‘Right… very strange,’ Bex muttered to herself.
It was a low blow for sure. Kieron’s response to finding out he might not inherit the castle was to take what he could from the estate while he could? Probably to make sure Duncan couldn’t have it. It wasn’t the kind of move she expected from him. He’d been nothing but generous since they’d met, even recommending her accounting firm to several of his wealthy friends and helping her land that corner office in London. But the news must’ve been a shock, and he’d already had a few drinks beforehand. She wasn’t sure she could hold it against him.
‘So where’re you going to go?’ Lorna asked. ‘Not the lodge.’
‘No. Not the lodge,’ Bex stressed. Clearly Lorna wasn’t going to drop the Duncan thing, but Bex could hardly blame her. Last night, for a split second, she’d actually believed that maybe, somehow, they might find a way. Now, though, he had more than enough to deal with. ‘Though I haven’t thought where I’ll head. I don’t know where has room available. I was going to put some feelers out at the pubs, see what they’ve got.’
Lorna nodded, although it was notably slow. As if she’d been struck by another bout of nausea. ‘Well, you know you’re welcome here as long as you want. As long as you don’t mention that word again.’
‘Word?’ Bex questioned.
‘The “P” word…’ Lorna replied as she placed her bap down on the plate and drew in a deep breath.
‘“P” word?’ Bex pondered. ‘You mean pu?—’
‘Don’t!’ Lorna lifted one hand to Bex while she covered her mouth. For a moment, Bex thought Lorna was about to bolt for the bathroom again, and she wasn’t the only one. Ruby had sat up too, and moved across to the edge of the room, providing a clear path for Lorna to take. But rather than dashing back upstairs, Lorna closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths in.
‘I don’t suppose you could do one last favour before you start looking for somewhere else to stay, could you?’ Lorna said when she could finally manage to speak again.
‘Of course. What is it?’
‘Ring Roddy and see if he’ll take my shift for me.’
* * *
It took a fair bit of persuading, but eventually Bex convinced Lorna to make the call herself. Bex was her friend, not her mother, and Lorna was old enough to do something like that herself. Besides, she didn’t feel right asking Roddy. Not when she knew it would mean he’d be taking three consecutive shifts in different jobs in less than twenty-four hours. If Lorna was okay with him doing that, then she could ask.
As Bex had probably expected, Roddy agreed, and four hours later, Lorna was back in bed while Bex had packed up her belongings and was ready to go in search of new accommodation.
There were several B&Bs in the village, not that Bex had ever stayed in any. She knew they were all highly regarded, though. The two pubs – the White Hart and the Lion – also offered accommodation. For several reasons, Bex decided to try the White Hart first.
The first reason was that it was her usual drinking spot, a place she felt comfortable in. While it could get busy, it rarely got rowdy, meaning she knew she’d be able to get a decent night’s sleep there, provided the bed was comfortable, although given that she’d been sleeping on a sofa bed, her standards were pretty low. It was also at the end of the village closest to Highland Hall, and considering she might still be walking back and forth occasionally, cutting a couple of hundred metres off the journey each way felt sensible, especially in her slightly frailer state. It still shocked her how much her brush with death had affected her, and just trundling her suitcase down the cobblestones, with a bag slung over her shoulder, had been enough to take it out of her.
Although the plan was to bring Ruby with her, Bex had left the dog and her giant bed at Lorna’s for now. Ruby had been unwell recently too. In fact, Duncan had been so worried about all the weight she’d lost since Fergus had died that he’d taken her to the vet, but a couple of plates of scrambled egg – made to the dog’s exacting specifications – had seen her perk up considerably. Still, she’d been fast asleep when Bex had left the cottage, and she’d not had the heart to wake her up.
At just gone 5p.m. she pushed open the door to the White Hart. Just as she’d expected, Roddy was serving behind the bar.
‘You know you didn’t have to agree to take Lorna’s shift,’ Bex said as she took a seat on one of the bar stools. ‘It might have helped her to get out of the house.’
‘I dinnae mind,’ Roddy replied. ‘Besides, I cut a deal with her. She’s gotta give me her tips for a week. From both her jobs too.’ He rubbed his fingers and thumb together. ‘I’ll be rakin’ it in.’
Bex let out a low chuckle. She knew Roddy was shrewd, but she was impressed. Though Lorna must have been in an even worse state than she realised to accept the offer. Just like Roddy, she worked multiple jobs and normally had a couple of side hustles on the go too. No doubt she’d be able to make up those lost tips soon enough.
‘So, what can I get ye?’ Roddy asked.
‘Honestly, I wanted to know if you’d got rooms going?’
‘Rooms?’ His left eyebrow rose. ‘I thought you were only up here for a couple of weeks this time. Does this mean you and Duncan are?—’
‘No, and even if we were, it’s not any of your business.’
‘Aye, sorry.’ A pink tinge coloured Roddy’s cheeks. ‘Just thought you two were a bonnie pair. You’re right. It ain’t none o’ my business.’
A ripple of guilt rolled through Bex at the way she’d snapped. Roddy was always incredibly discreet. He’d picked Duncan and her up after their first date, and she knew he wouldn’t have said anything to anyone about the state she’d been in when he’d driven her back home the night before.
‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘It’s just work stuff, that’s all. But I might need it for a while. So, do you think you have any rooms?’
Roddy moved over to a large ledger and flipped through it. As he scanned across the pages, Bex couldn’t help but think about the old laird, with his paper filing. Fergus wasn’t the only one in the village with antiquated attitudes towards their accounts, and the work part of her was desperate to get hold of all these outdated paper ledgers and digitise everything. She was pretty sure she could save the business a fair bit of money too, what with all the tax breaks they weren’t getting this way, but she had more than enough on her plate for now.
