Page 1 of The Ruthless Laird's Virgin
CHAPTER ONE
1705, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
“Callum Fraser is dead!” The messenger’s voice rang out, cutting through the air like a sharp knife. Dropping her quill, Eleanor Whitacker watched as the black ink bled into the margins of the ledger before her. A ledger that her brother had taken great care to compile.
The sound of chairs scraping across the cold stone floor drew her attention up just as her father began coughing, a wet, hacking sound that made her rush to his side. Her long blond curls bounced as she knelt at his side. “Father, can ye breathe?” She ran her long fingers over his back, gently soothing him as he fought for breath, her hazel eyes filled with concern.
“What did ye say?” her brother, Andrew, asked, already standing as he stared at the page, standing in the doorway to their study.
The young man heaved for breath, his chest rising and falling in quick succession as he nervously ran his tongue over his lips. He had been the family’s messenger and assistant for many years,yet he had never before been out of breath. “There… there was an ambush while the clan was on a hunt. Fraser men were killed, Laird Fraser rode his horse into a ravine, and nay bodies were recovered.” His dark eyes were wild with shock as he relayed the information. He was young, too young to be delivering such news.
The air around them all stilled as Eleanor looked up and met her brother’s gaze.
His dark green eyes were filled with concern, much like the furious beating of her own heart.
This cannae be…
Her throat suddenly felt too dry to swallow as she raised a hand to her chest.
Running his hand through his thick mop of brown hair, Andrew let out a deep breath. “Are ye certain?”
The boy nodded. “Aye, it has been a week, and the laird is presumed dead. The declaration has been filed. Callum Fraser is presumed dead. Our services will nay longer be needed…” his voice trailed off on a solemn note.
“Presumed?” Andrew asked, waiting for the boy to nod before shifting his gaze back to his sister.
She understood the look in his eyes without him even having to explain it to her. Presumed meant official documents. It meant that someone had waited seven days before deciding his fate and knowing if he was truly dead or alive.
Focusing on her father again, Eleanor met his sad gaze, noting the pain in his brown eyes. He had been sickly for a while, but the recent years had begun to show in the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth and the thinning of his hair. He had been too ill to continue the family business, and Andrew and Eleanor had both stepped up as managers and bookkeepers.
“Where was the motion first filed?” Andrew was already crossing the study as he reached for his coat and swung it over his shoulders.
The boy seemed to have caught his breath as his shoulders relaxed. “In Edinburgh, before being sent North. The intermediary was Duncan Fraser.”
Eleanor froze, coming to her feet so quickly that her father had to grip the edge of the table for support as he coughed. “Andrew, do ye ken what it means?” Her eyes searched his worried face that had grown deathly pale.
Duncan Fraser was a name well known to them. Although they had never seen the man in person, his name had appeared on many documents and land transfer deeds in the past.
Taking his time, Andrew slowly swallowed before answering. “It means that somebody wanted Callum Fraser dead on paper.They wanted a legal and binding document that wiped him off the face of the earth. It means that I must discover who wants his lands before it’s too late.” His jaw stiffened, making the rest of his body tense along with it. “I willnae allow the new land agent, this Stewart man, to strip us of everything we have worked so hard to acquire. This family has served the Frasers for many years. I willnae allow it.”
Her heart leaped in her chest, making her pulse race as the study began to spin. Losing their position with the Fraser clan would mean losing most of the money they earned.
This cannae be happenin’.
The thought became more urgent, making her tear up as she looked at her brother. This kind of situation could cause serious trouble for everyone, threatening to break apart the family and alter their lives forever.
“Daenae wait for me, I must go at once.” He turned from her, leaving the study without another word as she shut the door on her and their father.
The echoes of his footsteps continued in her mind long after he had left. It was not until her father began to cough again that she helped him to his feet and called for a maid to take him to bed.
I have to do all that I can.
She waited to be alone in the study again before poring over every document and ledger that contained the nameDuncan Fraser. Hours passed, and candles were lit as a soft rain began to soak the streets outside. The ledgers were all the same, deed transfers that did not make sense. It was always the same name, the same neat writing, and the same seal. Yet she could not fathom what it all meant.
Her back began to ache, and her eyes felt dry when her brother finally returned, his cloak soaked with rain. The determination in his tired eyes made the pit of her stomach coil with fear.
“Andrew? Did ye find what ye were lookin’ for?” Her voice was thin and hoarse from the hours of working without so much as a drink.
He shook his head before hurrying across the room and retrieving a satchel from beneath the desk. He began to shove rolls of parchment inside without looking at her. “I must travel North. I willnae write again, and if I do, it willnae be plainly. If I am wrong, ye willnae need the letters, but if I am right…” His voice trailed off as he paused. “Well, ye will have to keep yer head on yer shoulders, and nae trust anyone.”
