She’d never attempted to keep a house of this size clean and was secretly hoping she could ignore most of the rooms: perhaps implement a closed-door policy to keep down the need for dusting and vacuuming, especially in the rooms infrequently used. After all, how dirty could a house like this become in a few weeks? There was no way anyone could expect her to keep the whole thing pristine, certainly not on her own, anyway. And there was plenty of space for the dust to spread out, if it had any sense of decency, and remain undetected until she’d left.
Before Jess could arm herself with the spray polish and head out from her territory, Olivia breezed into the kitchen.
‘Ah,’ Olivia said. ‘Just the person I was hoping to catch.’
Jess smiled. She wondered who else exactly Olivia might have thought she’d run into in here.
‘I’ve had an idea,’ Olivia said. ‘I think it would be nice to throw a house party for Seb, you know, to properly welcome him home. Get some local friends to come for dinner, remind him that Kirkshield can be fun.’ Olivia took a step closer, her elegant features creasing into a frown. ‘Thing is, he always takes everything so seriously, and since he’s come back, he’s been stomping around like inheriting a castle is some kind of a disaster. I’ve decided we need to remind him that being back here is a good thing. What do you think?’
Olivia wasn’t really asking Jess what she thought, and Jess knew this because there was no space for her to provide any answer before Olivia pulled out her phone, scrolling and turning the phone for Jess to look.
‘This. This is what I want,’ Olivia said. ‘Nothing too mad, but it needs to say “glad to have you back, brother”, you know – but in an understated way.’
Jess perused the list. She supposed the kernel of the idea made sense and was thoughtful. But there seemed to be an awful lot of requests on the list which Jess wouldn’t necessarily assume went hand in hand with an understated welcome-home dinner party. A whole Iberian ham for the canapé table, for example. A case of Moët & Chandon.
‘When were you thinking of having it?’ Jess asked.
‘Next week. Everyone gets so busy in the run-up to Christmas, and it’ll be on the day of the next shoot, so I’ve already sent out the date. I know everyone is just desperate to welcome Seb back.’
‘Right. OK. And will he mind it being so soon after your father’s funeral?’ Jess was probably pushing the bounds of the questions she should be asking, but Olivia hadn’t given her a whole load of notice of her plans – and Jess wondered if Sebastian was the kind of person to enjoy something being sprung upon him so soon after his arrival.
Olivia reclaimed her phone, tapping on it before she handed it back, the number keypad now illuminated onscreen. ‘Oh, that’s not a problem. They never really got on, so …’ She threw Jess a brilliant smile. The Barclay-Brown siblings really did have the monopoly on fantastic cheekbones, and Jess found herself thinking they probably originated from the razorblade sharp lines of their mother’s features.
‘Let me have your mobile number,’ Olivia continued. ‘I’ll send the list through so you can have a proper look. We’ll probably need six guest rooms made up, no more than that – I’ll give you a guest list once it’s confirmed. And – this goes without saying, obvs, but just in case – not a word about any of this to my brother. Total surprise, OK?’
Before Jess could reply, Olivia swept round and was gone. A few moments later, a text pinged from an unknown number, with the list attached. Jess eased herself into a chair, before she took a more careful look at the requests.
The biggest challenge would be the cooking and serving of a dinner for twelve/fourteen/sixteen – the number yet to be confirmed, Jess supposed. Especially if she was expected to do it all on her own. She wondered if she could ask Mrs Keel to help. Or, better still, get the chef at The Old Goat to cook it all and cart it up here. Jess allowed herself a wry smile. That would be cheating.
Either way, her closed-door policy on cleaning had just been blown out of the water. If that many people came to dinner, with some staying over, then they would be in and out of all the main rooms, as well as the spare bedrooms Jess had hoped she could leave untouched. Gathering up the wood polish and a larger handful of dusters, Jess drew in a deep breath and left the kitchen.
Chapter 10
Dee’s walks were fast becoming a regular fixture in her day. Maybe she should get herself a puppy, or suggest she could take the housekeeper’s dog out for her, give herself an additional reason to be out and about. But Dee supposed she didn’t need an excuse. There wasn’t any need for her to justify the way she spent her time, not any longer. She needed to remind herself that the shadow had lifted and the door to her cage had been left ajar.
The snow would come soon enough, limiting her stomping ground for the winter months. Before it began to fall, Dee was determined to enjoy the fresh air and the weak but welcome sunshine, to take in the beauty of the Scottish hills. To hike all the way up to the waterfall for no other reason than to stand and breathe in the day.
She’d been frustrated by the downpour the previous day, had been forced to postpone until the skies looked clearer, so by the time she left the house this morning she was desperate to just get going. She didn’t want to have to worry about getting a dog ready for a walk.
And, also, Dee reasoned, if she had a dog with her she would spend more time worrying about it than enjoying the view. She’d likely see far less in the way of wildlife. With a dog crashing around, any birds sheltering in the heather or gorse bushes would be gone, and the deer wouldn’t come close. Sometimes, if she got her timings right, Dee was able to watch a huge red kite as it circled high above, on the prowl for carrion, or maybe looking out for a vole to take back to its perch.
This morning, she was watching it wheeling around with such concentration that she didn’t hear Robbie approach, was unaware of his presence until he was at her shoulder.
‘Good morning to you, Your Ladyship,’ he said as Dee startled and turned.
‘Where did you spring from?’ Dee stuttered, hand clutching unconsciously at the blue scarf wound around her neck as shock gave way to amusement at her own reaction. She smiled with relief. ‘I thought I was the only person for miles around.’
‘Just how I like it, too,’ he said. ‘I’m taking a walk around, checking for anything untoward.’
‘No dogs with you today?’ It was stating the obvious, but it seemed unusual to see Robbie without them.
‘Not today, much to their disgust,’ he said, his eyes sparkling as he studied her. ‘Does it help, being up here?’ he asked.
‘Help?’
‘Coming to terms with your loss, I mean,’ he added, his eyebrows furrowing as he spoke.
Perhaps he thought he’d asked too personal a question. But it was beginning to occur to Dee that all the losses had comebefore. And that now there would be no more loss. Only gain. Dee nodded, drawing in a breath before she replied. ‘Yes. There’s so much beauty up here.’
