‘What does that mean?’ Lorna switched her eyes from the road to glance at Bex. ‘What do you mean, “he’s got his own stuff to sort out”? Has something happened? Has he had some news about the will?’
Bex tried her hardest to give nothing away, glancing at Ruby instead as she spoke. Just like in the hotel room the night before, Ruby was unable to settle, shifting from one side of the backseat to the other. It was true, most of the times Bex’d been in a car with the dog, it had been a far bigger car than this one. But there was more than enough room for her to lie down comfortably. Of course, it was possible she was just feeling the anxiety radiating from Bex. That was almost certainly the reason for her strange behaviour.
‘I just mean with what happened yesterday,’ Bex said, knowing she had to reply to Lorna. ‘With everything that’s going on. That’s all.’ Either she had a terrible poker face, or Lorna just knew her too well.
‘Oh my God. He got the DNA test back, didn’t he? Duncan’s Fergus’s grandson? He’s actually heir to Highland Hall, isn’t he? That’s why he’s disappeared. That’s why he’s gone off. He needs space to think about it, right? He always disappears when massive things are happening.’
It was heart-warming, how much Lorna knew her brother. Unsurprising, too. Lorna had been the one to support him through his breakup with Katty, and likely with Bex too. She probably knew how he’d respond to things better than Bex did. For a moment, Bex considered lying and saying she had no more news than when they’d spoken yesterday, but given Kieron’s latest stunt, Duncan was probably going to need even more support.
‘I’m sure he’ll talk about it when he wants to. But it won’t be easy. Kieron doesn’t want to let him have things.’
‘How do you know? Have you spoken to him?’ Once again, Bex didn’t need to answer. Apparently her expression gave her away. Lorna’s face hardened. ‘What did he say? Did he threaten you again? Is this why you’re going back to London? Okay, you need to go to the police about it. It’s harassment.’
Bex let out a chuckle.
‘Men like Kieron are too powerful to be accused of things like harassment. Trust me. If I’ve learned anything from working in London with men like him, that’s it. Best-case scenario it gets swept under the rug. Worst case is that whoever made the accusation only ends up suffering more. You can’t beat it.’
‘It’s disgusting,’ Lorna said. ‘And we need to change it. And maybe you need to change where you’re working too.’
She paused, focusing on the road while she switched lanes. When she spoke again, her voice was notably softer. ‘Did you and Duncan talk about things? About you and him? There’s no point pretending that you’re not still in love with each other. It’s clear as day.’
‘It’s complicated.’
‘Of course it is. But is it what you want?’
‘Yes,’ Bex answered immediately. How different that was from when she’d first come back up here. When she constantly tried her hardest to hide the fact that all she wanted was Duncan. Most of all, hide it from herself. There was no point any more.
‘So if that’s the case, why are you flying back to London at the drop of a hat for a job that works you to the bone? And I know you love it – I do – but there could be other things you’d love doing too. Niall was telling us how you’d helped Eddie with the garage. Can’t you, I don’t know, set up an accountancy firm here or something?’
Bex pressed her fingers to her temples, hoping that massaging them might help alleviate the throbbing building behind her skull.
‘Starting up a business requires clients, a reputation. You can’t just start from nothing.’
‘You wouldn’t be starting from nothing. Eddie’s a client, right? I’m sure he’d have loads of local people he could recommend you to. And don’t forget the estate. Let’s be honest, what does Duncan know about managing the finances of a place like that? I’m sure he’d be grateful to have you at his side. It’s perfect, actually. You’d be the ultimate power couple. He’ll become laird, you take over?—’
‘Lorna, can we please not talk about this right now?’ Bex snapped. Lorna’s constant rumination over the picture-perfect life was more than she could cope with right now. ‘I just… I just need some quiet until we get to the airport. Is that okay?’
Lorna’s face fell. ‘Sure. You’re right. Sorry.’
For the rest of the drive, Bex was consumed by an unending stream of guilt and anxiety. She knew she needed to apologise to her friend for the way she was snapping. But somehow she couldn’t find the words. Instead, as Lorna dropped her at the airport, Bex offered her a tight squeeze and hoped it conveyed all she wanted it to.
‘Ring Duncan when you can?’ Lorna asked.
‘I will. But if I can’t get hold of him before I’m in the air, can you tell him?’
‘Tell him what exactly?’
It was a question Bex wasn’t sure she had an answer to. ‘That I’ll be back when I can.’
‘Great. I’m sure he’s going to love hearing that from me,’ Lorna muttered, rolling her eyes.
Ruby had finally curled up quietly in the backseat. Rather than disturbing her, Bex blew a kiss.
‘I’ll see you when I get back,’ Bex whispered, almost to herself. ‘I promise.’
35
Bex glanced up at the departure board, searching for her flight gate. London City. There was only one flight leaving that night for her destination, and thankfully, it looked like she was going to make it, with the gate still ten minutes away from boarding.
