Chapter 3
Back at the cottage, Lorna was still fast asleep, but Ruby was wide awake. She bolted across to Bex the moment the front door opened, her tail wagging so hard it smacked against the wall.
‘You know, I really wasn’t gone that long,’ Bex said as she bent down to stroke the dog. ‘But guess what? I’ve found a place for us to stay. The only thing is, you have to be very good. No barking. No scratching. You think you can do that?’
Ruby tilted her head to the side, her tail momentarily pausing, before it continued again at an even more rapid pace than before.
‘Of course you can, I know. You’re such a good girl, aren’t you? Well, we should get going. We’ll give Lorna a ring later, just so she knows where we are. Now, can you carry your pheasant for me, or do I have to carry that too?’
Understanding exactly what had been asked of her, Ruby dashed into the living room and picked up her well-chewed pheasant cuddly toy, while Bex grabbed the dog bed. She was bound to have forgotten something, Bex reasoned, but it wasn’t like they were far away.
Just like Roddy had suggested, when Bex arrived back at the White Hart, they went to the back door, where she placed the dog bed just inside in the dry before turning to Ruby.
‘You need to sit and stay. Okay? I won’t be long. I just have to make sure the coast is clear and get our room key.’
The dog opened her mouth as if to bark her understanding, only to stop before any sound came out. Obviously, she’d remembered the rules Bex had laid out about no barking. ‘Good girl. Now remember. Sit and stay.’
Confident that Ruby would follow the instructions and not run off, Bex slipped in past the kegs, up to where Roddy was standing beside the bar, serving.
‘Great, you’re back.’ He handed a patron a pint. ‘I’ll be with you in one sec.’
After taking the money for the drink, Roddy scooted over to her, lowering his voice to a whisper. ‘I had a brilliant idea when you were gone. About the you-know-what.’
‘You did?’
He nodded. ‘Was thinkin’ I could hang somethin’ on the back door when it’s not safe for you. Like a baseball cap or a “Do Not Disturb” sign from the rooms. If you have a wee check, you’ll know whether she has to stay in the room.’
It was a simple idea, but Bex had to admit it was a good one.
‘Thank you, that’s great.’
‘I’ll tell Julie in the kitchen as well. Just place it on and off. She doesnae need to know why.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Ah, an’ afore I forget, breakfast’s included. Seven to nine thirty. We dinnae do room service, but you can come down in your jammies if you fancy. No one will care.’
Bex wasn’t sure she’d be entirely comfortable sitting in the pub in her pyjamas, but she got what Roddy meant.
‘Oh, and I’ve said nae cleaning in your room. You’ll have to hoover yourself, but I figure that’s better than someone askin’ about aw the fur.’
‘I can do that,’ Bex replied, and though she’d have to figure out where they kept the vacuum cleaners, she reasoned it couldn’t be that hard to do. After all, Roddy was going to a lot of trouble for her.
‘You should get up there now, though. Boss gets in in thirty. Here’s the key. Room number three, top of the stairs and turn left.’
After another quick thanks, Bex went outside to where Ruby was sitting in the exact position as she’d left her.
‘Come on, girl. Let’s get you in the warm.’
The room was a pleasant surprise, not least because, rather than the single bed she had assumed she would be getting, there was a double.
It wasn’t as big as the monster four-poster, king-size at the castle, but it was a definite step up from the sofa bed.
Not only that, but the small kitchenette area was fully stocked, with teas, coffees and biscuits, and there was more than enough room for Ruby’s bed, although at the sight of crisp white sheets and soft pillows, the red Lab wasted no time jumping onto them.
‘Sorry, girl,’ Bex said, pushing her off. ‘It’s one thing at home, but I think we don’t wanna get Roddy in trouble, do we? You’re gonna have to sleep in your bed for now.’
The dog tilted her head to the side, then had a slight sniff.
‘Need I remind you that if Kieron had his way, you’d be outside in the kennel?’
With a huff, Ruby slumped down, though it didn’t take long until her tail was wagging again.
Following her dog’s lead, Bex dropped onto the double bed and looked to the door of the bathroom.
She could already see there was a large bath, and she could think of far worse ways to spend the evening than soaking in a tub reading a book.
Last winter, when she had come up to spend time with Duncan, she had lost count of the number of nights she’d done that.
The fire would be roaring away in the living room, as Duncan sat with Kenna on his lap, occasionally moving to bring her a glass of wine, or hot chocolate or simply to plant a kiss on the top of her forehead.
Her chest tightened with each resurfacing memory.
At some point during the evening, she was going to have to bite the bullet and message him.
Any longer and it would look like she didn’t want to speak to him, and that just wasn’t the truth.
But where did she start? She didn’t even know if he’d agreed to take a DNA test, though she couldn’t imagine why he wouldn’t.
Maybe that was what she should start by asking.
How he was feeling and whether he knew what his next step was going to be.
She picked up her phone and flicked through to messages for him, but before she had even typed the first word, the phone started ringing. Bex’s pulse took a definite upward turn as her mum’s name flashed on the screen. Worse still, she wanted to video call.
Bex’s relationship with her parents had always been good, and the older she got, the closer she and her mother had become.
She would talk to her almost as much as she spoke to the girls and had long ago learned there was no point in hiding things from her, like man troubles or issues at work.
She would only work them out herself and be upset Bex hadn’t told her.
But the last couple of days, Bex had been keeping things from her mum.
Quite a few things. And while she didn’t feel bad about hiding the true purpose of her job up here – after all, she’d had to keep that hidden from everyone – she still hadn’t told her parents about the incident with the storm.
And if they ever found that out from someone else, they would be devastated.
Then there was also the matter that her parents had loved Duncan.
Even though she’d known how much Bex struggled with long distance, she had encouraged her to find a solution, often commenting how men like Duncan didn’t grow on trees; as if Bex didn’t already know that.
But now though, when her heart was in such a fragile state, was that really what she wanted to hear?
Then again, if she didn’t pick up, she knew her mum would keep trying until she got through. So maybe it was better to just bite the bullet.
‘Hey, Mum…’ Bex’s voice sounded unnaturally tight. ‘Everything all right?’
‘Hey, Becky Boo. I thought you’d ring me today. I was hoping to see photos of the big night.’ Judging by the layers her mother was dressed in, it was cold down south too, yet she had the warmest smile of anyone Bex had ever known. ‘Did you have fun?’
‘Yeah, it was a good night,’ Bex lied. ‘Lots of poems and dancing.’
‘Dancing? With anyone in particular?’ Bex knew exactly what her mother was asking and had no intention of answering her. Yet before she had a chance to even make something up, her mum had another question. ‘Becky, where are you? I thought you were staying at Lorna’s.’
‘Yes, yes, I was. But I’ll be staying up here a little while longer now, so I thought it was best if we had a bit more room.’
‘We? Who’s we?’
Bex should have kept her eyes on the phone. If she’d done that, then perhaps it would have been okay, but instead, her gaze shifted to Ruby. The split-second action was all it took for Ruby to leap up from her bed and plant her paws on Bex’s lap, her big furry head covering the screen entirely.
‘Becky Boo, is that Ruby? What’s going on? Are you with Duncan? Did you get back together? Oh, darling! That’s such wonderful news.’
Her mother’s elation at the thought of a rekindled romance was all it took for tears to prick behind Bex’s eyes.
‘No, Mum. We didn’t get back together. We can’t.’ She could feel the heat welling. Any second now, and she wasn’t going to be able to stop it.
‘What do you mean you can’t, darling? I saw you two together, and it was clear how much he worshipped you. If you want to, you can find a way around this.’
‘It’s not that simple.’ She wiped her cheeks, shifting her gaze to the ceiling in hope of stemming the flow.
‘Life’s rarely simple, darling. That doesn’t mean you just give up on it.’
‘No, I mean… it’s… it’s too late.’
‘What do you mean it’s too late? Oh, dear… has he found somebody else? Darling, I’m so sorry.’
Bex shook her head, dislodging more tears from her eyes.
As silly as it was, she didn’t have the strength to correct her.
Somehow, it was easier letting her mother think Duncan had found someone else than explaining the truth to her.
Duncan was the heir to a massive fortune, and if she rekindled their relationship now, she would look like nothing more than a gold digger.
Bex didn’t respond. The silence stretched.
‘Look, my darling,’ her mother said gently, ‘you look tired. Why don’t you have a nice warm bath, then get an early night? I’m sure you’re still tired from last night’s party. Get some proper rest. Things always seem better in the morning.’
Bex nodded, though she didn’t actually believe it.
‘You’re right. I’m just tired, that’s all.’
‘Well, we’ll speak tomorrow. And you can tell me all about where you are and why Ruby’s with you. We love you, Becky Boo. Okay? Remember that. You’re loved.’
‘Love you too. So much.’
As Bex hung up the phone, she glanced down at Ruby, who was now seated by her feet. Suddenly the idea of her dog sleeping across the floor made her feel incredibly cold.
‘Maybe we can get a blanket to go on the bed,’ she said. ‘But you have to promise to stay on it.’