He looked over at his new partner as she went through her notes. She was an interesting creature. Completely unlike any other woman he’d known. The girl was smart, of that there was no question. What he hadn’t expected was the passion that sparked in those green eyes or the sarcasm and humor that laced her words—especially now that they’d finally sorted out their differences. Truth was, she was far too entertaining a distraction from his troubles. Maybe his father was right after all.
“It really was sheer luck that I found the clue. I’m sure you know of Lord George Murray, a commander to Prince Charles Stuart.” When he nodded, she continued. “Do you know of his trusted friend and lieutenant, Robert Cameron?”
“Aye, it’s rumored he had the necklace well before Culloden, but after that, the references to its whereabouts stop. No one knows where it ended up. There are no references to it, Cat.” He leaned back, wondering if she’d gotten it all wrong. Surely others would have figured it out by now if there were clues out in the open.
“You’re right. There are no references to it—at least not where one might expect to find them. My research actually started as a documentation of love letters during the time of the uprising. Trust me when I tell you, the last thing I expected to find were clues to the Highlander’s Hope.”
“In a love letter?” He supposed it was possible. “But hadn’t historians already looked at the commanders and their families? One would think it’d show up.”
She spun in her seat to face him, a knowing smile dancing upon her full lips. “They did look at their families. However, our dear Mr. Cameron, though loyal to Bonnie Prince Charlie, was a little less loyal to his wife. The love letter was to Nessa, his mistress. Very few knew about their relationship back then, and even fewer were aware of it with the passing of time.”
Her smile was infectious, for he could now see how it may have all played out. “Cameron gave her the jewels.”
“Exactly! He knew his family would come under scrutiny by the British, and didn’t want the necklace to be found or for his family to be implicated. Since few knew about his mistress, she seemed the logical choice.” Her excitement softened, and her eyes seemed distant, as if she’d been transported to a different time. “He loved her, and she loved him. Their trust was implicit and complete. He knew she wouldn’t betray him—and don’t you see? It was their love and trust that kept this priceless treasure safe all these years.”
He had to smile at her dreamy-eyed romanticism. “And my clan? How was my family connected?”
“Nessa had been married and widowed. It was her husband—he was a MacCraigh. They had two sons together before his untimely death—they’d be your ancestors.” She closed her notebook. “From what I can tell, her relationship with Robert didn’t start until after she’d become widowed from John MacCraigh. I believe Robert and John had been good friends and once John passed away, Robert did his best to help his friend’s widow and sons.”
“Ah… and help the widow he did.” It was starting to make sense.
“It wasn’t like that, Iain.” She shifted in her seat, her brows pulled in a furrow. “Nessa and Robert had been friends before she married, and they didn’t become lovers for years after John’s death.”
Iain realized just how seriously she took all this. She was truly vested in these people’s lives. He guessed it must happen when one did such extensive research. “I’d not meant to imply that she wasn’t loyal to her husband.”
“I know it doesn’t really matter, but…” She sighed with a shrug.
“Aye, lass. I get it. You get to know them through their letters and looking into their lives. And it does matter. My apologies. I’d meant no disrespect.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze, trying to reassure her that he truly meant the words he’d just spoken. Though they’d gotten off to a rocky start, he was happy the tension between them had eased. “Where did you find the letters anyway?”
“The museum’s library didn’t have a whole lot of information on them. Only that they’d been found tucked away in a hidden compartment of a desk that was being reconditioned. Whoever found them thought they might be of historical significance and donated them.”
He supposed some of his family’s furnishings could have gotten sold off during less prosperous times or been given away as a form of payment. “What happened to the happy couple?”
“Robert died at Culloden. As for Nessa, she married soon after Robert’s death, and quickly bore her husband a daughter.”