Page 31 of Much Ado About a Scot

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Xander let the field workers, Graham’s servants, and Freya and Brodie know that Jamie had been found, but he didn’t go back to Gladmuir Hall immediately. Now that the little boy was safe, he had to continue his original mission. He returned to the tunnel. With the aid of his candle, his search went much quicker as he walked both sides of the tunnel, making sure no one was there before he returned to the Graham side and climbed the ladder as he had on the opposite side.

He wasn’t surprised when he emerged from the tunnel with his dagger at the ready to come out behind a bookcase in what appeared to be Graham’s study. He stepped out into the airy, excellently proportioned chamber, well-lit by long windows, and containing elegant furnishings. Tall bookcases were built into one wall, and pedestals bearing the busts of Apollo and Zeus stood beside a large mahogany desk that dominated the room. Various other furnishings polished to a lustrous gleam filled the chamber, but otherwise the room was empty.

Xander couldn’t help but compare the elegance and wealth displayed here to the sparseness of Isobel’s home. The Grahams flourished while the Seatons struggled to survive. But making comparisons as to the two families’ welfares was not why he was here.

He headed to the door and pressed himself against the door frame before glancing into the hallway. There were no servants hovering about. His way clear, he moved down the hallway, taking care to tread silently. He peered inside the rooms he passed until he came to a staircase. Since he’d already searched from the outside most of the rooms on the lower floor, Xander headed up the stairs with the hope that his luck would hold. If Bothwell were hiding in the house, perhaps Xander would find the traitor there.

As soon as he reached the landing, he heard voices coming from one of the rooms on his left. Xander ducked inside the first open doorway and slipped into the shadows as the voices came nearer. He could make out two distinct voices, both male.

The men exited the room and headed for the stairs, making their conversation easier to hear.

“. . . I think Graham has a point. Meanwhile, there is something else you should take care of.”

“What?”

“My spies report someone has been snooping around the tolbooth this morning, seeking records from the time that the land grant was made between Winchester Graham and Thomas Seaton. We don’t want anything to come back on us now, do we?”

“We haven’t done anything that shouldn’t have been done ages ago.”

“Haven’t we? We are in this mess as deep as Bothwell. If we get caught, we’ll hang alongside him.”

“What’s to be done? Do you have any idea who was asking about those records?”

The men moved down the stairway and Xander could no longer distinctly hear the words they said, only the occasional word . . . “strike back . . . tonight . . . make her pay.”

Isobel. Xander’s muscles tensed and his hand tightened on his dagger. He peered out of the room to see the retreating backs of the Earls of Atholl and Gowrie.

Pressing back against the wall, Xander forced himself to breathe slowly, to settle his thoughts despite the fact he felt like a mandolin string stretched to snapping point. He should follow Atholl and Gowrie and learn more in order to protect Isobel. But he also had a duty to uphold toward the king. Bothwell was the bigger threat. Three years ago, he’d tried to arrange for King James’s death using witchcraft. When that failed, Bothwell had tried kidnapping, assassination attempts, and now threatened with his own army to take the throne directly from James—the man who had saved Xander from a life of servitude and had given him the world instead.

Xander swallowed his demons and continued down the hallway toward the one door that was closed. He reached for the latch, uncertain what he would do if Bothwell was truly behind the barrier. The king had only asked for confirmation, not a confrontation.

Silently, he eased the door open to a mere slit and peered through into the study. Bothwell was seated behind a desk, his dark head bent over the papers before him. Xander could not see enough of the chamber to discern if the traitor was alone. Bothwell looked up momentarily and Xander glimpsed similarities to his cousin in the man’s angular jaw, long and narrow nose, and large soulful eyes before he looked down again. Even though there was a resemblance in looks, the two men were nothing like each other. Bothwell was as cunning as he was dangerous. It would not be wise to take on the man alone.

Xander eased the door closed and sheathed his dagger. He would send word to the king and his brothers-in-arms of the sighting and wait until the others who made up the Magnificent Seven arrived to take Bothwell down. Stepping away from the door, Xander turned to head down the stairs when he found himself staring at a dagger aimed at his neck.

“What is the meaning of this?” the man he recognized as David Graham asked in a harsh tone.

Xander blinked but otherwise gave no sign of his surprise. How had the man approached without his hearing anything? “I’m looking for the Seaton child. He’s been missing all morning.”

Graham lowered the sword. “Haven’t you heard? He’s been found.”

Xander released a heavy sigh followed by a hearty, “Praise the saints,” hoping it conveyed surprise and relief.

The older man’s eyes narrowed. “How did you get in here?”

Xander tried to look apologetic. “I knocked on the door but no one came to answer.”

Graham humphed. “My servants all decided to go aid in the search for the little boy and obviously haven’t returned to their duties yet.”

“I apologize if I overstepped by coming inside uninvited. We had looked everywhere but here. Where did they find the lad?”

Graham’s harsh features softened. “Can’t say as I know. His mother did come calling here and I told her Jamie was not inside. Typical of a Seaton not to believe me.”

Xander forced himself to grimace. “She didn’t know I came here. I haven’t talked to her for hours.”

Graham humphed again. “Perhaps you and your new bride should not only keep an eye on each other, but also that little boy. I’d hate for anything to happen to him or either one of you.”