Chapter 11
Bex had always found Duncan’s lodge to be the perfect size for them.
Enough room for the two humans and varying numbers of animals not to get under one another’s feet, but still small enough that it felt cosy.
Now, though, it felt tiny. She couldn’t remember seeing so many people at once inside the small stone cottage, and considering Duncan still had all of Fergus’s dogs inside, there was close to no room.
While Duncan took the armchair and his parents the sofa, Bex opted for a dining chair, with Ruby at her feet and the enormous Maine coon cat Kenna on the table in front of her, next to an open bottle of whisky.
Lorna couldn’t settle and more than once moved from a dining chair to the arm of the sofa then back again.
There had been no offers of tea or coffee, the way Duncan usually did when people came over.
No polite small talk. Instead, Duncan had told them everything he knew, which included a few extra details they hadn’t shared on Burns Night, leading Bex to believe he’d had at least one more conversation with Gordon since then.
Through it all, Keith and Carrie sat there in silence, gripping one another’s hand, exchanging occasional swift glances. Several times, Bex noticed that Keith lowered his chin and dabbed at his eyes before he raised it again, likely at memories of his first wife. But Bex stayed quiet.
‘There’s no evidence for it,’ Duncan said, when he’d finally filled his family in on the details. ‘I mean, who would believe it, if I’m honest?’
‘I do,’ Keith said immediately. ‘Remember the fuss Fergus kicked up when I said we were moving out of the lodge? And he didn’t fill the place. Not for three years. Not until you moved back in here.’
Duncan shook his head. ‘He had plenty of houses. It’s hardly surprising that one or two might be left empty.’
‘And it just so happened to be the one your ma grew up in?’ Lorna replied.
‘It could just be a coincidence.’
‘And what about the ring?’ Keith questioned.
‘The ring?’
He nodded. ‘When I proposed to your ma, he said my ring was nae fitting for a woman like her. Too wee a diamond, that’s what he meant. Said he had some from his own mother that Winny didn’t like at all. Told me to pick one. Give her that, for specials, like.’
‘And you did?’ From the shock on Duncan’s face, he had no idea such a thing had ever happened.
‘Aye, I did. Not too big o’ one mind. Didn’t want to be greedy. Already felt odd about it, but he insisted. She didn’t wear it too much. Just for best, like.’
Duncan sat back in his chair and let out a sigh.
Bex couldn’t blame him. He’d just learned that his mother had spent her life wearing a family heirloom with no idea.
That had to be something to get your head around.
Still, she continued to stay silent. After all, it was a family meeting, and she wasn’t family.
As she’d sat there and listened, she could see the conflict and hurt in all their eyes.
Duncan might have been closest to Fergus, but the thought that Keith’s first wife had lived right under the nose of her biological father her entire life and never known it cut in a whole different matter.
Maybe that was the reason Duncan was so reluctant to accept this.
Because it felt like a strange betrayal to his mother – knowing the truth when she’d never had that luxury.
As the silence settled around them, Duncan sighed heavily. ‘To be honest, I don’t know… this is a complicated situation. I can’t imagine Kieron taking kindly to being told I’ve just usurped the millions he’s been waiting for his entire life.’
‘That’s one way of putting it. He was fuming when he came to mine yesterday, hammering on the door. And I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but he looked even more furious after he’d left Bex at the White Hart.’
‘You spoke to Kieron yesterday?’ Duncan’s attention snapped to Bex.
‘Hunted her down, more like,’ Lorna said. Duncan didn’t so much as glance in her direction. His piercing gaze was locked solely on Bex with the type of intensity that caused her pulse to rocket.
‘What did he want? What did he say to you?’
A lump lodged itself in her throat. For a moment, she considered telling the truth about the way Kieron had threatened her, saying he’d make her life difficult.
But she knew Duncan. Whether they were together or not didn’t matter.
If he found out Kieron had come into her room and said those kinds of things, Duncan wouldn’t be moving into Highland Hall. He’d be looking at a move behind bars.
‘He… he wanted to apologise for the way he’d been the other night,’ Bex lied, but she could see Duncan wasn’t buying it.
‘If he said something, did something—’
‘No, it’s fine, honestly. He wants what he thinks is his. That’s it. He’s not stupid enough to do anything that will jeopardise him getting that.’
Duncan bit down on his lower lip, a buzz of unspoken questions and contemplation filling the room.
‘I think maybe you should lay low,’ Duncan’s stepmum said, steering the conversation back to the group.
‘Hunker down for a couple of days. I mean, I don’t know Kieron personally – I don’t hear bad things about him – but he’s probably very, very angry right now.
Not to mention hurt. You have to remember, if this is right, his uncle’s been egging him on for years, making him believe he was going to get his inheritance. ’
Bex wasn’t sure that was entirely true. Now that she thought about it, she had memories of Fergus mentioning Kieron in passing, normally after a few whiskies.
I’ll leave it to the dogs’ home before I leave it to him, she remembered him saying once.
She doubted Fergus had ever directly told Kieron he was going to inherit Highland Hall.
But Duncan’s stepmum wasn’t wrong, either.
Fergus hadn’t said he wouldn’t inherit it, which wasn’t quite the same, but was more than enough for Kieron to get his hopes up.
Especially with all the shoots and fancy parties Fergus used to let him throw at the place.
‘I really think you need to hunker down,’ Carrie continued. ‘Just stay here. Don’t go into the village. You know what gossips are like. Please, just stay here.’
‘You’re seriously overreacting,’ Duncan said, rolling his eyes at his stepmother with a trace of teenage exasperation.
‘Nobody’s even going to know about it. As far as I’m aware, no one outside this room besides Kieron, Gordon and Moira knows.
Kieron’s definitely not going to let people know. And Gordon’s a professional.’
Guilt rippled through Bex. Was he saying that she wasn’t, and that was why she’d spilled the beans to Lorna? She doubted it, but she couldn’t help feeling that way about herself.
‘At least wait until we sort out a lawyer for you,’ Carrie tried again. ‘Until we get a DNA sample sorted and sent off.’
As Carrie spoke, Lorna’s phone buzzed, once, then again and then a third time straight after. She glanced down and swiped across the screen. A moment later she let out a low hiss.
‘What is it?’ Bex asked.
Lorna turned the phone so Bex could see the screen. A similar hiss escaped Bex’s lips.
‘What?’ Duncan asked, his gaze bouncing between them. ‘What is it? Why are you both making that noise?’
‘It’s Eilidh,’ Lorna said. ‘She’s just sent me a message asking if it’s true that you’re the new laird.’
Duncan’s stepmum let out a satisfied tap of her hand on the coffee table in front of her. ‘I told you!’
‘How?’ Duncan asked, his complexion draining.
‘It doesn’t matter how,’ Carrie replied. ‘What matters is that it’s out there now, like I said it would be. So please stay inside and out of trouble until we know what’s happening. We’ll get you anything you need. We can keep you company if you want.’
Duncan’s jaw locked, and for a moment Bex was sure he was going to put up a fight.
Or worse still, say that it didn’t matter anyway because he didn’t want the inheritance.
Thankfully though, that wasn’t an option he’d mentioned, and no matter how much Kieron threatened him, it wasn’t something she was going to suggest either.
‘Fine. I’ll stay in, when I can. I still have a job to do, remember? And I don’t need any company.’
The mood in the room had changed. The weight of what this all could be pressing down on them. Now the truth was out, and Duncan knew they were there if he needed them, but what it looked like he needed at that exact moment was space.
After a few moments of working to catch Lorna’s eye, Bex finally managed it. She nodded towards the door.
Lorna tipped her head to the side. ‘What?’ she mouthed loudly.
Bex sucked in a breath as she widened her eyes and made what she felt was a less-than-subtle nodding motion towards the door. Thankfully, before Duncan or any of the others saw what she was doing, Lorna finally understood.
‘Well, you’ve got a lot to think about,’ Lorna said, jumping to her feet. ‘And I’ve got a shift at the pub to get ready for. But you can ring us at any time. And don’t worry, I’ll tell anyone who asks that it’s just gossip. Assuming that’s what you want?’
‘Thanks,’ Duncan replied, standing up and giving his little sister a hug. By the time they’d broken apart, Bex had managed to convey her point that they should be leaving too and both Duncan’s parents were on their feet too.
‘We should get off as well,’ Keith said. ‘Unless you want us to stay?’
‘I’ll be fine. Promise.’
Carrie didn’t speak at first. Instead, she just squeezed Duncan’s hands and sniffed. ‘You’re a good boy, you know that? Your ma would be very proud of you. I’m very proud of you.’
All of them were standing, but there was only one more person left for Duncan to say farewell to. Only Bex didn’t want an audience when he did.
‘Just give me two minutes,’ she said. ‘I’ll follow you out in a second.’
The three members of Duncan’s family exchanged a look, and Bex could have sworn there was a slight smirk on their lips. As if they thought they knew what was about to happen. But they didn’t.
This wasn’t a romantic reconciliation she was about to attempt. It was an apology.