Hearts In The Highlands

She folded her hands in front of her. “She is under regular medical care.”

“Is she—” how could he phrase it politely? “—as serious as, well, you saw her the other day?”

“It’s hard to say. I’ve been here scarcely a year.” She pressed her lips together as if debating whether to say more. “She dismissed her previous companion, I’m told,” she went on more slowly, “and the one before that.” She gave him a small smile. “So far, I seem to have suited her, but I’m new yet.”

He remembered how particular his aunt could be. It was unfair to ask Miss Norton to make any judgments about his aunt. She was only an employee, after all, her position at the mercy of Aunt Millicent’s whims. “I apologize for my questions. I realize you probably don’t think it your place to form any opinions.”

“I may form opinions, but as to voicing them…” She shrugged and turned away from him to study something in one of the boxes.

“All right, fair enough.”

She straightened. “I had better leave you to your lunch—and work.”

“Thank you for the refreshment. It was just what I needed.”

“I’m glad I could be of help.” She paused a moment. “I—I wanted to thank you for…taking care of my cab fare the other day. It was most generous of you.”

He waved away her thanks, having already forgotten about it. “It was the least I could do for keeping you so long over tea.” He had no idea how much paid companions earned, but he imagined it wasn’t much. He could hardly conceive of a life at the beck and call of another. He was used to the independence of working far away from civilization and its strictures. Occasional loneliness was the main drawback, and he’d learned to deal with that.

Miss Norton nodded, her cheeks bright pink, making her look more strikingly than ever like her famous portrait counterpart. What was such an obviously bright, not unattractive, young woman doing in such a position?

He looked away, having steeled himself over the years not to notice any woman’s charms. There’d only been one woman in his life.

“I thank you, all the same, for your thoughtfulness. It was most kind of you.”

Uncomfortable with her gratitude, Reid cleared his throat and picked up his teacup once again.

“Well, let me or any of the servants know if you need anything while you’re here.”

He frowned at the way she lumped herself with the servants. She was too intelligent and refined. Probably, as most paid companions, a gentlewoman down on her luck, reduced to the semiservant position. He remembered that she said her father was a curate. She was probably helping to support her elderly parents.

She had reached the door when he had a thought. Just before she disappeared through the doorway, he said, “You wouldn’t be interested in helping me catalog some of this stuff, would you?”

As soon as he uttered the words, he already regretted them. He usually considered things carefully before making a decision.

What did this young woman know about ancient artifacts? He didn’t need someone who would require careful supervision. It would be difficult enough sifting through his uncle’s notes, trying to match them to the heap of antiquities.

As Reid watched the surprise in her eyes turn to excitement, something tugged at him. A sense of compassion stirred within him as he thought how narrow her life within these walls must be.

She had lived in the Middle East and had some knowledge of the ancient world. More importantly, she knew how to follow instructions and how to be silent, two qualities he valued highly in any assistant.

“Do you think I could be of help?”

He nodded slowly. It just might be the perfect solution. His aunt couldn’t object to her as a stranger, and she was right here, available any time he chose to come by.

“I told Aunt Millicent I’d need help. I don’t think she realized the scope of it. Since she balked at any suggestion of an outsider, I don’t think she’d have a problem with someone in her employ lending a hand a couple of hours a few days a week.”

“I’d certainly be willing to do anything to help.” Her gaze roamed over the boxes around her. Then she drew her two eyebrows together. “I don’t know if she will allow me to assist you, however.”

“If you’d rather not, just say the word. It’s no problem.”

“Oh, no, it’s not that at all. I think it would be fascinating work. It’s just…well, perhaps you’d better broach the subject with your aunt.”

He nodded. “If you’re concerned about Aunt Millicent objecting, don’t. I’ll handle that aspect of it.” If his aunt could force him to remain in Britain for a few months, she’d have to agree to some of his conditions, as well.

“I…” She hesitated, and he wondered again if she was having second thoughts about undertaking the work. “I—what I mean is…don’t be discouraged if your aunt says no.” She pressed her fine lips together and looked down, as if hesitant to say more.

He breathed a sigh of relief that that was her only qualm. “I’ve known her since I was a boy and learned how to get my way. Being a favorite nephew does have its advantages upon occasion.”

A smile tugged at her lips, and he was heartened. She really had a most sympathetic face. There was something radiant in it when she smiled.

He rubbed his hands together, his eagerness to begin the task starting to grow. “Very well, then. I’ll let you know when you’re to start.”

Her eyes lighted up and he felt a tingle of warmth steal into his heart, as if he’d given a child something delightful on her birthday. It occurred to him there wasn’t much brightness in her life. If he could give her a little bit, then maybe his time in England would not be altogether wasted.

Chapter Four

Maddie’s gaze went from the small limestone fragment on her left to the battered notebook on the table in front of her. She compared the description:

Profile of king? Young prince? Standing on left. Sun God Ra with bird’s head on right. Offering of bull, chickens. Seated monkey. Found at KV 2.

If this artifact matched the description in Sir Haversham’s notebook, then it meant that everything in the box may have been found at the same location.

Maddie blew away the strands of hair tickling her forehead, sensing the excitement in her begin to grow. She scanned the fragments of pottery laid out on the long table before her. The last fortnight had involved painstaking work, first, unpacking a portion of the boxes and trunks and piling the remainder against one wall of the library. Then began the detective phase of deciphering the spidery handwriting in the stack of notebooks and various loose sheets of paper and matching descriptions to contents of boxes.

She glanced at Mr. Gallagher bent over a black stele covered in hieroglyphics. Her hunch that his attention to detail made for a good Egyptologist had been confirmed for her over the time they’d been working together. He had been uncompromising in his process of carefully unpacking each box and laying out the contents in a separate area, labeling what could be readily identified.

He’d given Maddie a quick training in some of the common artifacts from steles, sarcophagi fragments, plaster casts of wall reliefs covered in pictures, amulets, potsherds, faience vessels, wood carvings and basalt statue pieces. Mr. Gallagher had also given her a crash course in ancient Egypt, charting out for her the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms when the pharaohs had ruled. She’d gazed in fascination at the drawings he showed her of the massive tombs they’d built for themselves, some reaching skyward in the form of pyramids, others stone chambers underground, only recently rediscovered by the explorers and archaeologists traveling the length of the Nile River.

She realized how well he’d laid the groundwork before he’d ever set her to work to assist him with identifying the artifacts. It was only in the past few days he’d allowed Maddie to begin reading his uncle’s notes.

She hesitated to interrupt him now with her discovery. She’d learned in the last two weeks how single-minded his concentration was once he began to work. It only took one instance, when she’d read the barely disguised impatience in his eyes, to keep her from disturbing him unnecessarily.

Her times of unhindered concentration were another story as she remained at the beck and call of her employer. She turned now as a parlor maid entered the room and motioned to her.

Maddie rose and removed the white apron she’d worn when working among the artifacts. After folding it and placing it on the back of her chair, she left the room.

“Lady Haversham wants you, miss,” the maid said.

Maddie no longer bothered to ask what the trouble was about or if it couldn’t be taken care of by one of the staff of servants. Lady Haversham had made it clear when she called for Maddie, only Maddie would do, whether it was to pick up a fallen handkerchief or take Lilah out for a walk in the backyard.

“Thank you, I shall go to her at once.”

As soon as Miss Norton left the library, Reid tossed aside his pencil and straightened on the tall stool.

In the scant hours he had Miss Norton’s able assistance each day, it seemed his aunt couldn’t do without her for more than half an hour at a stretch. He drummed his fingers on the tabletop, debating how to resolve the issue.

His concentration shot for the moment, he pushed back from the table and stood. Clearly, his aunt had no idea how much work was involved in what she’d set him to do. He gazed at the multitude of artifacts neatly laid out on every available surface in the large room. It wasn’t even half the stuff. His eyes lingered on the gilded bust of a young Egyptian prince—one of the prizes of the collection so far.