CHAPTER SEVEN
The Mallochbirn library was a treasure trove. It was full of wonderful volumes from earlier centuries, gilded and bound in leather. Kate was careful when handling the books, wearing the thin gloves Ross had provided so she wouldn't leave oily fingerprints. Most of the books were novels, biographies, histories and poetry. There were many that she suspected were valuable first editions.
A considerable number of books were written in other languages, including French, Italian, Gaelic, German, Latin and Ancient Greek. There were a few in Russian, and several in a language that she presumed, from its script, to be Persian, Arabic, or Ottoman Turkish.
There were account books from the estate and registers of land deeds and rental contracts. Reports from gamekeepers and fisheries, distilleries and lumber mills. Malloch had invited her to examine whatever she wanted, and she took him up on that, although the sheer volume of the material was such that she could only look at a fraction of it.
She found several historical accounts of events in the Mallochbirn lands, including some information about the tenants. There were several references to the Buchanan family, whom she believed to be her ancestors. It appeared that the Buchanans had been living on the estate for many generations. There was even a record of a marriage between a Malloch and a Buchanan back in the nineteenth century. One Catriona Isabel Buchanan had married the laird at the time, Angus Charles Malloch.
That was amusing. Catriona was her own given name. The Napoleonic Age Catriona had probably been her ancestor. If so, she and the current laird were distantly related, sharing some miniscule percentage of their DNA.
Maybe I do indeed belong here, she mused. What a peculiar and fascinating idea.
She felt oddly content. She had fallen in love with the rough, craggy scenery— rolling hills and rugged mountains, wildflowers dotting the landscape, the jagged coastline, the many lochs, the fiercely pounding sea. It called to her. Her spirit seemed to have found its home.
One of the last documents Kate examined before the darkening sky outside told her that it was time to break for supper was the diagram of the castle and its grounds. There were several interesting things about the keep—it had a dungeon, for example. Probably a relic from medieval times. She hoped it wasn't still being used!
There were also references to an underground cavern. When she read about this, she experienced a strange flash of deja vu. A cavern under the castle? Why did that sound familiar to her?
The final castle feature that intrigued her was in the garden—a maze. She loved mazes. It had been built in the late eighteenth century when such things were all the rage. Its hedgerows were intricately laid out. The puzzle was complex. But as she looked at the maze map, she saw the patterns there. She was good at pattern detection. She also had an excellent memory, which she made use of as she memorized the maze and its solution.
A mischievous notion occurred to her, and she pondered how to put it in practice.
* * *
Mrs. Dumfries beamed as she carried a tray of delicious smelling roast leg of lamb into the Mallochbirn Castle dining room. On the friendly cook's advice, Kate had dressed for dinner. She did have one garment suitable for eveningwear. It was a simple black dress made of a knit material that bounced back surprisingly well from being rolled up and tucked into corner of her backpack.
It was flattering too, clinging to her curves and falling a bit short on her long, slim legs. She didn't have a pair of heels in the backpack, but her sandals looked okay with the dress. It was summer, after all.
The dining room was quite elegant, with a huge dining table set with fine china and silver. Large portraits of Scots—probably former lairds of Mallochbirn—dominated each of the walls. There were four places set. Ross stood at the head. He indicated that she should take the seat on his left. A man she hadn't met carried in another tray with streaming vegetables and other side dishes.
"Kate, this is my steward, Hamish," said Ross. "He takes care of all sorts of things around the keep and the estate. Hamish, meet Catriona Beaton, my guest."
Hamish, a wiry middle-aged man with greying black hair and a dour expression, nodded to her. Mrs. Dumfries, all smiles, added, "We don't know what we would do around here without Hamish. He's our rock."
Hamish looked embarrassed and said nothing. Kate smiled at him and held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you." Hamish's grip was firm but quick, as if he didn't want to intrude on her by touching her hand for more than a split second.
"Is this the entire household?" she asked.
"No, there's also Jamie Dumfries, Mrs. Dumfries' son, but he's probably out chatting up the local lasses. He's nineteen," Ross added, as if that explained everything. Which it probably did.
"But he's a good lad," his mum said, smiling beneficently. "There's also Annie, a girl from the village who's here three days a week to help with the cleaning and shopping and such. But she goes home at night."
"And of course, there's Cameron," Ross added. "He's not around much these days, though."
"Who is Cameron?"
"My brother. He spends most of his time in Edinburgh. Or even farther afield."
"I didn't realize you had a brother."
"I have three brothers and a sister. We have a family house in Edinburgh, and those wretches escape to the city as often as possible."
"Cameron is his twin brother, Miss," Mrs. Dumfries chimed in, "They look so much alike that even those of us who have been with the family forever can hardly tell them apart."
Good lord, there were two of them? And other siblings as well?
"Twins run in my family," Ross said. "They show up every few generations. My father wasn't a twin, but my grandfather was."
"So you're the oldest brother? And the elder twin? That's why you're the laird?"
"Firstborn child and older twin. By eight minutes, aye. Lucky me." He sounded as if he didn't really consider it lucky at all.
"They're a fine family, Miss," Mrs. Dumfries said. "You should see them making merry when they all get together."
"Holidays are quite a lark around here," Ross agreed.
The food was delicious. Kate complimented Mrs. Dumfries as she tasted all the dishes, and that lady beamed with the praise.
Kate couldn't help stealing glances at Ross Malloch even when she was addressing a comment to one of the others at the table. Everything he did seemed sexy to her—carving the roast, spooning potatoes and spinach, cutting his meat and spearing it with his fork, carrying his fork to his lips. She had to swallow the laughter that kept bubbling up inside her. If it turned her on to watch him eating, just imagine how exciting it would be to touch him, kiss him, lie down beside him...
Even more thrilling, he seemed to be reacting the same way toward her. More often than not, when she glanced at him, he was already looking at her. When their eyes met, sparks flew, and erotic visions danced in her head. Chemistry was present in the room, and all the crazy protons and electrons in her cells seemed to be yearning to bond and exchange atomic bits with his. Or something. She had never been too good at chemistry.
There was a good deal of friendly chatter at the dining table, inspired by Mrs. Dumfries, who was both affable and inquisitive, and Kate, who was naturally outgoing. Hamish didn't have much to say, but when he did speak, his wit was dry and gentle. Kate liked him. Ross was genial enough, too, although he sometimes seemed a little distant, as if his attention kept wandering.
"So you said I could explore the keep, right?" she asked him. "I found a couple of volumes about your island's history in the library. And I'm fascinated by old castles."
"Aye, but be careful. The family has tried to keep it well-maintained over the years, but it's a huge task. There are areas that need renovation. The main tower is solid and its battlements are safe, but some of the sections along the western wall need reinforcing."
"What about the dungeon? Has that been renovated?"
He gave her a long look, and then grinned. "No. What a good idea. I should look into bringing my dungeon up to contemporary standards."
Did he mean...yes he did! She flushed. The hot Scot was getting hotter every minute.
"I also read something about a cavern under the keep. Is that safe for me to explore?"
His expression darkened as if a light had been switched off. "No. There are some old caves down there somewhere, but they flooded long ago. The passageways through the stone foundations are blocked off. Don't go down there." He seemed to realize that he had spoken sharply. "It's dangerous," he added. "Try to stay above the ground, Ms. Beaton."
"Please call me Kate." She looked around the table, grinning at everyone. "I'm not used to such formality. Please. Just Kate is fine."
"Kate it is," Ross agreed.
They had finished the main course and were waiting for Mrs. Dumfries to bring out the pudding when a young man burst into the dining room. Kate recognized him instantly. He was the same ginger-headed lad who had been mooning over Effie last night. The only one in the village who had seemed concerned about the girl's welfare.
"Sorry to bother you, sir, but Miz Macdonald from the village sent me to tell you Daisy's in labor and squealing and carrying on in great distress. She can't seem to give birth. Could you come and see if there's anything wrong?"
"Of course," said Ross, immediately getting up from the table.
Daisy? Who was Daisy? Did Ross have a woman in the village? A mistress? A pregnant mistress?
"That old sow is getting a bit old for this," he said. "Get my bag from my office, Jamie, and let's see what we can do for her." He smiled at Kate and added, "I hope you'll excuse me for a little while. I need to attend to this. By the way, this is young Jamie Dumfries. Jamie, bid welcome to my guest, Kate Beaton."
Jamie nodded to Kate. Then he looked a bit closer and did a double take. She had wondered if he would recognize her. Apparently he did. She flushed slightly, although she wasn't sure why. She couldn't recall what had happened after Effie had been bound to that rock. She was tempted to ask, but the question seemed inappropriate for the dinner table. So she said, "Who is Daisy?"
"Daisy is a pig, Kate. And I am the local vet."
Ross hurried out, leaving Kate staring after him in surprise. He was a veterinarian? She felt like a fool for not realizing that a modern man must have something more important to do all day than sit in his ancient keep and laird about the place.
A vet. Wow. With her natural empathy for animals, she had once dreamed of being a vet herself, but her lack of aptitude for chemistry, biology and mathematics had scuttled that dream.
Malloch hadn't returned when Kate went to bed that night. She had wanted to wait up for this man, whom she found increasingly fascinating. But a curious lassitude set in after the big dinner. When she went up to her room to change into something more casual, she lay down for a quick nap, and didn't awaken until morning.