by Linda Ford
She’d been his faithful companion for the past decade. Wherever he’d traveled, from India to Egypt, she’d been there every night to bid him good-night at day’s end. “Good night, my love,” he repeated, setting down the picture. She was his first and last love. And if he could offer her nothing more, he offered her his undying fidelity. It was the least he could do.
Chapter Seven
Maddie stood beside Reid in the library surveying their work of the past few weeks. Every surface was covered in bits of pottery, statuettes and bas-relief fragments. Sheets were spread on the floor and artifacts placed in neat arrangements on them.
Reid had managed to translate several fragments of hieroglyphics. She still marveled at the ease with which he uncovered the meaning of those strange figures on so many surfaces.
He was pointing to a piece of frieze now, his handsome features tilted in concentration.
“This shows Seti I paying homage to the god Ra. He’s bringing him offerings of fruit and cattle after a victory in battle. Here he is seated on his throne, receiving homage from his own people.”
Maddie studied the stylized figures, stiff and primitive. Reid had taught her to appreciate the beauty in the simple lines.
“So much idolatry.” She traced an outline of the god-king.
“They had to worship something.”
“But they had the truth so near.”
“Moses?”
She nodded.
“It’s easy to ignore the truth when it doesn’t suit.”
Was he being personal or speaking in that detached manner he employed when analyzing artifacts?
“It’s amazing how God sent Joseph and Mary with the infant Jesus to Egypt into hiding. I wonder where they lived along the Nile,” she mused, looking at the large diagram Mr. Gallagher had drawn and she’d helped fill in each time they’d identified a location from his uncle’s treasures. The long river wound its way from the delta where the Port of Alexandria was located, past Cairo and the Giza pyramids then down along several other locations of temples and pyramid ruins until it arrived at Karnak and Luxor.
“There’s a small basilica in Cairo dating back to the fourth century where they allegedly came for a short period.”
Maddie looked at him in wonder. “Is that so?”
“Tradition has it so. If hiding was their main intention, they’d probably stick to one of the more populated areas.” He shrugged. “But we’ll probably never know.”
She smiled. “Don’t you think an archaeologist may someday discover something?”
“It’s hard to say. The humbler a person’s station, the more anonymous what he leaves behind. The Egyptian pharaohs made sure their names were carved everywhere. A fragment of a poor man’s clay pot could have belonged to anyone.”
She nodded.
They continued working in silence several more moments. Maddie at her end of the room, copying in a fine, neat hand Mr. Gallagher’s notes about each identified object.
Mr. Gallagher hunched over his end of the table, studying the hieroglyphics on a vase and jotting down notes.
When she rose, Mr. Gallagher looked up. “Is it noon already?”
“Nearly. I’ve gotten to the end of this section.” She showed him her morning’s work.
“Good.” He tapped his pencil against the tabletop. “Has my aunt told you we’re to leave for Scotland on Monday?”
“Yes. Her mind is quite occupied with the arrangements.”
“I told Aunt Millicent she needn’t worry too much. My friend’s house is fully staffed.”
She smiled. “I think your aunt plans to take anything including bed linens and tablecloths she feels might not meet her standards.”
“I’m hoping the weather holds so I can spend most of the time out of doors. Make sure you bring warm enough clothes. It’s always cooler and damper up there.”
“Yes, I’ll be sure to, thank you.”
“I used to go up to Scotland quite frequently when I lived in England, though usually only as far as the Lowlands.” He glanced toward the row of windows. “Octavia’s family had a place near the border along the River Tweed.”
“Octavia was your...wife?” she asked.
“Yes.” He said no more, his head bent over his notes again.
Maddie couldn’t help adding, “You still wear your ring.”
The only sign that he’d heard her was that his pencil stopped in midmotion.
“That’s because I’m still married to her.” The words were matter-of-fact, yet they made Maddie feel like a child who’d spoken out of turn.
Feeling chastened, she bowed her head and left the room, closing the door softly behind her. When she was alone, she took a deep breath, leaning against the solid door of the library. What had she been thinking to ask such a personal question of her employer? It had been the first time he’d talked about his late wife. But his closed expression and his clipped words showed her he did not welcome any conversation about her.
As she walked down the corridor, she remembered his tone of voice. That’s because I’m still married to her. He spoke in the present tense. Hadn’t he been widowed at least a decade?
What devotion. She’d rarely, if ever, seen it in a man. His wife must have been very special. Maddie tamped down her own feelings. Mr. Gallagher was her employer, nothing more.
As she entered the parlor, she saw Mr. Gallagher’s sister sitting there conversing with Lady Haversham. Mrs. Walker leaned forward. “You saw him yourself. Poor Cecily was doing everything she knew to be entertaining, but it was as if she was talking to one of those stone tables Reid spends hours poring over. I was distressed for her.”
Maddie moved as quietly as possible to take her usual place, trying not to listen to the conversation but unable to shut it out. She picked up her needlework, focusing on the stitches before her. But the more the ladies spoke, the more she resented hearing anyone, even his closest kin, discussing Mr. Gallagher’s personal life.
She pulled her silk thread through another hole, her mind conjuring up the late Mrs. Gallagher, a woman no doubt fine not only in feature but also in temperament, a woman noble of soul. She’d have been sweet tempered—
“Well, then, why don’t you come along with us to Scotland?” Lady Haversham’s voice broke into Maddie’s thoughts, bringing them to an abrupt halt. Her glance shot to Mrs. Walker.
“Me?” Lady Haversham’s niece looked taken aback. “Why, I’d never considered it....”
Lady Haversham clasped her hands together on her lap. “Think of it now, my dear. Why, it’s just the thing. The children will benefit from the good mountain air, you can organize our activities and see to it that Reid doesn’t spend all his time in the library.”
“Yes...” She nodded slowly, listening to her aunt’s arguments.
Maddie’s heart sank. She bent more closely over her needlepoint, trying to shut out her thoughts. She had no business thinking of Mr. Gallagher at all—not as anything more than her part-time employer. If he should be there during their holiday, what better than to have his sister and her children along? He got to see them so little.
“Maybe I could invite Cecily up for a few days,” Mrs. Walker mused.
Maddie’s mood plummeted even further.
“That’s a wonderful idea. I hear from Reid it’s a large estate.”
“Yes, I shall talk to her about it and see if she can manage to get away from London for a few days,” Mrs. Walker continued with a brisk nod, satisfied that she had hit upon a wonderful solution. “She’s such a busy lady with her various charities.”
Maddie tried to blot out the image of Mr. Gallagher with Mrs. Mason...visiting, hunting, riding...
She pricked herself with her needle and started. Goodness, she was going to ruin this seat cover if she wasn’t careful. Taking herself sternly to task, she
set another stitch, but already her excitement over the upcoming holiday was severely dampened.
Without her work on the artifacts, there would be no reason for her to be in Mr. Gallagher’s company. Would she see him at all?
The trip she’d been so looking forward to now only seemed another extension of her dull days in London.
Chapter Eight
Her fears began proving true as soon as they left for Scotland. During the overnight train trip, Maddie hardly saw Mr. Gallagher. After settling them in their private compartment, he left them, presumably to sit in the smoking car in the company of men.
She could hardly blame him, as she had to endure the restlessness and noise of three young children, the chatter of the women and the yap of an excited terrier. Thankfully, with the services of a new nursemaid, Maddie was not responsible for the well-being of Mrs. Walker’s offspring.
Maddie admired the sturdy young woman who seemed unfazed by the children’s boisterousness. Just when the noise of the children threatened to upset Lady Haversham, Mr. Gallagher reappeared and took them off to tour the train, the nursemaid bustling along after them. Maddie tried to stifle the feeling of abandonment. She couldn’t help remembering her time in the square with Mr. Gallagher and the children, when he’d been her champion.
Early the next morning, they arrived in Edinburgh’s bustling station to take a local line to Stirling and from there to Aberfeldy. Amidst a bath chair for Lady Haversham, porters’ carts piled high with their luggage, Maddie carrying Lilah in her basket, the nursemaid herding the awestruck children, it was a miracle they all made it in one piece to their next stop. The last leg of the journey was completed in two hired coaches to the village of Kenmore.
Maddie drew in her breath at the countryside. Kenmore was situated at one end of Loch Tay. The long lake reflected the pristine blue of the clear sky. Tree-covered hills rose above it, the outline of a higher mountain ridge behind it. Their coaches crossed the bridge over the River Tay, leaving the small village, and continuing along a dirt track through the forest. On one side, she caught glimpses of the lake as the road climbed higher up the hillside.
Suddenly the carriage entered a clearing and Maddie couldn’t help but gasp. It was like a fairy-tale setting. A large, gray stone turreted structure like a miniature castle stood half-hidden against the heavily forested hills. Far below them lay Loch Tay. Puffs of white cloud floated against the trees, offering a magical aspect to the scene, as if they were halfway to the heavens.
Maddie had little time to admire the setting. As soon as she descended from the carriage, her attention was taken up with Lilah. She secured the yapping dog to her leash. “I know you want to run about, dearie, but we mustn’t lose you,” she murmured to the squirming animal in soothing tones.
Lady Haversham motioned to her from the chair being pushed along by a footman. “Be careful of Lilah. I feel a distinct chill in the air. I don’t want her catching cold.”
Maddie bent down to adjust the collar before the dog wriggled away. “She won’t. I’m sure the fresh air is good for her.”
She looked around for Mr. Gallagher, but she saw he was occupied with the footmen with the cases and trunks.
“Maddie, I feel faint.” Lady Haversham leaned against her chair, the back of her hand to her forehead.
Maddie pulled on the leash and hurried to her employer’s side. “Just hold a moment longer, my lady. We’ll soon have you settled in your room.”
The next hour was filled with confusion as each one of the carriage’s occupants demanded the attention of the awaiting servants. Maddie admired the housekeeper’s calm manner in directing the guests to their rooms. The children and their nursemaid were dispatched to the nursery, with instructions for porridge to be sent up for their supper.
Maddie sat with Lady Haversham over her supper tray and then read to her. By the time she came downstairs, everything was once again quiet. She wandered down the wide curved stairway lined with stuffed animal heads, to the spacious flagstone foyer below. As she passed one door, she heard a murmur of voices behind it. She quickened her pace away from it.
She opened the heavy front door and shivered at the drop in temperature. The early June sky was still light...the gloaming, the Scots called it. The horizon was tinged lavender. She tightened her shawl around her shoulders and ventured onto the gravel walk.
She breathed deeply of the evening air, feeling with each breath that her very lungs were being cleansed of the polluted London air, where tiny black particles dusted every surface. She reached a stone balustrade, which fronted the house, and marveled at the view of the lake far below. She didn’t know how long she stood gazing at it when she smelled cigar smoke.
“Silence is indeed golden.”
She turned to see Mr. Gallagher crossing the space separating them. Her heartbeat quickened with each step. He had changed out of his traveling clothes and wore a tweed Norfolk jacket. The slight breeze ruffled his thick blond hair.
“I didn’t know anyone was out here,” she said, afraid of intruding on his own quiet time, while longing to draw closer to this solitary man.
“It’s a large enough space and I know you are not a chatterbox.” Humor laced his low voice, as he turned to tap the cigar against the stone balustrade.
She clasped her hands in front of her, falling silent, not wanting to do anything to make him wish her gone.
“I’m glad to see you survived the journey.” His blue eyes swept over her.
“Survived? Oh—yes, thank you.” She brushed back a tendril of hair.
He cleared his throat and looked away, as if aware he’d been staring. “I’m sorry I took the coward’s way out and made myself scarce most of the time. I figured you were well looked after with the legion of servants at our disposal.”
She swallowed, reminding herself she was one of those servants. “You were very good with the children.”
He shrugged and looked over the landscape. “As you said, they aren’t bad children, just high-spirited, as is natural, and a trifle overindulged. Vera seems to have found them a good nurse.”
“Yes, she struck me as very able.”
He leaned his elbows against the wide balustrade. “She seems to know all their tricks and refuses to fall for any of them.”
Maddie looked down, remembering her own ineptitude. “Yes.”
He turned to her. “I didn’t mean to imply you were any less capable with them.”
Her glance met his. His perceptiveness was uncanny. How could he have sensed how incompetent she felt?
“You’re not used to being around children, and you had the added disadvantage of having to answer to both my sister and aunt.”
She blinked away the tears that threatened, realizing how long it had been since she’d experienced such thoughtfulness. “You’re not used to children, either.”
“No, but I can give my sister a hard time about her unruly children.” His mouth tugged upward and she couldn’t help smiling back.
Maddie said nothing more, too affected by the man’s sensitivity. What did he care what she felt?
He flung the cigar down and crushed it out. “Excuse the smoke. I rarely indulge but it has been a trying day,” he said.
She gave a look around her. “It’s a beautiful spot. Thank you so much for including me in the invitation.”
He shrugged. “I thought you could use a change of scenery. Tomorrow I’ll show you some of the landmarks.” He pointed to the west where the sun was beginning its slow descent behind the mountains beyond the loch. “See the peaks?”
“Yes.”
“The highest is Ben Lawers. It’s almost four thousand feet.”
“It’s majestic.”
“I’ve always wanted to climb it.”
She looked at him curiously. “Why?”
He turned to her. “Why not?” He smiled
, a smile that began in his blue eyes and slowly reached his lips. “Think of the view from the summit. On the other side of the range lies Glen Lyon, which I’m told is one of the loveliest glens in all the Highlands.”
“It sounds spectacular.” She was no longer looking at the mountains but at Mr. Gallagher’s profile. He was a man of action, she saw, like her brothers, and her parents before them. While she was...what? What did she have to show for her life?
“Wouldn’t you like to climb it, too?” His eyes met hers once more.
She? Her gaze traveled up the mountain’s fluted silhouette and over the lower peaks beside it. They were massive, dwarfing the scenery below. “Yes,” she found herself breathing, hardly aware of what she was saying. “Has any woman ever climbed it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t imagine so, but what does that matter? You could be the first.” There was a challenge in his blue eyes.
She continued looking at the mountain range. He never seemed fazed by the idea of a woman accomplishing anything. It must be the influence of his unconventional mother. She wondered what his wife had been like. Had she been just as remarkable?
She drew in a lungful of the sharp air. “The thought is appealing, I’ll admit.”
“Think about it, Miss Norton.”
She said nothing more, hardly capable of imagining herself scaling that peak.
He yawned. “I think I’ll head in and make it an early night.”
“It has been a tiring day.”
“Are you coming in?”
“I’ll be along in a minute,” she replied.
“All right, take your time. You’ve earned some peace and quiet.” He tapped the stone balustrade with a fist before finally moving away. “Well...good night.”
“Good night.” She watched his silhouette until he’d disappeared through the door, feeling a pang that she couldn’t have thought of something more interesting to say to hold him a moment longer. Was he disappointed in her response to climbing Ben Lawers? If he could only see how her soul had soared within her at his suggestion.