I wasn’t certain I liked the idea of Will and others like him being compared to babies and then horses, but I understood the point he was trying to make.
Gage tapped his finger twice on the arm of his chair, seeming to understand he was going to get nowhere with this line of questioning. Not if he didn’t have something specific to accuse him of. So he switched tactics.
“Were any of your patients in the infirmary with you for a long period of time?”
I could tell from the way Donovan’s eyes suddenly widened that he had not been expecting such a question. His reply was uncertain. “Sometimes.”
As if scenting his prey’s unease, Gage shifted forward in eagerness. Not enough to alarm Donovan, but enough that I, seated so close to his left side, noticed. “They must have grown quite comfortable with you. Spending day after day in your company. Relying on you for some of their most basic necessities. Did any of them ever start to think of you as a friend? Did they ever confide in you?”
Donovan was definitely suspicious now, his body tense, his eyes narrowed, trying to penetrate the gloom surrounding our features. “A few.”
“What about Lord Dalmay? Has he ever confided in you?”
The man’s shoulders relaxed and he sat deeper in his chair. “Nay,” he said, crossing his arms over his body. His eyes took on an almost satisfied gleam. “And he wouldna. He’d talk to his brother or Mac afore me.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gage’s mouth twitch downward. “Is he close to Mac?”
“Aye. As close as ever I’ve seen a laird to his servant.”
I frowned. And just how many lords and their valets had Donovan witnessed? Not many, I’d wager.
Gage seemed to have the same thought. “What do you mean?”
“Weel . . .” Donovan scratched a hand over his jaw, taking his time answering. “They served together in the army, so I reckon it’s only fittin’, but if ye ask me, Mac is a might too possessive o’ his lordship. He dinna like anyone but himsel’ takin’ care o’ him. He caused a right stramash when Mr. Dalmay brought me in to assist ’im.”
“Do you think he was objecting to having anyone else care for his lordship, or you in particular?” Gage made it a point of asking.
I questioned, too, whether this was a source of contention between the two men.
Donovan shrugged. “It could be me. But he also glares at wee Lachlan.”
I stared across the flickering flame at the man, wondering what it was he wasn’t telling us. He was deliberately holding something back, almost toying with us. I scowled, liking him even less than I had before.
A stray draft of cold air from somewhere suddenly blew across the back of my neck, making the hairs there stand up on end. I shivered and wrapped my arms tighter around me. And as I did so, Donovan’s gaze shifted from Gage to burrow into my corner of the settee. His eyes still gleamed with smug amusement, but I could see a flicker of something else in their depths. Was it anticipation?
“Why do you view Mac’s protectiveness as a bad thing? Isn’t that his job? And yours, for that matter?” Gage asked, still trying to probe Donovan for answers.
“Aye. But you wouldna see me cleanin’ up what I shouldn’t. Or pretendin’ the things that have happened haven’t.”
“What are you implying?” Gage demanded crossly.
Donovan leveled his gaze at him. “I willna say. You’ll have to ask Mac. But when ye do, ye might wanna ask him aboot the walks he and his lordship take doon by the water.”
I sat up straighter at his mention of the firth. Just what was he hinting at? We knew Will liked to walk there. Michael had told us as much. So why the intimation that there could be something troubling about those outings?
I looked at Gage fully for the first time since we’d taken our seats in the shadowy parlor. His eyes showed the same confusion, though he was doing a much better job of hiding it than I was. He studied Donovan across the table, and I could tell he didn’t like the other man’s smug certainty either. If Donovan knew something, he should simply tell us, not make vague insinuations and gloat over our lack of comprehension.
“Is there anythin’ else?” he asked.
Gage’s expression was hard. “No. Thank you for answering our questions, Mr. Donovan. You are free to go.”
I bit my tongue as he rose from his seat, bowed almost mockingly, and walked around us to exit the room. When the door clicked shut, I turned on Gage. “Why didn’t you press him?”
“Because he was only toying with us. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he had no intention of telling us more. Only smirking about it.” He scowled at the table. “Besides, I’m not entirely certain I believe anything he says.” His pale blue eyes lifted to mine, appearing soft gray in the gloom. “He’s hiding something. I know you sensed it, too.”
I didn’t deny it. “What do you think it is?”