"There are a few things, here and there, but it is mostly finished."
"What sort of things are left undone, precisely?"
"I have not yet managed to get the gardens finished, but that will come along nicely now that it is spring."
"Then you intend to go back to Scotland?" Hannish asked.
"Naturally. Is Olivia not about?"
"Do you mean Duchess MacGreagor?"
Graham squirmed in his seat a little. "Aye, Duchess MacGreagor."
"She is not here."
The unwelcome visitor sat up a little straighter. "Not here? But she said…"
"You were on the train with her?"
"Well yes. She invited me to come and I was more than happy to see she arrived safely."
"Why did you not make yourself known at the train station?"
"Well, I thought…I mean…I…you drove away before I could."
"I suppose I did." Hannish stopped talking when Brookton entered with a tea tray and set it on the desk. He watched Brookton pour a cup of tea, hand it to Graham and then pour a second cup for him. Still, he waited until Brookton left before he spoke again. "Mr. Graham, your services have been very expensive."
"That is precisely what I have come to discuss, Your Grace. When might I be paid?"
Hannish stared at the man. "You have not been paid?"
"Not this past year complete."
"I see." He took a slow sip of tea and considered what that meant. "I find I am confused. I sent the funds to my wife and she claims to have paid you in full."
"You sent her the funds?"
"I had my banker in Scotland see that she got them on the first of every month, just as you were promised."
"I assure you…I have not been paid."
Hannish was quiet for another long moment. "I believe my wife has swindled you."
"See here, Olivia…Duchess MacGreagor would never do a thing like that."
"You know her that well, do you?"
"I worked on her…your home daily. I know her quiet well."
"Tell me, how much did your passage on the ship cost?"
Graham thoughtfully sipped his tea. "I do not recall."
"But you did pay for it yourself."
"Of course I did, what kind of man do you think I am?"
"'Tis odd, because my wife says she paid your passage. Surely, you dinna have two tickets." Hannish took another slow sip of tea, watched the increasingly agitated man and waited for Graham to ask the inevitable question. He did not have to wait long.
"Where might Duchess MacGreagor be?"
"On a train somewhere between Denver and St. Louis, I imagine."