Misconceptions
The Wise Pelican was already busy when they arrived.
Initially, the pub had been closed on Mondays, but Jon hadn’t been able to keep that up for long, given that both locals and out-of-towners were hungry and thirsty on Mondays as well.
So the pub was now open every day. Fortunately, Jon had been able to hire more staff, meaning he no longer had to stand behind the bar all day every day.
Kendrick knew that Jon usually took Tuesdays off to spend time with Isla, whose restaurant was closed on Monday and Tuesday.
But tonight he was in his pub and greeted Kendrick and Rupert with a broad smile.
“It’s pretty crowded, but I’m sure Betty and Jack will be happy to share their table,” he said, gesturing to a corner table with two open chairs.
Betty had already spotted the new arrivals and waved them over.
That was exactly what Kendrick had been hoping to avoid.
The former investigative journalist would use every trick in the book to pry the whole bloody story from him, whether he liked it or not.
Obviously, he did not. He stifled a groan and hesitated, but Rupert pushed him slightly forwards and whispered in his ear:
“Come on, lad, this is the quickest way to get it over with.”
At first, Betty and Jack were perfectly civilised, asking after the alpacas and dogs Marlin and Shona had picked up that morning.
So this news had already made the rounds too.
This town really was one-of-a-kind! As it turned out, Jon had spread the story after providing a bag of dog food for Shona’s new companions.
“It was quite something,” he retold happily.
“So there’s Marlin rushing in to ask for dog food.
I’m confused at first because that’s an unusual order, even for our Marlin, but then he tells me about his shopping trip to Fort Augustus.
” Jon laughed, along with his guests. “So I grab a bag of kibble from the pantry and carry it out to his car and almost drop it on the spot. Honestly, you should have seen it! Two huge shaggy beasts raising hell in his old SUV, trying to climb into Shona’s lap. ”
“Aye, they came as a bit of a surprise,” Rupert admitted with a grin. “Marlin has been going on for weeks that he thinks Shona needs a dog for protection when she’s in the distillery by herself. But getting her these half-starved wolfhounds! Tha’s a new level, even by his standards.”
“Oh come on, Marlin just has a heart for strays,” intervened Jack, one of Marlin’s oldest friends. “He’s always taking in some poor creature. He nurtures them back to health and tries to turn them into sheep dogs. Tha’s probably what’s in store for these two as well.”
“I reckon it’ll be a lost cause, because they are afraid of men. They are fully at the mercy of my dear niece,” replied Rupert, earning plenty of laughter.
“Hold on, we don’t know for sure that the dogs are afraid of men.
And Shona will manage just fine,” Kendrick jumped in.
“She showed that she can handle animals when she took in the alpaca.” It was one thing for him to consider her a rather incompetent camel keeper – which he no longer did anyway – and it was quite another for other people to make fun of her.
Shona might have her faults, but her heart was in the right place and she would take good care of the two dogs, he was certain. What he was less sure of was why he was suddenly defending this woman, whose main talent was to drive him up the wall, with quite so much vehemence.
“Also, Irish Wolfhounds are greyhounds, so I can guarantee you they won’t take to training as herding dogs,” he added as a more professional argument and to take the attention off Shona.
His or the others’, he wasn’t quite sure.
In any case, his little speech was met with stunned silence from his audience of four – and the odd raised eyebrow. Bollocks.
“I have to say I’m delighted with the latest developments in our wee sleepy town,” Betty finally said, scrutinising him with her piercing gaze and a subtle smile. “With more and more of you young folk moving up here, things have taken the most interesting turn.”
“It’s never been boring around here,” Rupert claimed and suddenly looked at Jack and Betty with a frown. “Wait a minute! What are yous two doing here? Shouldnae you be singing?”
“Dinnae you know what happened? The church choir canned me as their musical director,” Jack grumbled, sounding both indignant and embarrassed.
“I’m only here for moral support. I’ll go sing with the others again next week,” explained Betty, patting her friend’s hand.
“They kicked you out of your own choir? Can they do that?” Rupert seemed to be enjoying the news more than a little bit.
“They didnae ask, they just did it. So, are you telling me you dinnae know who my successor is?”
“Not a clue.”
“Your wife! She started the uprising and now she wants to replace me. All tha’s left is for her to kick me out of the pulpit on Sunday and her coup will be complete.”
“My Alice? Spearheading a coup?” Rupert stared at the minister, stunned, and Kendrick was relieved and grateful for the unexpected change of subject.
“Your kind-hearted Alice has the soul of a rebel,” Betty confirmed cheerfully. “Aye but seriously, it’s about time. Jack, dear, you have wonderful qualities to offer your parishioners, but you dinnae have a musical bone in your body! The choir had two options: self-destruct or revolt!”
This time, Kendrick could no longer contain himself, and he and Jon burst out laughing. It was true: Kirkby did have a lot going on – especially if you immersed yourself in village life. Which included being talked about from time to time.
“I’ll drink to that!” Rupert hollered. “That is, if we can get a drink in this establishment.”
Jon raised his hands apologetically. He had come to the table to take Rupert and Kendrick’s order and then got carried away with their conversation. “You’re just such good company. What can I get you?”
Betty Murray merely waited long enough for them to order, then set her sights on Kendrick. “Now that we’re done with alpacas, dogs and the church choir, I want you to tell me if the rumours about you and the two ladies from the harvest festival are true.”
“I can’t say, because I don’t know the rumours,” Kendrick replied nonchalantly. “And I’m more than happy to leave it that way.”
This earned him a pitying look from Jack and Rupert. Not that he expected to get off this lightly, but it was worth a try.
“Young man, dinnae you get smart with me!” Betty scolded, wagging her index finger. “Is it true that they are your older sister and your ex-girlfriend?” He nodded, and so she continued with her inquisition: “Is it also true that they are a couple?”
“I’m afraid so,” he murmured, mentally preparing for indignant or pitying responses from his fellow diners. He had no idea how conservative the older generation in this rural area was. The clergyman was of an age, surely, to consider same-sex couples sinful, and the other two ...
“Well, that certainly turned out badly,” Jack McTavish said calmly. “For you, I mean.”
“You could say that.” Kendrick gratefully accepted one of the beers a young waitress brought to the table. “Weren’t you going to drink to your wife, Rupert?” he tried half-heartedly to divert the attention back to the previous topic.
“Dinnae you change the subject,” Rupert cut him off. A fine friend he was!
“Let’s see if I’ve got that straight: your ex and your sister are lovers,” Betty said and immediately added her conclusion: “I’m assuming this is why we now have our very own local vet?”
“Got it in one,” Kendrick confirmed and took a large sip of beer.
“That must have been a terrible shock for you,” Betty said sympathetically and patted his arm motherly, only to continue matter-of-factly a moment later: “But these things happen. I’m sure it wasnae easy for them either to accept their feelings.
Love sometimes takes very strange paths, but I cheer for every happy couple that finds each other. As should you!”
Kendrick made a sound of disbelief. Relationship advice, wholesome as it might be, from an old woman was about the last thing he needed!
“I’m serious. What do you think: how likely is it that your relationship would have lasted under these circumstances?”
“Which doesn’t matter, and it’s not that I don’t understand. Rationally I do, but ...”
“Heartbreak is always painful,” Betty interjected. “I’m no’ saying it isnae. But we still have to move on. Let them be happy. You’ll find your own happiness soon, I’m sure.”
“If you say so,” grumbled Kendrick and accepted the steaming bowl of fish stew he had ordered.
He really needed to eat! The first delicious spoonful relaxed him a little.
Maybe Betty was right? Perhaps his own happiness was already underway?
His thoughts wandered back to a certain raven-haired beauty.
And he wasn’t thinking about his horse. Or not only about his horse, because perhaps it was all connected.
Be that as it may, he felt cautiously optimistic that Betty would now let it go.
She had found out all she wanted, hadn’t she?
“Now that we’ve established the basics, let’s move on to the important questions,” Betty resumed, completely crushing Kendrick’s hope. “What were they doing in Kirkby on Saturday?”
“Enjoying our harvest festival?” Jack suggested, and Kendrick couldn’t help but think that the minister was giving cues just to make the scenario as vivid as possible.
“Tha’s one possibility, of course,” Betty responded.
“But rather unlikely, no? If they had come for the event, they would have followed the dress code. And more importantly, they wouldnae have left with Kendrick after a few minutes. No, they must have had another reason to come all the way up here.” She stopped to look round the room, pretending to be lost in thought.