The Highlander and the Governess by Michelle Willingham

Author:Michelle Willingham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-07-11T13:05:11+00:00

Chapter Eight

Three weeks later

Instead of a sea of papers in his father’s study, Lachlan surveyed the stacks of ledgers, feeling a sense of satisfaction. Frances had helped him sort through every last scrap, until they were organised by date. There was one ledger which contained the bills with no dates, and his governess was seated in a chair, studying it with a frown.

Her blonde hair was pinned up, but two stray curls hung against her ears. He tried not to stare, but he could not deny the temptation of her. Neither had ever spoken of the forbidden night in the garden, but it haunted him still. The memory lingered, and never would he forget the way she had responded to his touch. Even now, he desired her.

‘Thank you for your help,’ he said quietly. ‘I wouldna have ever sorted through this mess of papers without you.’

She nodded absently, turning a page. ‘Lachlan, there’s something very wrong with these pages. There seems to be a great deal of money being spent on extra expenses. It’s as if your father was trying to hide money.’

He came to stand beside her chair and leaned down to look closer. He could smell the faint aroma of flowers from her skin, and he gritted his teeth to push back the unbidden needs. He forced himself to stare at his father’s handwriting, and when he added the column in his head, the debt was staggering.

‘He should have three thousand pounds more than he’s accounted for.’ He turned the page and saw more amounts written, though his father had written no name or reason for the lost money. ‘What happened to it?’

‘Did you have a relative in need?’ Frances suggested. ‘Or was it for your mother?’

He shook his head. From the looks of it, the amounts were varied, and over several months. ‘It’s almost as if he paid the bills to support someone else.’

Frances closed the book and regarded him. ‘I hesitate to ask this, but...could there have been someone else in your father’s life? Another woman or...an illegitimate child?’

He couldn’t imagine such a thing. Tavin had been utterly devoted to his wife. But he could only lift his shoulders in a shrug. ‘I would have to ask Catrina. But I canna say that I’m wanting to.’

‘I don’t blame you.’ Frances stood from the chair. ‘It might be best to ask some of the clansmen who might remember those years. They might have noticed something.’ It was a wise suggestion, and he intended to heed her advice. She set the ledger down on a side table. ‘I hope that someday, you’ll learn what happened.’

He caught the veiled meaning of her words—that she wouldn’t be here to learn the truth. But then, he had no time to investigate the ledgers. Both of them had packed their belongings for the journey to London on the morrow. Alban had already included the new clothing the tailor had made for him. Although Lachlan hadn’t truly wanted the clothes, he had compromised with Frances.

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