‘You could come and give me an Aga tutorial,’ Jess said.
‘I was thinking more about checking your employer remains happy with your performance, Jess. There could be a lucrative line of work up here for Home From Home, if you’ve done a good-enough job.’
‘No pressure, then,’ Jess said. Should she tell Vivi now about the true nature of the estate’s finances? Vivi might storm up to the castle and demand immediate payment, or tell Jess to pack her bags and leave. Jess frowned. She didn’t want to do that.
‘Might get to see that devilishly handsome young man, too,’ Vivi said, thanking Isla as she passed over a cup of tea.
‘Sebastian?’ Jess said.
‘Who else? How many handsome young men are you hoarding up there?’ Vivi smiled as she added, ‘I’ve got this bizarre image in my head, now, of the castle being crammed full of the most handsome Scottish men from miles around, all milling around inside like sheep. Must be the painkillers I’m taking. I’m hallucinating while I’m awake.’
Isla laughed, handing Jess a cup. ‘He’s always been a good-looking boy. His father was, too. But that’s where the similarity ended – Sebastian’s always been quiet, thoughtful. His kindness was squashed by the old earl. It was no surprise to Craig and me when he took to his heels like he did to get away from his father. But it was always a shame it didn’t work out for his young Lordship with Catriona, the McAllisters’ girl.’
‘You told me he broke her heart,’ Vivi said, sliding her tea onto a side table, gaze fixed on Isla.
‘Well, yes. He did. But we’ve always maintained there was far more to that than met the eye. One day they were inseparable, the next Catriona had taken to her bedroom, and we hardly caught sight of the young lord again. I could count on the fingers of one hand how many times we’ve seen him in the village since then, and that was ten years or more ago, now.’
Vivi’s hawk-like gaze moved to Jess, and she could almost see the laser burn on the carpet as her aunt’s focus crossed the room. ‘Always the same, with the handsome ones. Which is why you should steer clear of him, Jess. Mark my words, it’ll end in trouble. I can tell …’
‘I wasn’t planning on doing anything other than my job while I’m at the castle, Vivi.’
‘Oh Jess, that’s an unfortunate choice of phrase, but I’m glad.’
Vivi picked at the edge of her slice of cake as Jess did her best to work out what she’d said, her cheeks colouring as she realised. Her aunt always managed to make something inappropriate spring from a sentence most other people would have allowed past without a second thought.
Vivi slipped a small piece of cake into her hand, lowering it until Digby snuffled it from her fingers. Jess couldn’t help but stare, mouth open.
‘Did I just see you give Digby a bit of cake?’ she said, aghast.
Vivi did her best to look innocent, but both she and Jess knew it had been a long time since she’d been anywhere close. She arched her eyebrows, the rest of her face looking unsure as to whether it should remain stern or break into a grin. The halfway result was quite terrifying.
‘Once in a while won’t hurt,’ Vivi said, picking up her teacup as Digby snorted and huffed over the crumbs.
‘Out of the three of the old earl’s children, I always liked the young lord the best,’ Isla said, oblivious to the cake debacle. ‘Wee Freya was very sweet, of course. But so quiet. Wouldn’t ever say boo to a goose, that one.’
‘Sebastian’s younger sister.’ Jess filled in the details for Vivi.
‘Married young and lives in Austria now, of all places. They have two wee boys, apparently. Can you imagine living in a foreign country? How she’s managed, I’ll never know. And Olivia is very like her father. Everyone thinks it.’
Isla pursed her lips tight, as though she was afraid if she loosened them, she would say something inappropriate. Jess kept her counsel, too, for the same reasons, taking shelter behind a mouthful of cake.
‘His Lordship, Sebastian, he’s had his problems, his ups and downs, but I think he’ll make an excellent job of looking after the estate. Craig thinks so, too. We’re so pleased he’s come home.’
Jess followed the mouthful of cake with a large sip of tea, finding it a challenge to look Isla in the eye. She wondered what they would make of Olivia’s challenge over Sebastian’s paternity, and didn’t want to inadvertently let slip that he was considering selling the castle. An uncomfortable prickle ran its way up her spine, and she did her best to smile as, to her relief, the conversation moved on to nursing, and she felt she was less likely to blunder in with an ill-timed comment.
Dee woke groggy and with a vicious headache. She’d slept badly since seeing Robbie and Jess together, the first night plagued with restless dreams. She’d resorted to a sleeping pill at some point the previous night and woke with no idea of what day it was, let alone what time. She kept those pills as a last resort – and seeing Jess and Robbie in such a tight clinch had been exactly that. Unable to shake their image, she’d needed oblivion. She’d got it, but now felt utterly disorientated.
She pulled herself from her bed and checked her watch, surprised by how much time the sleeping pill had robbed from her.
Although she felt dreadful – and looked it too, if the view in the mirror was in any way accurate – Dee did have a plan. The day she and Robbie had gone on their picnic – which now felt like a past lifetime even though it was only a handful of days ago – she’d managed to leave her favourite blue scarf in his cottage, and she wanted it back.
She also wanted to give Robbie her blessing. Not that he needed it; Dee had no hold over him, they were friends of sorts, nothing more. But as she’d finally slipped away into the abyss in the early hours of a morning now long gone, it had become important to Dee that Robbie should be happy. Whatever the consequences might be for her. She planned to test the ground, to find out if he would still countenance being her friend, and whether or not that would be acceptable to Jess.
She’d never let on, but there had always been more involved in her protecting Robbie than just looking out for a friend, and she supposed she should admit it to herself – even if nobody else ever knew. And she certainly didn’t want Robbie to know now.
It was time to face facts, though. Perhaps he would want her to back off, to let his fledgling feelings for Jess take proper root and grow unhindered. She needed to be prepared for that as a possibility.
Drawing back her curtains on the fully formed day, Dee pulled in a deep breath.
