‘You hear that, Joel?’ Wendy shouted to her son, who had stayed in the hallway. ‘We must try this restaurant tomorrow. Maybe take Patti and the girls? And then we can go on to have a look at Ally’s friend’s garden.’
‘I have to warn you that it’s a rough old track from the inn onwards,’ Ally said, ‘so you don’t want to be in a low-slung car.’
‘Just as well I’ve got the Jeep then,’ Joel said cheerfully. ‘It’ll do us good to get away from here for a while. Let’s do lunch at this place and go on from there to see your new friend. I thought she was interesting – if a little eccentric perhaps.’
Ally was trying to imagine Desdemona’s reaction if Wendy and Joel turned up out of the blue and smiled to herself.
‘We’ll go tomorrow,’ Joel said firmly, ‘after I’ve had another chat with that detective. I swear he knows something he hasn’t told me…’
When Ross returned in the early evening, he brought with him two rump steaks. ‘I thought maybe jacket potatoes and a salad?’ he suggested as he laid them on the kitchen table.
‘Wonderful,’ Ally replied. ‘And I’ve made an apple crumble to follow.’
‘Did you actually manage to coax a couple of apples from that ancient tree in the garden?’ Ross asked.
‘No, I had a visit from Desdemona.’
Ross’s eyes widened. ‘To what do you owe that honour?’
‘She was just being nice. She’d flogged somestuff down at the Craigmonie and called in on her way back, so we had coffee and a brief chat.’
‘So what’s she been up to?’ Ross asked. ‘Not that there’s a great deal to get up to where she lives!’
‘She seems to be living a quiet life at the moment and has a new puppy of some sort. But just as she was leaving, who should come out of the sitting room but Wendy and Joel.’
‘Oh yes. How’s his eye?’
‘Still very swollen. When I introduced them to each other, Wendy said how much she adored gardening and that she’d love to see Desdemona’s garden because the Nova Scotia climate is very similar to the Scottish one. I was a little put out, to tell the truth, because she’s never shown the slightest interest in the garden here. Anyway, Joel is now going to take his mother to eat at The Bothy tomorrow lunchtime, and then they’re going to visit Desdemona.’
Ross pulled a face. ‘Is Desdemona aware of this?’
‘I doubt it, but Joel seems determined to go anyway, and he does have a Jeep, so I expect that’ll cope with the bumpy track. I’d just love to see Desdemona’s face when they arrive on her doorstep!’
‘Oh well, at least he won’t be bothering anyone in Locharran if he’s up there studying horticulture,’ Ross exclaimed.
‘Let’s hope he doesn’t get another black eye from Desdemona.’
‘I wouldn’t put it past her,’ Ross said, laughing. ‘What’s the atmosphere been like here today?’
‘The girls keep to themselves, and God only knows what Patti does because, as you know, she’s housebound,’ Ally said, suddenly aware of raised voices in the hall.
‘Itoldyou I didn’t want to see him again after the lies he told me about you!’ Julie was shouting. ‘I only wanted to go outto get you something to eat. I wasn’t planning on bloody eloping!’
‘Watch your language!’ Patti shouted back. ‘I’m sorry I doubted you, darling, but I don’t trust that boy, not after what he said.’
‘Well, we know he’s a liar,’ Janey piped in.
‘He certainly is,’ said Patti, ‘and the sooner that can be proved, the better, and the sooner we’re out of here.’
‘Where have Auntie Wendy and Joel gone?’ Julie asked.
‘They’ve gone to complain to the manager of that Craigmonie Hotel about Joel’s treatment last night, and they’re going to bring back some sandwiches and a bottle of wine, thank God!’
There was then a slamming of doors, followed by silence.
‘Did you hear that?’ Ally asked Ross.
‘I did. Do you think this Joel is determined to get himself another black eye?’
