‘I mean,’ Elspeth said, swallowing hard, ‘I engineered it. Ben and I— we left our phones behind on purpose.’ Her cheeks flushed. ‘I thought if we got a little lost, you both—’ She faltered, then pressed on ‘—you’d have to come after us. I wanted you to worry, to team up, to ... well, I’ve seen how you are when you have a shared project—’
Hamish let out a low whistle.
‘Elspeth, tell me this isn’t true,’ Tina said, her tone tremblingsomewhere between incredulity and alarm. Her daughter was so distraught by her parent’s relationship she had pulled a dangerous stunt.
‘I swear I didn’t mean for us to get hurt,’ Elspeth rushed on. ‘Or to stay out so late. It just ... spiralled. I truly didn’t think it would go that far.’
Silence.
‘Well ... that’s one way to get your parents’ attention,’ Hamish muttered, half to himself.
Tina ran a hand through her hair, exhaling sharply. ‘Elspeth, that was reckless. Really reckless.’
‘I know,’ Elspeth said quietly, her voice almost lost in the shadows of the room. ‘I know.’
Tina reached out and squeezed her daughter’s hand, a little gentler now, her initial shock softening into concern. ‘Just ... promise me, no more schemes like that,’ she said firmly. Elspeth nodded. Hamish gave a small, wry smile. ‘At least it ended with everyone safe,’ he said, though his tone carried the weight of a lesson learned.
Elspeth’s voice grew smaller. ‘That’s because of Molly. She started barking. She knew we were in trouble. She kept running back toward the house, then back to us, like she was trying to tell someone where we were. I think we should get a dog, don’t you?’
‘Maybe,’ Hamish murmured, making Tina smile.
‘Molly kept us warm. Ben said his father would come to the woods when he noticed she was missing. We just had to wait.’ Elspeth yawned, the adrenaline finally ebbing. ‘I’m sorry we worried you, Mummy. We didn’t mean to cause such a fuss.’
Tina leaned down to kiss her daughter’s forehead, breathing in the sweet scent of shampoo edged with mud. ‘You’re safe now. That’s all that matters.’
She tucked Elspeth in with an extra blanket, then turned to the doorway where Hamish stood waiting, and as Tina passed him,he reached out and gently touched the small of her back. She looked at him, surprised, then smiled up at him. He brushed a kiss on her temple.
Elspeth, already on the edge of sleep, watched them with half-lidded eyes.
‘Mummy?’ she murmured sleepily.
‘Yes, darling?’
‘I like it when you and Daddy are nice to each other. It makes everything feel ... warm.’
Tina crossed to the bed and bent to kiss her child, tears stinging her eyes. ‘Me too, sweetheart. Me too.’
Hamish switched off the lights and reached out for Tina’s hand. She squeezed his tightly. As they stepped out into the hallway together, Tina didn’t let go.
Downstairs, they moved around each other in the tiny kitchen space with studied politeness, careful not to brush sleeves or meet each other’s eyes.
‘I’ll make us a cup of tea.’ she said.
‘Lovely, thank you.’
The kettle hissed into life. Time stretched between them, measured in small, unnecessary movements.
Tina stood at the sink, watching the steam rise from the kettle. She felt an absurd urge to cry. Behind her, she could sense Hamish’s presence. He wasn’t touching her, but his proximity was a warmth she hadn’t realised she’d missed so badly. She wished they’d talked properly after the school play, but since then, they had only spent a few evenings together – and those had been devoted to Elspeth, Flora’s dementia, or the loving cup which had seemed the most crucial topics to discuss.
‘I keep thinking about what could have happened,’ she said finally, her words scarcely louder than the breath that carried them.
‘But it didn’t,’ Hamish replied, stepping even closer. ‘She’s safe. They both are.’
Tina turned to face him, and something in her expression seemed to stop him mid-breath. The terror of the evening had peeled back their layers of politeness and reserve, leaving something raw, something real.
‘I couldn’t bear it if something happened to her,’ she said. She bunched her fists, then added. ‘Or to us. I don’t want to drift apart, Hamish! But I’ve been so bloody cowardly, unsure of everything, I haven’t dared tell you—’
‘It’s not just you,’ Hamish said, his voice thick with emotion. He reached up slowly, as if afraid she might pull away, and brushed her cheek with a fingertip. ‘I’ve been living like a ghost in my own life. Hiding in the past because the present felt too complicated. I promise that’s going to change. I promise you darling, in future, I’m going to be spending a lot less time in the sixteenth century. You and Elspeth need me here with you in the twenty-first.’
