.
“And that includes bitin’ or keepin’ ye warm.
” He drew out the last word in a drawl and smirked at her.
The look in her eyes was anything but defiant as her lips remained parted in a silent gasp.
Does she want me to kiss her?
Heat flooded his body, pooling in the pit of his stomach before moving to his loins with a rush.
He would have given anything to kiss that neck and run his tongue over the dip at the base of her throat.
He leaned in a little closer, releasing a deep growl from his throat as he tightened his fingers into a fist.
“Callum…” she began, but paused when she accidentally placed her hand on top of his.
Feeling his breath catch in his chest, Callum looked down, noting the softness of her skin on the roughness of his hand.
She had small, delicate hands that would have gotten lost in his if he ever wrapped his fingers around hers.
The warmth of her hand continued to seep into his skin until it forced him to look up again.
What he saw in her eyes made his heart still as he began to regret his actions.
She is yearnin’ for touch.
Possibly not even his, but any kind of human contact that would replace the yearning that she more than likely felt for her family. It was not a yearning that he allowed himself to feel, not ever since his mother had died.
He had been quite young back then, but he could still recall the stillness in the house after his mother and sister had died.
It had been a stillbirth, but it was almost as if the house itself had stopped breathing for that one moment in time.
It was then that his father taught him the most valuable lesson he had ever learned. Never show weakness.
Callum could still recall how his father had shut down and carried on as if nothing had happened. Had he become just as cold and distant as his father? Unable to show even the smallest amount of affection to those who need it?
Do I really want to be like me father?
The center of his palm twitched as he began to turn over his hand.
“Here is yer tea, Mistress!” Marion came waltzing into the study, utterly oblivious to what was happening.
“Marion!” Eleanor exclaimed before swiftly removing her hand from his and heading toward the main study desk. “Allow me to just make some space for ye.”
The maid seemed almost startled as she took a step back. “Are ye feelin’ ill, Mistress?” She narrowed her eyes, not seeming to notice Callum at all.
Eleanor quickly shook her head. “I am well, just a bit thirsty.” She hurried forward, taking the tray and almost spilling the tea.
“I… I can do that, Mistress. If ye would just leave it to me,” Marion said gently through her confusion.
She seemed to ignore her maid completely, turning her back and pouring the tea.
“Me Laird!” Marion suddenly noticed him as she hurriedly curtsied, dipping her head low and her knees even lower.
“That will be all, thank ye, Marion.” He dismissed her with a nod.
What is she thinking?
Callum tried to ignore the fact that the maid kept looking from him to Eleanor, with a strange expression, before turning and leaving. It certainly looked suspicious to anyone, including him, but he did not care what anyone else thought. He had been trying to be more human.
“Shall we have our tea while going over the lists?” Eleanor finally asked, her voice more stable as she smiled and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Aye,” he said softly, not knowing how to react. He walked to the desk and sat across from her, allowing her to sit behind the desk where she had been making lists.
“I think we should go over the lists I have already made.” Eleanor kept her eyes fixed on the cup of tea before her. Her cheeks were still flushed as her lips parted just a little.
Dropping his gaze, Callum looked down at the cup in front of him. He had started teasing her as a way of regaining control, and he had liked the way she blushed for him, but things had changed in the space of a moment when he had seen how the attention had affected her.
He had felt bad for not only missing the fact that she had been longing for home, but for unknowingly taking advantage of that loneliness.
They sat in silence for a moment longer until Eleanor suddenly blurted out. “I think there is still a good chance that Andrew is alive.”
Callum looked up, noting the complete vulnerability in her eyes.
“Aye, I think there is.” He lied while knowing that there was every chance that Andrew had been killed.
The men who had wanted him dead had almost succeeded in killing him.
It was not likely that Andrew had been spared if he had crossed their path.
“I just think that we shouldnae give up hope,” she continued, her breathing still strained.
She is tryin’ to move past what happened.
“I think I had better check on the men. The barrier that was repaired yesterday needs checkin’ again as well.” He used the back of his knees to push back his chair, causing the legs to scrape across the floor.
Looking up with a start, Eleanor frowned. “But yer tea?”
“It can grow cold, I have more important matters to see to,” he said gruffly before turning away from her and making his way toward the door.
If it was space that she needed to overcome the awkward moment between them, then he would give her that space.
It had not been easy for him either at the moment when he had thought of his mother and father.
He had spent years trying to overcome their memories, and in the space of one moment, all of the feelings had come rushing back to him.
“There ye are, me Laird.” Iain came striding toward him in the hallway. “I was just about to come and find ye. Are ye ill?” He paused a few steps away from Callum and tilted his head to the side with a frown.
Coming up straight, Callum glared at him. “Have ye ever ken me to be ill?”
Iain seemed thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head. “Nay, I cannae say that I have.”
“Then what are ye on about?” he barked, narrowing his eyes. He had wanted a moment alone, but the Laird never seemed to be allowed to rest.
“I didnae mean offense, me Laird.” Iain held his hands up in surrender.
Grumbling under his breath, Callum pushed past him, having had more than enough of everyone else for one day.
She is distractin’ me.
She had not been in his castle for very long, and she was already making him tense.