Chapter Thirty-One
Dagmar
‘ I t was very nice to meet you. And I hope you enjoy having your hair done,’ Grant, the church minister, said.
‘Thank you.’ Dagmar shook hands with him. He was a lot younger than she’d expected. She’d thought he was a man of her mum’s age – one that her mum had a bit of a crush on. But he looked more around her own age. He seemed to have amassed quite a following of women around her mum’s age though, and they’d been helping him prepare the church for a coffee morning that weekend.
Although Dotty was obviously upset about the café, Dagmar understood why she still wanted to come here today. These were her friends and her support group. They were all concerned about her and eager to help out.
‘And remember,’ Grant said to Dotty. ‘Drop in anytime if you need a chat.’
‘Thank you.’ Dotty patted his arm and smiled. As they made their way outside, she leaned into Dagmar. ‘He’s caused quite a scandal just by being single. So many people want to help find a wife for him.’
Dagmar shook his head. ‘Oh dear. I hope they leave him to find someone for himself – assuming he even wants someone.’
Dotty chuckled. ‘Indeed.’ She checked the time on her phone. ‘That was so lucky the salon had a cancellation. I feel like it was meant to be. Like a sign of hope.’
‘Yeah.’ Dagmar had done her best not to think about James while she’d helped her mum. She’d had a missed call from him earlier, but when she’d called back, the line had been busy. If only she knew what was going on. Were his parents keeping him busy so that he couldn’t speak to her?
Dagmar and Dotty made their way down Kirk Lane, a narrow road with some cute but higgledy-piggledy houses on it towards Glenbriar’s main street.
‘I think Kristi and Caitlin live around here somewhere.’ Dagmar scanned around. ‘I’m pretty sure Kirk Lane was the address Caitlin had on her job application.’
Halfway up the main street was the hair salon named Cutting Edge. It had a neatly presented whitewashed front with fake plants at the side of the entrance. The hum of hairdryers and soft chatter greeted them as Dagmar opened the door. This was Dagmar’s first time in a hairdresser, and she was sure the little flutter in her chest was more nerves than excitement.
‘Hello, hello.’ A smiley stylist greeted them, her dark hair pulled back in a messy updo. ‘Are you Dagmar?’
She nodded.
‘I’m Hayley. I’ll be fixing your hair today. And are you her mum?’
‘I am.’ Dotty smiled at her.
‘Would you like a coffee while you’re waiting?’
‘That would be lovely.’
‘What about you, Dagmar?’ Hayley smiled at her.
‘Yeah, thank you.’
‘No worries. I’ll get Collete to fix them up.’
Dagmar relaxed as Hayley undid her plait and combed out her long hair.
‘Your hair is stunning. What is it you’d like done?’
‘I still want to keep it long, but it just feels drab sometimes.’
Hayley smoothed it through her fingers. ‘I could take a few inches off it, and it’ll still be a lovely length. We can put some toning conditioner through it to give it a lift and I can style it any way you like.’
‘I’d love some curls. Not frizzy ones, but those loose ones.’
‘I can do them, no problem.’ Hayley beamed at Dagmar in the mirror. ‘I think I’ve seen you before. You work at Glenvorneth, don’t you?’
‘Yeah. Do you know it?’
‘Ophelia is a good friend of mine.’
‘Ah, I see. Well, maybe you can do me curls like hers. She always looks amazing.’
Hayley chuckled. ‘Yes, she does. I’ll fix you up and you’ll look just as fabulous.’
It wasn’t an idle boast either. A couple of hours later, Dagmar hardly recognised herself. She tossed her head this way and that, admiring her new look. Dotty looked at her with a broad smile.
‘You look wonderful.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’ Dagmar felt her phone buzzing in the back pocket of her jeans. She pulled it out and her heart leapt at the sight of a message from James.
‘Finally.’
‘Is it James?’ Dotty pressed her hands together like she was praying.’
‘Yes.’ Dagmar opened the message.
JAMES: So sorry I keep missing you. Are you still at your mum’s house (Ophelia told me where you were)? I really need to see you. I’ve got so much to tell you. xx
Dagmar drew in a breath, then showed the message to her mum.
‘There you go,’ Dotty said. ‘That all sounds good.’
‘I wonder what he wants to tell me.’
‘Then message him back.’ Dotty took hold of her upper arm. ‘Quickly.’
‘Ok.’ Dagmar pulled in a deep, cleansing breath before tapping out a message. Hopefully whatever he had to tell her was good news.
DAGMAR: I’m not at mum’s house. I’m in town just now but could meet somewhere.
She’d barely sent it when a reply pinged in.
JAMES: I’m also in town. Any chance you could meet me at Loch Briar, near the start of the trail to Heather Glen? There’s a place with construction fences around it. I’ll wait there. xx
Again, Dagmar showed the message to her mum. ‘Why would he want to meet me there? That’s a weird location for him to be in. I thought he’d be at work.’
‘I’ll drive you there right now.’ Dotty took her hand. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’
Dagmar barely had a moment to think about it before she was back in the car whizzing towards the top of the town, where the road turned onto a track that led to a small car park. This path was incredibly popular with walkers and cyclists, joining up a riverside path with another that skirted Loch Briar. James had told her ages ago he owned land here. It was a beautiful location, but she understood why he didn’t want to live here. The plot was fairly small and was on the crossroad section of the path.
Dagmar’s thoughts were wandering, partly because nerves were jangling her stomach so hard she couldn’t focus. She was so desperate to see him again. It felt like she hadn’t seen him for ages, even though it was only a few days.
‘On you go.’ Dotty patted her on the leg. ‘I’ll wait.’
Dagmar leapt out of the car and headed over to the patch of land surrounded by construction fences.
James was standing near the fence, his hands deep in his pockets. He looked up as she approached, and his eyes widened. Her heart pounded in her chest.
‘Dagmar.’ He marched over to her and opened his arms. ‘My god, I’ve missed you.’ He pulled her into a hug, and she returned it instantly, melting into his warmth. ‘The last couple of days have been crazy.’
She glanced up at him, sweeping her hair behind her ear, remembering how different it looked.
‘You look incredible. I mean, you’re always beautiful, but your hair…’
‘I had it done.’
‘It suits you. You’re an absolute knockout. But I thought you were ill.’
‘I had a migraine this morning, but it wore off and Mum persuaded me to go out. I was so distracted wondering what was going on.’ She gave him a vague smile. ‘Why did you want me to come here? What’s been happening?’
He let out a sigh. ‘I’m so sorry. Everything hit all at once. I was trying to sell this land to raise capital, then I got your message that the building had been sold, and my parents kept arranging meetings with Victoria and the countess.’
‘And are you and her—’
‘She and I are nothing. I told you. I only want you. Now she knows that, so do the countess, and my parents. I told them all at the meeting this morning.’ His eyes were steady on hers. ‘They know my wishes.’
‘And what are they?’
‘I want to make a fresh start. With you… if you’ll have me. I have an idea for this land too. We could use it to build a new Cosy Bean Café on. I’d love for your mum to see it too. We can work together to make it happen.’
‘Are you serious?’ Her voice was barely above a whisper.
‘Of course. I’d do anything for you.’ He tightened his grip on her. ‘Because I love you. I love you so, so much. I want a life with you and the horses. That’s what matters to me.’
‘Oh my god.’ A rush of emotion galloped through her, and she threw her arms around his neck. ‘That’s what I want to. I thought I was being crazy.’
‘If you are, we can be crazy together. In fact, I want us to do everything together.’
‘Same. It’s been torturous not seeing you the past few days.’
‘Agreed.’ He threaded his fingers into her hair and dipped in, placing his lips on hers. She smiled, remembering how wonderful it felt to be in his arms.
‘What about your parents?’ Dagmar pulled back. ‘They don’t want me seeing you.’
‘I’ve sorted things with them. It might take a while for them to come around, but I’ve told them how I feel and if they respect that, then they’ll accept you. But don’t worry, you’re more important to me than their opinion and I will fight for you.’
Dagmar smiled and sucked on her lower lip. ‘I was so worried, but it feels like a huge weight has gone.’
‘I have something else for you.’ His words fell softly on her ears. He reached into his pocket and handed her a small package.
Stepping back, she took it and unwrapped it, her breath catching when her eyes landed on the little black Schleich horse inside. ‘Oh, my god. It’s my horse…’ She looked up at him. ‘Where did you find it?’
‘By some miracle, my sister still had it. She even remembered it was yours. I wish I’d been able to return it to you years ago.’
Dagmar clutched the horse to her chest. ‘Wow. I never thought I’d see it again. Silly really to have cared about it this long, but it was my favourite.’
‘And you were mine.’ James stroked her face. ‘I wish I hadn’t followed the crowd. I wish I’d followed my heart instead. If I had, we might have dated back in school.’
‘I think I like you better now,’ she said. ‘You’ve grown up.’
‘I hope so. I’ve been on the wrong path for a long time. It’s time I got back on track.’
She nodded, a smile breaking through. ‘Then let’s make a new start together.’
He pulled her close, pinning her up against him, a smile filling his face. ‘That’s the best thing I’ve heard for a very long time.’
Dagmar beamed at him, then looked around. ‘My mum’s in the car. Should I call her to come and see the land?’
‘Definitely.’
Dagmar leaned up and kissed his cheek. This was the start of a whole new chapter in her life, and she was ready to embrace it.