He dropped his arms to his sides. “And I can’t offer you protection. I have work to do.”
“Work? And what sort of work do you have to do?” Perhaps if he told her about the hidden treasure and the quest for the Stone of Destiny, she could offer her assistance. She was excellent with research, not to mention that she could read and write in seven different languages.
“Certainly I don’t have anything worthwhile to do,” he said, his brogue growing stronger with every word. “You believe me to be nothing but a lazy Scotsman who spends his days swigging ale and reaching beneath the nearest skirt.”
She opened her mouth to argue, then promptly shut it. She had not thought anything of the sort. He’d completely misread her question. Of course, she certainly had thought such things about the other men last night, but not Graeme. He was more educated; anyone could see that. Still, he was a Scot.
“My work is none of your concern,” Graeme continued. “Now stop being so damned stubborn and let us get you to the train station.” He tugged on her arm, but she held firmly to her place.
“I’m sorry, but since you are not my husband, you cannot tell me what to do.” And because she simply couldn’t help it, she smiled smugly.
“I suspect that even if I were your husband, you would not obey my wishes.”
“That is probably true.”
“Then you have left me with no other option.” And with that, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a child.
Once the shock wore off, Vanessa realized how very intimate their current position was. She lay across Graeme’s shoulder, her bottom directly in the air for anyone to see. Granted it was covered, but still that did not erase the fact that his arm nestled directly under her curves.
“This is unacceptable,” she said. “I demand that you put me down straightaway.”
Graeme not only ignored her, he moved his arm so that he was able to put his hand atop her bottom. He gave her a pat, and she heard him chuckle.
Vanessa ran through her mind, searching for the appropriate thing to say. A sharp insult, a pithy retort, something—anything—that would make him put her down and stop manhandling her. It occurred to her that while she had found the touches from the men the previous night utterly revolting, Graeme’s hand on her created no such feelings. Quite the contrary, his hand felt intimate and inappropriate and, though she would never admit it, not entirely unappealing.
Graeme carried her in that fashion the entire way to the train station. They passed a few people who did stare, but not one of them stopped to inquire if she needed assistance. When he finally placed her upright, Vanessa landed with a thud on the wood-planked floor. Beside her, she found her own trunk.
“But how did this get here?” she asked. She scrambled to her feet.
“I brought it by this morning when I purchased your return ticket to London. I have no doubt that your fiancé and family will be thankful to have you safely back,” he said.
“Whether or not my fiancé or anyone else is concerned is… well, none of your concern. You are not my father or husband, nor do you have the authority to tell me when I have to leave this country.” She stood close to him, standing as tall as she could, and jabbed her finger into his solid chest. “I will leave when I am ready to leave and not a moment sooner.”
His lips quirked in what could have been the start of a smile, but it never quite made it to fruition. “Have safe travels. It was interesting to make your acquaintance, Vanessa.” Then Graeme turned and walked away.
Vanessa’s first thought was to chase after him and continue to give him a thorough tongue-lashing. But she stopped herself. It would solve nothing, and none of it mattered. She could remain here, find somewhere else to stay, and keep away from Graeme. She had research to do, and she could find another means to get into those caves. This was why she’d come to this frigid country. She exhaled and her breath fogged in front of her. She would not leave until she’d accomplished her work.
Vanessa watched Graeme continue to walk away. His kilt kept close to the back of his legs, and she found herself hoping for a gust of wind to blow it upward. Then she stopped herself and turned away from him. Gracious, she’d never ever had the desire to see a man’s backside. Infuriating man!
Vanessa flopped onto a bench and stared at the train tracks before her. Perhaps she should leave. Come back when she had more protection. She could hire someone to be a travel companion. Women were always safer in numbers. But whom would she hire? And what would her parents say when she returned? They’d force her to marry Jeremy, which she had no intention of doing. Not now or ever.
No. She came to her feet. She would find a way to stay here and get her research done. Certainly not everyone was as rough as those men in the pub. Clearly, she needed to steer clear of that establishment, but there must be somewhere else for her to find suitable lodging while she continued her research.
When the attendant tried to stop her, she quickly learned that Graeme had plied the man with money. Well, as the saying went, if the sauce was good for the goose. Only in this case it was the gander. Vanessa dug money out of her bag.
Vanessa hoisted her trunk by the side handle and dragged it down the grassy hill that led back to the village. The frost that covered the blades made them crunch lightly beneath her boots. She was resourceful. Simply because some brute of a man told her she couldn’t survive here didn’t mean anything. She would prove him wrong. The trunk wobbled and rocked as she dragged it behind her. Her belongings shifted within, knocking the trunk off balance and twisting her wrist.
Living in London where one could hire a carriage on every street made life so much easier. Here in the village, people walked or rode horses. She certainly had no aversion to walking, but doing so while dragging a large trunk created a struggle.
And so, her journey began. She’d pull the trunk for a while until it became unstable, then she’d stop and sit upon it and catch her breath. She supposed that she had one thing to be happy about: the exertion from lugging the trunk was preventing her from becoming too cold. The brisk winter wind swept around her, whipping her hair about and making her eyes water.
On one such break, she opted to crack open her volume of Grayson’s Exploration of Scientific Discoveries and read through some of the text. She had tried once to correspond with Mr. Grayson about some of the information in said text, but he made it perfectly clear that he would not entertain letters from a lady. Still, she found his book helpful, so she used it often as a resource, but it didn’t make her think kindly about the man.
She folded the book onto her finger to mark her spot and looked down on the village below. There was still a ways for her to travel with her trunk in order to make it to the main street. There was the Cow and the Dog Tavern & Inn, where she’d been the previous night, but she obviously couldn’t return there.
Perhaps she could approach Graeme’s mother and offer a boarding situation. He wouldn’t be able to say no if she offered his family money. No man would ignore financial gain if it took care of his relations. She eyed the path that led from the inn, then went directly over the hill to their cottage.
He’d said her family would understand why she’d left. That once everyone knew about Jeremy and Violet, no one would blame Vanessa. That only proved he didn’t know her family. Oh, she doubted they’d expect her to still marry the man, but somehow, they would twist the situation and blame her. And frankly she wasn’t ready to face her sister. She hadn’t yet decided what she wanted to say to her, and when the moment came, she wanted to be prepared.