After Morag had gone, Ally finished stacking the dishwasher and tidied up the dining room.
Only the two girls seemed eager to go for a walk; none of the three adults appeared to be overkeen on exercise. They’d taken over the sitting room, where they spent most of the day reading or watching TV. Ally had also overheard them arguing about Archie’s body – should they have him flown back to Canada or have him buried here in Scotland? Patti thought he should be buried here, whereas Wendy wanted him flown home. Greg didn’t appear to have an opinion.
Ally was unaccustomed to her guests hanging around all day and was beginning to wish they’d booked in at the Craigmonie. Only Greg was sent out periodically for supplies, mainly takeaways, which they ate in the dining room, and so both of Ally’s main downstairs rooms were constantly in use and had to be cleared and cleaned whenever possible.
She’d noticed today that Patti still seemed quite perky. However, Patti’s devotion to her uncle Angus did not seem to extend to walking up the hill to see him.
As she came out of the dining room, Ally almost collided with Greg, who was heading towards the stairs. ‘Another sunny day!’ she exclaimed brightly. ‘Just right for a walk!’
‘Oh, it would be,’ he said morosely, ‘if it wasn’t for the press.’
‘Are theystilloutside?’
‘Yeah, we’ve been mobbed by reporters and cameras every time we go out of here,’ he said, rolling his eyes. ‘I don’t want the girls to have to deal with that. Maybe the detective could get them to move?’
‘They won’t follow you if you go out the back door and takethe moorland paths up to the castle or Loch Soular,’ Ally suggested hopefully. ‘They normally hang around on the road between here and the village.’
‘We ain’t taking any chances,’ he said before he disappeared into the sitting room, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Ross had gone home to supervise a new central heating boiler being installed, and Ally had the afternoon free. She’d do what she said she was going to do and visit Angus. She’d even practised what she was going to say to him: she was concerned about Patti and how she was dealing with her grief, so perhaps Angus could see his way to calling in or inviting her up there? In fact, of course, Patti was just fine, made up to the nines and exhibiting a shapely thigh.
‘Come on, Flora – we’re going for a walk,’ she said to her excited dog.
They set off on the moorland path about half past two. Ally had reservations about leaving the family on their own in the malthouse; not that they’d be likely to do anything stupid, but she just wasn’t used to their constant presence all day long and needed to get away for a bit.
It was another lovely day, the sun shining with a gentle breeze, Flora romping ahead. It was the kind of day that would make anyone feel better, no matter how low they were. And there wasn’t a single reporter or a photographer in sight.
Halfway up to the castle was the little hut where she liked to sit and admire the view all around. It was a ramshackle old building with a long bench seat inside, out of the wind, and had been used as a shelter for the earl’s shepherds in the days when he had sheep grazing on the hillside. He still did have a few sheep, but they were in a fenced-off field down in the village. There were still a few other sheep around, mainly in the smallholdings and crofts where families –like Morag and Murdo – kept chickens, a cow and sometimes a goat or two.
Ally sat down for a few minutes and wondered where she was likely to find Angus. He was usually around somewhere, frequently at the kennels or – unlikely at the moment – cleaning his guns. After a few minutes, she and Flora set off again, uphill.
They found Angus oiling the hinges of the tractor shed, dressed in his usual uniform of tweed plus-fours and hefty boots. He glared at them, his bushy white eyebrows and moustache bristling with curiosity.
‘Ye come for another dog?’ he asked, staring at Flora.
‘No, no,’ Ally replied hastily. ‘I’m more than happy with the one I’ve got.’
‘Aye, I daresay. Another one would cost you.’
She knew he was referring to the fact that when she’d first visited Angus to buy a puppy, the earl had refused to take payment. It was his welcoming gift to her, he’d said, a fact that circulated around the village like wildfire. Ally knew what everyone thought but didn’t let it bother her, knowing no one would believe it was purely a friendly gesture.
‘No, it’s such a lovely day I thought we’d have a little walk,’ she said.
He continued glowering at her. ‘Is that so?’
Ally cleared her throat. ‘Well, I was hoping I might run into you,’ she admitted.
‘Why’s that?’
‘I’m a little concerned about Patti,’ she said.
‘Pat!’ he corrected her.
‘OK, Pat then. Your niece.’
‘What’s wrong with her?’
Not much,Ally thought. ‘I’m a bit worried about her because she seems to be acting a little strangely.’
