They went through to the kitchen and Effie began pointing out obvious things like the cookers and the hobs.
This seemed to be the end of Effie’s kitchen tour so Liv jumped up to sit on the worktop.
‘We’re not meant to sit on the worktop. Fraser doesn’t like it,’ said Effie, checking over her shoulder as if expecting him to jump out at them.
‘It’s not doing any harm though.’
‘I guess.’ Effie ran her bottom lip through her teeth before hopping up to sit next to Liv.
‘What do I need to know about Fraser before I start working for him?’ asked Liv. ‘Any wife or girlfriend who might be unhappy about me stopping here alone with him?’
‘No he’s single.’
That’s what his profile said too,thought Liv. ‘Anything else?’
‘He wanted to be a cricketer when we were kids. He used to practise on me and I used to get loads of bruises.’
‘Practise on you how?’
‘He’d bowl and I’d try to hit it but I wasn’t very good and those real cricket balls are hard as rocks. They really hurt if they whack you.’
‘Okay. Does he have any bad habits, pet hates and any topics I should avoid?’
Effie pouted hard. ‘He’s not a fan of Jennifer Lopez.’
‘Right. I was thinking more about his management style.’
‘He can be quite bossy. He likes his kitchen staff to say“yes, chef”when they answer him. They’re really nice – you’ll meet them later. I’m going to feed Ginger. Want to come?’
‘Okay.’ Liv wasn’t sure about meeting the beast who had attacked her but she figured if she kept a safe distance away she’d be fine and it was an opportunity to find out more about Fraser.
Outside the weather was getting worse and it battered Liv despite the very large borrowed coat she was wearing that felt almost as heavy as she was. They trudged across the yard at the back of the hotel towards some stables. She looked about for any sign of life. At least she would have looked about had the hood of the coat not been completely rigid, so that when she turned her head she ended up looking inside the hood.
The falling snow with the sweeping mountain backdrop was like looking at a Christmas card. Liv wondered if her mum was worrying about her. She felt bad but she’d got herself in a mess that she wasn’t sure how to get out of. At least the hurried phone call should buy her the couple of days she needed before she could drive again. Although the car wasn’t driveable, which was another conundrum she needed to solve.
The stables had an overhang, making them a little more sheltered, and it was good to get out of the wind that was battering them with snow. They walked into one of the stalls. Effie pulled off her hood and stamped her feet to get off some of the snow. Liv looked around; the stable was empty.
‘Looks like Ginger has gone walkabout again,’ said Effie, grabbing a bucket from the wall and striding off. Liv waited in the stall as her face was stinging from the icy weather. Effie came back. ‘Come on, I’ve got some carrots. They’re her favourite.’
‘Should she not be inside in this weather?’
‘Nah, she’s hardy. Some breeds would likely die but not Highlands; they’re used to it. But it’s better that she’s not wandering about. It’s only a scowtherin now but there’s more forecast.’ With that she pulled her hood back on and left, making Liv feel that she should follow although she really didn’t want to. Her face was stinging and her ears were numb with the cold.
They seemed to trudge around for a while with Effie calling out the cow’s name. Liv hadn’t realised they would be doing this much walking. She’d assumed the cow would be nearby or at least come when it was called. She was about to declare defeat on the grounds of this not being the sort of rest she thought the Doc had meant, when an odd sort of wheezy honk could be heard.
‘There she is. That’s her bellowing,’ said Effie, spinning around and stomping off across the snow. Liv looked but could see nothing but snow, it was really coming down now. As far as she looked in every direction it was white. She hoped Effie knew where they were, because Liv had absolutely no idea.
10
Effie had no idea where they were. She didn’t want to let on to Daphne that they were lost, so she kept on walking in the direction of the bellow. She already knew that most people thought she was an idiot and she didn’t want to give her new friend any reason to believe them. She’d never ventured this far away from the hotel, at least not for many years and certainly not in bad weather. All she could see in every direction was whirling snow. She’d not known Ginger to stray this far from the hotel either.
Ginger was attached to Lochy House because it was where she’d been hand-fed by her, Dolly and Fraser on a twenty-four-hour rota. Ginger’s mother had had a bad birth and immediately rejected the new-born calf. She had quickly got used to life inside with warm fires, blankets and Jock’O to learn from. Being put out to grass had been a nasty shock for Ginger that Effie was pretty sure she still didn’t understand.
Effie looked around. She called Ginger but there was no reply. She was starting to panic. She was worried for Ginger but she was also worried for her and Daphne. Where was Daphne? Effie scanned in all directions. It was hard to see through the snow but she could make out a figure far behind her. She knew Daphne didn’t know which way to go either but she somehow felt safer when they were together. She checked her pockets. She’d forgotten to bring her mobile with her. She thought back to when she’d had it last. She’d been checking her messages while she was getting Dolly’s breakfast. She must have left it in the kitchen at the lodge.
Effie tried to walk a little faster but the snow was getting deeper and she needed to take bigger steps. These were all the things she’d always been told to avoid. She was beginning to panic. What if this was how she died? Would her ghost be forever roaming the hills lost? She thought of her secret boyfriend, John. It was who she’d been texting. Nobody knew about him, so he’d never know what happened to her. Her dad’s voice came into her head and she savoured it, despite what he was saying not being that helpful:‘Only a fool ventures into a blizzard, Effie. And that’s why they frequently don’t make it back alive.’She gulped, turned around and upped her pace to shorten the gap between her and Daphne.
*
