Free Warning at Eagle's Watch by Christine Bush

around here," came the gruff voice of the gray-haired cook who stood leaning over the steaming pots on the stove. She was tall and massive-looking in her white uniform, her more than ample figure almost bursting through the seams. "I'll cater to Mr. Mitchell when he pays my salary, and not before. If you ask me, you pay too much attention to that young dandy."
    "Nonsense, Annie. A young man like that needs someone to fuss over him." Mrs. Raymond's usually stern face looked vulnerable for once, but the look passed quickly. "Daisy," she called, "where are you?"
    A trim little blonde in a well-starched uniform appeared at the pantry door. Her saucer like eyes regarded the housekeeper for a moment, then lit on Hillary, still standing unnoticed in the hallway door.
    "We've got company, Mrs. Raymond."
    The housekeeper turned on her heel to meet Hillary.
    "Why. Nurse Holt, what can we do for you?"
    "This is just a social visit. I thought I'd like to meet the rest of the staff."
    And so the introductions were made. Annie had been cooking for Miss Scott for so many years that she had lost count. Daisy, the young attractive maid, had arrived only that very morning, to help deal with the guests. She seemed remarkably quiet and withdrawn, but Hillary hoped that with time, she and this other new arrival might become friends. It was a heartening feeling to know that there was another young woman in the household, one that she might have something in common with.
    She left the kitchen a few moment's later and made her call to the Scott family lawyer from the phone in the downstairs study. She was told that Mr. Browning was out of town for the week. He would not be able to come to Eagle's Watch to consult with Priscilla Scott until he returned. Scotty's will would have to wait.
    Hillary browsed through the shelves of books that lined the sunless study after she replaced the receiver in its cradle. She selected an elegant leather-bound volume of poetry to read after she retired to her room at night. As she turned to leave the study, she found Mitchell standing in the broad doorway, leaning rakishly against the carved molding, looking handsome and boyish in his well-fitting suit.
    "Don't tell me our nurse is an intellectual, as well as an explorer," he said gaily, referring to her evening expedition through the echoing castle. "What are you reading?"
    "Poetry. I like to read it to relax at night."
    "I would think a girl like you would have other plans for relaxing at night."
    His teasing eyes were dancing suggestively as he crossed the room toward her, and she felt her face getting blushingly hot.
    "Yes, I also enjoy sorting pill bottles and reading medical charts," she teased back. "And once in a while, I sit down and organize my medical kit. There's no end to my exciting talents."
    He threw his head back and laughed wholeheartedly. "If you've got some time before you return to the medical battlefield upstairs, how about taking a little walk with me outside? It's a beautiful day."
    She thought of the exhilarating sunlight outdoors. She thought of taking a walk with Mitchell. Both ideas were pleasant ones. To return to the fresh air would be a delight, to share some time with this personable young man, Scotty's youngest relative, would be intriguing.
    She smiled at his expectant face and agreed to take a jaunt outdoors for a short time while Scotty still slept. The delighted look on his face at her acceptance made her feel lighthearted and gay. She might have little in common with Mitchell Morrison, but there was certainly something to Scotty's suggestion that she let go and enjoy life a bit!
    And so Hillary left the darkness of the castle for the second time that day, and returned to the rocky path that hovered above the ocean, this time with the happy-go-lucky Mitchell at her side.
    They sat on the high rocks that had quickly become Hillary's favorite thinking place, and the minutes ticked by in the sunny afternoon as she learned about the