Chapter 3
Rosalind could not begin to describe the panic she felt as she rushed from room to room, getting lost and finding her way again, in her desperate attempt to find her son.
Bea did the same, almost bumping into her whenever they crossed paths.
Neither said anything, both of them scared of the implications.
They’d barely arrived at Corrieden, and Theo had already vanished. How could this have happened? They had plenty of servants, and Bea had been with him. And yet, in just a few seconds, Theo had vanished.
This was not how she wanted to spend her first day in her new home.
Now it was beginning to feel oppressive, and it made Rosalind panic.
What if Theo had been kidnapped? What if he’d gone beyond the wall and fallen down the slope?
Rivers had already gone to look, but he returned and said he hadn’t seen anything.
He offered to go down the path and look around the loch itself, but Rosalind told him to wait. She wanted that as a last resort.
She didn’t want to find her son’s broken body at the bottom of the cliff. That made her nauseous, knowing that her little boy could be dead.
She was delaying the inevitable, but she couldn’t help it. She refused to believe it could be a possibility.
She and Bea congregated with Rivers and his wife in the library at the back of the house. Both the butler and housekeeper were red-faced and panting.
“We couldn’t find him anywhere,” Rivers panted. “He’s not downstairs in the kitchens.”
“And he’s not in the servants’ quarters, either,” Mrs. Rivers added. “Nor is he in the lane or the stables.”
“The only place we haven’t checked is the path down to the loch,” Rivers added. “If he used that and then wandered off, we should be able to find him. It’s pretty open down by the water.”
“I hope he’s not gone anywhere near the water,” Bea whimpered. “He can’t swim.”
Rosalind bit back a retort that she didn’t want to be reminded of that fact. She nodded at Rivers.
“Gather several of the footmen and go out there. The light is starting to fade, and I want my son back before it’s fully dark.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Rivers bowed and ran out of the room. Bea wrung her hands, tears glistening on her cheeks.
“I can’t believe this happened. How could he… I only looked away…”
“This isn’t your fault, Bea.”
“But I know what he’s like. I should’ve…”
Just then, Rosalind caught sight of something out of the window.
She moved toward it, staring out into the late afternoon spreading across the garden.
A gray hunter, a huge animal, was walking across the garden, a large man with dark hair wearing tartan across his chest astride.
He had his arm around something small, wrapped in a blanket.
Rosalind’s breath caught in her throat. Could it be…?
Ignoring Bea calling after her, she ran to the nearby outside door and stumbled out onto the terrace.
As she righted herself, her bonnet slid off and she caught it, aware that her cover was unraveling before this stranger.
Quickly, she adjusted the bonnet and smoothed her hair down before focusing on the small figure on the man’s lap.
It moved, and then she saw a familiar face sticking out of the blanket. Her heart leaped, and she felt lightheaded at the relief.
“Theo!”
“Mama!” Theo started wriggling a little, as if he was going to drop down off the horse. “Mama!”
Panicking that he was going to fall and break his neck, Rosalind rushed over and lifted him down, almost buckling from how heavy he’d become. Then she realized he was soaking wet, the blanket around him starting to stick to him.
She burst into tears and sank to the ground, hugging her son tightly to her.
“It’s all right, Mama.” Theo didn’t sound distressed at all, although he was shivering in her arms, and she could hear his teeth chattering. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”
“Not… hurt?” Rosalind almost choked on that, pulling back a little to peel the blanket from his shoulders. “You’re soaked! What happened to you?”
“I fell into the loch.”
“What?”
“He was rescued before anything bad happened.”
The strange male voice with the smooth Scottish brogue washed over her, and Rosalind felt a shiver down her spine. She looked up and saw the rider had dismounted, holding onto the reins of his horse.
He was so tall that she had to crane her head to look up at him.
His dark hair was just brushing at his collar, and he wore pale brown with a distinct target across his chest and over one shoulder like a sash.
His features were weather and rugged, his dark eyes watching her intensely.
Something about him made the hairs on the back of her neck tingle.
Rosalind couldn’t stop herself from staring at him.
The moment was broken when Bea’s voice reached her ears.
“Theo!” She fell to her knees beside Rosalind and pulled Theo into her arms. Then she pulled back and gently shook him. “You scared us! We had the whole house searched. We didn’t know where you were!”
“I just wanted to explore,” Theo replied, not looking as if he was scared about having wandered off. “I found a path and went down to the loch. I wanted to see what it looked like.”
“And you decided to have a swim while you were at it?” Bea demanded, looking down at the damp patch on the front of her dress. “What were you thinking?”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“Never mind that,” Rosalind said quickly, pushing herself to her feet and swaying a little. “Bea, take him inside. Get him warm and bathed, and fresh clothes on. Get Mrs. Rivers to help you, too.”
“All right.” Bea glanced up at the stranger before looking away with reddening cheeks. “Come along, Theo. We need to get you inside before you get a cold.”
As he was tugged away, Theo turned to the stranger and gave him a wave.
“Thank you, sir.”
The stranger nodded, and then Theo and Bea were heading inside. Rosalind pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. Her headache was starting to build, and she didn’t know whether to explode in anger or burst into tears.
“Are you all right, my lady?”
Rosalind tensed. She had momentarily forgotten about the tall stranger.
She turned to him, and saw how he stared at her.
He was still tall, but she didn’t need to crane her head back.
His shoulders were very broad, and it was clear that he was well built.
Rosalind had never seen anyone like him before.
“I… I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just…”
“It’s normal to feel so many emotions going through us in such a difficult time. And I’m sure it’s making your head spin.”
It was as if he could look inside her head and know what was going on. Rosalind took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She couldn’t lose her composure, not like this, in front of a stranger.
“Thank you for your help,” she said. “I presume you’re the one who found my son?”
“Yes. He was by the water and slipped in.”
Her eyes widened.
“What? He…”
“He was lucky my factor and I were nearby, otherwise…” He broke off and winced. “Forgive me, I shouldn’t have said that.”
The thought that Theo could’ve drowned made Rosalind feel like she was going to be sick. She pressed a hand to her stomach.
“Well, it was very kind of you for you and your factor to bring my son back.”
“My factor is still by the loch. We’re replacing a broken wall that’s been flooded.”
Rosalind frowned and glanced at his horse, who looked back at her blankly. The stranger chuckled.
“Forgive me, I’m afraid it’s something the Scots say, and I presume the English don’t say the same thing? I believe you call factors stewards?”
“Oh.” Rosalind felt her face getting warm in embarrassment. “I thought you were talking about your horse.”
“No, Hamish is my… steward, and he’s looked after my estate for many years.”
“Whereabouts is your estate?”
“Just on the other side of the loch. I would be your nearest neighbor.” He gave her a slight bow. “And I should introduce myself. I’m Cormac Mackinnon, Earl of Ravensmuir.”
“Lord Ravensmuir.” Rosalind curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Rosalind Marchmant, Dowager Viscountess of Ellingham.”
“You…” Ravensmuir hesitated before continuing. “You were married to William Ellingham, weren’t you?”
Rosalind blinked. “He was my husband, yes. Did you know him?”
“He was a friend of mine. We knew each other long ago.” He gave her a half-shrug. “It’s been a long time since we’ve communicated with one another. Now I regret not keeping in touch with a good friend.”
Rosalind wanted to frown at this. William had spoken about his new estate in Scotland, but he’d never said anything about a Scottish earl who was a good friend. She wanted to question it, but she was too grateful about Ravensmuir saving Theo that she decided not to pry.
Then she caught sight of his clothes. He was dripping wet as well, and water was coming off the tartan sash.
“Oh, you’re soaked as well!” she gasped. “You need to come inside and get dry!”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You can’t go back out like that! You’ll end up getting ill.” Rosalind bit her lip and managed a smile. “It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve been through.”
He looked as if he was going to turn her down, but then he smiled, and Rosalind felt herself go weak at the knees. That smile lit up his whole face, and it made his eyes look warmer.
“Then I’ll accept your gracious offer, my lady. I won’t stay long, though. I need to get back to building that wall. Otherwise that part is going to flood and there would be no pathway from this side to mine.”
“But aren’t there more ways to get from one side to the other?”
“There are, but we don’t want to take any chances. The route by the loch is the fastest if you want to get away as soon as you can.” He looked at her with a piercing gaze. “Just so you’re aware.”
Rosalind was taken aback. What did he mean by that? It felt like she was being warned about something, but nothing in his expression suggested he was saying it more than just to keep her informed. She swallowed.
“I… I’ll remember that. Thank you.” Clearing her throat, she stepped to one side. “If you would like to come inside a moment? We’ll look after your horse.”
Ravensmuir let go of the reins, and the horse waited placidly as he followed her back to the house. Rosalind resisted the urge to look behind him, aware that he was openly staring at her back. She felt everything tingling, and wanted to turn back and see what expression he was wearing.
She adjusted her bonnet, hoping he hadn’t seen the scars when her hair fell awry and she had to readjust it. She wasn’t about to get any pity from her new neighbor with her injuries. She just wanted to hide away.
Theo was in the library being rubbed down with towels by Bea and Mrs. Rivers as he hovered by the window. His jacket and cravat had been taken off, as well as his waistcoat, but he didn’t seem to care, looking with intense interest at Ravensmuir’s horse.
“You’ve got a lovely horse,” he said to Ravensmuir when he caught sight of him.
“Thank you.” The earl smiled. “He’s certainly my favorite.”
“What’s his name?”
“Silver Cloud.” Ravensmuir shrugged as Theo laughed. “I was a lot younger when he was born. I’ve known him since he was a newborn foal.”
“How old is he?”
“Fifteen now.”
Theo’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s very old for a horse, isn’t it?”
“Usually. Twenty is very old, so I’d say Silver Cloud is in his prime at the moment.”
“Theo, we should get you upstairs for your bath,” Bea said, but Theo shook his head.
“No, I want to talk about Silver Cloud. And horses.” He focused a stare with bright eyes on Ravensmuir. “Do you like horses? I love them.”
“So do I.”
“How many do you have?”
“Theo,” Rosalind said quickly. “I think you should be heading upstairs to have your bath. You’re soaked, and you’ll become unwell.”
“But I want to talk about horses,” Theo protested, pouting.
Ravensmuir chuckled, the sound making Rosalind jump. It was warm and rich, and it washed over her, leaving her swaying.
“I’m afraid I cannot stay, my lord. I’ve got to finish my duties for the day.”
“But you can come and visit again, can’t you?” Theo insisted. “You can come by another time and we can talk about horses?”
Rosalind caught Bea’s eye and both of them were amused by this.
Theo had been mostly morose since William had died, choosing to keep away from most people.
In the end, the only people he properly interacted with were Rosalind and Bea.
To see him talking to a stranger and almost immediately urging him to visit again was a surprise.
But at least it looked as if he was starting to warm to someone.
Ravensmuir looked a little torn. He glanced at Rosalind as if he wanted her to say something, and then he gave a smile that looked a little uncomfortable.
“All right. How about I return tomorrow evening? We can talk then.”
Theo brightened. “I’d be delighted if you could do that, my lord.”
“Then I’ll be here tomorrow.” Ravensmuir bowed. “Good day, Lord Ellingham. And I hope you feel better after your sudden swim.”
He turned, and caught sight of Rosalind. She hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him, and now it felt like she was rooted to the spot. Her breath felt light, and she struggled to get air into her lungs. Then he smiled at her and bowed.
“Lady Ellingham. It’s good to make your acquaintance, even in unfortunate circumstances.”
“And you, Lord Ravensmuir.”
He glanced up, and the two of them locked gazes for a moment.
Then he turned and walked out of the library.
Rosalind wandered over to the window and watched as he climbed up easily into the saddle and turned his horse around, urging Silver Cloud into a canter, heading toward the far end of the garden.
A slight veer behind a tree, and he disappeared from sight.