‘Definitely not.’ Giselle was firm on that score. She wasn’t going to let Rocco’s henchwoman drive her out of the studio she paid good money to rent. In fact, she had a feeling she’d need to create as many pictures as she could with the materials in her possession. She should sell as much as possible while the craft centre was still open. It would take time to search out new shops who’d be willing to stock her pictures. And that was if she actually wanted to keep making them, because her heart wasn’t in it anymore.
‘We’ll grab that coffee and cake, then you can have a play with card and glue while I do some work,’ Giselle said.
‘That’s my girl!’ Izzy linked an arm through hers and gave it a squeeze. ‘But seriously, Zelle, if you’re not up to it… You look washed out.’
‘I feel it,’ Giselle admitted.But perhaps it is normal to feel meh when you’ve got a broken heart, she pondered miserably.
The cafe was busy as usual, but there was a table free and no sign of Claire, so Giselle grabbed it while her sister went to the counter to drool over the selection of freshly made cakes.
‘I couldn’t decide whether to have a passionfruit slice or a piece of triple chocolate,’ she announced when she sat down. ‘So I went for both. You’ll have to help me eat them.’
‘I don’t think I can,’ Giselle replied, eyeing them. Their gooey sugariness made her feel quite queasy, so she sipped her tea and watched her sister devour both slices.
‘That was heavenly,’ Izzy declared, dabbing crumbs from her mouth. Then she was on her feet and urging Giselle to go to the gift shop with her.
As soon as she spotted Giselle, Jinny said, ‘I was hoping to catch you before you heard it from anyone else.’ Her face was sombre.
‘I know. Avril told me that Claire is here with an estate agent.’
‘That’s not all.’ Sympathy filled her friend’s eyes, and Giselle wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what Jinny was about to tell her. ‘They were in the shop earlier. I heard them talking.’
‘About what?’ Giselle was getting a bad feeling about this.
Jinny took a deep breath. ‘Claire was looking at your pictures and I heard her say that she already had one of them, the big one of the loch. She said that Rocco likes it, but it’s not really her taste, though she was sure she could find somewhere to hang it where she wouldn’t have to look at it all the time, and could this guy help her and Rocco find their forever home when the castle is sold.’
Giselle was horrified. ‘What?! That’s impossible. You’ve got it wrong.’
‘She mentioned the M word,’ Jinny added miserably.
‘Marriage?’ The world spun, and Giselle wanted to vomit.
He’d lied to her! And to think she’d trusted him, believed him when he’d told her that Claire was just a colleague.
Anger burnt, bright and hot. How could she have been so stupid? He’d been playing with her, had taken the opportunity to have a bit of fun. He’d betrayed her and Claire both.
Giselle felt sick. She wasn’t sure who she despised the most: herself for being so gullible, or Rocco for being such a shit.
It was lucky for him that he hadn’t accompanied his girlfriend because Giselle would have loved nothing better than to tear his head from his two-timing shoulders.
Then her anger vanished as swiftly as it had arrived, leaving her broken and inconsolable.
Izzy ushered her out of the gift shop and into the studio, then sat her down and made her a cup of coffee. ‘Do you want me to find something stronger?’
‘Coffee is fine.’ Giselle sipped it, grimacing at the taste.
‘Would you like to go home?’
She shook her head. ‘I’ll only mope around, and I’ve done enough of that lately. Actually, I’ll go see if the cafe has some herbal tea.’ She got to her feet. ‘While I’m gone, you can get started on a picture, if you like.’
‘Zelle…?’
‘I need to keep busy. I’ll be fine, honestly,’ she insisted, but both of them knew she was lying.
Rocco tucked his car around the rear of the castle, where Cal’s Land Rover and the golf buggy that Mhairi used to use when she wanted to tour her estate were parked. Getting out and stretching, he debated whether to let the estate manager know he was here, but decided not to bother him just yet. Before he did anything, he wanted to see Giselle.
As he walked towards the studios, he felt even more nervous. Once again, he asked himself whether he was doing the right thing, but he was here now, so…
On Bambi legs, his heart going like the clappers, Rocco hesitated outside the door.
