Chapter 25
Giselle’s heart leapt. Was it Rocco? Had he returned? ‘Who?’ she squeaked.
‘That Claire woman. And she’s got a guy with her. An estate agent. A posh one. He seems fairly impressed, and I heard him say he’s got someone in mind who is looking for a place exactly like this.’
Staggered, Giselle struggled to remain calm as disappointment swept through her in a flood of misery.
‘They arrived a couple of hours ago. How inconsiderate not letting us know in advance. It was pure luck we had any rooms free,’ Avril said.
‘She insisted on staying in Rocco’s suite, but I put him up in one of the smaller rooms. Bloody ironic that we’re the busiest we’ve ever been, yet the castle is about to be sold.
I hope whoever buys it doesn’t turn it into flats or something. ’
‘Isn’t it a listed building?’ Izzy asked.
‘It is, but there are ways and means,’ Avril replied darkly. ‘My uncle is on the council, and you ought to hear the stories he can tell. And don’t mention turning it into flats to my dad; he’ll throw a fit.’
Right now, Giselle didn’t care about listed buildings or planning permission, and she’d already resigned herself to having to look for a job soon, but she couldn’t move past the hope she’d felt when she’d thought Rocco was here, which had been swiftly followed by renewed heartache.
He wasn’t coming back. Deep down she’d known this, but a part of her had clung on to a smidgen of hope.
‘Thanks for the heads-up,’ she managed.
‘I didn’t want you to bump into them without some warning, in case you thought—’
‘Rocco was with them?’
‘Yes,’ Avril said with a small sympathetic smile. ‘If I’ve got any more news, I’ll let you know.’ She shot an anxious glance at the castle’s main entrance. ‘I’d better get back before I’m missed.’
‘Do you want to go home?’ Izzy asked Giselle as Avril hurried away.
‘Definitely not.’ Giselle was firm on that score.
She wasn’t going to let Rocco’s henchwoman drive her out of the studio she paid good money to rent.
In fact, she had a feeling she’d need to create as many pictures as she could with the materials in her possession.
She should sell as much as possible while the craft centre was still open.
It would take time to search out new shops who’d be willing to stock her pictures.
And that was if she actually wanted to keep making them, because her heart wasn’t in it anymore.
‘We’ll grab that coffee and cake, then you can have a play with card and glue while I do some work,’ Giselle said.
‘That’s my girl!’ Izzy linked an arm through hers and gave it a squeeze. ‘But seriously, Zelle, if you’re not up to it… You look washed out.’
‘I feel it,’ Giselle admitted. But perhaps it is normal to feel meh when you’ve got a broken heart, she pondered miserably.
The cafe was busy as usual, but there was a table free and no sign of Claire, so Giselle grabbed it while her sister went to the counter to drool over the selection of freshly made cakes.
‘I couldn’t decide whether to have a passionfruit slice or a piece of triple chocolate,’ she announced when she sat down. ‘So I went for both. You’ll have to help me eat them.’
‘I don’t think I can,’ Giselle replied, eyeing them. Their gooey sugariness made her feel quite queasy, so she sipped her tea and watched her sister devour both slices.
‘That was heavenly,’ Izzy declared, dabbing crumbs from her mouth. Then she was on her feet and urging Giselle to go to the gift shop with her.
As soon as she spotted Giselle, Jinny said, ‘I was hoping to catch you before you heard it from anyone else.’ Her face was sombre.
‘I know. Avril told me that Claire is here with an estate agent.’
‘That’s not all.’ Sympathy filled her friend’s eyes, and Giselle wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what Jinny was about to tell her. ‘They were in the shop earlier. I heard them talking.’
‘About what?’ Giselle was getting a bad feeling about this.
Jinny took a deep breath. ‘Claire was looking at your pictures and I heard her say that she already had one of them, the big one of the loch. She said that Rocco likes it, but it’s not really her taste, though she was sure she could find somewhere to hang it where she wouldn’t have to look at it all the time, and could this guy help her and Rocco find their forever home when the castle is sold. ’
Giselle was horrified. ‘What?! That’s impossible. You’ve got it wrong.’
‘She mentioned the M word,’ Jinny added miserably.
‘Marriage?’ The world spun, and Giselle wanted to vomit.
He’d lied to her! And to think she’d trusted him, believed him when he’d told her that Claire was just a colleague.
Anger burnt, bright and hot. How could she have been so stupid? He’d been playing with her, had taken the opportunity to have a bit of fun. He’d betrayed her and Claire both.
Giselle felt sick. She wasn’t sure who she despised the most: herself for being so gullible, or Rocco for being such a shit.
It was lucky for him that he hadn’t accompanied his girlfriend because Giselle would have loved nothing better than to tear his head from his two-timing shoulders.
Then her anger vanished as swiftly as it had arrived, leaving her broken and inconsolable.
Izzy ushered her out of the gift shop and into the studio, then sat her down and made her a cup of coffee. ‘Do you want me to find something stronger?’
‘Coffee is fine.’ Giselle sipped it, grimacing at the taste.
‘Would you like to go home?’
She shook her head. ‘I’ll only mope around, and I’ve done enough of that lately. Actually, I’ll go see if the cafe has some herbal tea.’ She got to her feet. ‘While I’m gone, you can get started on a picture, if you like.’
‘Zelle…?’
‘I need to keep busy. I’ll be fine, honestly,’ she insisted, but both of them knew she was lying.
Rocco tucked his car around the rear of the castle, where Cal’s Land Rover and the golf buggy that Mhairi used to use when she wanted to tour her estate were parked.
Getting out and stretching, he debated whether to let the estate manager know he was here, but decided not to bother him just yet.
Before he did anything, he wanted to see Giselle.
As he walked towards the studios, he felt even more nervous. Once again, he asked himself whether he was doing the right thing, but he was here now, so…
On Bambi legs, his heart going like the clappers, Rocco hesitated outside the door.
She was there! He could see her hunched over the workbench, and he took a long, deep breath, blowing out his cheeks as he exhaled.
Then he opened the door, went inside and—
The woman wasn’t Giselle!
She looked up with a smile, her expression open and welcoming, then her eyes hardened abruptly and her full lips tightened.
‘Um, I was looking for Giselle?’ he said, glancing around the studio as though he expected her to be hiding somewhere.
‘You’re Rocco.’
‘I am.’ His reply was guarded as he tried to work out who she was and why—
Then it came to him! This must be Giselle’s sister! He should have realised immediately, as the similarities were obvious.
Izzy didn’t look at all pleased to see him.
‘Is she here?’ he asked.
‘Why?’
Taken aback, he didn’t have an answer. Why was she being so aggressive? What on earth had he done, or not done, to deserve it?
And when she spat, ‘Haven’t you done enough damage without sniffing around her again?’ he was at a total loss.
She cocked her head, studying him as though he were some kind of nasty insect.
Thoroughly perplexed now, he said, ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘I don’t appreciate anyone playing with my sister’s affections. And under your girlfriend’s nose, too. You broke my sister’s heart, you scumbag. Shame on you.’
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ he protested. ‘What girlfriend?’
‘Claire.’ Giselle’s voice came from behind him, and he whirled around, his heart leaping.
‘Giselle,’ he breathed. His chest tightened at the sight of her and his pulse stumbled.
Her expression was stony. ‘What do you want?’
Hell, this was going badly, but he didn’t know why. He thought he’d cleared up the nonsense about Claire being his girlfriend. And what had Izzy just said? Something about breaking her sister’s heart?
‘To tell you I’m not selling the castle,’ he said, playing it safe until he could work out what was going on.
‘That’s why your girlfriend and an estate agent are here, is it? To not sell it? Pull the other one,’ she scoffed.
‘Back up a second! Not only do you still think Claire is my girlfriend despite me categorically telling you she isn’t, but you think she’s here, in Duncoorie?’
‘Right on both counts.’
Rocco was so tense his jaw ached. On the long drive to Skye, he’d run Giselle’s every possible reaction through his mind, but not one of them had featured her being angry.
Or accusing. And certainly not delusional.
She must have got the wrong end of the stick.
Maybe Claire had informed Cal that someone official would be along shortly to value the place for probate.
He wasn’t entirely sure what probate entailed, and maybe he should have taken Claire up on her offer to discuss her progress so far (although not over dinner), but all he’d wanted was to go home, pick through Mhairi’s boxes and lick his wounds.
He said, ‘Claire is in London; I’m assuming she’s organising an official valuation, but that’ll be purely for probate.’
‘Wrong on both counts,’ Giselle snapped. ‘Claire is here, and she’s got an estate agent with her. He’s already got a buyer in mind.’
‘What? That can’t be right.’
‘Which bit?’
‘All of it.’
‘Your girlfriend is definitely here,’ Giselle insisted.
‘Once and for all, she’s not my girlfriend, and if she is here, I wasn’t aware she was coming.’ Bloody hell, this is all I need, he thought.
‘Why did Claire tell your estate agent that you’re getting married?’
‘She did what?’ Taken aback, he said, ‘You must be mistaken. We are not getting married.’
‘And apparently you’re waiting for the castle to be sold so you can buy a house together. Oh, and she doesn’t like the sea glass picture you bought to hang in your new house, so you might have to rethink where you’re going to put it! I can suggest a few places.’
‘We are categorically not buying a house together,’ he growled through clenched teeth.
‘And neither am I selling the castle. I want to keep it. I’m going to live here, not London, and do you know why?
’ He was shouting now, boiling with rage.
Claire’s machinations astounded him. ‘Because I love you, Giselle. You – not Claire. I know you don’t feel the same way about me, but I’ve said it – I love you.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an estate agent to turf off my property. ’
Furious, Rocco pushed past the woman he loved and stormed towards the castle, and when he entered the castle’s impressive hall, the receptionist’s jaw dropped open.
‘Avril, do you know where Claire Wallace is?’ he snapped.
‘Er, Rocco, Mr Moore, um, hello. We didn’t expect— I believe she’s in the parlour,’ the woman stuttered.
‘Thank you,’ he called over his shoulder as he strode off.
He didn’t bother knocking on the parlour door, and when he pushed it open, both Claire and the man with her jumped. They were seated at the polished wood desk, a tablet propped up in front of them, a laptop at Claire’s elbow.
‘Rocco? Why—? What—?’ Claire recovered quickly. ‘You should have told me you were coming; we could have travelled up together.’
‘Sorry, could you excuse us, please?’ he said to the estate agent. ‘I’d like a word with Claire in private.’
The man glanced at Claire, as though seeking permission to leave.
Claire said, ‘Rocco, this is Kurt Fuller from Jermyns. Kurt, this is Rocco Moore, the castle’s owner. I don’t believe you two have met. Kurt will handle the sale personally. In fact, we were just discussing that very thing, so it might be more beneficial if he stayed.’
‘In private, please,’ Rocco insisted.
‘Very well. Kurt, would you mind?’
The man got to his feet with obvious reluctance and picked up the tablet. ‘I’ll be in the lounge,’ he said, casting Rocco a doubtful look. ‘Pleased to meet you, Mr Moore.’
Rocco tightened his lips and gave the man a brief nod.
As soon as the door snicked softly shut, Claire rounded on him. ‘That was incredibly rude.’
‘I’ll apologise later, and recompense him for his time.’
‘No need. It’ll come out of the commission on the sale.’
‘There won’t be any sale.’
Claire’s chin came up. ‘Excuse me?’
‘I’m not selling the castle.’
‘You have to.’
‘No, I don’t. I’m going to live here and run the castle and the craft centre as a going concern.’
‘But what about the company? And Beverly?’
‘That’s between my mother and I.’ He should never have involved Claire. The castle and his personal finances were none of her concern. ‘Why are you giving people the impression we’re together?’
She blinked. ‘I didn’t realise I had.’
‘People seem to think we’re getting married.’
‘By people, do you mean that blonde-haired woman you’ve been seeing? Is she the reason you don’t want to sell?’
‘Who I date is no concern of yours.’ How did she know about Giselle, he wondered, then guessed his mother must have told her. ‘Did Beverly put you up to it?’
‘She only wants what’s best for you.’
His mother had put her up to it! The pair of them were in cahoots. ‘What’s best for me is that she stays out of my private life.’
Claire studied him, her brown eyes narrowed. ‘I’ve done some rough calculations on the value of the estate,’ she said calmly, moving the laptop closer and turning the screen to face him. ‘Do you want to know how much it’s worth, approximately?’
‘I don’t care. I’m not selling,’ he declared, but he looked anyway.
The figure on the screen astounded him. He’d thought it was worth a fair bit, but not that much. Dear God…
Rocco collapsed into a chair as the enormity struck him. ‘Are you sure?’ he croaked.
‘As I said, it’s a rough calculation, but it’ll be there or thereabouts.’
He felt sick. There was no way he could keep the castle. No way. Even with the sale of his house and the liquidation of every stock and share he owned, he couldn’t afford to keep it.
The forty per cent inheritance tax would ensure that.