Chapter 24
‘Do you think I should say something to Duncan?’ Bex said when she rang Claire two hours later. The afternoon had been an outright bust, but not, as she’d previously expected, because she’d been worried about the photoshoot. That had barely crossed her mind.
She’d tried working – she wanted to work – but other than an online meeting with a client where she’d had to concentrate, her mind had refused to settle.
It just kept coming back to Fi, how angry she had been.
How she was acting as if Bex and Duncan had done something to upset them, but she couldn’t for the life of her think what it was.
She needed to talk to someone, but this wasn’t something she could discuss with Lorna or anyone in the village.
Village politics were tricky enough to manage; the last thing she wanted was for other people to be brought into whatever was going on with Fi.
And there had to be something going on, because the way she’d acted was so out of character.
‘Have the two of them had a falling out?’ Claire asked as she moved on and offscreen.
‘No, not that Duncan’s told me,’ Bex replied. ‘I don’t think they ever have. I know Roddy’s a bit younger than him, but the pair have always been close. Duncan’s always thought of him like a little brother.’
‘And nothing has happened with you two at work? You’ve really no idea why she could be acting this way?’
Bex shook her head. ‘No. I thought everything was going great with us. It has to be to do with Roddy; she was really upset about the argument he got into with his neighbour. I knew that as soon as she came in. I think it’d shaken her up a bit too.
And she’s obviously worried about money, but it’s not like I don’t pay her a good salary.
Certainly more than most people in the village earn.
And loads more than she was earning before.
’ A low sigh rattled from Bex’s lungs. ‘She’s taking on too much at the minute, I know she is, but I can’t have somebody working for me who speaks like that, can I?
I mean, that should be at least a written warning, right? ’
It almost hurt to ask such questions, and while running the firm without Fi wouldn’t be impossible, it would be a lot harder.
It would mean going back to basics, training someone up from the very start the way she had done with her.
And yet to think of putting that trust in someone only to have it broken again…
She shook her head, wishing she could shake away the tightness in her chest. Maybe that was her fault.
She’d gone into this with a relationship that was closer to friends than employer-employee.
That was probably where the problem lay.
But she didn’t want to be the type of boss who ruled by fear either.
Her shoulders dropped with the heaviness of it all.
Maybe upper-middle management was all she’d ever been cut out for. She’d just not realised it until now.
‘Will talking to Duncan make this better or worse?’ Claire asked, bringing the conversation back to one of Bex’s earlier questions. ‘Not that I think you shouldn’t tell him. Just more a case of when and where.’
‘You’re right.’ Bex sighed, rubbing her temples. ‘He needs to know. And maybe it means he can get to the bottom of whatever’s going on with Roddy. I should probably wait till after tomorrow, though. We need to get through that before there’s any more drama in our lives.’
Claire’s face appeared on the screen momentarily, smiling broadly.
‘Oh yes, the amazing photoshoot. Are you looking forward to it yet?’
‘No,’ Bex said mournfully. ‘At least after this weekend, I’ll have that out of the way. And the gala.’
‘Oh yeah, I was talking to your parents about the gala. Sounds very, very busy.’
‘You spoke to my folks?’ Bex’s interest piqued, finally distracted by something more positive than her workplace disaster. ‘When? Where?’
‘I was helping Daisy at the café, and they were down for the day. I’m surprised you didn’t invite them up for it.’
Guilt tugged behind Bex’s sternum.
‘I’d just feel bad, not getting a chance to see them. I don’t want them to travel all this way, and them to feel like I’m ignoring them.’
‘They wouldn’t think that. They know you’ve got things to do.’
Bex hummed contemplatively. She probably should’ve invited her parents.
She knew they’d like it. And it wasn’t like she’d have to entertain them.
They got on so well with Duncan’s parents, she was sure they wouldn’t mind chaperoning them when she was busy.
But it wasn’t as if she could ask them now, this last minute.
‘I’m sure they’ll be up again soon,’ she said. ‘And you, with Daisy too, hopefully soon? I could really do with seeing you guys. Really, really do with it. God, I’d give anything for a hug.’
A sad smile fluttered on Claire’s lips. ‘We miss you too. But if we’re going to visit, it’ll have to be quite soon because—’
Claire stopped, her lips slightly parted, as if she’d said something wrong and wanted to pull the words back in through the gap. It reminded Bex of how Fi had been before, when she’d mentioned Duncan.
‘It’ll have to be quite soon because why?’ Bex asked.
‘Oh, you know. Because then it’ll be winter up there, and I don’t do the cold. Especially not after what happened to you there last winter.’
‘True…’ Bex said, though she still wasn’t convinced. There was something about the way Claire seemed to be avoiding her gaze that didn’t quite sit right. Besides, winter was almost certainly the best for Daisy, at least, as the café would be less busy.
‘So when are you going to mention to Duncan what happened with Fi?’ Claire said, steering the conversation back to the reason Bex had rung. Not that Bex particularly wanted to go back there.
‘I’ll talk to Duncan about the situation tomorrow,’ Bex said with certainty. ‘After the photoshoot. That way he should have time to talk to Roddy.’
‘Well, I can’t wait to see what you look like in all your outfits and diamonds. You’ll make sure you send photos, right? Unless it’s all top secret. Amanda might take all your phones from you.’
‘Oh Lord, she might,’ Bex said. There it was, that weight again.
The weight that made her wonder what would happen if she and Duncan did just elope.
But it wasn’t possible, she knew that. It was a wedding for the village.
For the castle. For the heritage and legacy that Fergus had left them.
Sometimes, it was just tough to remember that.
* * *
Butterflies swarmed Bex’s stomach as the dawn chorus broke into her bedroom. Today was the day. The photoshoot day.
This wasn’t the first time she’d been in a magazine.
No, she had been in Columns and Accounts, Accounting Addicts, and Accountancy Now.
She’d even had her name mentioned in the Financial Times: there’d been group photos mostly, of her and the rest of the firm, but there had been one of her by herself, as a One to Watch, several years after she had graduated.
That was different though. She needed to do Duncan and Highland Hall proud, whether she wanted to be in Manors and Mansions or not.
‘Hey.’ Duncan rolled over and kissed her gently on the lips. ‘You ready for this?’
‘No.’ She laughed. ‘You?’
‘Aye, it’s exactly how I want to spend my day, posing with make-up on while I’ve got two hundred other jobs to do.’ He smiled softly to tell her he was only half joking. ‘Get to do it with you though. So it cannae be that bad.’
His hand snaked around her back as she snuggled in closer to him. She was right, she decided, not to tell him about the Roddy stuff until after this. It was going to be difficult enough for him to relax into the photos as it was. The last thing he needed was something else playing on his mind.
‘What time’s Carrie coming?’ he asked, nuzzling into Bex’s neck with the type of snuggles that made her entire body tingle.
‘I think she said she was coming at—’
‘Duncan! Bex! Y’all up there still?’ As Carrie’s American accent rang out from downstairs, Duncan and Bex locked eyes.
‘I guess that answers that question,’ Bex replied, offering him one last peck before sitting up and pulling Duncan upright too. ‘Come on. Let’s get this done.’
* * *
‘Oh, I am so thrilled y’all asked me to do your hair,’ Carrie said, combing her fingers through Bex’s locks. ‘Y’ know, I’ve had this vision in my head, like a fishtail pony, up to the side. You know, very editorial. Very funky.’
‘You go for it, Carrie.’
Bex was pleased to see her future mother-in-law so excited on the matter. Someone should be, and Bex herself was struggling to find any form of enthusiasm. Her mood had been dampened by a message from Fi.
At office.
That was all it said, although it was accompanied by a photo. As if Bex wouldn’t believe she was working otherwise. Had the trust really deteriorated so quickly between them? Apparently so.
‘I can’t wait to meet this Amanda,’ Carrie continued as she brushed through Bex’s hair. ‘I hear she’s a right firecracker.’
Firecracker? That was one word for her, although thoughts of Amanda caused a new level of nervousness and worry to fill her.
Since telling her that she thought she’d found a replacement veil and was going to send it in the post, Bex had heard nothing from Daisy.
It was like it had been before. Messages being read, but ignored.
Phone calls left to ring for so long that they went to answer phone.
It was silly. They both had their own lives.
She knew they couldn’t be at one another’s beck and call, but leaving her in the lurch like this, not even knowing whether the veil had been posted, that was borderline selfish, and nothing like the Daisy she knew. Or at least thought she knew.
‘Okay, you just sit back, close your eyes and leave this all to me.’
It sounded like a lovely idea, yet Bex’s head had barely shifted position when her phone started ringing. Her heart swooped at the name.
‘Dais!’ Her friend’s face appeared on the screen in front of her. ‘Hey, thank God. Did you manage to send it? Did you send the veil?’
It wasn’t the kindest way to start a conversation. Without so much as a greeting. Especially after Bex had been thinking how selfish Daisy had been not to call before now. But she really needed to know what the situation was.
Yet as Bex’s pulse rose in anticipation, Daisy pressed her lips tightly together.
‘What? What’s happened?’ Bex’s nerves flickered.
‘I missed the post. I’m so sorry, Bex. I just got swamped and completely forgot about it.’
Bex tried to look like it didn’t matter. After all, it wasn’t like she hadn’t made mistakes in the last couple of days. Only, she really needed this.
‘Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’ll… I’ll think of something.
Say I haven’t had time to try it or something.
Or say it’s in one of the rooms upstairs.
I’ll think of something.’ She tried to sound calm about it.
But she could feel the way her pulse was hammering, and her breaths growing more and more shallow.
Thankfully, Carrie was there on hand. Carrie who had been there to help Bex through her worst panic attack ever.
As if sensing some grounding was needed, Duncan’s stepmum squeezed Bex’s hand tightly.
‘There is another option,’ Daisy said, her voice reminding Bex she was still there on the end of the line.
‘There is?’ Bex questioned.
‘Thing is, I was talking to your mum and dad, and they were saying how much they wanted to come up for the gala. And how they quite wanted to be there for the photoshoot too.’
‘They were?’ Her mum had mentioned it in passing, but not enough that Bex had really paid any attention. Though her mind was so full at the minute, it felt like nothing got her full attention any more.
‘And, well, I was thinking how it sounded quite cool too. Spoke to Claire about it yesterday. She said she’s spoken to you and you were feeling down. Like you could do with a pick-me-up. I think your words were that you’d do anything for a hug?’
Bex felt her pulse start to twitch and not in a manner that made her worry she was going to stop breathing.
‘Daisy…’ She tried to keep her voice steady, not wanting to get her hopes up just in case she was wrong. ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’
‘Well, what I’m actually saying is… maybe you need to look out of your window.’
Bex looked to Carrie, who was still holding her hand, but she didn’t look worried the way she’d previously done when Bex had started panicking. Instead, she was looking at Bex with a strangely knowing grin on her face.
‘Well, darling,’ she said. ‘You heard the girl.’
Not needing to be told a third time, Bex jumped from her seat and raced over to the window. Her heart leapt all the way up to her throat and tears filled her eyes as four amazingly familiar faces stood down on the driveway with her fiancé, waving back up at her.
They were here. They had come.