Chapter 47
The next morning, Lorna was in bed nursing what was bound to be a catastrophic hangover while Bex sat on the sofa, her computer on her lap as she debated her life choices.
After her conversation with Duncan, Bex had headed straight home. The way she and Duncan had left things meant her party spirit had very much gone, and the thought of facing Kieron was enough to have her bolting for the door.
It had been another four hours before Lorna staggered in, full of song, not to mention questions about where she had disappeared to for so long and gossip about how drunk and moody Kieron had been when he’d finally kicked them all out.
Even though Bex had still been wide awake when she’d heard the front door go, she’d hurriedly closed her eyes and proceeded to keep them closed as she responded to all of Lorna’s comments with a series of low grunts, hopefully giving the impression she was either too drunk or too tired to answer them.
Thankfully, Lorna had given up eventually, leaving Bex to toss and turn before finally falling asleep for real, hoping everything would be clearer in the morning.
It wasn’t. And now she had been up for over two hours, staring at an email she’d written when she’d first woken, still unsure whether to send it.
It was the right thing to do, in her heart she knew that, but she just needed some reassurance.
It was where to go for said reassurance that was the issue.
Ruby had been sitting with her the entire time – other than when Bex had let her out the back door for a wee – but as brilliant a companion as Ruby was, in terms of advice, she was totally useless, meaning Bex needed to look elsewhere for help.
Bex knew there was no point in asking Lorna, or any of her friends in the village, not only because she already knew what their responses would be, but because it would raise a whole heap of questions that weren’t hers to answer.
They might only have subjective evidence for now, but she knew what the DNA test was going to show.
She would bet everything she owned on it.
And with the way village gossip spread, and the strop Kieron had thrown, she was pretty sure that by the end of the week, every resident of LochDarroch would know there was another potential heir in the mix.
They might even know that Duncan was top of the suspect list. Which was why she couldn’t say anything.
Gossip was bad enough, but when it was someone you loved at the centre of it, someone whose entire life was about to be turned upside down, she refused to be a part of it.
But for that same reason – Duncan’s life being tossed into turmoil – she couldn’t go back to London yet. Not until she knew he’d be okay.
With the phone in her hand, Bex debated ringing her parents. They gave sound advice, but would also have questions. What she needed was someone who would listen without prying. What she needed was her oldest friends. And thankfully, Daisy picked up straight away.
‘Hey, is everything all right?’
‘I’m not sure exactly,’ Bex started, only for the tears to well behind her eyes. ‘Actually, no. It’s all a complete mess.’
‘Bex, what is it? What’s happened? What do you need?’
What did she need? She had no idea. To go back in time and make sure Duncan was there to take Fergus’s phone call, so that she’d never been dragged into all this. Or further back in time still, so that they’d never broken up and she could have been there, at his side, to help him deal with it all.
She sniffed, trying to swallow back the tears as she choked out her reply.
‘I think… I think I just need to take some time off work. A couple of weeks. Things here with the will… it’s complicated. I’m not sure I can come back yet.’
‘Then don’t.’ Daisy was straight to the point.
And just like Bex had hoped, there were no prying questions asking exactly what was complicated or why it had her in such a state.
‘Why don’t you speak to Nigel? You’ve sacrificed more than enough for that company.
He owes you. I’m sure he’ll give you as long as you need. ’
Bex swiped at her continuous stream of tears with the back of her hand, only to find it lacked any form of absorbency, and so picked up a pillow and used that instead.
‘You’re right, you’re right,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry for ringing. I’m just being silly.’
‘No, you’re not. If you need anything, let me know.’ Daisy paused, and Bex could hear the question teetering at the end of her tongue. But she didn’t ask it. ‘Whatever this complication is, you’ll be okay. I promise,’ she said instead.
‘I hope so. Love you.’
‘Love you too.’
The second Bex hung up the phone, she didn’t give herself a chance to think. Instead, she tossed the pillow to the side, grabbed her laptop and clicked send on the email. There it was. Sent. Now, all she could do was wait and see, and that wasn’t something she wanted to do inside.
‘Come on, girl,’ she said, scratching the super-soft patch of fur behind Ruby’s ears. ‘Let’s go for a walk.’
On the off-chance that Lorna did wake up before she was back, Bex wrote a note, saying what time she’d left, what time she expected to be back and assuring her that she would be sticking to the main roads around the village, so there would be people close by should anything happen.
While it felt a little unnecessary to write such a thing, she knew she’d already put her friends through so much; this felt like the least she could do.
Outside, it was a crisp, clear day, where the white fluffy clouds and bright blue sky could have easily been mistaken for a summer’s day had it not been for the biting cold and glinting frost on the grass.
The two walked silently and slowly until they reached the turn down to the castle.
Only then did Bex stop as she gazed down the path.
Last night, leaving Duncan alone and giving him space to digest what he’d just learned had felt the kindest thing to do.
But now she was second-guessing that decision.
The last thing she wanted was for him to feel like she wasn’t there for him when he needed her.
But then what good would that do when she couldn’t be there for him long term?
Unless Nigel came back and agreed to her request, she might have to be on a flight back to London before the weekend.
A deep throb burned through her chest as Ruby let out a slight whine and tugged the lead.
‘It’s best if we stay away for now, girl,’ Bex said as she cast one more glance down the lane, let out a sigh, then carried on back up to the village.
Given that she’d not yet had a message or call from Lorna, Bex assumed she was still asleep. She was also pretty sure that Lorna had a shift at the pub later, and if she wasn’t up soon, there was no chance she was going to make it.
Deciding that perhaps food was the best way to rouse her current housemate, and knowing that there was very little in the cottage, she headed to the café.
Judging by the number of heads hanging in the village, Lorna wasn’t the only one nursing a hangover and when Bex pushed open the café door, the aroma of coffee was even stronger than usual, though there was surprisingly little chatter, and even the tinkle of the bell of the door was enough to make some of the patrons flinch.
However, behind the counter was a familiar, yet unexpected, face.
‘Roddy? What are you doing here?’
Roddy had been the one to drive Bex home from the castle well before the festivities drew to a close.
In his normal diplomatic way, he hadn’t said anything as silent tears streamed down her cheeks, other than to check she was okay.
But she knew that he’d waited outside the cottage until she was inside, before heading back to continue ferrying people home.
‘What do you think?’ he said, flashing her a smile. ‘I’m the only one clear-headed enough to work. And today of all days, people need their caffeine.’
He nodded over to a table, where one patron was slumped over, a coffee cup in each hand and a teapot in the middle.
‘Yeah, Lorna’s pretty worse for wear,’ Bex said. ‘Was hoping I could grab a couple of bacon rolls to take back?’
‘Sure thing. Just take a minute. Want to take a seat while you wait?’
‘Thanks.’
After picking up a water bowl for Ruby, Bex moved over to a table by the window.
Her eyes drifted outside. She should message Duncan, she thought.
Just send him a quick text to say she was here if he wanted to talk.
After all, he hadn’t even had the time she’d had to consider the possibility of there being another heir to Fergus’s estate, let alone that it could be him.
That kind of shock would shake anyone. Even someone as level-headed as Duncan.
Messaging was what a friend would do. If they couldn’t be more than that, then friends was what she’d have to settle for.
Deciding there was no time like the present, she picked up her phone, only for it to start buzzing in her hand. Her heart knocked against her ribs at the sight of her boss’s name.
‘Hi, Nigel.’ There was a definite quiver in her voice. A nervousness. If he didn’t approve her request, then she wasn’t exactly sure what she’d do.
‘Rebecca, I got your email.’
Her pulse quickened further still. ‘Yes, I know it’s a lot to ask—’
‘No, no. I understand. It’s been a tough time for you. So a month sabbatical, that’s what you’re saying you’d like?’
‘Yes, yes, please.’ She swallowed a lump in her throat, unsure where it had come from. She was normally so confident in work conversations. It was difficult to know why this one was different. ‘I know it’s not typical.’
‘Let’s be honest, there have been lots of things about your last few years that have been less than typical.
It’s fine. Honestly, with all the business you’ve brought this way the last week, I don’t think anyone will have any issues, and I’ll have to talk through all the details with HR but it shouldn’t be any problem.
Take your month. That corner office will be waiting for you when you get back. ’
‘Really?’ The relief that flooded from her chest was almost enough to make her want to cry. ‘Thank you, Nigel. Thank you so much.’
‘Just make sure you don’t stay up there permanently. This place’d be lost without you.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Bex replied, unable to stop herself from grinning. ‘I’ll be back.’
Only once she’d hung up the phone did Bex sit back in her chair and digest what this meant.
One month. A little over four weeks, to get everything in order and make sure that this time, when she headed back to London for good, she was finally ready to move on with her life without Duncan in it.
It sounded so simple when she thought of it that way. Who knew, maybe it would be…