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Sin turned back to the work in front of him. It was a simple sketch to look at but hidden within its modest lines were complex nuances of light and shadow. And there in lay the difficulty of recreating it. Charlotte was right last night when she said one needed to understand the artist. Charlotte. He glanced back out the window. She had slipped the dress over her head and it clung to her wet skin, accentuating her taut nipples, not unlike the transparent drapery in the picture. A sheer shroud unveiling the divine mystique of feminine sensuality. He had been with his share of women but never had he experienced anything more erotic than watching her as she explained the enigmatic subconscious of the bohemian and brooding artist, the blush in her cheeks as she spoke with such unbridled passion exposing her own longing. He wondered who had taught Charlotte such liberation. Surely, not her ex-fiancé. A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts. He looked at the cove. Charlotte sat on the rocks warming herself in the sun.

He went downstairs, opening it. Jock stood on the other side. "Alex said you would be back."

Sin held the door open, showing the old man in. "Aye. Come in, I'll make you a cuppa?"

"Och, aye."

He wiped the soot from his hands on a tea towel and started the kettle.

"Working?" Jock questioned, inclining his head toward the dirty cloth. He didn't try to hide his disapproval.

"You know I gave up sketching as one of Alex's conditions. I'm doing a job for him. He knows about it." Sin pulled two mugs down from the cabinet. "Did Alex say anything else to you?"

Jock shook his head. "No, just that you were headed up."

The kettle began to whistle, and he turned it off, pouring the water into the cups over teabags. He set one down in front of Jock. The front door was pushed open and Charlotte came bounding in along with William. Both men looked over at her.

"Go for a swim?" Sin gave her a smile.

Her eyes opened wide while her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red. "Uhm…" she started to explain.

Sin came up to her and handed her the cup of tea, pulling on a lock of her hair. "Your hair's wet."

"Oh," she said, sounding relieved. He pulled a chair out for her and went to get another mug. "I thought the salt water would help to heal my," she glanced at Jock then looked over at Sin, "my wound."

"Aye, lassie, the minerals in the water are rich off this part of the coast if you have something that ails ye," Jock said, patting her hand. "I didn't think to see you again."

"Oh." She caught Sin's eye.

"Also, your brother's doing," he explained. "We're married."

"Married?"

"I think I'll go shower," Charlotte said, standing up. "If you'll excuse me." She took her cup to the sink, then headed to the bedroom.

"I would offer my congratulations." Jock pulled the teabag from his cup and set it on a saucer. "It—"

"Don't," Sin stopped him. "You know perfectly well it was forced. I never asked for this, neither did she."

"Maybe Alex knows what he's doing."

Sin shook his head. "He's just found another way to punish me."

"Or maybe it was fate," Jock said, his eyebrow arching with speculation. "Did you find her seal skin?"

"No. There's no such thing. So, please don't go there."

"Will you come to the pub tonight?" The old man stood up, preparing to leave, the mood having changed.

"It's best if we lay low." Sin walked him to the door.

"Someone's been asking around about the lassie," Jock said. "Yesterday, in town. He was asking for a girl with violet eyes. I thought perhaps he might be at the pub tonight."

"You're just now telling me?" This news was concerning. Sin glanced at the bedroom door, but it was shut. "What does he look like?"

"I don't know. Barron told me when I was at the docks. He saw Charlie before I put her on yon wee train and thought to warn me."

"I need to know who it is." He glanced behind him again. "I don't want her to know. She's already spooked enough. We'll go tonight, but I don't want you saying anything to her."

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