“Mr. Perdie?”
He jerked up from his desk so quickly, his chair flipped backward onto the floor. “Grace! What in the bletherin’ hell are you doing here? I mean, is everything alright? Of course, it mustn’t be. You’re still in your wedding dress.”
He moved toward me quickly. I instinctively reached out to grasp his hand in reassurance. “Oh yes, everything’s fine. We just called it off is all. Just drove in from…”
The shrillness of the small man’s voice interrupted me. “What do you mean, everything’s fine? Didn’t you just say you called it off? That’s rarely a good thing.”
I was utterly shocked to see such concern from him, and it made me believe that perhaps I’d judged him wrongly for many years. “Yes, I promise. Everything is great. We just, we couldn’t go through with it. But, Jeffrey and Cooper are waiting in the car, so it was really no tragedy or anything.”
He patted my hand in a grandfatherly manner, although still a good many years off from being old enough to be anyone’s grandfather. “Well good, Grace. Honestly, I’ve never really seen it between the two of you. It shocked me when you announced you were to be married.”
I squeezed his hand in return, a sudden sensation of closeness growing between me and my quirky boss that I’d never felt before. “Well, Mr. Perdie, I must say I’m rather surprised by you. I never knew you to be so perceptive.”
“Ms. Mitchell, perhaps it is you who lacks perception. I can assure you it’s not a new quality I have developed. I know most of the time it appears that I can hardly keep my head screwed on, but I do notice almost everything.”
I smiled and nodded before continuing on with the reason for my late night office visit. “I’d like to take on the Scotland job now if that’s alright. Leave tomorrow if at all possible. And…” I hesitated. It didn’t truly matter whether or not he objected, but I still hoped he would have no problems with Cooper coming along for the trip. “Cooper is coming with me. I hope that won’t be a problem.”
“Of course you may start right away. As long as you complete the article and do a wonderful job of it, I have no problem with you bringing along your son. I believe we will have more than enough from our benefactor to pay for his flight, as well. I will book the flight for you both right away and will forward you the details when complete. Pack your bags, dear.”
I nodded. As he turned toward his desk, I started to take my leave, but not before I heard his voice, laced with anxiety, follow me down the corridor. “And for the love of all things holy, Grace. Do not screw this up. We’ll be without our jobs by Christmas without this money.”
Chapter 2
The Inn Near Conall Castle
Present Day
This time proved far easier than the last, but his scars still ached something dreadful. Each dab of the warm cloth that Morna pressed against the angry red line that now marked the entire length of his body caused him to grind his teeth to keep from screaming out.
“I’m sorry, lad, but I must first clean it before I place the salve upon it. Talk to me. It will help to distract ye from the pain a wee bit, though it must no be hurting ye as much as it did when ye first arrived here. Does it, Eoghanan?”
It took some effort to loosen his jaw enough to speak, but eventually he forced the words to come. “Nay, it doesna hurt as much as then, but if I were standing, it would do a fair job of bringing me to me knees, all the same.” The old witch was right, releasing the tight clench of his jaw did seem to ease the pain a little, or at least it helped him to notice it less. Decidedly, he thought it best to keep talking. “I saw her again. The same lass as the last time. Her and the wee lad both.”
“Ah, and what lass is this?”
Morna’s voice gave nothing away, but her hand momentarily stilled along the side of his neck, all but confirming what he already suspected. She knew well enough the woman he spoke of.
“I suspect that ye know the lass far better than I, doona ye? I’ve only watched the lass, but ye have sent me to her twice.”
This time the old woman remained entirely un-bothered, continuing her slow and steady cleansing of his injured side. “I doona wish to disappoint ye, but I am no familiar with who ye speak of, and I have sent ye nowhere, lad. ’Tis no the way this magic works.”