Chapter 7
‘That was a lot, right?’ Bex said as they got ready to go out. ‘It wasn’t just me. You thought it was a lot too, right?’
‘Aye,’ Duncan replied. Apparently, the meeting had taken so much out of him, he could only manage one-word answers.
‘I mean… what is a wedding motif? And what kind of theme does she expect us to have? Does she mean like a children’s birthday party? Are we meant to have a themed wedding?’
Duncan chuckled. ‘Guess she means colours? Maybe.’
‘Great. Of course. Yes.’
Bex wasn’t actually imagining they’d have a pirate-themed wedding. Though she could see it being fun. Come to think of it, there had been more than one adult party she’d attended that would’ve been far more enjoyable if you’d been allowed to dress up and wear a parrot on your shoulder.
‘It’ll be worth it, right?’ she said, surprised by the tentativeness in her voice.
‘Yeah. Of course,’ he said, planting a kiss on her forehead that went some way towards easing the throbbing that had started behind her temples.
‘How long did she say until the next meeting?’ Bex said as she grabbed her coat from the hook.
‘I need to see when I can fit it in. I promised I’d run a session on basic business accounting for some of the shop owners in the village one evening next month.
Help everyone try to get things straight, rather than just end up hiring me because they can’t be bothered to do their books properly. ’
‘Isn’t that doing yourself out of work?’ Duncan replied, opening the door for her.
‘Trust me, I’ve definitely got enough. There’s a butcher three villages over who emailed me yesterday.
And another laird who wants to get everything sorted so they don’t end up in the same mess as Fergus.
That’s probably enough to take up all my time.
And that’s without helping Fi prep for her exams. Besides, it feels wrong to take more money from them when we’ve likely got to put up their rents in the next couple of months. ’
‘Can’t argue with that,’ Duncan replied.
‘As long as you’ve still got time for me.
’ There was a twinkle in his eye, showing he was joking, yet the throbbing from her temples shifted down to her chest. It really did feel that on some days she was prioritising everything else except the man she loved.
As they headed into the village, Bex’s attention drifted down the cobblestones, lingering on the flower boxes that sat outside windows.
A month ago they had all been filled with daffodils, but now it had shifted to early summer flowers, like foxgloves.
Not one shop front or house was missing the decoration.
The coordination and camaraderie were a marvel, and in moments like this she was struck with what it was like to be part of something so special.
It actually caused a lump to build in her throat.
Of course, thoughts of that camaraderie reminded her of the upcoming gala, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, the thought of the judging was causing her an unreasonable level of stress.
Maybe when that was out of the way, she would be able to relax a little more and truly enjoy planning her wedding.
Maybe she’d even get to meet some of the guests before the day.
By the time they got to the pub, she was desperately in need of a drink, but as Duncan pushed open the pub door, they were hit by a wall of noise. Unsurprisingly for a Friday night, the White Hart was packed.
There were two pubs in LochDarroch, and neither of them ever seemed to be empty, regardless of what night it was. One thing she had learned quickly about the residents of her now home was that everyone here loved a pub, probably even more than matching window boxes.
‘Why don’t you see if you can squeeze us a seat somewhere?’ Bex said. ‘I’ll go get the drinks.’
‘No problem.’
Bex made her way to the bar, half expecting to see Lorna there.
Maybe she should’ve messaged her, asked if she was free to join them.
But then again, maybe she and Duncan needed to spend some time trying to get their heads around the fact that most of the people at their wedding would be strangers to them.
Although given how half the village was crammed into the two rooms of the establishment, it was hardly the space for an intimate conversation.
‘Large glass of house white and a pint of cider, please,’ she said as several men and women sidestepped to make room for her to get through.
‘How’s things?’ Julie said from behind the taps. ‘Hear business is bonny.’
‘Aye,’ Bex said, surprised by the word that escaped without her thinking about it. ‘Busy.’
‘Busy’s good,’ Julie replied bluntly. She was right, of course. Bex could only imagine how much of a failure she’d have felt if she’d still been scrambling to get clients. The fact that the business had made a profit within the first two months was a near miracle. She needed to remember that.
‘How much do I owe you for these?’ Bex asked as the drinks appeared on the counter.
Julie frowned. ‘What you on about? Nothing. No charge for you and the laird.’
‘You can’t keep doing that,’ Bex said with a sigh. ‘You have to charge us at some point.’
‘Maybe. Or you could just keep the rent steady.’
Julie offered a slight grin, yet the comment still sent a little squirm through Bex’s abdomen.
‘I’m joking,’ Julie went on. ‘Not about the drinks. You’re not paying for them. Now go sit. I got other people to serve.’
Retrieving a ten-pound note from her pocket, Bex placed it down as a tip, then turned and began her search for Duncan.
Although she didn’t find him immediately, she did find Fi and Roddy and assumed Duncan was grabbing chairs to join them.
Yet as she continued to scour through the various overfill tables, she spotted Duncan sitting at one by the door, which she was sure had been full when they came in.
‘How come you didn’t sit with Roddy and Fi?’ Bex asked as she went to sit with him. ‘And did whoever was here move so you could sit down?’ she added.
‘Aye.’ Duncan let out a sigh. ‘I couldnae stop them. Felt rude not taking it.’
‘Yeah.’ Bex rolled her eyes. ‘Julie wouldn’t let me pay either. When’s it going to stop?’
‘I don’t know. Even Roddy was odd wi’ me.’
‘Odd, how do you mean?’
Duncan shook his head. ‘Felt like he didn’t want me there. Maybe having a drink with your boss isn’t something he wants to do on his Friday nights,’ he said solemnly.
‘That doesn’t sound like Roddy. And you were his friend before you were his boss.’
Duncan didn’t respond. Instead, he sipped at his drink, and a deep pang of sympathy rang through Bex.
It was one thing for people to treat her a specific way; they didn’t know her.
Not like they knew him. And the people who did, like Lorna, hadn’t changed at all.
But for Duncan, this village was his family.
He had grown up with them all. She couldn’t imagine how hard it must be just to wake up one day and find people thought of you differently.
‘Maybe we need to get Lorna and the others down here,’ Bex suggested. ‘Remind people that we’re still one of them.’
‘Maybe,’ Duncan said sadly.
As silence began to swell between them, Bex reached out and took his hand.
‘I haven’t asked you about the groundskeeper’s job in a couple of days. Any luck finding someone?’ she asked. She suspected he’d have told her if he had, but she wanted to keep his mind in the present, on moving forward, rather than mulling over how different things were now.
Duncan scratched the back of his head as he picked up his pint and took a long sip.
‘The people who’ve gone for it, they’re good groundskeepers and all… but I want more. I want someone who’s going to commit to the place, not just the job.’
‘They’ll turn up,’ she said. ‘Honestly, the person you want is out there. You just—’
Have to be patient. Those were the words she was going to say to finish her sentence, the same way she had said to him since he very first started looking, but she didn’t get a chance.
Before another word could leave her mouth, a loud shout cut through the pub, silencing every conversation in an instant.
Her heart rocketed as her eyes scanned the space, fearing an injury, assuming something terrible had happened.
Like everyone else, her gaze landed in the centre of the room. Her heart skipped. There, only a foot away from where he’d been a moment before, was Roddy, but rather than sitting at the table with Fi as he had been doing, he was down on one knee, a ring in his hand.
‘Did you know about this?’ Bex whispered to Duncan.
‘No, explains why he didnae want me to join them, though,’ Duncan replied, undoubtable relief in his voice.
‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ Fi was shrieking as she flung her arms around his neck. ‘Of course! Of course!’
A cheer went up around the pub. Everyone burst into clapping and cheering.
‘Come on,’ Duncan said, a wide grin on his face, the moroseness of moments ago forgotten. ‘Let’s go congratulate them.’
Hand in hand, Bex and Duncan moved from their seats and crossed the pub, ready to wade their way through the crowd, although they were still several feet away when people parted to make room for them.
For once, Bex wasn’t annoyed at the special treatment.
She wanted to be at the front of the queue for this one.
‘Congratulations!’ Bex said, squeezing Fi tightly in a hug as Duncan embraced Roddy.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Fi replied. ‘I thought he was joking. Talking about being together. And then he was down on one knee.’
‘I’m so pleased for the pair of you,’ Bex said, glancing down at the ring on Fi’s finger only to blink rapidly.
To say it wasn’t what she’d expected was putting it mildly.
With its purply-hued star-shaped stone, it looked like the sort of mood ring she’d have picked up on a childhood day trip.
But then, what did she know about jewellery?
‘It’s just until he can afford a real one,’ Fi explained as Bex felt herself blush. Clearly she hadn’t hidden her expression at all. ‘He wanted to wait until we had the money, but I said we’d be saving forever. And, you know, we’re only young once, right?’
‘Absolutely.’ Bex grinned.
‘I guess lunch breaks at the office are going to be wedding planning.’ Roddy laughed, joining in their conversation.
‘Not sure we’ll be having quite the same sort of wedding.’ Fi chuckled, before looking back at Bex. ‘How did it go with Amanda?’
Bex was about to tell her the truth. That it was completely overwhelming, and she had no idea how they were going to fit it all in with everything else they had to do, but given how Fi had just got engaged and was equally stressed with the first stages of her apprenticeship, that didn’t feel like the right thing to say.
‘It was great,’ she said. ‘But you don’t want to listen to us. We should leave you to your celebrations.’
‘What? No! We want you with us.’
Bex looked up at Duncan, seeing the joy radiating from him. Not to mention relief that at least his and Roddy’s was one friendship that hadn’t changed since he gained his title. Although as she continued to look at him, a strange expression crossed his face.
‘What?’ she whispered. ‘What is it?’
‘I’m just thinking… maybe now I get to be the kind of laird I want to be,’ he replied.
‘What does that mean?’ Bex frowned, only for him to give her a crooked smile in response.
‘It means this.’ Still holding his pint in one hand, Duncan reached onto the table and picked up a knife, which he struck against the glass, causing a chime that made the entire pub fall quiet once again.
‘Thanks for your attention, folks, I won’t be long,’ Duncan said, addressing the curious faces that – like Bex – were all waiting to hear what he had to say. ‘Just want to say congratulations to Roddy and Fi on their engagement. Oh, aye, the next round’s on me!’
The cheer that followed was enough to shake the rafters.