Vanessa walked beside Graeme, bundled into her warmest cloak, hat, and mittens. The snow was beginning to melt, but the chill lingered, brisk and sharp in the air. “I am most eager to meet your friends,” she said. “I never thought I would say this, but I am missing London, and it will be nice to see some people from there.”
It was not surprising that the wilds of the Highlands were beginning to wear on her. London got cold, but snow was not as common and the wind wasn’t as bone-chilling. They were on their way from the caves, where they’d spent a frustrating morning discovering nothing new. Something ahead caught Graeme’s attention. He stopped walking and held his arm out to block Vanessa.
“What?” she asked.
“Wait here,” he said. He cautiously moved forward. A body lay in the snow, but it wasn’t until he was right upon it that he could see the damage. Fitch lay slumped on the melting snow, his throat slashed and blood sprayed everywhere.
“Oh God,” Vanessa whispered from his side.
“Damnation, woman, do you ever obey?” He tried to turn her away.
“When it suits me,” she said. She knelt and picked up the card lying on the man’s chest. She looked up at Graeme. “The Raven.”
He took the card from her and dropped it back onto the body. “Ah, Duchess, we need to get away from here,” he said.
“Do you suppose he’s still here somewhere?” she asked, looking around.
“No,” Graeme said, “but this is a threat meant just as much for us as for Braden.”
CHAPTER 15
The Raven sat on a darkened pew in the center of the small chapel. His feet rested on the kneel bar. It was a strange meeting place, but the small size of the village required that he be more careful.
A thin shaft of light appeared on the floor as the outer door opened. Soft footsteps came from behind him. Instinctively he gripped his blade, his hand resting securely on the hilt. Then the kneel bar shifted beneath the other man’s weight as he lowered himself next to The Raven.
“Sam,” The Raven said. “I suppose condolences are in order for your lost comrade.”
“Fitch was an arrogant bastard,” Sam said. “It rattled Braden. More than ever, he’s looking over his shoulder.”
“Where is he now?” The Raven asked.
“In the caves, searching. If anything, Fitch’s death fueled his drive to find the treasure.”
“Perfect. Between him and Niall, someone will find my stone.” The Raven wanted to light a cigar, but the vicar would not take kindly to smoking in the sanctuary.
“Your clever plan is working,” Sam agreed.
Sam was unlike the men who’d previously been in his employ. He wasn’t simply strong and willing to live at the edge of the law. No, Sam was clever. He’d been the perfect person to infiltrate Braden’s group.
Two months of watching Niall had shown The Raven how weak the man was, fawning all over his wife and son. The Raven had simply reminded him what his life’s work was all about. He’d removed the distraction so that Niall could focus on locating the treasure. But The Raven had known that his odds for success were greater if there was more than one person searching for it.
So he’d come up with the perfect solution, and Sam had already been in place. Braden had one of the royal stones in his possession, a gem that The Raven needed to complete the Kingmaker. So he’d broken into Braden’s home and taken it, deliberately leaving the man his calling card so he knew precisely who had been the thief.
Then it had been up to Sam to plant the seed. To whisper a solution to Braden: find the Loch Ness Treasure and The Raven would consider a barter. So now Braden unknowingly worked for The Raven.
“What is next?” Sam asked.
“I intercepted a letter intended for Graeme,” The Raven said.
“We saw him in the caves. He was asking questions,” Sam said.
“Of course he was. Damned Solomon’s is forever in my way.” The Raven drummed his fingers on the pew in front of him. “But they can often also be most helpful. The letter instructed Graeme to visit Cawdor Castle, where he would find the final royal stone.”
Sam shifted himself off of the kneel bar and onto the pew. He leaned forward, his arms resting on the pew in front of him, almost as if he were praying.
“I’ll rewrite the letter with additional instructions for Graeme to enlist Braden’s assistance for the quest, in case they come against any villains,” The Raven said.
“Graeme will heed such advice?” Sam asked.