Chapter 26
The wind was biting as Bex and the others made their way back through the village to Lorna’s.
Every day since her return to Scotland, she had been certain they were going to be hit with a snowstorm.
The type where even a walk to the café was a near impossibility.
She had even said as much to Kieron when he’d come to the cottage, but so far, the heavy snow had evaded them.
Fingers crossed they wouldn’t have a whiteout on Burns Night.
That would hardly seem fair, given all the work Kieron and everyone else were putting into the event.
But having a massive celebration at the end of January in a part of the country known for temperamental weather was bound to cause problems now and then.
‘You okay? You’re pretty quiet,’ Lorna said as she opened the front door. ‘Were you thinking about how hot you’re going to look in your dress and how Duncan and Kieron aren’t going to be able to take their eyes off you?’
Bex groaned and rolled her eyes.
‘No, I was just thinking about work. That’s all.’
That was one way of putting it. What she’d really been thinking about was Moira’s response and the way she had closed up completely when Bex had tried to push her for more information.
She knew who the love of Fergus’s life was and probably a lot more gossip too.
If anybody was going to help them with their problem, then Moira was almost certainly the woman they needed.
But Bex and Gordon would have to convince her to help without making it feel like she was betraying Fergus.
Which she wouldn’t be, of course. This was what Fergus wanted, after all.
He wanted everything to go to his rightful heir.
Maybe they would just have to show her the will.
She would suggest as much to Gordon in the morning.
‘I’ll get your dress ready for Tuesday,’ Eilidh said as she took the bag back from Bex, bringing her out of her thoughts. ‘And sorry about earlier, you know, when things got a little… tense.’
‘What happened?’ Lorna asked. ‘Why did things get tense?’
‘Oh, nothing,’ Bex said quickly, shaking her head. ‘We were just offering our opinions on different matters, that’s all.’
‘Oh.’ From the bluntness of Lorna’s tone, she knew exactly where the friends’ differing opinions lay. Thankfully, she didn’t say any more.
‘You don’t have anything to apologise for,’ Bex said, hoping Eilidh knew how much she meant it.
‘I know you only care. And I’m sorry too.
I pushed that matter way too far. And thank you for the dress.
It’s stunning. You are amazingly talented, you know that.
When you become a massively famous clothes designer and need an accountant, don’t forget about me, will you? ’
‘It’s a deal.’
The pair squeezed each other in the type of hug that could only be shared by friends who knew that, no matter what, they were there for each other. Arguments would happen, but the friendship would stay.
‘Well,’ Lorna said with a grin, ‘now that’s sorted, I fancy a drink. Do you want to come to the pub? We could celebrate. You know, a toast to finding the perfect tartan?’
Bex laughed. Lorna’s ability to make everything into a celebration was almost as skilled as her ability to bring Bex’s love life into every conversation.
‘I’m in,’ Eilidh said. ‘Though I don’t want a late one.
Seeing all those fabrics has given me the inspiration for some new designs, and I want to get some sketches done before I go to bed.
And I need to finish Bex’s dress. Though don’t worry, I’ll do that sober tomorrow,’ she added, with a glance at Bex.
‘We’ll just go for one,’ Lorna said, and Bex couldn’t help but wonder if she already knew that was a lie.
‘Bex?’ Eilidh said. ‘Are you coming? We still need to have a proper celebration for your new promotion?’
‘Right, yes,’ Bex mumbled. Somehow, she had forgotten all about the corner office that would be waiting for her when she got back to London.
‘I would,’ she said, already knowing what the girls’ response was going to be. ‘But I’ve got so much work to do tomorrow. It’s probably best if I get an early night. Besides, I’m guessing Tuesday’s going to be a big one.’
The smirk on Lorna’s face said it all. ‘Oh, it’s going to be a very big one. A very big one. You should probably give your liver a warm-up by having a couple of drinks tonight.’
Bex narrowed her eyes. ‘I’m not sure that’s how it works. Actually, I think that’s the opposite of how it works.’
‘It’s fine,’ Eilidh said, placing a hand on her shoulder. ‘You have an early night. I’ll see you soon.’
‘See you soon,’ Bex replied.
Five minutes later, the girls had gone, and Bex was on her own, though somehow she knew an early night wasn’t going to happen.
For over an hour, she stared at the selection of photos she had taken from the study, but she kept coming back to the same one.
The one with Duncan’s grandfather and the woman between him and Fergus.
There was no denying the way the men looked at her.
They loved her. Both of them. She was sure of it.
Yet neither of them had ended up with her.
She had died before Fergus had a chance to propose.
Duncan’s grandfather, Bex already knew, had disappeared for several months, then returned to LochDarroch with a woman no one knew and a newborn baby.
Possibly a response to losing the love of his life, too?
She studied the woman. Why did it feel like there was something familiar about her?
Was it just because she wanted there to be?
Right now, her head going around in circles, wasn’t helping at all.
Tomorrow she would talk to Gordon and they would speak to Moira together.
And this time they wouldn’t take no for an answer.