The Earl of Arms and Ammo
Even the worst bout of shame receded eventually.
Kendrick wouldn’t have thought it possible, but that’s how it was.
He assumed Shona hadn’t told anyone in Kirkby about their embarrassing encounter ten days ago, because if she had, it would have certainly come back round to him, be it in the form of pity or mockery.
But people weren’t treating him any differently, and he slowly began to behave like his usual self too.
At least as far as others were concerned.
He went about his business, all the while doing his best to avoid Shona.
The latter would probably not work forever, but it did for the time being, and that was good enough for now.
He really didn’t know what to say to her the next time they met.
I’m sorry you didn’t finish. I feel terrible about what happened.
Is there a way I can make it up to you? Heck no, none of that would do!
Maybe it was best to play for time and hope that she would eventually forget about the evening.
He certainly wouldn’t, though, because he had never experienced anything like it.
Not with Glenna and not with any of the girls he had dated before her.
With his first love, he had had sex in the car once and in the woods twice, but that was the most adventurous sexual experience he had enjoyed in his thirty-two years.
Well, now he could add bathroom sex to his list. Although it would be more accurate to call it a broom closet romp.
He still felt embarrassed, and at the same time the memory of that evening excited him beyond measure.
The way they had danced together, their greedy kisses and Shona’s obvious desire for him – he had never experienced anything like it.
She had wanted him so badly! Him, who had barely succeeded in getting it on with his partner in the last ten years ...
No, that was a different story. And the thought of Glenna immediately took his excitement level back down to zero.
Kendrick had taken to ignoring most of his family’s calls and only answered when the vet hospital number appeared on his display.
They still needed to work together on some cases after all.
But the moment someone at the other end brought up ‘the private matter’, he hung up on them.
Needless to say, he hadn’t changed his mind, and he doubted he ever would.
If Glenna and Davina wanted to have children, they could find themselves a bio-dad at a sperm bank.
He wasn’t going to play stallion for them!
Kendrick was treating a lame young Highland cow when his phone rang. Patting the animal’s woolly rump, he pulled his phone out of the breast pocket of his work dungarees. Fortunately, it wasn’t another family member making further demands, but Rupert Fraser. “Hello, Rupert. What can I do for you?”
He listened to the local horse-whisperer and promised to drop by at his stables the next day. Rupert had really piqued his interest with what he told him ...
He turned back to the cattle farmer. “She’ll be limping for a few more days, but then she should be fine,” he explained.
“My best guess is that she stepped in a hole and sprained her ankle or pulled a muscle. I can say for sure that nothing is broken, and I would also rule out a torn ligament. That would have caused more swelling. I could inject a painkiller but I’d rather not.
You know how these youngsters are. If they’re not in pain, they go right back to being overly confident.
And I’d rather she didn’t injure herself more. ”
“Should I put her in the barn for a bit?” asked the farmer.
“No reason to. She’ll be fine outside. The hurting leg will remind her not to overdo it. It should be better by tomorrow already but do give me a ring if she hasn’t improved three days from now.” He stroked his patient’s neck once more and then followed the farmer into his home to wash his hands.
He still had two hours until his next appointment, so he decided to treat himself to lunch at the pub. Maybe someone there already knew more about Rupert’s new client. Besides, he was developing a serious dependency on the excellent chicken tikka masala Jon had on the menu.
“The usual?” Jon called out as Kendrick entered the pub and sat down at an open table.
He nodded and was delighted when the publican served him his non-alcoholic beer and steaming chicken with basmati rice a few minutes later.
“Enjoy!” Jon leaned forwards and asked: “Have you heard about the Earl of Arms and Ammo yet?”
The Earl of Arms and Ammo?! So that’s how long it took to get a nickname in this town!
“Just briefly. Rupert called earlier. He wants me to look at three racehorses tomorrow.” Kendrick suppressed a grin.
His approach was working like a charm. He shovelled a piece of chicken into his mouth and motioned for Jon to take a seat.
“I haven’t seen him yet either, but I know he arrived yesterday along with a whole entourage. They have a reservation at Isla’s restaurant tonight.”
“An entourage? Wow.”
“Well, that’s maybe a bit of an exaggeration.
One guy is probably his personal assistant, the other one a vet.
Anyway, they rented two cottages from Alex.
For two months! Colleen said they’ve had their reservation for a while, but it was made and paid for under a fake name.
So you can imagine how surprised they all were when there were no Millers and Smiths arriving yesterday but instead some ridiculously decked-out Earl of Penningcard with two lackeys in tow. ”
“Huh, that’s strange. Rupert has a lot of famous clients who stay with Alex. Why go to all this trouble to stay incognito?” Kendrick replied, frowning. “And I wonder why they are planning to stay for two months ...” The earl’s name rang a bell, but he couldn’t place him.
“Maybe his nags are completely messed up and will need a lot of fixing from Rupert?”
“Nags? They are probably worth a fortune!”
“Whatever,” Jon shrugged. “I’ve never been into horses, and I don’t understand …
Well, no matter. I am much more interested in whether or not we’ll see the earl and his entourage around the village.
I mean, two months can be bloody long and boring.
Naturally, our Colleen has already looked him up online.
Apparently, he’s a notorious playboy and inherited his title just a few years ago.
On his mother’s side, he’s from some American billionaire family who made their money with defence contracts.
Supposedly, he has some role in this company, but working doesn’t seem to be his thing.
He hangs out with Saudi princes, Russian oligarchs and other infamous characters, and the gossip magazines always feature his escapades prominently.
If it gets out that he’s here for a while, we might end up with a bunch of paparazzi and ... ”
“... and your future father-in-law Marlin will have a major meltdown,” Kendrick finished the sentence for Jon and grinned. Word of Marlin Fraser’s aversion to any kind of public attention had long got round to him.
“You bet. Colleen’s also worried that he’ll stir up trouble among the single women, because she says he’s gorgeous and ...” Jon fell silent and stood up swiftly.
“You alright?” Kendrick enquired, slightly confused.
“I’ve been in Kirkby for less than half a year and I’ve already turned into the worst gossip in town.” Jon seemed genuinely taken aback by his realisation and slung the tea towel he was holding over his shoulder with a flourish.
“Isn’t that part of the job description when you run a pub? I came here today specifically because of this quality of yours.”
“Don’t say that, pal!” Jon shook his head. “Besides, I thought you came for our chicken.”
“That too. Anyway, it’s always good to know the place to gather new intel when you need it.” Kendrick finished his last bite of chicken and soaked the remaining sauce up with his naan.
“The swap shop is an even better place for that. Collum, his secretary Leslie and Colleen really do know everything that happens in Kirkby. Good luck trying to keep a secret from those three! They make me look like a bloody amateur. Care for some coffee?”
“Sure, and I have one more question: What do you know about this party in September everybody is talking about?”
“The one at the Old School?” Kendrick nodded.
“I haven’t the faintest idea. The town hall gang is keeping a tight lid on this one.
But they’ll have to come out with it sooner or later, because if it’s going to be a big party, they’ll need food and drink, and I can’t see them hiring a catering service other than Isla’s and mine. ”
“Makes sense,” Kendrick acknowledged and wondered why he was so keen on such an event. Granted, he loved a good party like anybody else, especially if there was music and dancing. But there would definitely be some people he’d rather not see anytime soon ...
“I think Shona is ahead of me on this one,” Jon whispered in a low voice. “She acted very suspiciously yesterday when the topic came up. Sounded like she’s in on it by now. So maybe it will be a whisky tasting event.”
“Never mind, I’ll just wait and see.” Kendrick checked his phone and saw three calls from his family’s mobiles.
He had those numbers automatically rerouted to his voicemail to make it easier to ignore them.
“Do you still have any of those sensational blueberry scones? I’d love one with my coffee. And lots of clotted cream please.”
“Coming up! You having a tough day?”
“They are too good to resist any day of the year. But I have to spend the whole afternoon at the MacMillans’ to castrate the young goats and rams and check the hoofs on the whole herd. Go figure.”
“Now, doesn’t that sound like a fun afternoon,” Jon replied cheekily and disappeared behind his counter to make the coffee and take a scone from the display case.