When she’d asked Nigel for the time off from work, she had wanted the space to think. Wanted to be free from the stress of emails and demands of clients so she could focus on herself. But how did she do that exactly? Self-care had never been one of her strongest skills, and strangely, there was nothing she found more relaxing than ticking things off a large to-do list.
If it had been the summer she could have gone for some long walks, taken some binoculars and tried a bit of bird watching, but at that moment, she was at a loss. Sure, she could book into some fancy spa in Edinburgh for the day and relax that way, but then she’d be miles away from both her parents and Duncan and she wanted to stay close on hand, just in case they needed her.
Deciding to check if either Lorna or Eilidh were free, Bex pulled her phone out of her pocket, only to see an unread message. She froze, stopping so hard she yanked on Ruby’s lead, the name on the screen making her stomach somersault.
Kieron.
Whatever he wanted it couldn’t be good and the best thing to do would be to delete it straight away. Without even reading it. It was the least he deserved. Unless, she countered her own thoughts, it was an apology? An acceptance that he had been in the wrong and wanted to make amends?
With her heart stuttering, Bex swept her finger across the screen, opened the phone and read the message. It was brief and to the point.
We need to talk. Just you and me. Now.
28
Bex wasn’t blind to the fact that the entire village would be furious at her for walking to the castle, but it wasn’t like driving had gone much better for her. Besides, she didn’t want anyone knowing she was going to talk to Kieron. He had texted her and made it very clear he wanted to speak to her alone. A quick text to Gordon confirmed that Kieron had been informed of the DNA results and given the big blow he had just been dealt, she was going to show him that level of respect. Even though he didn’t deserve it.
He had to want to apologise, right? And he probably thought it would be easier to do so in private than in front of other people. After all, there were very few people who knew exactly how badly he had treated her, causing all the firm’s clients to leave the company again only days after signing with them. And he probably didn’t have much time. From the work Bex had done on inheritance cases before, she knew that a home had to remain empty while the estate was being sorted… and this… well, this wasn’t up for debate any more. It wasn’t Kieron’s. Which meant that, fingers crossed, he would be out of LochDarroch by sunset.
And she would accept his apology, but only because it was the mature thing to do. Her body language should be more than enough to show what she thought of him.
Still, as confident as she felt, with every step closer she got to the castle, Bex’s nerves grew more and more intense. She was grateful to have Ruby at her side. She’d already made it perfectly clear that she was far from a fan of Duncan’s newly discovered cousin. If she couldn’t have a human at her side for comfort, Ruby was the next best thing.
As she continued down the road, she spotted the marks on the driveway where she had skidded to miss the roe. Marks that continued up onto the grass and finally came to a stop in front of a large cedar tree, though there was no sign of the deer now. Of course, the animals would have moved on, totally oblivious to just how treacherous their morning had been.
As she took a moment to study the thin scratch marks on the base of the ancient knotted trunk, she drew in a long, deep breath, trying to stop the squirming that had taken hold of her intestines. In the last week alone, she had survived near hypothermia, a near miss with a deer and more heartache than any person should have to suffer. She could definitely survive one last conversation with Kieron.
That was what it was going to be, she reminded herself, as she picked up her pace and continued to the hall. One last conversation with Kieron and then he would be out of their lives for good. Assuming Duncan didn’t want to keep a relationship going with his cousin, that was, but somehow she doubted that would happen. Crap, he had an entirely new side of the family to get to know. If he wanted to, of course. Yes, Duncan inheriting the castle really was the tip of the iceberg for him. And shortly they would have to start looking below the surface of the water. But not until he was ready.
‘Remember, no growling unless it’s really necessary,’ Bex said to Ruby as she drew up to the door and gave the wood a couple of firm knocks. A minute later, she tried again, this time knocking even harder and for longer too. Maybe he’d gone. Maybe Kieron just wanted to run one last ring around her before she left. After a third knock, she was about to leave and head to the lodge when Kieron’s voice bellowed from inside.
‘Come in!’
Bex bit the inside of her cheek. Was it really that hard for him to open the door, she considered, before correcting her thoughts. Maybe he’d just expected her to let herself in, the way she’d always done when Fergus had been alive. Maybe not answering the door had been a strange gesture of goodwill.
Stranger things had happened.
Inside, she moved through the familiar corridors without needing direction, knowing exactly where he would be. The drawing room. Fergus’s room. That had been where Kieron had been sitting when she’d first discovered he was Fergus’s nephew. She recalled the anger she’d felt at the way Fergus’s blanket had been strewn on the floor. His chair moved from the place she’d always known it to be. Now though, with Duncan in charge, that wouldn’t happen. The chair would go back to where it belonged, and maybe they could find a place for the blanket. Hang it on a wall somewhere for posterity’s sake. Yes, she liked that idea.
As she stepped into the drawing room, she was hit by a wall of heat, the fireplace glowing orange with fresh logs. Although despite the warmth, she didn’t bother taking off her coat. She didn’t want to give the impression she was staying.
Her skin prickled at the sight of Kieron, sitting cross-legged in Fergus’s chair by the fire, a tumbler of whisky on the side table. He looked every inch the lord of the manor. Only he wasn’t. Not any more. And it might be closing in on lunchtime but drinking whisky this early was never a good sign. Hopefully, it was just a bit of Dutch courage for the apology he knew he needed to give.
‘So,’ she said, her voice steady. ‘You wanted to talk.’
‘Yes. Sit down,’ he replied, gesturing towards a chair.
‘I’m fine standing,’ she said firmly. ‘I can hear you perfectly well from here.’
‘Fine, as you like.’ In one swift movement, he stood up, grabbed his glass and then crossed the room. ‘Then I’ll come to you.’
In three short strides he was barely two feet away from her.
‘I’ll get to the point,’ he continued, swirling his whisky. ‘I assume you’ve spoken to Gordon about the DNA results?’
‘Yes, I have,’ Bex said.
‘Well, I’ve got a proposition.’
