"I inherited it." Belle said just giving the door a shove. It just swung open and then the doorknob fell off. Belle just sighed and shook her head as she picked up Jock. "Pardon the mess. It was a little cluttered from unpacking, but all else was ransacking." She said with an exasperated sigh. Belle then picked up Jock, carrying him to keep him safe. Hamish heard glass crunching under her boots. "It was stashed in the living room, but they didn't find the money."
"Why did you come to Lochdubh? You are a young woman of wealth." Hamish asked sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, as he did when he felt particularly cheeky.
"Why do you think I'm a woman of wealth?" Belle asked softly with a curl of her lips.
"The way you dress. It's a lot better quality than the clothes around here." He grinned and gave a chuckle. He then rubbed above his lip with his index finger and looked up at her.
"And the fact that I'm not from 'around here' has nothing to do with it." Belle said resting Jock on her hip like he were a bairn.
"Not to the common eyes of the Lochdubh people." Hamish said leaning against the threshold to the living room. "Am I wrong?"
"No. My father is well off, but I did do my fair share of work. I've earned my notes - mainly to prove I could." Belle said calmly, walking towards him. "I came to Lochdubh for three reasons: the town, the house, and my dream." She stopped just in front of him. "Now do you enjoy playing twenty-one questions with the new women in town?" Her tone was rather saucy with an entrapping smile.
"Typically, no." Hamish said rubbing his hands together before sticking them in his pockets. Why on earth was he feeling nervous and so curious? No woman ever made him feel like this, even Alex. He wanted to see her more after this, and luckily he would due to little Lochdubh.
"You have a charm about you Constable." Belle said smiling and then turned her back to him. She was flirting with him! Hamish could hardly believe it! Perhaps it was her high society living that made her so comfortable.
"Hamish, call me Hamish." He said with a grin. "So what time did you leave and return?"
"It didn't happen when I was away." Belle said lowly, handing Jock to him. Suddenly she became timid and her cheerful aura greyed. Hamish stood up straight and watched her intently. Belle slowly and carefully took off her jacket and scarf. The short sleeve blouse did not cover the two sets of bruises on her arms and at her wrists.
"When I heard them I came down and tried to run them off." Hamish gently ushered her to the couch. they sat down facing each other, while Jock laid down behind Belle. Hamish gently examined her wrists . "They attacked me, afraid I might recognize them I suppose. One pinned me to the wall, crushing me. I struck at him each time I managed to roll my hands free, gave him a shiner hopefully. He crushed me more and pinned me tighter. " She muttered, becoming upset by the memory. "He stole kisses," she said pressing her lips thin for a moment, fighting a sob. "Then he tried to force himself on me. "
Hamish couldn't think of anything to say. He'd never handled attempted rape. Still, Belle was new, alone, vulnerable, and physically weaker. This was obviously the most traumatic thing she suffered. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms, hold her close, and let her cry. However, he settled for merely holding her hand in his.
"I managed to knee him real good in the family jewels. It didn't take a second to recover, and then," Belle said hooking her index finger into her scarf and pulled it off. There on her sweet neck was two large hand prints.
"Oh, Belle," Hamish muttered, his eyes and voice full of sorrow for her pain and suffering. He brought the back of his hand to his mouth. Hamish swallowed before he continued. "Did you make out any features?"
"No he was wearing one of those cliche ski masks, as was his partner." Belle said with an ironic little laugh. "The partner had the decency to pull him off and cracked him in the cheek." Belle cried viciously. " He said 'this wasn't in the plan. We're here for the goods.'"
"I'll have to take pictures of the bruises." Hamish said looking at the ones on her her arms. Then he gently pushed her hair back and looked at her neck. He noticed the rate of the raise and fall of her chest quicken at his closeness. Hamish noticed scratches from the attacker's nails, and he gently ran the pads of the fingers across the scratch. Belle's breath caught and he stopped. "Did I hurt you?"
"No," she whispered soft and low, "and I doubt you ever will." Lord almighty she made he wanted to gently kiss her wounds away.
