Chapter 36
Although the twenty-fifth of January wasn’t technically a holiday, it certainly felt like one in the village.
Once again, Lorna had insisted on driving Bex down to the castle, and she wasn’t going to complain.
The previous day had left her more exhausted than she would have imagined – especially considering she’d spent most of the day sitting down.
But she’d woken up that morning with a sense of energy, which was good, because she really needed to give Ruby a walk.
And not least because she didn’t want Duncan thinking she needed help taking care of her.
She hadn’t broached the fact that she was planning on taking Ruby back to London to anyone yet – other than Ruby herself – but she knew that the only person who could potentially have a problem with it was Duncan.
After all, he’d been with the dog since she was a pup and she was also one of his last ties to Fergus.
Then again, there was no telling whether the future laird – whether that was indeed Kieron or this elusive rightful heir – would even let Duncan keep his role on the estate.
They would be a fool if they didn’t, but people did strange things.
As much as she tried not to speculate who this mystery person might be – after all, she doubted she’d even know them – it was hard not to wonder a little bit.
Given Fergus’s age, any child he’d had would have easily been as old as her parents.
So was that the age of person they were looking for?
Or perhaps, rather than a son or daughter, they were looking for a grandchild.
That would make them more her age, which meant if they were local, then she might even know them.
‘Get out the way, you daft eejit!’ Lorna yelled out of her car window as she hammered her fist on the horn.
The narrow road that bisected the village was buzzing with Land Rovers and 4x4s going back and forth. She didn’t know if the vehicles belonged to guests or just people bringing things to the castle, but either way, there was a definite party vibe in the air.
‘Is it always like this?’ Bex asked as they crawled forward.
There was no doubt that if they were going at this pace, it would be far quicker for her to walk to the castle, but she wasn’t going to say as much to Lorna.
As it was, she was in no great rush to get to the castle.
She wasn’t too sure what they were going to do there.
Though when she arrived and found Gordon in the library, wrestling with a bundle of keys, she soon found out.
‘I thought we should just lock anything that could point to what we’re doing away in the cupboards,’ he told Bex. ‘People tend to get drunk and wander at these events, and Kieron wouldnae take too kindly to me suggesting we lock entire rooms.’
‘Do you really think that’s necessary?’ Bex said, looking at the haphazard piles of paper around them. ‘I mean, we’ve not been able to find any answers from looking at all this. I can’t imagine that anyone who doesn’t know why we’re here would have a clue what we’re looking for.’
Gordon’s chin bobbed in a nod as he scratched the bridge of his nose.
‘You’re probably right, but I’d feel better if we at least had everything out of sight.’
‘Fair enough,’ Bex said. ‘Well, I’ll head to the study, make sure everything’s okay there, if you’re all right.’
‘I’m grand,’ Gordon said. ‘And dinnae fuss about working all day today. You get home whenever you need. Reckon you’ve got a fair bit to get ready the nicht.’
That was one way of putting it. Lorna had arranged an entire afternoon of appointments, from hair and nails to a dress fitting with Eilidh, and final preparations to get ready for the event.
But given how Bex was still feeling guilty for the previous week’s events, she was keen to make the most of the few hours she was there.
The study felt strangely empty, especially without even Ruby there, sitting in her armchair.
Bex got to work. She really did think that Gordon was overreacting.
There was no chance that people would see these stacks of paperwork and assume that Fergus’s will mentioned something about another heir.
But her role was to help Gordon, and that was what she was going to do.
She moved to the cupboard to store away a couple of folders when a small leather notebook dropped out.
It was the one she had seen several times before; the one with the names of hospitals in it.
An entire notebook containing nothing but a list of hospital names, all of which had been neatly crossed through.
It was a lovely notebook. Worn tan leather with thick lined paper inside.
The type of quality Bex wasn’t sure you could even get any more, certainly not without paying through the nose for it.
If it had been hers, she would’ve ripped out or replaced that first page and started fresh.
But it wasn’t hers. It was Fergus’s, or Kieron’s, or whoever everything of the old laird’s now belonged to.
Besides, she could never damage anything that had belonged to the old laird. Even a seemingly meaningless notebook. She lifted it up, slipped it back onto the pile in the cupboard and shut the door.
It was just after eleven when Gordon told her she should head back. It hardly seemed fair, given that she’d only done a few hours’ work, but he insisted.
‘Trust me, it’s going to get so loud in here soon you won’t be able to do anything. Give me a minute, and I’ll give you a lift back to the village.’
Bex hesitated. The sky outside was clear and blue.
Yes, it was cold, but there wasn’t a hint of cloud, let alone a threat of snow.
This wasn’t like the walk she’d taken before, across the fields where it was easy to get lost. She was going to walk straight back to the village, along paths she had trodden hundreds of times.
‘If you don’t mind,’ Bex said, ‘I really feel like I could do with the exercise. I’ve barely had a chance to stretch my legs.’
Gordon’s cheeks puffed out slightly as he considered how to respond. Bex wouldn’t put up a fight if he insisted on giving her a lift – that would hardly be reasonable – but with Lorna mollycoddling her so much lately, she really needed a bit of space.
‘Fine, but I need you to send me a message,’ Gordon said eventually, ‘the minute you’re back in the village.’
‘Yes, Dad,’ Bex replied, but she couldn’t help but grin.
Gordon really did have a paternal air about him and it caused a warmth to fill her, especially given how far away she was from her own.
That had been another reason Bex had never been able to see herself settling here.
Being away from her family. Her friends.
People she knew. Yet it never ceased to amaze her how many people there were in this little village that genuinely cared about her.
And now it felt like she could add Gordon to that list too.
She turned to leave before hesitating and looking back at the old man.
‘I guess I’ll see you tonight, won’t I? You are coming?’
He crinkled his nose and let out a slight huff.
‘We’ll see,’ he said. ‘And don’t forget about that text all right?’
The walk back was everything she needed. Fresh air to fill her lungs. Wide open space. It was ridiculous to think that a place this beautiful, this calm and serene, had been so deadly only a few days before. But it wasn’t a lesson she was going to forget anytime soon. If ever.
When she reached the cottage, Bex let herself in, thinking how strange it would be to go back to her own apartment, to sleep in her own bed.
Lorna’s sofa bed, as temporary as it was, was incredibly comfortable, but Bex had been there for over a week now.
She really needed to consider booking a B&B to stop imposing on Lorna, and since the business would cover the cost, it seemed like a fair solution.
Not that Lorna would take too kindly to it.
Bex was well aware of how much she enjoyed having a housemate.
And given the night they were about to have, today didn’t feel like the right time to bring it up.
‘Hey, girl,’ Bex said as Ruby bounded up to her.
‘You’re back earlier than I thought you’d be.
Did Lorna pick you up from Duncan’s after your walk?
Where is she? Is she here? Lorna, I’m back,’ Bex called out as she stopped stroking Ruby long enough to slip off her shoes and hang up her coat.
‘I’m ready to learn what all the fuss for tonight is about.
’ She walked into the living room, with her phone in her hand as she wrote her message to Gordon, saying she was back.
As she typed away, her peripheral vision caught sight of someone sitting on the sofa.
Lorna, she assumed. Only when she pressed send on the message and lifted her head up, it wasn’t Lorna she found herself looking at at all.
It was Duncan.
‘Can we talk?’ he asked.