Chapter 2
Cormac stood at the top of the hill, looking down at the loch.
It seemed to stretch out before him, the water barely rippling apart from a few birds floating on the surface.
One bird was diving in, disappearing for a moment before returning with a fish in its mouth.
But the fish kept escaping, wriggling out of its grasp and back into the water.
Cormac couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Not everything followed the natural way of life. It was far more interesting to do things on their own.
“It’s not looking too bad, is it?”
Cormac turned. Hamish Ross was sitting astride his huge horse, watching him with a pensive expression. His factor looked like he hadn’t slept in a long time, with dark circles under his eyes and the whites bloodshot. Cormac understood his tiredness; he hadn’t been able to stop yawning all day.
“Better than I thought,” he admitted, walking back to his horse and mounting, the height of the foot grip making his thigh strain as he pulled himself up. “But the wall has likely been ruined. It was a bad storm last night.”
“Let’s hope that it’s not as bad as we’re fearing,” Hamish remarked. “It was looking rather weak the last time I saw it.”
Cormac thought the same thing. He knew it would be something else to handle after the storm. Someone would have to build the wall again, and he couldn’t see his neighbor doing that. If they were aware of the damage.
He didn’t even know if they were there. Cormac knew it was going to house his friend William’s widowed wife and son, but that was about it.
When he’d heard the news about William, it had left him shocked and cold. How was it possible that someone so strong and healthy could be dead now? Cormac was still reeling from it. He was half-expecting William to turn up and say it was nothing, that the news had been exaggerated.
And yet it wasn’t happening. Now his widow and young son would be moving in, and they would be his neighbors. Cormac had done what William wanted, and he had to follow through now his friend was dead.
The only reason he’d bought the neighboring estate instead of staying where he was, was because of his friend’s request. He wanted to be sure his wife and child were safe.
Cormac couldn’t see the reason for it, but the look on William’s face when he made the request was enough for him to agree.
If William believed it was important, Cormac wasn’t about to argue.
Whatever William had been up to, it had better not drag him down as well.
“Do you think the dowager viscountess has moved in by now?” Hamish asked, nodding up at the house barely visible through the trees. “I wonder how the journey was.”
“They’re more than likely going to be here in the next couple of days,” Cormac grunted. “We’ll find out in the near future.”
“Are you going over to introduce yourself?”
Cormac frowned. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re her neighbor,” Hamish insisted. “And it would be the polite thing to do.”
That made Cormac roll his eyes.
“You know that’s not something I’ve done for years, Hamish. Why would I go and introduce myself to the dowager viscountess?”
“Because William wanted you to watch out for her?”
“I’m sure I don’t need to do much beyond what was asked of me. You were there, remember?”
Hamish sighed, the wind whipping around his dark hair and tugging his locks away from his forehead.
“You need to step up and do what is needed, Cormac. We both know what William wanted you to do. And you can’t ignore it, even if William didn’t say it out loud.”
Cormac glared at him. “I’m not going to get into this, Hamish. I did as he asked, and then I’m going to wait until someone reaches out to me.”
“How is anyone going to know that you’re going to help if they aren’t aware of it? She’s not a clairvoyant.”
Cormac ignored that. He preferred to keep to himself, and William had known that.
But he was also extremely loyal to his friends, which was probably why the viscount had come to him and asked him for his help some years ago.
He was a new father, his baby only a few months old, and he wanted Cormac to ensure that Theo was safe.
Not by being a godparent or living nearby. By buying a neighboring estate to his and make sure it was ready and available for William whenever he needed it.
Cormac hadn’t quite understood what was going on.
But he knew William wouldn’t be asking this if he didn’t need his help, and Cormac was more than prepared to do what was asked.
William had also given him a few other instructions over the years, most of it regarding the estate and Cormac’s lawyer, who held onto the most important papers.
However, something else had come up that William hadn’t gone into.
He’d brought it up once, and then he brushed by it as if he hadn’t said anything.
But there was definitely something going on, and it scared his friend.
Cormac wished he knew more details about it and had surmised that he would be told about it eventually.
But it never got that far. William had died in that terrible accident, leaving his son as the young viscount. Cormac felt a hollow sensation in his chest, knowing that his friend was dead and he hadn’t been there.
He should’ve gone to the funeral, but he barely left the area. He preferred his own company, along with a select few people he could trust. It was the only way to stop himself from being humiliated once again.
That still hurt, even years later. But it wasn’t something Cormac was about to forget.
They rode around the edge of the loch and came upon the wall lining the end where there was a path that led around the water. Only a lot of it was under the water, the wall having come down and the water having broken through. It was all over the path, and their horses were already ankle-deep.
Cormac sighed. “This is going to take a while to fix.”
“At least the stonemasons are nearby,” Hamish replied. “And they can drain the path at the same time. They’re very good at this.”
“It’s going to be expensive, though,” Cormac pointed out.
His factor snorted. “You’re one of the richest earls in Scotland! And you’re complaining about money?”
Cormac shrugged. “I have to complain about something.”
Hamish sighed and shook his head. He’d been working for Cormac for many years, and they’d known each other since they were thirteen years old.
The two of them were very close friends, and they looked out for each other.
Cormac didn’t trust many people, but he certainly trusted Hamish.
It wasn’t even a thing to contemplate; he knew he could always look to his factor to be at his back.
“How long do you think this is going to last?” Cormac asked, urging his horse slowly through the water. “I can see progress being slow.”
“I’m sure it’s going to take a month, at the very least. But until we get the head stonemason out here, we won’t know for sure.”
As Hamish continued, Cormac found his attention shifting.
He saw something moving further along the edge of the loch.
He focused on the movement, and saw that it was a little boy.
He was dressed in pale blue, a matching hat balancing on his small dark head, and he was moving to the edge of the rocks, looking down into the black water.
Now Cormac was concerned. What was he doing?
The loch was not something to go into unless you knew it well.
There were plenty of spots where someone could end up in deep water and struggle to get out.
It was definitely not a place for a child, certainly not one as small as the one crouching down to look into the water.
“Cormac?” Hamish seemed to notice that he wasn’t paying attention. “Are you listening?”
“Quiet.” Cormac pointed at the boy. “I think we might have some trouble.”
Just as he sat there, the boy wobbled and let out a scream, sliding on his backside into the water. He went up to his chin, and then he started floundering, his arms splashing about.
Cormac urged his horse into motion almost immediately and rode as fast as he could around the edge of the loch.
Then he was off his horse before the animal had even stopped, nearly sending him sprawling on the ground, and he ran toward the water.
The boy’s head was still above the water, but his hat had floated away.
Just as the boy’s head started to go under, Cormac slid into the water, which went up to his waist, and he grabbed the boy around the middle.
The boy came up spluttering and gasping for breath, almost limp in his arms. Cormac carried him to the bank and managed to get out without slipping on the rocks.
He placed the boy on the ground, holding on as the young lad slumped down.
“Are you all right?” Cormac asked.
“I… I think so.” The poor boy’s teeth were chattering, and he was shaking. “Thank you. I was scared.”
“It is scary going into the loch.” Cormac looked up at Hamish, who was dismounting. “Bring a blanket, he’s getting cold!”
Hamish didn’t argue, snatching at the blanket attached to his saddle and hurrying over. He draped it around the boy, who clutched it to him and kept shivering. Cormac crouched, observing the child. He was at least six or seven years old, dark hair tousled about his head with water dripping from it.
There was something about his hazel eyes that looked familiar, and in his jawline. His teeth were still chattering, and he was pale, but at least he was out of the water.
“What were you doing down here?” he asked. “Where’s your chaperone?”
“She’s back in the garden.”
“Garden?”
“Up there.” The boy turned and pointed. “I saw a path coming down here and I wanted to explore. I didn’t think anyone would mind now that we live here. I wanted to see the loch.”
He was pointing at Corrieden. Cormac tensed, glancing at Hamish. His factor’s expression said he understood what was being said. Cormac turned back to the boy.
“What’s your name, young man?”
The boy drew himself up.
“Theodore Ellingham. Viscount Ellingham now my pa has passed away.”
It felt like being punched in the chest. Of course it would be William’s son. Theodore looked just like his father with his eyes, the jawline, and the other features in his face. He was the spitting image of William. How could he not have noticed?
“Mama is going to be furious,” Theodore said, looking down at his ruined clothes.
“I think we should get you back before she’s worried about where you’ve gone.” Although Cormac wanted to know why the dowager viscountess had left her son to wander about on his own. “Do you think you can do that?”
Theodore bit his lip and nodded. “I think so.”
Cormac turned to Hamish, who was watching the scene with obvious confusion.
“Go and fetch the stonemason to see what he can do with the wall. I’ll let you take over everything there.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to get this child back home. His mother is going to be worried about him.” Cormac put his arms around the boy and helped him up. “He’s not going back like this on his own.”
Hamish arched his eyebrows, but he didn’t say anything. He waited until Cormac had clambered into his saddle before lifting Theodore and settling him in front of Cormac. Theodore shivered and leaned into Cormac.
“It’s very high up,” he whispered.
“Just hold onto me and you’ll be fine.” Cormac turned his horse around. “I’ll go carefully. I won’t go fast if you don’t want me to.”
The boy didn’t answer, but he shook his head against his chest. Cormac walked his horse over to the path that stuck out through the undergrowth, leading up the slope in a winding route, getting a little more precarious the farther they went up.
Cormac glanced down and saw the sudden drop.
How had a young lad managed to get to the bottom without falling and hurting himself? That was incredibly lucky.
He really should have someone looking after him. He was too young to go about gallivanting on his own.
Finally, they reached the top, and Cormac could feel Theodore shaking harder in his arms. His hold on him tightened as the horse walked across the lawn.
Someone opened the door and rushed out onto the terrace. She was wearing a black dress and a black bonnet, her dark hair loose and falling from its hold on the top of her head, causing the bonnet to be lopsided. Then it started to fall as she stopped suddenly to catch it quickly and fix it back on.
But not before Cormac saw her face. There were scars in deep gashes down the side of her face, narrowly missing her eye, and it tugged down the side of her mouth. It took everything in him not to stare at her. What trauma had she gone through for that to happen?
But then the scars faded, and he took in the rest of her delicate features, the beautiful dark brown eyes, and the tall, willowy figure. Whoever this was, she was lovely to look at.
Then once she adjusted the bonnet, the hair hiding one side of her face, she gasped and rushed off the terrace.
“Theo!”